The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-10-18
It's Easy--Chinesy
Margaret Mason Says Uniting Things
are Fitting in Following the
Latest Fads of Fashion.


| pray you do not have a fit
Dame Fashion win not stand for it.
For anything that fits, my dear,
VIII simply not be done this year.
New York, October 16.-The bi-annu-
al fashion shows are now upon US and
languid, languishing models are undu-
lating a million dollars worth of furs
and metallic embroidery and brocades
all over the smartest shops.
All the worth while gowns are there,
they Doucet everyone will wear. Our
old friend Pioret has a pair of stunning
ones with Chinese air, and Lanvin,
Callot, Premet too and Paquin also
show a few.
Since the Chinese tendency is so pro-
nounced in most all of the imported
models the settings for the display of
the gowns is all Chinked and lacquered
and gilded and Chinese Coded and
rugged up. The models glide around
among the carved ivory and teakwood
and Chinese porcelain as much at home
as if they had never been outside the
Great Wall of China in their lives.
Of course a few of the models are al
lowed to sit on the Russian steppes and
look like Olga of the Volga in fur trim
med peasant blouses smothered in fur
and hectic worsted embroidery, but in
fact the similarity between the lines of
the loose Russian blouse and the loose
Chinese coat, the brilliant embroideries
and those of Russia, and the lavish use
of fur onsboth make it rather puzzling
unless you are a connoiseur on Chinese
and Russian art or at least of Russian
and Chinese tea to tell one from the
other.
After taking an oblique look and get
ting a Chinese slant on these different
showings of imported models SO rich in
materials, reputation and price, my
advice to the woman who clferishes the
wild ambition Of leading the mode back
home is to wait until she gets there.
Then let her hire the village seamstress
and have that parsonage fit all her
gowns ON someone with figure the ex-
act antithesis of her own. When she
dons them everybody will be willing to
swear she is wearing Premet or Dou
Get model of the very latest.
For the main characteristic of all the
new models is their non-ftting proper
ties and the impression that they are
built to go on a totally different figure
from the one they adorn. Necks are
hacked out straight across from shout
der to shoulder, or in loose ovals that
pull hither and yon, sleeves are loose
and flowing and wide, and the waists,
If one may call them such, are guaran-
teed not to touch the human form at
any given point or curve from shoulder
to hip. Some Of the skirts are caught
up at unexpected and awkward angles
and indicate that if they hang evenly
for any space around the hem they are
miserable failure indeed. 9sa@
On the evening models, where draper
les are the piece de resistance as 'twere
the way the gorgeous lengths of metal
lie and velvet or silken brocades are
draped on the foundations of lace or
gold and silver gauze, would cause the
window dresser of the white front dry
goods emporium back home to hide his
head in shame.
They give the non-elect the disturb
ing impression that the designer had
stood on the near side of the atolier
and thrown the drape across the room
to the lace swathed form on the other
side, and then HE'D himself frantically
to pin the wanton stuff 'ere it happened
to light.
The whole idea of the season sartor-
tally seems to be striving after the
sketchy impressionistic effect, or as
photographers say, one of those artistic
blurred portraits that make every one
mystifyingly beautiful because they are
a mist Of detail-we must have a fuzzy
outline.
No doubt the super-abundance Of
worsted embroidery that is used Law
ishly on every material to hand, even
on lustrous chiffon velour will aid in
the fuzziness.
If you can just manage to be fuzzy,
ill-ftted and Cutlery with silver
threads among the gold, or a bushel of
beads all at the same time, your sar-
torial success for 1917-1918 is assured.