The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-08
Monkey Fur Combined With Gray Squipper Is the New Fur Touch, and One Gets New Effect From Commonplace Peltries.


 and One Gets a New Effect From
 Commonplace Peltries.
 Paris, September 29-Tbere is not much in peltry that one can call novel and compelling. Those who know the Paris market say that the strain of non- production for four years begins to show. This Is obvious in the dress fabrics. Quantities of blue serge. of silk poplin. or duyetyn, of lace. of satin are used to build up every gown.
 It is strange kink in fashion to bring out black taffeta and midnight blue serge for winter weather The Ameri- cans expected something different from taI1eta in the newest gowns and when the house of Doeuillet first offered it for evening gowns there was a chorus of protest. But when Jeanne Lanvin, Pre- met, Worth and Doucet showed taffeta evening gowns the Americans stopped protesting and began to see a light.
 They realized that no group of distin- guished dressmakers would employ fa- bric through which to launch it's novel; ties unless there was so-ordinated inten- tion to make that fabric conspicuous. This Is the truth.
 To ease the American mind one should quickly say that the taffeta through which the new movements in dress are exploited is not twin sister to the silk that is dead. It has individ- uality, character, and no polish what ever. It appears to be a compromise between faille and grosgrain. But more of that fabric later. It's usage was werely brought in to accentuate the ob- vious fact that old materials have been put into new shapes.
 ;S ha nnC xritff lrar ffrv nd gray squirrel. The world is very weary of both these peltries We thought they had vanished from fashion. Here they bob up serenely. taking smart airs unto themselves and surrounding themselves with the arrogance of power. As they are sponsored by houses that are never cheap. it is only natural that the ob- servers should say to themselves that the thing needs looking into
 There is no intention on the part of the dressnnakers to use these common place fabrics in commonplace man. ner; they play them up like stars in new role. Here are few examples: Renee has a wonderful coat of velvet with a deep cape collar of gray squirrel on which are placed rows of monkey fur that has been separated, combed out and made to resemble fringe. At another house where the exclusive French wom- en get their furs the same treatment of monkey fur and squirrel is exploited. This proves to the observer that Renee is not an individualist in this matter.
 There is a united effort evidently on the part of certain popular houses to keep these two. overworked peltries in the seasons fashions. It takes genius to remould old fabrics into attractive new presentations. When the Americans learn this trick they will have gone far on the road to independence.
 France is depleted evidently or pre- Tcious peltries. She does not make large or important showing of sable, ermine, beaver, chinchilla, and mink. The stocks must have been used up. When house like that of Jeanne Lam win decides to play an entirely new trick cn clothes with squirrel fur it gives one an inkling that the precious furs were not heaped on the shelves. Lanvin does this thing exceedingly we'll. She takes squirrel fur the common gray kind, and makes an extensive Florentine design Of it on a black velvet coat. If one sees the exceeding charm of fur cut into bold and brilliant embroidery designs the con- quest is complete. Peltry is much loviier in this way than used in mass. E
 The amateur dressmaker, the woman at home with a clever seamstress, will leap at this suggestion. It IS economy. All the odds and ends of the fur will be brought out of the moth-pailed truhks to be cut by embroidery designs and placed on ooats skirts or collars Of vel vet and duvetyn. If it is done well 1t will provoke the envy of the neighbors.
 The other fur that has been raised to an exclusive pinnacle over here is called Mongolie. It is nothing more or less than the hide of a Mongolian goat, the kind that has always been used for ba- bies- Now it serves to line an entire coat of brilliant cloth, cut cape fash ion. There is a collar of the fur that sweeps the shoulders. It also appears as huge detached collars and cuffs on suits of dark cloth and edges the pockets or girlish one piece frocks.