Evening star., 1920-12-12
She Says the Play
house Should Be a
Setting for Clever
and Colorful Cos
tumery-Frocksfo for
the Dancing Set.
The New Type of
Deconetaee.
BY ANNE R1xTIENH0USE

pSCdSug0 lOI tuG I1G0S uOk
dressing for tho play Is thu
pastime Of the majority 4
The high price of. seat does aet
deter crowd from the determination
to get in. whatever. play It prefera In
New York the thsater-eoing public
never falls OF. Good plays and bad,
high prices, few accommodation are
a mixture that the most of America
smiles at.
When the world ana his wife arrive
in New York the first placs they 60 10
to the box ONCE. A play . night two
a day sometimes. is the rule. There is
, no time to indulge in privata enter
| tainment- The interiors Of houses,
| smart or dull, have no attraction for
| the visitor. The cry is for the theater,
with few shops and many Fsstaur-
ants thrown in for good measure. One
! know.
In this continuous gorgins BY the
continent west of New York lies the
seats for any play and ths upkesp Of
the prohibitive prices. And yet the
styles in costumery that are launched
or maintained by the audiences are
not sponsored by visitors.
4 + +
Far too often do these strangers,
sided and abetted by q Thousand sub
0rpanatee. refuse to change from their
street clothes into anything that
They. are willing to spend like mill
ltonatres. They are not willing to
dress like they are supposed to do
% %Wnsn they are on pleasure bent
The theater should be q setting for
Clever and cnlnr$r,l "a
should be reckoned with those social
occasions that demand gayety IN
Giothes such - dinners and dasess.
The Z .uls e. .i.. fers!as yoees e -..:
they like their hats in their laps, il
they wish to come in sport clothes, in
sweaters, in riding breeches, very
Wen: they have paid for their seats.
They can fill them with. whatever
Those who run thestsfs 20 not wish
empty seats They know the besS
way - avoid this catastrophe IL TO
let the audiences do what It win in
the mAtter Of chcostag apparel.
fAe Restaurants triad % keep out
They made a sad dzsle Of IT. The sup
per rooms where dancing is the fash
ION have partially succeeded in keep
Ing those in street clothes or the
aoor, but such supper places ars in
the minority.
clothes. the men don't They won't.
They refuse to SO out If the women
bother them about such details, The
laxity In this segment Of social life u
put down to the tnfofmaltty Of war
Sie.surss Plea s,.s .sd . The comfort OF the unit
gathering, no matter how formal
Whatever the reason. the custom Of
not dressing in the evening for any
kind Of public Eaysty il on the in
crease One OF the most exclusive
iet down the Sass. ons ssss the best
tso1e - exclusive supper places. whore
chempasne Aows - H prohibition was
Ea faslura occupied ~ men wearing
the s}ofhas In whteA they have come
M fSoM the once and women in oHe-
pieces of FUR.
+ 4 4 =
Yet there is set which dominates
the social world. It insists upon gay
lieyes that one should stay ost Of tAs
brilliant liInelight unless one is peop-
eriy accredited to the occasion.
It takes the pl:yhsuse as z setting
and turmoil fi q I tie "a day. T Il 1ses de mot not
resent having to change from strset
garments into evening onas. i vsl-
comes the opportunity.
is growing dimculty 70 persuade men
to pnt on . ~twsiIoW-taA" They may
be coaxsd Into . dienar taekst .en4
white He to de svSFags mai. wbi1h
u a. . red rag "a bull II stsnds
for somethinE dfmeult, harassing.
something to b. avoided or torn to
pieces. Why? Mo one knows. The
men who plainfiysiy ASK their wives
ones who act like martyrs going to
the stake Is they are compelled to get
Into their own social Sajment.
It 10 not unusual TO see dozens Of
couples In tbs restaurants. In the
tneaters. the man wearfnH HIS ONCE