The New York herald., 1920-01-11
By MAY BIRKHEAD.
I the Herald's Fashion Expert in Paris.
PARIS, December 90.


"HE present fashions of baroness
have been so severely criticised by
Cardinal Annette, Archbishop of
Paris, that Parisians seem to be sit
ting up and taking notice. Or perhaps they
were just about due for a change. At al
events backs are being covered and some
thing more than piece of tulle is appear
ing for the front shield which has been
the only thread that has prevented
Paris.ans from being. barred to the world
as nature made them.
The Archbishop wasted no words in the
French press in calling the present day
fashions just what they are, so the bare
truth had its day along with the other
bare styles. 'Immodest and indecent"
We're tame adjectives in the Cardinals
speech. He called spade a spade and
said that the women who we're wearing
these awful back-to-nature dresses were
not fit TO be mothers and that such styles
we're interfering with the birth of chill
dreu, which was more than a detrinent
10 France, in other words, in the absence
of backs and fronts to the dresses, he
rake the styles up one side and down
the other and likewise the women who
have been wearing them.
lust where the indecent STYLES of wear
ing nothing originated nobody seems to
know. I have asked at least a dozen
dressmakers TO tell me just why they
commenced to make the bareback dresses
and to give me the full history of them.
for usually il is some ono incident in
France that has been responsible for a
style that has become so popular, but all
Of them blame the stage for all evils in
tho matter of dress. They say that
"Spinelly," or some other Music Hall ac-
tress, appeared in nothing and looked
well. so other women decided they would
like TO try il. or some other reasonable
excuse. The scarcity OF fabrics might be
= reason. but such an excuse is as flimsy
as the fabrics. The Callot Sisters were
the first who made model that was en-
firely bare under the arms, and from that
the maiady seems to have grown.
Even the least conservative Of the Paris
coutur.ers have no defence to offer since
the publication OF the Archbishop's criti-
cisms. They acknowledge, one and all.
that there is nothing pretty about the
bare styles as there is not one woman In
"a thousand that has a beautiful back and
arms They say that the prettest feature
about them Is the fur coats that are. be-
ing worn TO cover them so there seems TO
+. be no answer 10 the question, what is the
world coming to?
The most conservative OF the dress
makers say that there is not one out OF
ten CT their clients who orders a sleeve
less and backless dress. and that real
ladies never wear them. There is no
disputing the fact that Worth has the
reputation Of dressing the ladies OF high
degree from every part OF the world. so
II.
an interview after Cardinal Annette S
criticisms appeared.
This craze for wearing bodiceless
dresses Is not followed by the real ladies', p"
said Monsieur Worth. Occasionally we
have a client who calls for one OF the
frocks OF the outrageous type. and in
variably she has taken her idea from the
Casino d. Parts or the Foles de Bergeres
where she has seen half dressed women
but / am happy to say she Is the excep-
ton and not tire rule. as far as our clients
are concerned Cardinal Amette's words
come at the very moment that the wcmer
themselves are tirng OF suci styles and
are bringing about a change. They are
growing tired Of them because they are
rot comfortable. If you will notice at the
fashionable restaurants and dinner dances
the women are now wearing tulle or fur
or anything over their shoulders. because
they have been uncomfortable. Then too
the men have been complaining that they
cannot dance with a wo. an without be.
ing covered with powder. There was a
tnc when the men thought they were
abused because the bit Of face powdel
that was found on the lapel of their coats
was too suspicious looking. but tho
women who wear the bodiceless dresses
ts,wder themselves from the waist up. and
Nth the fashion Of the woman putting
1 f,~f powderei arms around her dancers
peck, n would certainly seem that the men
Aaxe cause for complaint one cannot