The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-24

the experiment with the calico of tho
 southern mills
 There is no return to lingerie gowns.
 as was faintly promised but there is an
 overwhelming vote cast for jersey In
 it's artificial silk weave as we'll as the thin woolen weave that looks nke mems
 underwear.
 Cornflower blue, deep pink, plaids.
 checks and touches of crimson are
 worn. None of these facts is new to those who have watched the progress of fashions since Christmas.
 THE FASHIONS IN FRANCE / In Paris, the buyers have not found any astounding inspirations, but they have been faced with enough that is new to realize that they can make a persuasive appeal to women in the spring. They also know that the sil- houette has been definitely changed. Here are some of the facts that the cables and letters from Paris tell us: Skirts are exceedingly narrow at the hem and tucked under, to resemble zouave trousers; panels of tulle and of a new metallic Egyptian stuff are used
 back and front to form this trousered effect on a narrow skirt.
 Girdles are wrapped around the hips and waist, in Oriental form. The hips are not fitted to the figure, unless by one of these Oriental girdles. While all the skirts are slender, they give no evidence of being stingily cut, that is, they do not outline the figure by the sheer result of scissors and seams. They show the figure and attain attenuation by means of drapery that is as difficult as it IS successful. It is not an easy skirt for the anna teur. for the bungler or for the tailor who is used to the hot iron, the straight seam and the large needle. THE KINDS OF MATERIAL USED Jersey cloth is lavishly shown by every house In Paris. It has large de- signs on it and sometimes 1t is beaded in circles and crescents.
 The metal tissue with which we have become so familiar has been replaced by kind of Egyptian stuff that is very effective The shimmer of it is
 obtained by some process similar to the one uSeu OH the rlDDOnS or SIX years ago.
 Beading is a dominant fashion. It Is used in small bands. in wide girdles and it gathers up inspiration as it goes from the American Indians, the Rus sian peasants, the book on ancient
 Egypt and the fourteenth century frocks of royalty. It does not seem to
 make much difference where the de- signers get the ideas as long as they lavishly employ small, wooden beads in bright colors.
 There is a slight diminution In Chi nese fashions. Black and gold tassels and Chinese brocades are symbolic of the same extravagant usage of the fabrics from Pekin and there is con | and coat suits made of Shantung and the various coarse Chinese silks. | The complaint made by the average American woman against the use of Shantung for suit or frock, was the | ugliness of its tone, but the dyers have l overcome that objection by producing this fabric in cornfiower blue in the
 new. deep pink and in an excellent tons of dark blue.
 | As beige is the leading color among the French clothes, naturally, pongee. 1 in its undyed form, should take first place among the Paris models, but the
 dressmakers realize that women are not prone to put this unbecoming
 shade next to their skins, so they have
 brought out plaids and solid colors and l checked materials to throw about the neck and at the wrists.
 A TIDAL WAVE OF WRAPS Every letter from Paris lays stress