Evening star., 1918-07-21
erican Designers Exploiting Unusual Fabrics
BY ANNE RITTENHoUsE.

BY ANNE RITTENHoUsE.
IN ARIS Is never handicapped in
creating fashions by the ac-
tions Of other designers.
That is why she is powerful.
u America has always suf-
fered under this handicap
because she has followed Paris. She
has never been inclined to risk the
exploitation Of fabrics. fashions and
colorings that were not sponsored by
the mother country. She has been a
willing slave, but a most expert, in
telligent slave. In her very following
OF Paris was the extraordinary in
clination of whole continent toward
good and fashionable dressing.
1t is said Of US that we acknowledge
tne pest In every nation and bring it
TO our shores. For this we have been
whipped with scorn and dashed with
rldIcoie, out 1t seems an exceedingly
gooo process of cultivation for
young nation like this. We know the
best IN every department of art.
science and literature. II we are COM
PEELED to put our knowledge to prac-
tical use we at least have the best to
go on. We are not Ignorant
Tne time has come for this expert
ment, as We all know, and the OBJ
server thinks that a few medals Of
honor should be distributed to those
signing clothes in this country. 1t
took great commercial courage. and
1T required sound knowledge Of the
American public.
Hero ara fun a~n~S.<>-
centuate the point. They happened a
dozen years apart Nine. Paquin saw
several bolts of checked silk in a
manufacturers hands. Neither the
weave. the coloring nor the design
was in fashion. to quote our own
phrase. The manufacturer COM
planned that he had no call for this
quantity of material, and that he
would sell it for about a franc and a
half yard. Mime. Paquin took it all,
went to her salons on the Rue de Ia
Paix. turned the cheap check silk into
an allHring frock of her own design
and then wore it at Trouyille-by-the-
Sea- She made the frock. the design,
the color and the fabric fashionable
Every one wanted to wear what she
wore. She sold every inch Of the ma
terial at price that brought her un-
mS0SuI GU pTOuL On tQc IrdnSdct1On.
Last month an American designer
was looking over the stock of a lace
importer. Nothing new" said the i'm
porter. Here am held up with about
fifty Spanish lace scarfs which I
bought at a venture, thinking I could
distribute them in the trade in Amer
lea, but no one took them. The oxe
fashion
The designer said that II the i'm
erfrx -
turn It into gown that would sell all
the other scarfs, on condition that he
received commission on their sale.
The bargain was closed. The gown
was designed. 1t sold Immediately. It
was copied so fast that the other
forty-nine scarfs melted away like
flakes of soap in hot water. Spanish
lace was offered as first fashion.
That Is good example Of the change
that has come over the American mer-
chant and the American designer. We
NO longer have to ask what is the
fashion. but are probably enabled to
make the fashion for our own con-
tinent-
as laid down by Paris this year is the
wearing Of black. This IL not for
mourning, but for street. Iuncheons,
dinners and the theater.
1t IL really not a good fashion, and
those who cry for the morale of ma
ton. which merely means the upkeep
of it's optimism in the highest form,
would prefer to see this a season of
gayer co1ors. There will probably be
enough mourning in the land, and our
millions of soldiers do not wish to
see all the women garbed in black. It
does not make them look upon life
with more joy.
However, we have started on a
career Of black for this summer sea-
SON. and only the individualists de-
part from it. It is condition for
gratitude that we have enough re-
bel1ious souls to insist upon blue,
pink. green and yellow as a contrast
to the moving procession Of black jet,
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