The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-26
DRESS
BY ANNE RITrENHOUsE.

The Tight, Draped Skirt of Instep
Length, Insisted Upon by America.
Has Its Most Sensational Example In
| A Cne-Piece Frock Pulled About the
Figure in the Manner of Another
Century.
I New York.-Along about the year
1855, American women INDUCED in
| several absurdities of dress. There is
I not enough particular history on the
! subject to indicate whether or not they
| followed the fashions of France, ex-
| cept in the case of the hoopskirt which
was originated by the French empress
at that other fatal epoch in history
| when the Germans entered French
| soil.
! Doesn't it seem strange, by the way
| of interruption. that that French en-
press is living today and looking on at
| this war? What her memories must
| be! She it was who did so much to
| change the apparel of the world, and
| her hoopskirts were among the atrocf-
ties that she revived from another in
artistic day. 1t was in the early eight
les that these hoopskirts had their
| last fling in this country. and then
they were succeeded by the pulled
back" skirt which gained its tightness
around the figure by elastic bands, If
j one was careful, and by safety pins.
if one was careless. The hustle was
another of the absurdities of that time.
ly and graceful!
New Erock Is Sensa tionaf.
Exactly why the American designers
dipped back into a period OF dress
that was full of Impractical ideas and
filled with ugly mid-Victorianism that
was in keeping with lambreQuins,
plush furniture, wax flowers in glass
cases and stuffed birds, is one OF the
things in dress that not one ventures
to decide.
| There is this to be said, however.
about these REVEALS, which concerns
human nature in mass; that the newly
exploited fashions have a modern APP
peal and a smart look of which we did
not guess. This is gate true concern
ing a new frock that a Fifth avenue
designer has put upon a willing world.
1t is not in keeping with any French
fashion that has been created this sea-
| son. 1t was launched in thu early part
| of September and it was looked upon
| by women who follow a we'll trodden
path as an amusing thing; something
on the order of those fantastic frocks
that Cabot often throws into her
| parade of mahneQuins as a jest.
This gown induces a Japanese tod
die. Now l ask you could anything
be more incongruous than the pres
sure of wartime activities, the opening
| of a stupendous> industrial world for
women, and Japanese toddle? Isn't
human nature, after all, the queerest
kind of kittle-kattle?
| They say-that the psychology OF this
thing is the fact that the millions OF
men under arms ask for all the 'fe-
maiities'' in their women. They don't
want long strides, and uniforms, and
quick orders, and Independence. What
| ever the reason, it may'b that oul
fighters will find our women doing a
marvellous bit of juggling in that they
may embrace all their new opportun
: tiles for freedom and activity and yet
exploit all the Penalties" It's 8
hard task we have set ourselves, bu
the war has shown US that the impos.
sible is really quite easy.
This new gown is nothing less thar
sensational. and the sketch of it which
is given today does not give the idea
t of its difference from all other gown,
s. as you see it when one of the mos
= famous manneQuins in New York put
f it on.