The Jasper news., 1919-01-02
TUNIC is TO BE
GIVEN A TRYOUT

til late this autumn. After steady per-
sistence, q trick she has in the maxi
ing of all her forms of art, the least of
which Is fashion, she found that Amer
lea had suddenly awakened to the COM
fort and beauty of this garment.
1t Is difficult to persuade American
women to go without shlrtwalsts. They
borrowed the Idea of wash shirt from
man, as they have borrowed all their
fashions, and they felt, and rightly so,
that there Is an element of cleanliness
in putting next to the skin throughout
the day hours a garment that can go
to the tub. The tunic does not go to
the tub, and the only way to keep it
entirely fresh is to wear 1t over
longsleeved muslin lining, which many
women do.
Practical and Ornate Blouses.
The tunic and the outside blouse are
one and the same thing. You may call
1t a cuirass, or blouse with peplum,
or Chinese sacque, or whatever name
suits your fancy. The elemental fact
Is that the fa" hionable blouse Of TO-
day hangs from shoulders to hips. 1t
J may be girdled; 1t may not. Its sleeves
may be cut according to the fashion of
William l or they may be after the
manner Of Dagobert of France-long
and wrinkled to the wrist.
Building on this foundation, the de-
signers In America and Paris have
thrown caution and economy to the
winds and accepted this new blouse in
such an extravagant manner that they
! seem to be making up for that time
| when they let 1t rest neglected In the
| dark corners.
The cables from Paris insist that
coat suits are much smarter than one
piece frocks for the woman of fashion
and her followers, but here in America,
even with the impetus given to tailored
suits in the early autumn, the pendu-
lum appears to have swung back to
one-piece frocks and luxurious wraps
of fur and velveteen. Probably with
the advent Of early spring, with the
southwark bound tourist, the coat suit
will regain the prestige of October. II
1t does, these extravagant, short, me-
dieval tunics will have high chance
for development In the interim, they
are worn not only with heavy tailored
suits, but as tops to separate skirts.
Can Be Made at Home.
1t is in this department of dress that
they are most brilliant. There are
some dressmakers who feel that smart
women will no longer order entire
frocks II the enthusiasm for these bril-
liant accessories grow in strength.
However, there Is no reason for de-
spair In that, for the tunic blouse, as
it is displayed at this hour, Is no mean
thing to make and no poor thing to
purchase. Its fabric and the ornamen
tation put upon 1t bring the cost well
best part of it is that the amateur can
make these things at home, for they
have nothing but straight lines and
are built from loosely hanging widths
of the material.
And yet there is danger in the work
of the amateur, especially If she is
guided by this hasty description, fol-
| IL Is lllc lulllS VI luc SOuQuClOl
is in fashion, not the smock Of the
Russian moujik or the gorgeous coat
of the Arabian potentate. The widths
must outline the figure, and they mus
cling to the hips, and the armhole.
must be cut with precision and per
fection. The whole attempt of fash
ion today Is to throw the figure int
sharp outline, and we must watcl
that tendency IL we would keel
abreast of what is happening and cul
: tivate our vision to look ahead.
There Is no reason for women t,
cry aloud over the extravaganza o
some of the new tunics that are of
fered, for these may be copied in sim
pie fabrics.
Copyright. 1918. by Mcclure Newspape
Syndicate.)