Evening star., 1919-10-06
O7ntereStfOW
DARK BLOUSES AND LIGHT SKIRTS.

I other season. The American woman
would do well to take this arrange
! ment into full consideration. 1t
saves much money one way and an
other.
Houses place these blouses apart
and sell them without suits; they
have done very well in them, for the
American buyer knows his public and
upper garment that is better than
lingerie blouse. They had wide
choice. Much was offered, and none
of it bad. The long peplum blouse
has departed for the morning hours
and has been turned into a formal
garment to wear, under long coats OF
velvet or fur with dark skirt.
One of the best of these, to give an
example of the fashion as it Is pre-
sented here, is of bright blue Chinese
crepe touched up with silver wheels
and scrolls over its entire surface.
mounting above the chin. There are
pleats for fullness at the sides, ar
ranged through the cutting rather
than by any application of pleats them
selves. and the long sleeves carry
turnover cuffs that flare at the top.
a moderately short black velvet skirt,
and the coat is knee length and sump-
tuous with it's immense fur cape col
lar. When one walks the blue Of the
tunic blouse ripples along with the
hem of the coat, giving it the effect
ia brilliant lining.
So keep this in mind. that the long
girdled blouse is for the formal aft
erpoon costume to be worn under a
coat, and the short blouse, wrinkled
about the waist. is for the everyday
suit of serge or rough cloth. 1t is
the substitute for the white wash
waist Some WORN by the manne-
quins were of scarlet satin, fastened
in straight line down the front
with small buttons. rising to the chin
bands of dull silver ribbon. Others
were of oyster velvet, and these were
popular. embroidered around with
scrolls and straight lines of heavy
silk floss The buttons were of silver
MOSQUITO ito netting in dull gold threads
mounted, or draped, over deep salmon
satin with flickers of gold a the col
lar and cuffs. Yellow velveteen, satin
and matelasse blouses were frequent:
they were the yellow OF marlSolds, OF
jonquils, of lemons.
Matelasse was always an effective
fabric, and it was never made enough
of in America: we had gowns of 1t
and wraps, but in France they ind 1t
admirable for several garments. 1t
should be of good quality. however.
and not like the fabrics that we have
used for room robes which Went 10
nfeCeS with one attempt dL
Such matelasse as they use here for
these expensive blouses is hlgh IN
price. In yellow, in deep roman
gold. it goes well with a variety OF
tailored suits, especially if it is touch
ed up with the fine embroidered
batiste that the best houses in Paris
are using as they did in the old days.
A flash of dull silver or gold braid
is needed to sober down and
straighten out the convolutions Of the
raised design of the fabric When
such a blouse is finished it is not
cheap, but it lasts for a season and
serves with a variety of costumes.
Chiffon, strange to say, does not play
a part in thess newly revived blouses.
No transparent fabrics are used. Even
satin is treated to a good deal of or
namentation in order to give it bril-
There are dead black satin ones,
for instance, that are reek1ng with
gold threads all over the surface,
with collars and cuffs of good lace,
even if a bit coarse to our old ways
of thinking, and small gold buttons.
There is diversity also in the fash
ioning of these garments. Some nave
others the high collar; some are fas-
tened invisibly at the side, others
f1aunt their buttons.
T All of them, however. go over the
waist line in some fashion. There may
be a wide girdle to hold them down.
or a deftly wrink1ed hip line, or a
rounded and corded edge. They give
the effect of making the skirt part
of a one-piece frock. The jersey and
kid ones have not the air Of formal1ty
of the others.