Evening star., 1919-05-04
Reinstatement of Home Life in Its Various Phases Has Brought
About New Type of Costumery-A Return to the Rose
Colored Lamps of Other Days-Dame Fashions Plan.

VI - SAANA ~ Wy - AoIA N
decade was brought to bear in order to
give her efficiency. She threw aside
the fragments of coquetry and reserve
that remained and entered the war
with the spirit of a man.
Then the war ceased, and she had
reached the apex of her modern phase
She could 60 no further.
Now she is beginning to swing back
to her former state. 1t is Of extreme
psychological interest. 1t may be
tendency toward a condition that will
not eventuate, but it nevertheless in
terests the students of dress. 1t COM
pels the dressmakers to pause: it has
already begun to revolutionize the sill
houettem it has changed the tactics OF
the milliners; therefore. there should
be none to rise and say that it is insig-
nificant 1t may revolutioniZe the in
dustry of apparel. 1T may be the be-
ginning of new era. The woman of
today can never swing backward into
coquetry as far as her grandmother's
niche. but she can take on the SEM
blance Of a day that was
The foremost tendency away from
the situation of the last four years is
the revival of home life. There was
little heart for entertaining when the
world was at war. Even before
America went into the struggle. the
vast majority of important women had
been giving their time to war work,
and they banished social gayety from
their homes. although they sometimes
indu1eed in it in public places. There
was no o'clock tea because there
were no women to attend it; there
were few dinners because every one
was too exhausted from the days
work to get into harness and be cheer
full and entertaining to outsiders at
Z o'clock.
Life resolved itself into a Puritan
schedule. Even wealthy women, and
those who had hitherto been inclined
toward a gay life, kept down their
purchase of clothes to street suits
and an occasional, n very occasional
evening gown.
This spring there is cropping up
of home entertaining which is on a
par with the bursting into bloom Of
crOcus and daffodil and violet. Women
in every stratum Of society have be-
gun to revert to the sociabilities of
home life. Dinners are constant, aft
ternoon tea it served in town and
country war work has practically
ceased for the thousands. and relaxa-
tion and leisure have come in with
the glamour Of spring
This is the condition that fosters
coqaetry. This is the atmosphere in
which 1t grows. When women begin
to dress for their own homes, when all
that intimate social life is revived
among householders. then there comes
disposition to look ones hest, to
wear those frail, diaphanous. trailing
things that have been associated with
women from the dawn of dress.
In reverting to this life of another
day. the Americans have followed in
the path Of the English women, just
AS the French did during the last two
years OF the war. tea gown de luxe
took the place of formal dinner
gown, released One-piece frock from
indoor service. and served as a COM
promise between keeping on ones day
clothes and dressing for dinner.
1t must be admitted that these new
tea gowns are not simple; they do not
spell economy. Many Of them look
and are wildly extrzvagant. They
have the brilliancy OF the east. the
color of China and Japan, the exotic
appearance of the creations of Paul
poiret In his best days.
The reason they allow large play
Of individualism, and this delights the
average woman Is that they do not
connne themselves to the limitations
set down by fashion. We know that
the new silhouette is bell-shaped be-
low the knees and that it is the fore
runner Of an utter and drastic change
in skirts. II does not seem probable
that this change can fall nat or that
It lacks the power to overturn what
has been worn for two years: SO,
while women are puzxling their heads
and shaking their purses to find out
what they can do to make narrow
skirt full and q plain skirt draped
they can indulge their freest fancy In
tea gowns without an anxious thought
There il no idea Of Incorporating
the full skirt into this type of cos
tune which now reaches into all
strata of society and has become
dominating spring habit Not only
are the skirts narrow. but they are
often shock nsly short.