Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-03

-7HERE is some exceedingly good
feature about the French gowns
that are beginnign to arrive in
* America which will not cause
disapproval over here. That is the
striking similarity between afternoon
and evening costumery-
1t was once said, in a slightly con-
temptuous manner. that in certain sec
lions of this country the women wore
r,uinpes in their ball gowns for after
noon occasions, and that no one was
capable of such an economical COM
bination but the American woman, or
at least, no other woman who moved in
fashionable circles.
1t has long meen the opinion of the
French, whenever they were sufficiently
lenient to be interested in the American
type of dressing, that we never knew
the exact shade of difference that exist
ed between an afternoon gown and all
other kinds of gowns
The French have often granted the
fact that the American woman knows
hest how to dress for the morning and
the English woman for the evening;
but France has always reserved to her
self the premier place in the knowledge
of afternoon clothes.
The especial custom in America which
caused the most uplifted eyebrows
among the French was that one which
allowed our women to go to the most
formal afternoon occasions arrayed in
the mannish coat, skirt and shirt waist
which had been worn to a hospital
meeting or a shopping tour in the
morning.
1t was not only that the French
thought this custom inelegant; they
thought it disrespectful to ones host
ess With that lucid and reasoning
mind touched with sentiment and emo
ton, the French argued that We should
make a striking difference between
the clothes We considered correct TO
wear when mingling in a public MOB
or those chosen for an occasion under
a private roof, when invited by
hostess who was trying to give US So
cial pleasure.
The French women have often said,
In their polite manner. that they could
not understand why the American was
lacking in that finer feeling which auto
matically governs the choice of clothes.
Now, whether or not the American
lacked the finer feeling or whether she
was CDHStiOOS mat tuSAOii PiSubSSo
fashions. she continued to dress at 10
o'clock in the morning in the clothes
that she would wear until I o'clock in
the evening: In truth, she did not al
ways change for dinner or the theater.
She went on through the entire routine
of the day with its diversified interests,
Its business appointments, its market
ing. shopping and restaurant lunching,
its afternoon teas, weddings, card par
ties, home dinners and the play in a
coat and skirt that should only be worn,
as the French put il, in a public mob.
held up to herself. and very earnestly,
change her clothes several times dur
European nations do what they would,
that was fostered byi generations of
yironment, she said, called for differ
as a rule, she presented a somber ap-
that were intended to make women CAV
as birds of paradise. thereby adding to
the cheer and color of leisure hours
However, this manner of dressing has
changed. For several years a woman
has not depended on her tailored suit
to 60 the work for every hour of the
day.
This transition to better dressing has
come about through the domination of
the one-piece frock. As soon as the
American could be divorced or rather,
wedged away from her lifelong friend