Evening star., 1919-10-05

ever the Americans loudly protest
against the prices OF clothes. this sea-
son in Paris. they are told stories Of
how much one has to pay for embroid-
cry workers. This is true. An inter-
esting chaper could be written on the
raise in wages to those employed in
dressmaking houses and those who
work in fabrics. 1t can be said that
1t costs dressmaker in Paris far more
to produce a gown now than before the
war. and that the advance in prices
for these gowns is not commensurate
with the advance in the cost of labor.
The circle is vicious one and all but
the newly rich In Europe are agitating
strong propaganda for making ones
clothes at home. In England there is
clique of powerful duchesses who are
interested in the question of having all
frocks m ade in their own homes until
the prices fall. In France the same
propaganda is going on. but It is being
carried out in better way than in
England, for the French have genius-
in clothes and their women know how
to achieve their own gowns. What
will come out of 1t all Is the extremely
interesting problem to the dressmaker.
They cannot help their prices. They
must either get them or go out Of
business.
This is one of the reasons why the
Paris dressmaker asks four times as
much for a gown made for an Ameri-
can woman than Marie Antonette paid
Rose Bertin for court gown when
she was at the height of her splendor
trio lorh< ~
guillotine much quicker than she did
if she had paid 5000 francs for an
evening wrap. yet that is what is asked
and paid for one over here.
X 4 X \
Going back for a moment to the
Cheruit collection, there is no evidence
that this house is weary of monkey
fur. The American buyer finds that
this peltsy, considered SO ugly by the
Americans, is constantly played up in
all the collections. Each designer has
fling at it and tries to produce some-
thing novel. Renee used it combed
out into fringe and run on squirrel fur
in long gowns; Nine. Cecile Sorel has
ordered a silver and black brocaded
evening wrap from her own furrier
AA@o ASS SN6OS OutAACu NY HAL
tened monkey fur pressed out like q
huge gladiola. the long strands at the
upper edge. Cheruit uses 1t as a cas-
caded fringe around the neck and down
the front Of white velvet evening
coat. and this house puts 1t as a finish
to the spatulate ends Of black velvet
sash which draws in the hips Of .
black velvet kimono frock. These ends
stand far out from the line Of the
gown at one side and give the only
touch of the pannier that the house Of
'Cheruit permits. The throat Of bison
is the name given to another yellowish
fur that this house shows on many Of
its street coat suits and afternoon
capes There is q disposition to use
copper and yellow fur on all clothes,
and even that wonderful imitation fur
made of gold and copper metallic
threads. by Rodier, is again used by
Poiret on an oriental wrap. The
Galleries Lafayette show immense coll
lars on golf capes that are made Of
this imitation fur in copper-colored
jersey threads. BY the way, 1t is q
temptation to drop the Cheruit collec-
tion to 60 into the subject of golf
capes. which are advanced over here
Tor the pleasure season at Biarritx
and which will adopt. possibly at
Palm Beach for February.
These will be admirable for white
and pastel-colored frocks on the
beaches or at White sulphur in the
autumn. They are circular capes with
deep collars. in yellow, checked with
brown stripes. in apple green striped
with rust. in scarlet checked with
brown. There are soft, collapsible
hats In felt to go with them Possibly
you have them in America by this
time. II not, 1t is wise to get them.
FASHIONS AND FANS