New-York tribune., 1918-03-31

iaEd appsrel of coss
houfs may be AZ reasoii than
Eslinsy big tan eta sashes with 81 tile
baek inlnense IisIa garden hats tied under
t6e chin and lace-cov vered parasols, with that
part u woman q nature TINT deals ID coquetry,
tfss eternal appeal to masculine admiration,
heIplessness, ana al t1e accentuated tricks Of
1felnininity which the world thought II had
wiped ont % i certain measure.
The Leopard ma His Spots
There cannot arise critic So foolish III
these days as to suggest that the militant
woman is not capable Of looking like Wat
teau shepherdess if she takes it into her mind
to do SO. Therefore our surprise is not that
the women Of the moment should appear well
III the English garden type Of clothes, with
which one always associates strawberries and
cream, low voices, waving hair parted in the
middle, and shy, almost gauche manners, but
that they should elect this fiowery and futile
fashion at this hour.
Yet they are doing it. Both France and
90
womankind. Lace is installed again. I'M
nense bows of taffeta ribbon, sashes Of every
kind; flowing elbow sleeves, surplice necks
with wide handkerchief Of colored fabrics
are shown and worn by women who have
probably spent the morning at q class in nurs-
ing at a hospital and will spend the evening
at canteen.
Isn't this 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 simply or in an Amazonian fashion
in the evening.
We have tried to standardize clothes, fool
ishly, but earnestly, throughout all channels
of dress. We know that one of the most inn
portant leagues Of young women in America
is circulating petition, signed by its mem
bers. to the elect that they are to buy only
three gowns a season, one for each division of
the day, the price to be $50 apiece and the
uniforms to be of standard pattern. And yet
these very girls. right on top Of such an en-
deavor as this to conserve and economic,
fling themselves into lowered voiles with pink
and violet taffeta 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 woman can certainly change
her type at will. She seems to shrink and
grow thin, TO curve out and grow full to
stand higher or lower in her boots, and to as
sumo at will the militant or the coquettish
air. In this spring of 1918 it looks as though
she were going to do all Of these things at
various times Of the day.
The Japanese Influence
Whether or not the Dolly Warden, Vatican
shepherdess idea will spread in clothes, one
thing is certain: 1t has rivals. Cheruit stim-
ulated the tendency toward Japanese effects
BY throwing the balance of her power to
them. In her exhibition in Paris, during the
last Fart Of February, she introduced the XII
mono in a more personal way than any Of
the other designers. She admitted into the
society Of her best gowns the sloping shoul-
dezs, the long, loose armholes; the flowing
three-quarter sleeves turned up at the hem,
she departed from the Japanese in the waist
lne, which she placed at the hips instead Of
under the bust--or, at least, she made, her
nnge Chinese girdles begin at the waist and
go over the hips instead of extending far
abose the waist.
Nheruit also accentuated her gowns with
japanese embroidery; but in this work she
was not alone, for the house of Callot did the
same thing. She dipped into the Far East
when sne employed trimming made Of tinv
pieces OF metal that shone like mirrors. the
edges OF which were embroidered in with bold
colors.
We get into savage fnery when we drape
ourselves In these clothes, although thew are
clearly reminiscent Of certain portion Of
Chinese costumery, needing only the peacock
feathers in the hair to accent the whole.
It is rather interesting that the world Of
dress should give itself over 80 whole-heart-
edly to the costumery of the Far East To
the student Of clothes the reason is a bit diff
cult to find, unless one looks into the psy-
cholozy Of the war for it. 1t is doubtful
whether France will care very much in the
near future for costumery that represents the
vast peoples Of Greater Russia, but she may
remember that Russia came out OF the Fa7