The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-29
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATIDN BUREAU
By FREDERIC J. HAsKIN, Director
Washington, d. G
STYLES AND THE STAGE.

viewed, studied and enjoyed about as
much from the sartorial as from the
dramatic standpoint this year. The
new plays not only show the latest
STYLES, but have also distinct tendency
to assume a leadership in the matter
of new ones
The clothing trade is fully aware of
this new tendency, and leading
trade journals devote space to the
styles shown in the latest productions.
THE stage is the true reflector of
the fashions of the day." the Drygoods
Economist admits, and often serves
to inaugurate a new idea in styles"
Now here is a chance for the actor
folk to bestow a great blessing upon
the human race-to emancipate it
from styles. Let the heroes and es-
pecially the heroines wear simple
clothes, and let the villains and viii
lainesses bear the odium of these WISH
tations known as the latest models.
For there is a distinct tendency in
civilized society to throw off the yoke
of ugly and worse-than-useless cloth
ing, and if given the captivating and
far reaching support of the stage and
the movies, this tendency might
triumph. If so it could save the ma
ton billions, in addition to emanci-
pating woman from the killing corset
and the Gripping French heel, and
the man from the throttling, collar
and the misunderstanding derby and
silk hats.
When you pause to reflect upon it,
the style of clothing that we wear
seems almost an evidence of racial in
sanity Most of it is neither beauti-
tul, useful, nor comforta BILE, while
much of it, especially that worn by
women actually causes physical pain
and shortens life.
How Men Discommode Themselves.
An interesting explanation of how
man came to discommode himself
with such styles is offered by Profess
sor Thorstein B. Veblen of the Univer-
sity of Missouri He shows that our
method of dressing, like many of our
other institutions, is a survival of bar
barrie times. In those days the get
ting of wealth was almost wholly an
cumulative process.
Hence the man who got wealth was
anxious to prove that he had it by
doing no work, and to this end he dec
GRATED himself with all sorts of elabor-
ate garments and ornaments, which
made it evident that he did not intend
to work, and in fact. impossible that
he should. To further impress less
fortunate members of the tribe, he
also caused his servants, and his wife,
| (who was one of his servants) to dress
in such ways that they could not work,
| thus proving that he could support
them in idleness, as well as himself.
| The compression of the feet of Chin
| csc women so that they were unable to
| walk was a product of this barbaric
| method of display, and so probably
was the Turkish admiration of women
| too fat to do more than sit still and eat.
| Now, especially in the wealthy and
well-to-do classes, a great deal of this
! barbaric custom of display remains
among the so-ca,lled civilized nations
| today. Many of our customs, especial
ly of dress. can be explained in no 9TH
| er way. The reformation of our wo-
men by means of corsets, and their
| custom of wearing French heels are
| exactly similar in motive and effect
| to the deformed feet of the Mongol
women, and the adipose tissue of the
| Turkish beauties. They make it evil
| dent that our wives do not have to
| work hard for a living; that in fact
they could not. The doubtful decora-
| tive, and certainly useless hats worn
| by women; the hobble skirts, puff
sleeves and innumerable other waste
full. ugly and Gripping devices which
they have worn in the past few years
are all evidence of this same barbariC
] survival.
The Barbaric SEARCHED Collars.
The starched collars and cuffs worn
| by men are another example that the
| barbaric method of putting on dog
is still with US. The high collar is
neither beautiful nor comfortable, but
| it shows that we do no hard or directly
productive labor, for it would wilt il
we did; and it therefore proves that
| we belong to a leisure or Semi-le1sure
class The high silk hat, and the
dress suit worn by men are Other
typical examples of painful and ugly
clothes. the vogue of which is explain
ed by Professor Veblen's theory.
The rapidity with which style:
change is also explained by him. Eacf
succeeding style is so bideous that
reaction inevitably takes place agains
still more hideous and uncomfortable
style. Thus when we see an ole
photograph of a man wearing the peg
top trousers and long coat Of ten years
ago, or of a woman wearing hoppl'
skirt and an enormous hat, we car
scarcely suppress smile. Yet tel
years hence, we will doubtless smile
at the tight fitting trousers, and tn
abbreviated skirts and ridiculous lit
tie hats of today. None of thes'
STYLES can have any permanent ap
neal. because none of them are sound
" based uDon principles of utility anC
beauty. ~.,
Observing styles from this point OF
view Won can see two distinct ten
denotes in them There is tendency
on the one hand to stick to the bar
barrie principle of clothes that GRIP
ple and incommode, and on the othel
hand toward sane garments that are
comfortable. The manifestations o.
the former tendency are too numer
Gus and obvious to need illustration
! OF the movement toward safe ant
sane clothing, the vogue of the sof
collar and the cap, as against th'
choker and the derby is interesting
and significant. So is the tendenc!
for women to abandon the small, O
mutilated waistline, and return t
garments falling straight from tn
shoulder, after the Grecian fashion
! The growing tendency for women t
work and play in trousers or knick
erbockers is another movement to
ward civilization in clothes.