The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1918-04-11

Flowered muslin frock that shows re.
turn to English garden fashions. It
is made of blue and pink muslin.
Surplice body ties at back, and neck
line is finished with outstanding
muslin ruche.
for these frocks, which bore close kim
ship to a softer epoch than the one
in which we take part today. i.
It is of psychological interest, this
Introduction into women's apparel of
a kind of costumery that suggests
everything we are not at this hour.
There may be no reason than that of
tradition for us to associate Powered
muslins, big taffeta sashes with bows
at the back, immense English garden
hats tied under the chin, and lace-cov-
cred parasols, with that part of wom-
ans nature that deals in coquetry, the
eternal appeal to masculine 'admira-
ton, helplessness, and all the accen-
tuated tricks of femininity which the
world thought it had wiped out to a
certain measure.
Yet we do connect these clothes and
these traits. The world always looks
upon a woman who is frocked in 4
figured muslin, her eyes shaded with
a huge hat, her arms half bare and a
rose at her belt, as one who is out for
admiration.
The Leopard and His Spots.
There cannot arise a critic so fool
ish in these days as to suggest that
the militant woman is not capable of
looking like a Vatican shepherdess if
she takes it into her mind to do so,
Therefore, our surprise is not that the
women Of the moment should appear
we'll in the English garden type of
clothes, with which one always asso.
ciates Strawberries and cream, low
voices, waving hair parted in the mid
die, and shy, almost gauche manners,
but that they should elect this flowery
and futile fashion Mt this hour.
Yet they are doing it. Both France
and America are heaping figured fab.
RIGS upon it's %womankind. Lace is in
stalled again. Immense bows of tat.
feta ribbon, sashes Of every kind
flowing, elbow sleeves; surplice necks
with wide handkerchiefs of colored
fabrics, are shown and worn by women
who have probably spent the morning
at a class in nursing at a hospital and
will spend the evening at a canteen.
Isn't this a curious psychological
thing? Here we have preached fol
two years the strengthening tendency
of women to dress more and more like
men in the day, and either very sim.
ply or in an Amazonian fashion in the
evening.
We have tried to %standardize clothes
foolishly, but earnestly, throughout ali
channels of dress. We know that ONT
Of the most important leagues OF
young wolne in America is circulat
ing a petition, signed by it's members
to the effect that they are to buy only
three gowns a season, n for each
division Of the day, the price to be
$50 apiece, and the uniforms to be
Of standard pattern. And yet these
very girls, right on top Of such ar
endeavOr a. this to conserve anC
economize, fling themselves into flow
cred voiles with pink and violet taf
feta sashes tied with deep hustle bows
at the back, and huge hats of Milar
straw heaped with flowers!
1t may be that the leopard canno'
change his spots, but women can Ger
tainly change her type at will. She
seems to shrink and grow thin, tt
curve out and grow full, to stant
higher or lower in her boots, and tt
assume at will the militant or thu
coquettish air. In this spring of 1915
it looks as though she were going tt
do all of these things at various time.
Of the day."