The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-13

What Eject VIII the War Have OH
American Women's urcsse

on the dress OF American women Z?
WIN the idea of uniforms grow. or
Will fashions prevail as always along
the line OF extravaganza and costly
change?
Women of Z; Il classes want to give
war service and this will react auto
matically," said DIR. Jessica Peixotto.
professor OF social economies i'm the
University of California and at pres
ent executive chairman of the De-
partment OF Child Welfare of the
Woman's Committee. Council OF Ma
tional Defense. 1T seems to me that
the war will sound the doom of un-
practical. ceremonial dress. In a time
like this elegant attire that is the
badge OF the leisure class becomes
offensive to persons Of taste. Today
Inexpensive. fresh. practical. attrac
tive dress Is the mark OF lcadery
among American women.
The war should bring us a new
habit OF thinking about dress. Pcr-
haps as nation we may learn To-
apply TO our clothing the same tests
that dietists have told ua to apply to
food. Expenditure for display ia prac-
ticcd universally i'm the matter o.
dress Apparel is the chief means OF
putting financial standing I'm evidence.
IL tells oLscrVega at first glance some
thing about purchasing power and
whether or not the wearer is being
subjected to any kind OF productive
labor. our ethics OF dress for many
years said practically that women
should wear clothing not suitable for
any sort of work. that they should.
as IL were, wear the insignia of leis-
ure.
when the day is filed with regu-
lar work done inside schedule
made for group ana not for a par
ticular woman. little time remains in
which TO buy many and claborat G
cos,umess to suit long-Standing con
vontions. The three or four changes
a day prescribed for women of leisure
become something that can be worn
all day without being conspicuous or
Inappropriate. Thus service will
bring about kind OF selr-actine
STANDARDIZATION and in this way in
troduce into dress the element OF
thrift.
But we can make conscious
changes. too. changes that will bring
only advantage to the individual and
the nation. II is genuine struggle
for any American to turn to sim
plicity. Hard as it Is To take thought
about what we eat. the task is moth
Ing compared to the effort we must
take when we resolve To dress wisely
And when tho resolution is made
there are no discovered rules to =,
by.
Beside. the habit OF spending to
display good clothes has penetrated
wider circles with us than perhaps
with any other nation. Democracy
does this. AS said. apparel is an
easy means of displaying publicly the
class OF society to which YOU think
that you belong. No. nation pays more
homage than does ours To- the adage.
The apparel makes the man. Yet
the cxigenCies OF the present situation
demand cmphatically that we wear
inexpensive and simply made clothing
and that We wear it longer than here
fofore. This rs I'm itself "a radical
change.
when say that we must he
thrifty i'm purchasing clothing. | do
not mean that we should have tawdry
or poor materials. when I say mex
pensive I do not mean cheap. II is
as true as II ever was that the cheap
coat makes the cheap man IncX-
pensiveness means low cost. not
cheapness. Clothing TO bc really in
expensive must he made of rood ma
terial. Such materials should he
used In the smallest quantity. should
be !n q style consistent with past
fashions lest last years clothes be
made grotcsque ana therefore insult
able 10 wear out. Thrift also means
that clothing fashions should call for
the least expertness. and that they
can be made i'm the shortest possible
time.
~ little reflection will make plain
that simplicity of clothing would lib
crate "a very large quantity of labor
now employed to develop intricate
styles and elaborate trimmings. whose
designs change greatly and fire.