The Washington herald., 1916-04-09
NO sign YET OF
NARROWERSKIRTS
Military Ban on Full Dresses
Has No Effect on Pari-
sian Designers.
ICALLOT MODELS TAME
Styles of Famous House Gravitate Be.
tween Straight Lines and
Boufancy.
ny rLEANoR HoyT BnAfNERp.

And now a military ban is put upon
the full skirtsi
To be sure, the protest comes from
British sources. Even Joffre would hcsi-
tate to tell tho dressfnakers of Paris
that their modes should be changed In
the interests Of the French army But
willis the French army may respect the
aspirations OF French dressmakers and
their customers, II is undoubtedly true
that French dressmakers ana French
women are devoted TO the army and II II
could be established that the extra
widths going into the fashionable skirts
are in any way detrimental to the In
terests of the French soldiers there would
speedily be such a skirt collapse as
would gladden. the hearts OF the many
women who hate those same fashions BILE
full sklrts
One could wish that the French min.
ister OF war would take the matter up:
but the chances are that only the swing
OF fashions pendulum win end the tri-
umph of the full skirt ana the dts
contented must wait with what phiioso.
ply they can muster.
Certainly even In the straiehtest Of
the straight line models there Is no sign
Of narrowing skirts. There are tailored
costumes whose skirt width is only
moderate. but even the moderately mar
row skirt is not to be found outside the
province OF tailored clothes. There are
full skirts and fuller skirts and full
est skirts. From among these you may
make your choice.
Materials Are soft.
And yet so soft are some Of the ma /.
terials and so cieverly are they handled
that skirts enormously wide at tho
hem, but unstiffened, sometimes ap-
proximate straight lines in spite OF all
their fluffiness. and these models are
shown side by side with the most am
bilious Of crinoilnes.
Callot. whose eagerly awaited and
tsrdily delivered models are this sea-
son, at least 50 far as the models
FOR the trade are concerned scarcely
triumphant enough TO Justify the eager.
ness or the waiting, gravitates twixt
straight lines and bouffancy-an eclectic
course entirely in accordance with the
principles OF art and the principles OF
the house Of Callot.
There are evening gowns in the CatIot
collection that In line are more frankly
OF Watteau ana his fellows than any
other models Of the season, though the
designers have scorned the naive pinks
and blues and lAvenders of the period
and carried out their ideas In luscious
fruity yellows, gorgeous flame and black
brocades, wonderful greens. There's a
Callot fancy for hanging q Vatican back
drapery from necklet OF flowers that
furnishes the shallow round decoIleta se
of tulle bodice in front and drops In a
point at the back-but that detail is IL
lustrated on the opposite page.
And there are the quaintest Of old
fashioned real lace collars and cuffs ON
little black taffeta frock in which
the ordinary woman would look trump,
though it is an adorable thing for the
right type. A sketch OF this model Is
given, but one must see the frock on
the right woman to appreciate its charm,
ana must note the exquisite quality OF
the yellowed lace and the delightful de-
sign and coloring OF the fowered ribbon
finishing the entire front line.