The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-22

ans dress you will understand the
enormity of the task of combating
such enterprises.
Some think women may wear what
| they choose. How shall woman buy it
unless it is the fashion? Where shall
she get it? What shop will handle
| goods outside the pale of fashion? We
! talk of the fashions in grandmother
day. Think of the time it took grand
father to white out the stomacher of
! hickory for grandmother's best gown
think of the size of grandmother
when she was inside that grown
| just IS inches-for my grandmother.
This might have been modest but was
| it hygienic?
| Now who makes the fashions? The
commercial syndicates are composed
of men. Artists are employed, old gall
| leries are ransacked for portraits of
court beauties. These old painted
| gowns are "adapted" to the name
quins selected, and one may see them.
| for instance, at the London races on
| the queens day. They parade the
| paddocks, in front of the reviewin g
| prominent boxes, and those women
| puppets presage the styles-but the
| styles are man-made.
| And for commercial purposes there
are three requisites of woman's dress:
| One, ii must be conspicuous, in order
! lndl the one VINO IS not III style may
| be very much out, indeed. Two, it
must not be too readily assimilated, as
| it were, for then the woman may
| make over her old things and not buy
| so much that is new, and, three. it
NUT be perishable. lest it does not fall
to pieces at the end of the season.
The Tragedy of Shopping.
The woman goes out to shop. AT
first, if she be conservative. she asks
in no for
| just what she wants, and will take
| nothing else. In the second shop she
is not quite so positive about what she
must have. In the third shop she
| asks to see women's apparel, and in
| the last shop she tries, with sinking
/ of heart and shrinking of conscience,
to live, move and have her being in
| the monstrasities that the shop Of
| fers. after the beautiful models show
| her how enhancing they look in them
and how easy it is for a hobbled
creature to hurdle a seam in the rug.
/ Women did not set out to be i'm
modest-but those ultra thin waists
were made to sell the silk camisoles
| The tissues thinner than the boiling
| cloth in the Kaw Mills were not made
| to reveal the women-they sold the
| silk lingerie of which commerce had
| over-supply. Women only in a meas
| ure are responsible for their clothes
! and it will be as hard to break down
/
| clothes that have the three distinct
requisites that sensible women want
| as it is to try to break down these man.
made laws of our legislatures and
/ have some common sense laws made
| for women.
! Woman Demands Becoming Clothes.
Woman herself would ask that her
| clothes be becoming, a little latitude
! for individuality: that they be mod
| crate in price> and durable and that
they be more adaptable to vocation.
! firmly believe these would be the de-
mands of women-but alas. she is not
| than she is of her laws. so the ones
who wish to- regulate the garb OF
/ women must first convince the COM
/ mercial interests of the world. Then
! for the enlightenment of the woman
| dress-reformer we would cite the life
and history of Amelia Bloomer the
| fore mother of that bifurcated gar
! ment which for years was the most
reviled of all inanimate objects. by all
men.
Had poor Mrs. Boomers style pre-
vailed in all its simplicity think OF
/ the reading, the studying. the research
work we would have been compelled
/ to do to keep ourselves amused. Think
/ of the leisure we would have had,
But where would commerce have in
vested its money? In books and pa
pers. reading matter? Why, we would
7 have been too smart, too intellectual,
1 too erudite for words