The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-31
Neutral COIOred FrockS With Hats
That Bloom in the Spring.

|
That Bloom in the Spring.
New York.-A very noticeable thing
about smart fashions. at the moment,
| is the absence of bright colors in the
| main part of the costume. Gowns,
suits, wraps, coats, are all of such
| standard shades as the omnipresent
navy blue, or black, or of neutral
tones, like beige, tan. and various
grays. For country wear, brilliancy of
| tone may be found in women's clothes
| this summer; but in town they will
| certainly be conspicuous by their alb
Sence
There are many reasons for this Be
sides the feeling of the times, which
leads women to be more conservative
than ever in their choice of street gar
| ments, the modern desire to buy
clothes which will be appropriate for
many occasions, keeps them from in
vesting in very definite color schemes;
for nothing so definitely fixes a gown
| in peoples minds, as an unusual or
gaudy shade. Safe and sane grays and
! black and white combinations serve
for all hours of the day, and all sorts
of functions for which other colors
| would not do.
Black and white, which has been
popular for so long that it seems as If
women must be tired of it, has taken
| a new lease of life. Some of the
smartest effects of the spring were de-
veloped in it. The fashion of wearing
| a black jacket with checked skirt,
revived for the hundredth time in the
] history of costume, made its appear
ance late last winter; and summer
styles showed it developed in many
materials Sometimes ideas of wool
conservation lead women or dress
makers to choose black satin for the
coat, with skirt of some light weight
| wooden material, and a flimy blouse.
Others saved material by cutting the
coat in the abbreviated fashion named
after the Elton schoolboy.
] For young women with slender f1g-
ures the Elton jacket is most becom-
| ing garment, and gives an opportunity
for charming blouse and walstcoat
ideas. The one shown in the cut today
| is in black velvet, and is a variation of
| the same theme, the corners turned
back in rather an amusing fashlon, TO
show more of the quaint little vest OF
| organdie, with its oddly placed pleateo
| frills.
costume is really very up to date IN
deed In the first place, it Is mace
| almost entirely OF closely packed
flowers; in the second, these flowers
are Of a cheerful red; thirdly, there
is tuIle about it somewhere, almost
requisite of the present millinery
/ modes, and in this case it is found IN
the little turned-down brim
One of the favorite ways OF vary
ling a dull-colored costume; TINS sea-
/ son. is to don a frivolous hat, which
| looks as II it had taken flower-bed
as its model You see, you really can
| wear the same frock all day long, II
! Won choose a tailored hat in the
| morning, blossomy toque like this
| for the afternoon, and a wide-brim-
med tulle affair for evening. No one
will notice the frock at all, if the mil
linery is sufficiently intriguing, 50
that this scheme is really delightful
| economy, which gives a woman the
appearance of being as prettily and
| carefully dressed she ever was in
| the ante-bellum days, at a fraction Of
the expense. Bright colors, used like
this, are quite permissible, even on
| the days when the war news is par
ticularly narrowing. They will be
| seen a great deal this summer. and
usually in the form of close-fitting
touues, entirely made of flowers. Vio-
| let's small roses, rose-petals, peoples,
| daisies are among the favorite. and
they are often yelled with tulle. Some
times the hat is composed of varied
| selection of small and large blossoms,
| in field flower colors, placed flat to
| the form of the hat. and swathed in
| dark blue tulle. Often a tulle brim
| is added, for no woman can afford to
forget that a slight shade to the eyes
Is more becoming than a hard line
which exposes them to the pitiless
! sunlight, once she has passed her
first youth. A little brim is an addi-
| ton which every femme de trente
ans" should make to her hats. 1t is
the better part of wisdom
| The particular hat shown in the
| sketch is worn in a new way. We
have been placing our brims in a