The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-03
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. d. C.
DRESS FOR LESS.
One Way Women Can Help Win
the War.

One Way Women Can Help Win
the War.
Washington, D. c. Jan. 1.-The
Chicago Designers association re-
Gently made the announcement that
$500 is sufficient yearly allowance
for any woman's clothes. This is an
interesting assertion coming from an
association whose business is clothes,
and should meet with enthusiastic
approval of every American husband
The fact of the matter is that the
war has brought about an urgent need
for economy in materials. A million
American soldiers must be clothed and
shod, as we'll as fed, so that for once
the American clothing trade, from
designer to retailer, has permitted it
self the privilege of being absolutely
frank and telling its real opinions
concerning women's wear Instead
OF thinking up new eXtravagant crea-
tons to intrigue the feminine purse,
here we have large designers asso-e
citation compiling what it calls sane
dress statistics" and insisting that $500
a year will dress woman comforta-
bly, and appropriately for any position
in society.
Here is how the association thinks
the $500 should be spent: Three or
fours pairs of shoes, $40; three or
four hats, S25; ten pairs of stockings,
$40; one corset. IS; underclothing,
s25; hairpins. buttons, ribbons, etc.,
SIS; spring suit, $50; two summer
dresses, $40; one sport skirt, $40;
three or four shirtwaists, $40; winter
suit, $685., coat, $25; three pairs of
gloves, $40; one party dress, $50;
furs, $50; and miscellaneous expenses,
$40.
Doubtless many flaws may be found
in these sane dress statistics by the
| experienced feminine mind. One wo-
man viewed the list with the appropri-
ate amount of scorn due such male in
cursions into feminine fields, and an
nounced that she would love to know
| where two summer dresses could be
purchased for ten dollars. Another
/ explained that if men knew anything
about feminine apparel at all. which
! they didn't, they would understand
! that shoes were more expensive than
| hats.
| However inadequate the figures may
! appear in these dress statistics, the
list is valuable in that it shows what
this association considers the exact
necessities of a woman'S wardrobe.
For instance, it is evident that they
consider a spring suit, two summer
dresses and a sport skirt all that is
necessary to a woman's summer ward
robe, whereas the average woman has
several dresses and several skirts every
summer. Also the list calls for both
many women do not buy both the
same season. -
Another authority on woman's
dress, herself woman, points out
that no clothes budget for one year
can be properly compiled without con-
sidering what is left over from the
year before. She advises always buy
ing good materials that will last. Then,
she asserts, it is possible to buy a
| winter coat one year and a suit the
using the extra money for an after
noon dress each year. ~
Still another woman's wear au-
thority believes that no arbitrary rules
| of what women should and should
not wear can be made to suit all wo-
men; it depends altogether upon the
individual environment. If a woman
is athletic and spends most of her
life in the pursuits of sports, she needs
entirely different clothes from the
woman who finds her amusement in
drawing-rooms. She will need sweat
ers and boots, plain blouses and sport
| hats, rough skirts and, certainly,
trousers, but few afternoon and party
to follow the list of the Chicago de-
signers association, for example.
A wealth of material has been COL
lected on womens wear and pub
lished in weird, bewildering volumes.
The subject always seems to have
been an extremely important one, in
volving many spirited arguments as
to the colors, lines and trimmings diff
ferent types of women should adopt
Some authorities declare that bright
red is the color for the blonde woman;
others that it was specially created
for the brunette. Women with regu-
lar features, some one tells US, should
wear strong bright colors, while wom-
en- with irregular features look bet
ter in broken lines-plaids and figured
materials But the fat woman, how
ever irregular her features. must
avoid these.
1t is all very amazing and puzzling.
since every authority quotes color
combinations from famous portraits
and reaches certain conclusions thru
them. Velasquez, the great Spanish
portrait-painter. has long supplied the
French designers with Inspirations for
women's wear; also, Whistler and Sar-
gent. Millets "Portia,"I with yellow
hair and a scarlet robe, is said to be
responsible for starting the popular
conception of bright red for blondes.
Out of all this mass of suggestions,
a few practical ones have been dis
covered. First, that appropriateness
il the first consideration of the wom-
an who would be well dressed-what
does the occasion demand? Second
becomingness-in spite of Velasquez
AMI Millet and Whistler, what does
she look best in? And, third, econ
: ony both in money and in detail
what is the best she can get for the
least money.
These are three points that can be
, | followed by the woman with limited
, income well as the woman who
can afford to be extravagant. The
, woman appropriately dressed to dc
her own homework is a much more
artistic figure than the wealthy
, woman inappropriately clad for
: shopping tour. Concerning this, Pau
Poiret says: 1.-THE woman whose re
. sources are limited has no more caus,
!; for being dowdily dressed than the
, woman who is rich has reason to be
: lieve that she is beautifully gowned
Except in so far as money can pro
f cure the services of a good dress
" maker, of an artist who can judge hi
+ customers style and garb her accord
ingly the wealthy woman stands n,
!, hotter char of heiracr fn,-a<.tl,