The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-13
"OUerQlZS and the Woman
HHNNvERALLS and the Woman"
 VI sing.


 "Denims and calicoes."
 'frills and furbelows" discarded; ''Belles of the Sixties" in crimolines anG bombazine-gone forever-and the up sthe- minute woman arrays in plain blue "overalls," tailor made, mo- dishly fashioned, built on stylish lines, and spic and span, saunters forth, en- thusiastic, patriotic, economical frugalA
 Of course there's such a thing as enthusiasm being mistaken sometimes for patriotism, and while the women who are never 'slackers' in anything. are willing to don "overalls" suits, at tbe same time doesn't it give Just lit tie leeway to the thought that as soon as it becomes known that denims and caltcoes are popular, prices will soar sky high and, after all, we may be "re- duced to silks and satins," for when there's a demand, certain as taxes, there's going to be extravagant prices asked.
 This is borne out in a conversation that I had few days ago with pret- ty, attractive Birmingham woman, who sauntered into my sanctum sanctortum smartly gowned in an "overalls" suit, made by her own clever fingers on a perfectly good Singer sewing machine, and looking just as hobby and just as attractive as could be.
 The clever woman who is the heroine of my little story is none other than Mrs. Wythe Davis Sims, who lives right here in Birmingham; many of you know Tow cleverly she designs frocks, know how modishly she manipulates a gar- ment, but you don't know how won-- derfully she made herself an "overalls" suit, the entire cost of which would have been two dollars and a half eff she had had to buy the materially As it was, the material, blue denim-dark blue on the one side and sort of changeable looking effect, regular "overalls" cloth, you know, the other, was the gift of the Pell City mills through it's vice president, Mir. Thomas H. Rennie, who wrote Mrs. Sims as follows in reply to her letter for the material:
 My Dear Mrs. Sims: Your letter on the subject of denims for ladies' dresses, received. We regret exceedingly that the ladies, and also many men, have de- cided on blue denim for cheaper cloth ing, because denims are one of the very scarce styles of cloth. During the war it was impossible to get all of the
 indigo desired for the making of den- inns, and there is a very acute shortage of this class of goods in the United States.
 "Our output of Indigo denims is com- pletely sold up to and including Octo- Der 31, and it is an impossbility for us to supply any extra demand for this cloth. The writer would suggest that the ladies decide on the khaki color in twills, etc, for the purpose of reducing clothes cost. The government has a large quantity of khaki cloth in ware houses, and it would help the cause if the ladies and also the men would de- eide to use khaki.
 "The only effect of this movement to wear denim dresses and overalls by people who can we'll afford to wear other styles of cloth will be to in- crease the price to the working people, who must wear overalls in order to have their other clothing.
 'We are sending you Ono charge) by insured parcel post two 10-yard pieces (so you may have a choice1 in order that you may design a denim dress made in an Alabama mill, from home grown cotton, and produced altogether by Alabama labor. Sincerely yours, NAVONDALE MILLS, (Pell City Mills Dept) 'tT. H. RENNIE." q quite agreetwith MT. Rennie about the khaki cloth,'' Mrs. Sims said. 'It is far more stylish and as he suggests, the government can supply great quanti- ties of it. left over from the war, while the regular overalls' denims are very difficult to get"
 Any woman who makes her own clothes" said Mrs. Sims, as do, can dress neatly an stylishly on one third the money the average woman pays for her clothes. The 'overalls' suit 0hich I made for myself. I believe, is the first made by Birmingham wom- an out of denim, made at an Alabama mill, from home grown cotton, and produced by Alabama labor"
 The way I became especially inter- ested, in making an overalls suit was through MT. Lamar, who is president Of the Birmingham Overalls Club, and who has also organized a woman's club. It isn't novelty. however to me to wear an inexpensive gown, be- cause sewing has been my one hobby all my life, making my own clothes. It is tho greatest pleasure in t5e world i to me to sew, and have never charged the enormous prices that others have asked for sewing, and consequently have always been able to have more work to do than can possibly accom- pllsh. For the making of a little singham dress, $3.50 and s5 I have asked, and, of course, tailoring a suit like my overalls' suit. the skirt and coat of which are tailored as neatly as mans clothes, naturally would cost more, as it takes more time to make such garments.
 T bought an Elite Pattern size 3S, Wlubourne will be remembered by her many Birmingham friends as Miss Essie Clay.
 MT. and Mrs. Ralph Cross announce the birth of danphfer. Mrs Cross