The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-31


For trouserettes indoors
New York. March 31.-In a class
with the hoary and decrepit mother
in-Iaw Joke the one about the ad-
vanced female donning the trousers
has done equally long and faithful
service. But 10 and behold the latter
yyheeze has now ceased to be joke
and these days of 1917 become
stern reality.
DR.. Mary Walker blazed the trail
for the wearing of masculine neither
garments, believe, but it took a heap
of red tape to keep them on Nine
Curie more recently gained the per-
mission of her government to wear EN-
after a great deal of trouble and time,
but now everybodys doing it with the
greatest ease and nonchalance.
War Made EN- Necessary.
Along with the high cost of living
and other evils, of course, this fem
mime penchant for trousers must be
blamed on the poor old war. Only
this time it is no evil, but a blessing
in disguise of pants
With the women forced to take over
the tasks of males in all the fighting
countries. naturally it was meet that
they should take over the cut of their
clothes as well. One can't very ade-
quately oil engines, pillow drive motors
and run elevators all done up IN
skirts and petticoatS.
Sitting on the sidelines, Maiden
America and Matron America as well,
have calmly appropriated, as they DO
all imported fads and fashions, those
bifurcated garments for their own ana
pant no longer merely with emotion
or exertion but with gingham, denim,
chafnbray. silk and satin.
BY a quaint whimsey of fate it isn't
the advanced female of the joke VINO
is now wearing the trouser effects,
hnv hlff he domestic little
wives and mothers, the Queens of
the home" and the housewives of the
hearth"
As a first aid to baking. brewing
sweeping and chores of the home in
general, snothing could be neater,
sweeter or fleeter than one of the new
panta!ette housedresses.
They are made with a blouse waist.
with sailor collar and loose. three
quarter sleeves. They have a neat
little belt button down the front and
there are two dandy. handy big patch
pockets. one on each hip. Thus far
they are no different than the little
old last years model house dress. But
below the pockets comes the great di-
vide into cunning little trouserettes
that clasp the ankles with an elastic
headed frill or else hang straight with
a stitched band of the material bound
ing them, like an honest to goodness
regular male trouser cuff
On some of the prettier models this
band around the bottom of the PAN
talettes like the belt. collar, pocket
and sleevecuffs. is of a contrasting
shade of material. These sensible and
soncy suits come in ckambray, ging-
ham, denim, and kahki in pink or
blue or white or tan.
Then there are the regulation over
alls. the female of the species re-
sembling much the male. These are
of course for the more strenuous walks
of wOrkaday feminine life.
Skating Kind Cut Some Ice
Skating overalls are cutting some
ice these days too. let me tell you
Fair skaters find they can cut a much
better figure eight or any old figure
at all in the smart new tailored trou-
sers of novelty suiting and tweed cut
generously wide with big flap pockets
on each hip and cunning suspenders
of the same material holding them Sc
curely in place.
Milady of elegant leisure is painting
to be in a trousered class with her
sisters the sporting girl and the busy
housewife. So she affects the straight
black silk trousers of the Chinese
woman, topped with a gaiIy en-
broidered Chinese coat for her robe
intime" or the full trousers of Turk
ish trophy under a flowing coat of
silk.
Wearing trousers has indeed become
such fascinating habit that the 1917
female cannot even doff them at night
and she dons, when the shades of
night have fallen down and the win
dow shades are down as we'll cutey
little suits of pajamas with feminine
V cut decollete and short sleeved up
pers and masculine, straight cut, ankle
length lowers.
So you see it keeps lovely woman
painting twenty-four hours a day to
keep up with these strenuous times
-@
May Drill to Draw Crowds.