Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-03
OfMtereSttOWOn1en

BY ANNE RITTENHOUsE.

organdy Is fabric that comes and
goes through the fashions like
comet without brilliancy.
1t was a standard material in days
when life was simpler In It's activities
ana more complicated In it's social and
domestic efforts
THESE were the days when the laun-
dry came home twice week in huge
baskets heaped high. with II dozen of
white undergarments, cotton frocks.
dozens OF blouses and goodly assort-
ment OF white duck skirts.
Gone are those days. No longer do
the southerners, even. call for a fresh
array OF spotless white every after
noon as the heat dies into the twt-
| light and social life begins. Even
these subtropicaf> folk have learned
the necessity of economy as labor has
leapt to the stars in its ambitions
through the placing Of hundreds of
thousands of soldiers in that sec
| ton through war. That is the trouble
with this movement to wear calico
and cotton. How is one going to get
| the money to pay for keeping such
| frocks clean and fresho And If one
| cannot sew and does not want to
/ spend the spring days running a sew
| ing machine what is the use of pay
! ing exorbitant prices to seamstressel
! or dressmakers for making q calico
frock when one of wolfe would not
cost more in the beginning and would
cost far less in the end.
| In the days when no one took &C
! count of labor and starch and and
| flour were easy to get and cheap in
| price women had several organdie
| frocks a matter of course. and they
could not understand the French crit
icism OF our extravaganza. France
knew the problem Of paying for
| laundry. and. therefore. thought that
we. the tourists. in our white and
| pastel-co1ored clothes were mad
| Americana
They had always kept such fabrics
gowns de luxe. garments that were
only brought out when one was be-
having fashionably at smart resort.
Today. after trials and tribulations,
the American woman is no longer
| mad. She Is quite willing to keep her
wash clothes for high days and holl-
days. She has the same respect Tor
white organdy that the French have
for it and accordingly she uses II
sparingly That is the reason behind
the ornamental value attached 70
precious white materials this sum
mer AS tire hotel man said, 1t ism I
the food that makes you pay SO mucn
for your dinner. It's the dishwasher.
Brilliant Blouxes Of Organdy.
With this in mind the American
woman has learned to understand
why she Is permitted by fashion 70
use gay and costly handwork. the
kind that will not wash, on frocks
and blouses that once went weekly
to the tub.
Bulloz Of Paris started the style
with his Rumanian peasant frocks OF
white fabric heavily embellished with
stripes Of red, blue and yellow silken
threads; America followed his lead
with organdie blouses that were
.sprinkled with jet and black silk en-
broidery and sparkling bits of metal.
Even embroidery in silver and gold Is
permitted on organdie, and one re-
Allies that white cotton fabric ranks
higher than taffeta and Is In the class
with silk net. -
OF course 1t soils. as 1t always did;
1t has to go to the cleaner instead
of to the laundry, but that Is mere
detail these days when the garment IS
not worn carelessly but kept for oc-
casions.
The sketch shows such an ornament
al blouse. The fabric is the weave
with which we are quite familiar
through long and continued usage In
American life. but the method OF ar