Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-28
BY ANNE RITTENHoUsE.

(copyright, 1918 Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.j
E7HE millions who are employed in
the making OF women's apparel
in this country are disturbed by
q an important discussion that is
going on among themselves.
It has to do with the Importation OF
French clothes. with the prices asked
for all kinds Of apparel. with the
threatened abolition Of the famous
French ssmi-annual exhibitions. and
with the tendency Of the public to ask
for American clothes.
No woman should be ignorant OF this
situation. On her shoulders. as an IN
dividual, which is part of a mass. rests
much of the responsibility Of the future.
In France women are the decisive fac
tors in fashion; in this country, they
have not assumed that role. With the
exception Of few. they are willing to
be led They are guided by those In au-
thority. and those in authority are
guided by Paris.
This Is not true to the extent that the
reformers and the critics preach. No one
Is any worse for It. Our country has not
been in position to assume the leader
ship in fashions any more than In art.
architecture or literature We have had
to be led In all these things; yet the
very man who goes to Paris and Italy
for art IL the first one to ask his wife
why she is foolish enough to adopt the
French fashions!
If, therefore, the American women
were not free thinkers regarding
clothes, and were merely led into each
fashion by a comfortable moose that
was pulled along by the merchants and
dressmakers. 1t was because they placid
~ felt that this was the best path In
which they should tread.
Since the war. however, there has been
Q growing feeling here Of independence
Of Paris. All of US who firmly believed
that no country could get along without
the deciding vote Of France az to what
should be done in clothes realised, dur
ing the first years of the war, that our
opinion was correct.
But the situation has changed. and our
beliefs have changed with II. AS ear as
losing the comfort of getting from Paris
our Inspiration as to the silhouette. and
we shall also get from that country Of
consummate art in apparel the various
movements of cloth. the details Of err
namentation and the production Of new
tissues which stimulate and enliven our
Work. buC-AnQ say Win
conviction. after talking with people in
power and with dressmakers, designers
and merchants who have had their
hand on the pulse Of things for three
years-a decided change Is coming over
our method of launching fashions.
The reasons are important, not only to
the merchant but to each woman. She is
. thinking Individual these days. IL she
never was before, and she will decide
what is best to be done and will either
coincide with the new method of work
to be informed Of the conditions.
Only a handful OF buyers went to
Paris for new clothes this year. That
did not lessen the number Of gowns
bought from the French designers, how
ever. because all the resident commits
oionaires were at work. Bat the disap-
pointment in Paris at the lessened bulk
Of buying has been summed up on both
continents in NJ. Worth's now famous
We had American visitors this season."
And why did the Americans refuse to
buy? Because the prices were beyond
their limitations, for one reason; and,
another, because Of the fact that there
was not enough striking novelty ex-
hibited to make 1t worth while, and sew
eral of the houses displayed an osten-
tatious gayety and barbarian in clothes
that was not suitable to our mood.
showed, at an enormous expense. $50
gowns that were as orientally exotic as
those worn in the Russian ballet. The
designs might have been for Cleopatra
in her glory.
These gowns would irfitate Americans
this season, and Callot should have been
quite warae that they wouldn't be