Evening star., 1918-08-28
BY ANNE RITTENHoUsE.
Correspoudenee OF The star,

Special Correspondents Of The Star.
NEW YORK. August 27.-Are these
to be buttonless days? 1t would ap-
pear so from the new fa1hions. There
is return to the primitive ways OF
holding clothes on the figure without
the aid of buttons or hooks and eyes.
The button counters in the shops
seem plentifully supplied: the cost Of
buttons is not prohibitive; there
seems to be no good and valid reason
for abandoning them during the war.
They are partially abandoned. how
ever, as one can see by looking at
half the clothes that are considered
| smart and fashionable.
There were days. you know. when
buttons had not been invented. when
hairpins were not in existence. when
hooks and eyes and snaps had no place
| in the scheme Of clothes. Women
| were quite as warm in those days as
now, far better covered. and probably
lived healthier lives. Therefore. there
should be no objection to our going
back to their manner of dressing,
especially as our heatless. lightless
rooms, added to the sudden disposition
of the weather to keep at the zero
mark in winter. make US all return,
| more or less, to primitive methods.
The multi-millionaire who put
whole family into two rooms, where
they lived their lives for two months
| last winter, was not far removed
from the peasants of France. Money
counts very little when there is no
raw material on which to spend 1t.
Primitive Life; Primitive Clothes.
When we found that fur coats, sweat
ers and flannel underclothes were neces-
sary in our own homes we harkened
back to the ways of making clothes that
obtained when heatless. lghtless life
was the only kind known.
why not tie clothes together?' was
the question the designers asked. and
then answered by doing 1t. Button
roles were made in irregular forms and
then embroidered with silk, wool or
metal to make them comparable to those
Of the fifteenth century. Through these
buttonholes-or eyelets. as they were
then caIled-were put ribbons or cords
of wool. silk. braid or galloon. The ef-
feet was enticing. There was far more
ornamentation about this method Of
fastening frocks than the mere applica-
ton buttonholes.
It was only a step from this method
Of holding clothes together to the elimi-
nation of buttons on all coats. and then
trying them on the figure at the waist
hne with a string Of the material
Pushing Back the Coat Fronts.
It is difficult to ten Just what burst
of inspiration caused this new fashion
of pushing back the fronts of a button
less coat. 1t has run through all strata
of society in Paris and England. It is
getting into its first good stride over
here.
Probably the inspiration was the de-
sire to show the new waistcoat blouse.
which Is far more attractive than the
waists which are tucked into the skirt
belt, and which always and consistently
mar the figure.
The fashion is the thing. however. and
not the source, and today women have
their tailors cut their short Jackets with
exceedingly narrow fronts. that display
this waistcoat or cuirass blouse in
wide expanse in front; or, II they are
wearing long coats. they push the fronts
back until they get quite bit Of full
ness under the arms.
The sketch shows an unusual topcoat
of black crepe de chine, with an i'm
mense girdle at the waist line. The
fronts Of this coat are pushed. back un-
til the fuIlness falls from under the
arms to the hem, and forms that new
silhouette which. to the eye Of the OBJ
server, is of high Importance. Beneath