The weekly soliphone., 1917-03-15
MARGARET MASON
 TALKS OF STYLE
Interesting Side Sights Thrown On
 Tendencies Modern Times Toward Dress, >
(By Margaret Mason. Written for
 the United Press)

ade and costume fetes certainly seem to be growing on us. If only the costumes themselves could grow on us it wouldn't be so expensive.
 Dressing up is the universal joy of all ages and all nationalities. In all walks of life we find penchant for it from infancy, when we are just beginning to toddle, till old age. when we are just beginning to totter.
 There's this vast difference though between the dressing up of childhood and the dressing up of maturity. All you have to give the children as an excuse for dress ing up is a bit of old ribbon or discarded hat, but as an excuse for the dressing up of grownups you have to give an Arabian Nights ball or an Old World fete.
 The war, of course, has provided the best excuse of all for dress ling up. with costume balls for all sorts of relief for all sorts of na- tions. Consequently life in the big American cities is just one costume ball after another and even out in | Wamego, Kansas, and Adrian, Mich Iigan, the cowboy suits and torea- dors, the Chinese kimonos and Co., llonial gowns at the local costumers are almost worn to a thread. Have you ever noticed how in variably people pick out their cos tunes to represent some character | in antithisis to their ordinary ev- cry day personality? They sort of cut loose, as it were, and let them selves be what they have always secretly yearned to be in their in nermost bosoms. For instance the meek drab little housewife and mother blossoms out into a devil ishly seductive Carmen, Thais or I Cleopatra. | The rather gay young person wno makes up her lips and powders her nose runs to Quaker. nun or Red Cross nurse effects, while the port Ily and Amazonian Miss Vera Bigg comes as a baby doll or Little Bo- peep.
 | This works for males as well as 1.-the fair sex and Mir. Hen Peck, al lways masquerades as swashbuck- lI ling grenadier or a bloodthirsty Corsair; Prof. Eramus -Highbrow as Little Boy Blue or Buster Brown, and Deacon Goode sas Dor Juan or Mephisto. A
 Arabian Nights balls, Russian fetes and Masques of the Gods have ibecome a bit cloying after endles: Repetition so that a recent benefit ball where all the guest came tt represent some well known adver ltisement was q welcome and divert ling novelty. The costumes wer' most clever and unique and thu
 idea will bear much repetition fol
 private consumption. Possibilitie
 for costumes are endless and beau
 tifully simple. If you want to gt
 as a dentifrice just wear a smile
 and carry a toothbrush.
 Of if you so choose you may car
 ry a spear, wear corsage of min
 leaves and go as a gum girl.
 If the costumes are restricted tt certain periods or cretain groups o things the ideas are apt to b
 much cleverer and more origina
 than when a sweeping conglomera tien of everything is permissible
 A ball of jewels invites wonder bull effects or a floral fete or {
 vegetable gambol. A culinary cut
 up is an idea to be gobbled up with
 out delay Just think how cum
 hing you would look as a minc'
 pie or a welsh rabbit.
 An artists ball with every On'
 to represent some well known can vas character or beau lacks fresh ness since all the masters, old ant modern have been worn to the las coat in many tableaux wants fol lseveral seasons. Then, too, paint ed ladies are no novelty. An cleo ltrical soiree would be nice for thu linen. It would be so simple for thu majority of them to come all Ii lup.
 What a terrible risk, though, il fwohld be to give a theatrical fete flor nine chances out of ten all tht |men would come as Charlie Chap Hin and all the women as Annette Kellerman.
 The safest and most novel idea ol lall is a best seller dansant with each guest as a popular novel. Al least then everyone would be boune