The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-07
DRESS
By ANNE RIT TTENHOUsE
copyright 1s1s by tn. Me cure Newspaper syndioate
Dark Blouses Are Added to Light Skirts and White or Bright Blouses to Suits of Somber Black Velvet or Blue Serge.

Paris. September 2S.-Without ex- ception the mannequins who exhibited coat suits at the openings here chose B blouse that was in strong contrast to the material of the suit, This is an interesting bit of information to all those who struggle continually in the joining up of the skirt and blouse.
 The white wash. or lace blouse which has ruled in Paris since early spring. vanished from the collections of clothes as they appeared at the great houses The simplest suits car ried ornamental colored blouses to be- gin with, and these colors were not chosen with regard to the suits. They seemed Ato be an afterthought, some- thing that was created separately; something that could be worn with any costume. Incidentally, that is the real reason behind their existence, suspect. The French women make a virtue of economy. especially this year, and when they invest in a good coat and skirt they do not intend to invest in more than one blouse This can be worn in the house with a thin skirt; 1t can be worn with another suit left from another season. The American woman would do well to take this ar rangement into full consideration. It saves much money in one way and an other.
 Houses place these blouses apart and sell them without the suits; they have done very well in them for the American buyer knows his public and its constant demand for some kind of upper garment that is better than lingerie blouse. They had wide al -Ff of 1t 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 a dark skirt.
 One of the best of these, to give an example of the fashion as 1t is pre- sented here, is of bright blue Chinese crepe touched up with silver wheels and scrolls over it's entire surface. The neck is high, the wrinkled collar mounting above the chin. There are pleats for fitness at the sides, arranged through the cutting rather than by any application of pleats themselves, and the long sleeves carry turnover cuffs that flare at the top There is no belt. This is worn with*a modertely short black velvet skirt. and the coat is knee length and sumptuous with it's im- mense fur cape collar. When one walks the blue of the tunic blouse rip ples along with the hem of the coat, giving the effect of a brilliant lining.
 So keep this in mind. that the long grdled blouse is for the formal after noon costume to be worn under coat, and the short blouse. wrinkled about the waist, is for the every day suit of serge or, rough cloth. It is the substi- tute for the white wash waist. Some worn by the mannequins were of scar let satin fastened in a straight line down the front with small buttons. ris- ing to the chin and flaring out to show two or three bands of dull silver rlb- bon Others were of oyster velvet, and these were popular, embroidered around with scrolls and straight lines of heavy silk floss. Hhe buttons were of silver. Worth showed loose blouse of mos quito netting in dull gold threads mounted. or draped, over deep salmon satin with flickers of gold at the collar and cuffs Yellow velveteen. sa tin and matelasse blouses were frequent; they were the yellow of marigolds of jon quils of lemons.
 Matelasse was always an effective fabric and if was never made enough of in America; we had gowns of it and wraps, but in France they find 1t ad- mirable for several garments. If should be of good quality, however. and not like the fabrics that we have used for