Evening star., 1920-03-14


evening gowns by calling them
"Asiatic." The popular word would be
vampire
Not that the public is overly familiar
with Bran Steker's "Dracuia." OF that
Rumanian superstition has become uni
versal through that particular aliyS
part In the war Nothing 30 far fetched
brought the word vampire. as noun and
verb. int6 the common currency OF our
language: the movies did 1t.
When one tries to explain the sudden
new movement in evening frocks for
sprinG and summer. 1t is best to speak
in the vernacular. 1t is understood. AS
between Asia and the vampire. Semi
ramis 10 to Theda Bara as the Cambrian
marshes are to Main street.
So, will we ''vamp" when We wear the
new spring clothes. IL the question asked
by men? viii there come about that
horrifc spectacle of the stout and tho
middle-aged attempting the impossible
to be subtle and eel-like. sensuous
and allurinE? Heaven forfend. You
remember the sinpering old cOquette
wearing fancy dress in Lord and Lady
Algy," who explained that she was aft
er Reynolds" to which Faversham re-
piled, God help Reynolds" No one
wants to see that spectacle repeated
among ones friends out of comedy. Tho
nutteEing dove attitude is bad enough
when ono il over fifty and too we'll fed;
but the serpent attitude is repeiiing.
4 4
EemirAmis certainly tempted men in
her Dabylonian costumes. although she
was tat. undoubtedly. as she was run
ming true 70 orieIItal lism and the historic
impl1ssiDn il that she was not like
Theda Bara in appearance. but her
vampirish costumes, while Of q different
cut ana quantity. were surely and dam
gerously dBoctive.
she may have started even an en-
tirely new fashion for Babylon when
she hurrjedly went forth half dressed. as
legend tolls, TO Queh the Babylonian re-
volt, and certainly this episode is indi-
cative OF her triumph over men. but -
. rule she was swathed and wrapped
with sparkling and Transparent draper
les That was the Asiatic type Of cloth
ing.
by tho way, that she was turned into a
dove whsn she died, as legend again has
It? strange fate for a vampire. Did
she like it. We wonder.
All OF which is interesting in the light
that 1t Is she and her kind from whom
tho new evening gowns are taken, and
not from the modern version Of the vam-
pfre translated into a symbolic figure,
with dark skirts wrapped about the fig
ure, with arms bare and writhng like
young snakes.
The new costumes are of sturdier
build. coming down to us from more
powerful type Of woman. Yet they are
modified. even at that, to the demands
Of the day and to the social environment
which envelops and protects us. Cap
tious critics may retOrt that this is tho
only visible thing that does protect the
fashionable woman in evening clothes.
The French designers say that In in
PRODUCING this abrupt about-face from
the pannier of Mozart and the huge Grim
olines Of the Spanish seventeenth CEN
tury. they are seeking to please the
American women; why, it is not easy to
sssSb ava sNcS ooescOu SHGy aA0hohCu nROh
our limited purchases and the self-eviA
dent fact that Parisienne and Spanish
women Of wealth and social distinction
were depended upon to absorb their time
and talent.
1t is more likely to be the truth that
the hoopskirt and pannier, the girdle
bodice and uncovered shoulder, the
wreaths Of roses and grapes in batcha-
nalian profusion have begun to pail on
the Parisiennes and on that other large
and prosperous European set who fol-
low the dictates OF Paris without cross
= Ing a II" or dotting mn 81" This set has
-~,s. spending money lavishly with
thol ghts Of brilliant gavety always in
their scheme Of daily life and they in
slst upon something new for their
money at season when the French
havo always demanded ehahse in raj
ment to keep step with the tallurirg and
refreshing French spring
4 X y
Naturally, the Paris dressmakers are
sufficiently camy to >realize that the
launching OF style that might please
the American women as well as the
French would be excellent business
sagacity. They rarely lack that sense.