Evening star., 1917-11-11
By ANNE R1TTENHousE.

a MUSICIANLY man made the
IN statement the other da. that
A\ II women follow the fashions
g = of this autumn. they will look
As though they were taking leading roles
in we'll known operas.
Aida. Aneris. Natoma. Lakme. Mel-
sande and That's are the operatic char
acters on which the French designers
must have based their work for this
season.
Natoma is suggested by the distinctly
Indian clothing that has come from the
great houses abroad and copied ana
launched In all the houses here.
Lakme is suggested by the oriental
clothing with its ancient coloring. its
dangling beads and its glistening tis-
sues.
That's is suggested in the draping of
the figure by folds Of soft material. such
as crepe and satin. the drapery wind
ing around the body and revealing
every curve and line without confining
the muscles.
Aida has her prototypes today in the
savage. primitive clothes. the brilliant
blue and green necklaces. the barbaric
armbands above the elbow and the un-
even, fringed hem of the skirt.
Amneris is seen in the ballroom and
at the dinner table in all the splendor
Of her Egyptian finery, her heavy.
banded head. the large waist line and
tia sinuous drapery about the hips. to
say nothing of the addition of
gorgeous peacock-feather fan
1t was startling suggestion. ehis one
made by man concerning the modern
woman dressed for an opera role. and
the critic Of clothes saw in it truth
that was both amusing and interesting:
Glancing over the moving films of
clothes that are passing the eye today,
one feels. In the light Of this new fact,
as though one might be in the salons
Of Marie Muells Of Paris. the greatest
Through her rooms fash all the singers
Of the world. Her knowledge of
operatic costumery. her superb ham
ing out the best artistic suggestions to
be found In the great museums and pic
ture galleries OF France are well
known to all those who live In the
sent the ages of the world, they are
colorful and superb symbols Of every
powerful race that has passed over the
planet.
But what has the story of Muelle's
rooms to do with modern clothes, you
ask. The answer is that you could find
the inspiration for every gown you
wear today In those salons. If YOU
and accurate observation.
Modern clothes. which means the
clothes for this autumn and winter. are
said to be simple. We all know they
their simplicity. there are SO many bar
barrie and exotic suggestions that they
give q good deal Of delight to any one
who studies clothes from the point of
than from price and serviceability.
When, for instance. have we had a
season as full Of fringes as now? When
have we had winter in which six
floating panels Of silk were weighted
down with Indian beads to half conceal
q pair Of oriental trousers that look as
though they were elongated envelope
chemises, or what the young girl ir-
reyerently calls her teddy bears"
When have we ever worn the hat
made famous in our Indian countries
Of America, with its peaked crown, soft
brim and colored cords?
Since when have we worn clothes
made out of a single width Of material
that 10 caught at one shoulder. draped
across the back. wound around the hips.
caught again above the knee and left
to fall on the floor In folds that cling
to the ankles? This is That's and the
Since wher have conservative women
gone about in the evening with a gold
band on one ankle and broad gold
band on the upper arm? And when have
women walked the streets in the morn
ing and afternoon with Indian and
Chinese chains dangling from their
necks?
How long has it been since an as
semblage Of women at the theater gave
one q vivid impression Of jungle full
Of tropical birds flashing their long
tails and wings in the air-a suggestion
which Is given by the myriad Of great
fans made of peacock tails. of red. pur-
pie, green and black ostrich feathers, of
Chinese sandalwood, OF Egyptian
fronds, Of colored aigrettes.
Mind you. every one Of these fashions