Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-18
Change in Anglo-Saxon Type of
Figure Brings New Fashion Ideas
Anne Rittenhouse Says
4. Women Are Now of the
| Pony Type"-Eliminat-
ing the Waist Line-The
| Necessary Silhouette.
BY ANNE RITTENHOUSE.

taken the trouble to investigate ant
give the answer.
The work of women might have in
huenced their growth. Long genera
tions of pioneers, of the emigration O
stalwart peasant stock, of Scandi
,navian families of the Scotch, posi-
sbly produced a new race of womer
who were fitted. physically. to take
part in the development of strange
and hazardous land.
There has been a theory that splen
didly framed women are the mothers
of a sturdy race. and we always think
OF the pioneers is being of resisting
structure. able to draw water, hew
wood and shoot Possibly they were
really small. but history. the stage and
story do not give that impression.
Whatever they were, these pioneer
women of high and common class
aristocrat and peasant. the truth is
that the race has steadily grown
small in stature. The most serious
depreciation has taken place during
the last generation. The women, eSpe-
cfally, have Shrunk.
This is not true of England. where
the Anglo-Saxon type prevails. The
type there is what 1t was in the me-
dieval era
In France and Italy, the type con-
inues small and well-rounded In the
northern Countries of Europe the tall
woman with the large frame rules.
Emigration has not changed these
types. nor intermarriage. 1t is only
In America that women appear to be
going through type transformation
which makes our women correspond
in size to those of southern Europe.
This bears directly on fashion. The
latter links itself up with each i'm
Fortant change in a nation When the
majority OF womankind is small of
stature, when narrow shoulders and
cmaciated waists rule, the fashions
correspond. The designers work for
the majority
James Forbes sent phrase down
the decade when he made his chorus
lady say of her figure that a perfect
ss does save money. 1t also saves
trouble and anxiety. The sellers of
apparel say that a perfect So is re-
placing the larger figure. So the
Clothes are manufactured for this de-
n1and- 1t is for that reason that the
woman who belongs to the generation
just ahead of this one finds it difficult
to- get apparel in the ready-to-wear
shops or to strictly follow the French
fashions The majority rules. The mir
nority frets.
When a type passes from the ken
OF the designers it becomes a problem
to dress il well. No one feels the diff
hculty more than the woman who is
faced with IL whenever she purchases
any garment.
The peasant paths are not for her.
The mornings shopping, which is pro-
ductive of good results to the aver
sge type. Is not in her schedule of life.
The careless filter cannot be put at
her disposal The reasonable seam
stress 10 to be avoided. The ador-
able clothes that she sees on the pony
-class, for whom fashions are now in
vented. are not to be possessed by her
through the spending of money. This
Is The problem that faces the woman
who is Of the Anglo-Saxon type.
Neither can she wear the clothes
which are invented for the stout
woman, nor she who is plump and
Aedate. Hers is not the matroniy type
With discretion she has the privilege
OF remaining young in figure. She
often keeps viyacity of eountenance
that savors just a bit of masculinity
The eheekbones and modelling of the
face are medieval and therefore
strong The shoulders are broad, the
slightly developed. the chest high and
muscular, the legs. long and spare.
The neck is long, the Burne-Jones
kind. and the long oval head is set
nrmiy and usually we'll ON the neck,
straight elongated spine.
NO, 1t is not an easy type to dress
In this era: II was less difficult when
1t was the type of the generation; cor
sets then contributed to making it APP
pear dignified and to assume the
matronly air that was called distin-
guished.
These tall. large-structured women
Nominated the bathrooms as they car
ried their sweeping evening frocks
with their long trains. with grace and
power that was not vouchsafed to
little women. but their dominance has
passed. They are superseded by the
type that students think has arrived
to remain. 1t is the sign Of our age.
1t is the symbol of a settled condition.
The future, however. does not inter-
est the woman who is out of the pic
ture- What possesses her mind Is
how TO accommodate the present
fashions to her stalwart structure
!. Like other difficult types. the first
struggle comes with the corset
Wrinkles may be avoided and money
saved if she will fight this battle to
q finish before she arrives at settled
decision concerning the kind of
clothes she must wear.
The corsetieres offer her the rubber
corset, declaring that it is especially
suited to her. 1t is wise TO investi-
gate that statement through expert
ence- She will not be satisfied with
any corset that does not attempt to
confine the figure. Such license is
only permissible to the slim and the
,attentuated.
Often she is better suited by a cor
set with slightly higher bust than
the average woman wears. Why? Be
cause the upper end Of the front bones
do not stick straight out just above
the waistline and display their pres
ence through the thickest cloth frock
Women who prefer the low corset
even with this defect and who find
that the brassiere does not hold in
these bones. use silk inside belt to
do the work. 1t acts we'll 1t is pin
ned or hooked around the upper edge
Of the corset and secured by a safety
pin to keep it from slipping upward.
The best corset. however. in the
minds of those who have worked on
the problem of fitting the Anglo
Saxon figure is TO cut the corset high
in front and low at sides and back
This reyerses the accepted method
The length of the corset must be de-
termined by the lines of the figure,
but it is well to Keep its unboned
skirt quite long and free of the figure.
The new idea is,to avoid tight lacinx
below the waist in the manipulation
of any figure, hut it is not easy to
convince the stout woman of the good
figure has its best presentation when
the corset is we'll boned, but loosely
adjusted. The moment one attempt
to pull in muscle there comes
awkwardness in the movement of the
body.
The effort is to keep the line of the
body straight and supple 1t then
,,leS on the air Of era ca a nd u;,a Ii,,,