Evening star., 1919-08-26
OfZ1tereSttOWOn1en
THE RETURN OF KNIFE PLEATiNG

I and the mountains were even chillier.
SO the majority of those who must be
| amused ana kept comfortable in sum-
! mer weather that is like autumn re-
manned in town. 1t is far easier to be
| cheerful in bad weather in city streets
| than in country lanes; SO life at the
resorts started late and thin clothes
| were taken for emergency rather than
| for necessity
1t was for these emergencies that
Doucet built the variety of handker-
chief linen frocks in accordion pleat-
ing. He made them in different colorS,
fashionables was suggestive of Gar
gantuan box of assorted handker
chiefs sold at the Xmas season. Ge-
ranium pink, horizon blue, lemon yell
low, dark blue. jade green, mauve and
gray would be the colors ordered by
one woman. the gowns made alike,
girdled in various colored cords. These
are for the morning-that is, for the
hours between IL and o'clock.
The materials are not of any inter-
est to Americans this late in the sea-
son, for our women do not get new
clothes at this time Of tire year; they
until the new autumn things arrive in
the shops. and they continue to wear
what they possess during what re-
mains of the hot weather.
But here's the significance of these
boxes of varied colored frocks: Dou-
Get and others are repeating the idea
in crepe de chine, in thin satin, in
voile. The same colorS are not used
for autumn as for rot weather. The
more somber tones are chosen-black.
deep blue. dark burgundy. gray and
blue that is deeper shade than the
| uniform of the Frerch roilu. Worth
uses it in coat suits. especially in the
model that was chosen by Mrs. Will
son. the wife of the PRESIDENT.
These frocks are built on exactly
the same lines as the thin summer
ones. The Galleries Lafayette puts
bit of embroidery on a, few models,
but the effect is better without it.
There is an agreeable change from
monotony in these knife-pleated
gowns. Those of us who have watch
ed the continuous and almost un-
broken procession of just two types of
! clothes in Paris snatch eagerly at
something new, something that prom
| ises a break toward a new alignment
| in material and color.
In America we have far more va
riety in clothes than in Europe, for
over here all nations wear what Paris
does, and Paris simply repeats the
tried to experiment with originations
except America. For this reason the
new type of popular gown over here,
| the knife-pleated one, may be re-
ceived coldly by a country that is not
wearied by monotony. because it does
not exist Inc WOIIldH WHO waits "
appear young. however. and keep the
appearance of a slim figure. would do
| well to adopt these childishly simple
gowns. They have no more complex
ity than primer. Often the neck is
cut into a deep V, but the round de-
| colletage, so beloved by the French
woman, holds it's own with no sign of
] decreasing strength. 1t is not the
| best neckline for the Anglo-Saxon.
She is apt to be too sturdily built
across the shoulders. She usually
needs the cloth brought up to the
place where the neck goes into the
shoulder; after that detail is attend
! ed to she can cut it as low in front
as she desires.
| Paris rarely puts collars on any of
her necklines, but the American and
| English carry out their own ideas
here. They add the band Of white. in
embroidered batiste, organdie or net.
| OF one thing we may be grateful:
there is a blessed absence of fringe
on these pleated models. Nothing
bangles from the edge. TIE sharply
cut hem stands out in bold relief from
the ragged and untidy edges Of the
rest of the summer frocks.