Evening star., 1920-02-08
Americans Adopt the
Shoe Styles Popular
in Paris Last Year.
Oxford Ties Covered
With Stitchery and
With Inserts of COL
ored Cloth-Cuban
Heel Is Revived.

woman and her hootmaker to make
shoe that has the best qualities of
both French and American styles?
The round toe which gives breadth
TO the ball of the foot and carries
out the natural lines Of the foot is
good. 1t gives ease in walking; it
shortens the line. In addition to this
(there should be the exceedingly slen-
bder instep which the average Ameri-
Can foot demands and which the
French foot does not need. The arch
should be high; the heel should be a
straight Cuban affair which supports
the foot firmly at the very spot where
nature intended it to be upheld. This
type Of last has beauty: IL has merit,
and it should be revived.
You may remember that it was once
the famous American shoe. All Eu-
rope adopted it from US. The French
took 1t up with enthusiasm, and. by
the way. at the very time that we
wore this shoe and boasted Of its
we penetrated, we also laughed at
the French medieval shoe which was
worn at that time. Now We have
adopted the latter and we laugh at
the French Grecian shoe.
SO it Is that our minds change. And
We are not alone in the trick Of in
dorsinE whatever we do and regard
ing as absurd whatever other nations
do.
l. l.
Whatever has been our opinion con-
cerninE the American type of shoe
during the last half dozen years, the
fact confronts US like blow in the
face that this opinion has undergone
a change. Whether We are restless
and want a new type Of shoe, whethe r
we have set our minds on going to
Paris in mass and making our feet
draw less attention from the French
humorists than they did last summer.
We have set our faces toward a new
last.
1t il probably the Paris influence.
The short skirt and the short sleeve
have sailed across the ocean and
fought their way into tho front line
Of fashion since last November, and
we no longer regard as sensational
an assemblage OF women at midday
with four-inch sleeves and bare arms.
The conservatives, who insist upon
being different from their neighbors
who buy the latest fashion. have
adopted the long, wrinkled sleeve
with its nare at the elbow as a rebuff
to what IL commonplace. OF that
all t. 70 l&,,t t.
neither the time nor the place to say
1t. 1t has been exploited by Paris as
an Offset to the short sleeve and tho
amart French women have adopted it.
They even incorporated it, In tulle, in
some Of the best evening gowns. We
in America on tho other hand, are
fully launched on the cap sleeve.
There you are. The difference is
acute Actually, an ocean rolls be-
tween US.
As for shoes, it Is said that the
ultra smart French women send to
America for their footwear. and it
may be that Paris will launch the
medieval shoe with the lowered
French heel at the moment that
America goes quite wild over the
GfeCl0n Sanuai snoe III us various
manifestations.
1t is the Grecian sandal, you know,
that inspired the prevailing French
shoe. Whether or not We copy this
shape lies in the future. At the pres
ent hour we are merely concerned
with the intense and violent struggle
between the medieval shoe. which Is
said to be dying and relinquishing its
hold on life slowly. and the round
toed sandal with the Cuban heel.
which sometimes becomes an Oxford
tie, or a high shoe. or Roman CO.
thurne.
This struggle il shown socially.
Wherever women foreeather their
eyes glance toward the feet Of those
who 80 in and out and they COM
mont as follows: There's the French
shoe: III never wear it," or "Observe
those beige-colored stockings with
black sandals. That's the smart thing.
Do you like it?"
As far a. the new fashion has gone
in America there 10 no sign Of what
was once known as tango ribbons.
The French women have laced their
shoes about the ankles with ribbons
for two years. but the American II
apt to take the shoe as IL stands and
omit the ribbons. Neither 10 she quite
sure that she likes that bracelet Of
leather or suede about the ankle.
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