Middletown transcript., 1918-04-13

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Vardenize our clothes began in Palm
Beach in January. AS soon as the
French openings began in February,
we. over here, learned that they. over
there, had begun the same trick in
costumery, asserts prominent fash
ion writer.
Orgdndies, printed voiles and flow
cred chiffons were the materials used
for these frocks, which bore close kin
ship to a softer epoch than the one
in which we take our part today.
It is Of psychological interest, this
introduction into women's apparel OF
a kind of costumery that suggests
everything we are not at this hour.
There may be no reason than that of
tradition for us to associate lowered
muslins, big taffeta sashes with bows
at the back, immense English garden
hats tied under the chin, and lace-cov-
cred parasols, with that part of wom-
ans nature that deals in coQuetry, the
eternal appeal to masculine adm1ra-
ton, helplessness, and all the accen-
tuated tricks of femininity which the
world thought it had wiped out to
certain measure.
Yet we do connect these clothes aid
these traits. The world always looks
upon q woman who is frOcked in
figured muslin, her eyes shaded with
q huge hat, her arms half bare and
rose at her belt, as one who is out for
admiration.
The Leopard and His Spots.
There cannot arise a critic so fool
ish in these days as to suggest that
the militant woman is not capable OF
looking like a Vatican shepherdess II
she takes it into her mind to do SO.
Therefore, our surprise is not that the
women of the moment should appear
well in the English garden type OF
clothes, with which one always assO-
ciates strawberries and cream. low
voices, waving hair parted in the mid
die, and shy, almost gauche manners,
but that they should elect this fiowery
and futile fashion ut this hour.
Yet they are doing it. Both France
and America are heaping figured fab
RIGS upon it's womankind. Lace is in
stalled again. Immense bows OF tat
feta ribbon, sashes of every kind
flowing. elbow sleeves; surplice necks
with wide handkerchiefs of cOlOred
fabrics. are shown and worn by women
who have probably spent the morning
at class in nursing at hospital and
will spend the evening at canteen.
Isn't this a curious psychological
thing? Here we have preached for
two years the strengthening tendency
of women to dress more and more like
men in the day, and either very sim
ply or in an AmazOnian fashion in the
evening.
We have tried to standardize clothes
foolishly, but earnestly, throughout all
channels Of dress. We know that one
of the most important leagues OF
young women in America is circulat
ing a petition, signed by its members
to the effect that they are to buy only
three gowns ScdSONs OuC AOA O<A>A
division of the day, the price to be
$50 apiece, and the uniforms to be
of standard pattern. And vet these
very girls, right on top of such ar
endeavOr as this to conserve anC
economic, fling themselves into flow
cred voiles with pink and violet tat
feta sashes tied with deep hustle bows
at the back, and huge hats of Milan
straw heaped with flowers!
It may be that the leopard cannot
change his spots, but women can Ger
tainly change her type at will. She
seems to shrink and grow thin, tt
curve out and grow full, to stant
higher or lower in her boots, and tt
assume at will the militant or thu
| coUuettish air. In this spring of 191s
it looks as though she were going Il
do all of these things at various time!
Of the day.
| Chinese Influence Preferred.
| There is not much feeling of salts