Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-09
ny ANNE RITTENHOUsE.

heaval. Few let the stupendouS crises
that follow each throughout the days
upset the equilibrium. "If the sun went
electricity" says a philosopher. Surely
nothing will stop the almost hysterical
gayety, the buying and spending. the
dancing, the going to theaters and
crowding into the moving pictures, If
one can judge by the last two years.
X Y 4 y
Little is left standing where it was
few seasons ago. and yet SO plastic is
human nature that it goes on. fulfilling
its own plans, working out its own
destinies.
Probably the reason lies at the root
of us. The ages Of evolution and dis
aster and growth have left secret re-
sistance to change. Since we began as
protoplasms we have been compelled to
accommodate ourselves to terrific dis
asters that have destroyed nearly every
thing but US. Our Elasticity. therefore,
is more than a million years old. and it
is needed today.
AN interesting phase of 1t is that we
appear to want to throw down nom
essentials along with substantial creeds.
We are not content to let we'll enough
alone. All of which is to say that even
in the minor thing Of young children's
clothes we are ready and willing to
venture in fields that have been barred
for ages.
We fancied ourselves secure in the
realm of juvenile apparel. Possibly
all mothers realized that once. long
ago. in dark and dangerous ages, chill
dren were tortured by clothes that
were somber. stiffened and heavy. but
a return to even the shadow of such
fashions did not enter the conscious
ness. We dismissed it with slavery.
gladiatorial combat and the perseeu-
ton Of the martyrs: something his
torically dead and buried.
This spring we have even forgotten
that we knew no other creed but one
that called for wash clothes for the
young. We are not unduly perturbed
by seeing black taffeta frocks offered
for six-year-oid children, nor long
black velvet trousers with eight-inch
frilled white shirts shown for Ave
year-old Joys.
We cannot conceive at the moment
Of permitting children to wear the
boned basque, the hoopskirt, the mas
sive embroidery which was once their
daily apparel, but who knows? When
we start tearing down creeds we stop
at nothing. The black taffeta frock
may lead to one astonishly like the
stiffened frocks painted in the por-
traits Of the Spanish princesses. Let us
hope for the best.
Here's the evidence concerning the
black taffeta gown. At a recent ex-
hibition Of children's fashions. given
In modern and somewhat sensational
the mannequins ranged
from six to ten years old and they
exploited. while aping the mannerisms
Of their elders who were also show
ing clothes. the kind of frocks we
banished.
X \ + +
The interesting part Of 1t was that
we rather liked the appearance Of the
yellow haired youngster who carried
her long cur1s with a demurely CO.
quettish air above a black silk frock
built on precisely the same lines ad-
vocated for her older sister.
II the child had worn her hair bob
bed the effect would have been bad.
but the revival Of those long regular
curls brought happy memories Of
other days when it was not consider
ed insanitary to have the hair reach
below the collar: the curls were aid
ed and abetted by the fact that her
flesh colored socks were short and the
round-toed slippers were cut over the
last revived for the grown French
woman last season.
All these accessories heightened her
juvenile look and made her appear
even younger than she was. That was
cleverness.
There have been black taffeta frocks
offered for such children that have an
ornamentation Of brightly colored wool
en- threads. trick Of fashion that was
directly copied from adult costumery
There are also frilled and fiounced
frocks Of copper colored georgette crepe
and Dresden silk.
None Of the designers ignore the pos
sibilities OF such fabrics as blue wolfe
and combination of yellow, blue and
white in one summer frock. Last year
the American mother would have let
wolfe alone when choosing hot-weath-
er clothes, but this season she sees in
1t fabric Of Importance. one that
offers itself as the foundation stone
Of the summer wardrobe.
1t can be found in the paseri shades
In which it looks its best. and when
the mother is in doubt az to the
method of trimming it, she suddenly
finds that lace In ruff1es and ruchings
has returned to fashion.
Much that is done with lace this
season was taboo last year; in fact, 1t
was given up when simplicity was the
creed. when shocking and cross stitch
and hem stitch were adopted az a mat
ter of course without recourse to any
other kind of ornamentation.
At times, when the children of cerD
tain ambitious mothers made too much
OF sashes and real lace collars and white
kid gloves. there was feeling, quite
pronounced. OF disdain, as though well
established social customs had been
ignored.
Win mothers quickly reconstruct their
attitude toward such frivolities in the
month Of June when the world Of FASH
ion does not hesitate to send its children
into public places as exact copies Of
their elders In hats, frocks. wraps and
shoes7 Some Of the twenty-year-old
ones wear socks, you know, 80 even in
rlete.
I l. attic: .b,-.,.'. .illa L.: I:esc BE-