Middletown transcript., 1917-10-27

8; the fnllneSS at the waiStl1ne mas
almost vanished; the fastening at tna
front or side is not tolerated. But al
of these features of fashion are mereiy
accentuations of an accepted style'
The designers have cut down to tne
bone, as it were, and given us all ID
the way of grace, cleverness and beau
ty after they sacrificed every inch OF
material that might have been super
f1uOuS.
The Tunie Persists.
That the medieval chemise frock tnat
came in with such ringing of bells
and blowing of trumpets has decided
that it will continue to be a welcome
factor in fashions. There are goo0
many women who are tired OF II, az
we are not proof against that wearf
ness that comes from seeing one tnlng
multiplied through every phase OF our
existence, and it has not been humaniJ
possible to escape tunics since they
made their appearance.
There were not as many OF these
gowns put out by the American DE-
signers in the early trade of the sea-
son as by the French, who evidently
are not in the least tired of the one
garment They have repeated 1T ~
Pleasing ways. They make it in thin
and in thick fabrics; they offer 1t as
a coat, on an evening gown and as an
elongated blouse for the house. The
entire movement of French clothes
| shows this tunic coming in and out OF
the film.
Possibly, the one new feature that
/ is most noticeable about it Is the SLASH
/ ing at the sides. The house Of Doeuil-
let is credited with having started
this movement. It looks well and 1t Is
part of the universal tendency IN
clothes to present panels from waist to
ankles. There is an epidemic of these
panels. They are put by every tailor
and dressmaker where they do the
most good or the most harm. They
are Egyptian or, as some critics said.
mid-McKinley. They have allure and
they have most evil possibilities OF
ugliness.
The selection of the good and the
avoidance of the bad in this movement
of dress is up to the individual. The
part Of the reporter is to say that
panels are ubiquitous and that the
tunic is slashed.
A woman with large hips cannot at
ford to go in for indiscriminate slash.
ing below the waist. She should always
bear in mind the fact that an open
line at the sides shows the curve OF
her hips where it is most perceptlble
and often gives her a rotund look that
could be easily concealed by another
kind of drapery.
Belt Is important
The question of q belt on these
tunics is another matter of impOr-
tance. One may call the waist drap-
cry an accessory to the gown, but tha
artist and the expert dressmaker con.
cede the fact that it is the kind of
trile that makes or mars the whole.
1t is well that every woman remem-
bers this truth during the remainder
of this season. She will find, Us tbs
months follow each other, that it will
take all her ingenuity to deal with the
! EXTRAORDINARY luLuA VI UciIS, SIIulCop
sashes and waist drapery Of pleasant
and sinister kinds.
There are evening gowns that seem
to be all SASH An immense piece Of
drapery is welded by an artist dress
maker into a dominating feature Of
the rock by wrapping it below the
bust, at or below the waistline, then
resolving it into q deep panel that
drops down the length of the skirt at
the back or into a bulging bow with
long, fringed ends that covers the en-
J tire side of the figure.
J There are belts on some Of the new
coat suits which are almost corslets,
and an accessory of this type on the
wrong figure would turn a good look
ing woman into caricature.
There is nest of belts, four or five
of them, linked together by some COM
mon cord at the side and back and dis
posing themselves over the entire mid
die of the body.
There are actual corslets of floriated
, Jet, of Egyptian tissue worked in tur-
uuoise and jet beads, of black silk
, braid on satin or serge foundation.
and these reach from the bust to the
, point of the hips, with the ends ad-
iusted by hooks and eyes or by rows
of cloth-covered buttons.
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndcate.)