Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-31
Anne Rittenhouse Writes of
the Newest Creations in
Furs and Fabrics for Wear
on Winter Days-The Sc
lection of Velvet-New
Brocades - When One
Goes In for Economy.
BY ANNE RITTENHOUSE.

able evening wraps. Trans
parent fabrics suitable for the tropics
were once worn over deeply decollete
gowns in the name of wraps. Surely
they were not protective coverings
which is the generally accepted def
milton of the word wrap"
There was where pride and preju-
dice came in. No argument can be
preached that would sound convinc-
ing as to the protectiveness OF such
evening cloaks. Woman's vanity Ied
her to accept a fashion that con-
tributed to her loneliness as she went
to and from party. This was
senseless act, but it prevailed over
the greater part of generation.
Women fluttered from carriages.
radiant butterflies caught in sleet
storm. They exhibited the cost and
desirability of these wraps in the
dressing room. They compelled their
pride to act as warming pan, Tor OIL
warmth the wrap had none.
When the turn came from one
fashion to another, no one knows, put
undoubtedly modern transportation
did it, AS the motor linked the farm
to the city, the suburban town to the
pie to remain in their country homes
throughout the winter so 1t changeo
the fashion in apparel.
The butterfly wrap, reaching to the
knees no longer served. The moPor
brought a woman to an evenings en-
tertainment from a distance Of TWEEN
ty miles or more. and pride alone
could not sustain her through so ar
duous a journey. Warmth was es
sential. Wraps were ordered that
acted as a lap rug and coachmans
collar combined, and if fur was not
possible because of its price, padded
velvet was chosen.
The action of the motorist infiu-
enced the average woman whether
she went to the gayeties of winter
season in a trolley car or on 1901
The transparent wrap was abandoned.
turned into a summer garment to
keep off a cool breeze.
This season there is no evidence oil
change. Memories of two pre-
ceding winters with arctic conditions
are not such as to induce one TO
forego the pleasures of a protective
covering. one that an Eskimo would
consider proper for the kind OF
weather the North American CONT
nent has recently produced.
The woman who can anord FUR Tor
lucky star. 1t. is the most durable
as well as the most protective OF
fabrics. In its original state it was
supposed to stand whatever vlcieSi-
tudes of weather the climate inflicted
upon animals and 1t is quite as i'm
peryious to rain and snow in its ami
mate as in it's inanimate state.
: Velvet, plush, satin, duvetyn, can
not boast this indifference to storm
and sunshine. Velvet is the most
frequently chosen material for the
loose wrap that covers the low frock.
f.s,< nh ic
Of weave and coforing rather than
durability. 1t is the one fabric used
for evening wraps that contributes to
the use of peltry as trimming.
Brocade is more sumptuous and
quite as perishable as light velvet
of rain, sleet or snow. Yet 1t 10 the
choice of the ultra smart woman.
Even those who can afford comfort
ing wraps of fur are apt to choose
one of brocade to wear on nights that
are agreeable.
The woman who not reduced to a
small dress income and who feels that
she is willing to place a large sum Of
money on a wrap that will serve sew
eral purposes and last for several
seasons. chooses peltry. The semi
precious kind appears to have run its
course in fashion, but one must admit
that the commonest animal is now
u
skin. A coon. an opossum. a darby
and sweet potatoes do not suggest
to the American mind an expensive
combination. but a coon, an opossum.
woman and an opera box are SYM
bols of milIionaires.
x i X
Rabbit and squirrel have almost
reached the dignity of sable and err
mine and no beaver working away
at his dam through the New England
days would have sufficient magma
tion to grasp the truth Of the price
that his hide would bring when Of
fered to a fashionable woman who
never worked in all her days.
1t is of such hides as his that eve
ming wraps are built. They are
voluminous. They cover the body.
They do not stop at the hips or the
knees. They are lined with wool and
then again with any brilliant part Of
the looms work that can give eayety
and warmth of coloring.
If woman puts the largest part
of her dress allowance into such
wrap. she Is sufficiently practical to
make it serve for the day az well as
evening. 1t permits her to wear the
thinnest and most ornamental frocks
to lunch, to the matinee, to wedding
receptions. to card parties. There is
difficulty in walking in such a wrap,
but the average American does not
walk when she is bent on gayety. 1t
may take some intriguing if she is
not rich, but she gets there on wheels.
The fur wrap is not for every woman.
Her entire dress income would not
it. She has ceased to yearn
for it. 1t is like the crown to the
peasant.
Invariably her next choice is velvet.
And she puzzles for month over
what color it should be. Black is
economical. yes. but one does so love
touch of color in the evening and
that new shade of capucine red is SO
aliuring. The green Of Egypt also
makes wide appeal. the blue of
China brings out the tints of the skin
and the color of the eyes And yet if
one has black it can be worn for
several seasons without the neighbors
saying "she is still wearing that red
wrap"
If velvet is chosen there is no reason
for a woman to believe that black is
the most economical color, unless it is
necessary for her to make the wrap