New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-10
What WenDessed Women Will Wear BY ANNE RIT1EN4OUSE
Will Women Adopt Trouser Skirts After the War?

and freshly curled every day; so the an
tagonism has evidently died down.
Coquettish Ways with Trousers.
America does not seem to be averse to
trousers; now that the first shock
is over. she looks upon them with
calm acceptance, provided they
are cutaccording to the coquettish
N manner which France insists
y upon. They are usually part or
skirt, they do not indicate the
shape of the leg above the knee
and they are managed III some
fashion that gives attractlveness 10 tiie
entire garment.
Erie, the young French designer VINO
was with Paul Poiret, invented the
white cloth skirt that shaped itself at
the hem into tight fitting CATERS with
strap under the shoe. This was the
very first indication of the now famous
zouave skirt.
There are already several patterns OF
walking skirts, and also those used for
sports in the open country, which are
made of shadow plaid or vague striped
worsteds that resolve themselves into
a kind of puttee from knee to ankle.
Universal Bifurcation?
On the stage, and in the restaurants
where women dance, there are more eX-
travagant trousered effects in skirts,
such as full garments of crepe de chime
or satin which drop from high waist
line and end in tight fitting leggings OF
Jet, crystal beading or gold and silver
lace. These leggings enclose only the
calf of the leg, the knees covered by the
full zouave drapery of the skirt, and
the ankles covered by silk stockings,
with high-heeled, brocaded slippers as
finish.
Every one knows that the new even
ing slippers, designed after the French
pattern, are often carried to the calf of
the leg by means of wide straps of jew
elled leather or gold or silver lace.
These strings are folded and interlaced
about the ankles and finished at the top
without bow.
Some of the smart women who wear
the zouave skirt with the short, jewelled
leggings that stop four inches above the
ankles add jewelled bracelet or rib
bon of black velvet at each ankle, in the
Oriental manner.
The fashionable demand for gold and
silver lace done in the pattern known as
lame, which means that the bullion
threads are fattened out by heavy
roller to give the effect of being ironed
into the cloth, gives rise to short, tight
leggings made of either lace.
The metal tissues are not revived for
summer, and only chiffons, crepes de
chine and thin satins are used for even
ing gowns; therefore, one does not get
the impressive. Oriental effect from the
iewelled leggings that one would receive
if the gown itself were full of bullion
threads, as it was last winter.
The Zouave Uniform Skirt.
None of these trousered skirts is mar
row. Every one that France has sent
over and that America has adopted has
its trousered effect arranged in the
Slavic or Oriental manner. The insist
ence upon the silhouette of the zouave
uniform is conspicuous everywhere
This uniform is used by the Algerian
troops fighting for France, and it is most
picturesque, with the full trousers like
skirts, the colored sash, the short, tight
Jacket and the wrapped leggings from
knee to ankle.
This idea of inclosing the leg with
wrappings of any kind goes back to the
earliest history of the race. 1t may be
prehistoric, but we know that the earll-
est garments of men were wrapped
about the legs with strings or vines, to
keep the material compact against the
flesh. Therefore, when we revive TINS
ancient and honorable custom we are
,.o;~o. LooI, 10 Tho cradIa of civilization.