Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-04-06
Clothes Economy
FASHIONS Problem

low the knees. finishing in q bow at
the side.
Another trick is the gathering in OF
the fullness at the side Of a skirt to
straight, embroidered band. which
is strongly reminiscent of the first
hobble skirts.
The women in the sewing room finds
delight In the fact that fullness is not
taboo. She realizes that she can have
whatever material she desires in a
skirt If 1t does not flare away from
the hips or the knees.
What the French call the "jupe tom
neau" has certain popularity, and
the woman who owns q skirt of this
sides, achieved through umbrella folds,
and its close, narrow hem) may leave
it as it is. It satisfies the appetite
Of fashion today.
The advent of the short sleeve in
frocks. blouses, jackets and even top
coats is startling to the American
mind. We invented the elbow sleeve
and forced it upon Paris. The word
''invent" is, of course, bad one to
use in fashions, because everything
has been, and therefore, everything IL
merely revived"
When the elbow sleeve was CO.. sid
cred by Paris as an American fashion
projected through the demand for con-
venience, it was looked upon by the
ultra-smart French designer as part
and parcel of that wOrk-a-day cos
tumery which the Americans demand
ed and with which the European ele-
gante would have nothing to do. We
were called a working people.
After while Europe as we'll as
America adopted the short sleeve, and
those in this country who were fas-
tidious began to side with the French
in their belief that the fashion was
in elegant. For three years we wit
messed streets filled with girls who
wore elbow sleeves in separate white
bl0uses, with Dutch necks. no collars.
no gloves. and separate skirts. That
was an ugly day in cOstumery. Let VA
hope that it will not be revived, al
though there is every evidence that
the seeds o. this evil have already been
sOwn.
But these short sleeves. which were
worn in the Directoire with every kind
of gown and which were practically
covered by rare old cashmere shawls.
are not the only short ones that this
spring has produced. We are evident
ly in for a reign Of abbreviated arm COW
erings, inspiration for which has been
gotten from all the centuries.
The surpIiee Movement Wins.
Another change in the direction of
fabrics across the body has been made
by the French, and to follow it will re-
quire ingenious alterations on the part
Of the American woman. Evidently
there is an idea that the fewer the
buttons the better the frock. We have
gone back to the time when strings
held fabrics together and the cloth was
cut in such way that it remained
where it was placed on the body.
Possibly it would be more cOmpre-
hensive to put the whole thing into the
statement that the more we are wrap
ped across the body the better dressed
we are today.
This movement of fabric finds its
most commonplace exploitation in the
surplice bodice or jacket. Afternoon
gowns and the most elaborate evening
frocks have bodices that are merely
elongated scarfs with armholes. They
wrap around the figure at the waist
line and the back. front or sides.
Separate surplice bodices are not
considered too ignoble to be attached
to a brilliant evening skirt. When the
latter is of diaphanous and frivolous
fabric the bodice may be of satin, bro
cade or tissue, and when it finishes its
bias movement about the figure it Is
held at the side with a great gold rose.
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Nawspa-
per Syndicate)
.e~~~-~.~~~~.e.~~~ OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES"