Evening star., 1921-04-25

newly revived insistence upon the
side ornamentation of the skirt The
observer is convinced that the entire
impetus of new fashion is given iI
! this direction. 1t is now almost I'M
! perative to fluff or to bulge at the
| sides if one is to be in fashion; anC
/ it is necessary to strengthen the sides
| of the skirt down it's full length nS
f; such adornment as will give emphasis
and attract attention.
| AS soon as there is concerted action
! in fashion there is a rivalry be-
! tween designers to treat this faShlon
J in manner that will stamp the In
| dividuality of the maker upon the
| gown. Those who follow clothes as
! carefully as jockey follows horses
find it quite easy. after lew weeks
to recognize the maker of each gown
by the method of employing material
or trimming.
Such observers have had a stimulat-
ing experience this spring in watch
ing the development of this side
trimming and guessing at it's source.
The general public that buys clothes
is unconscious of this rivalry and is
Indifferent to names. Who made the
gown is of little Importance to the
large American public. Whether or
not the gown is becoming to the
woman who is to buy it is the main
question.
That is the healthy conclusion. 1t
promotes good dressing.
Women are desirous of knowing
the fashion in colors rather than the
fashion in contour and they are de-
lighted that gray continues. al
though they are conscious that 'here
is subtle difference between the
gray frocks they have worn and th'se
they are offered this week
The sketch of today shows a no\-
city frock of gray satin-and 1t is
wise to add that many of the dreSs-
makers use this fabric on the wrong
side to avoid luster, which is the trick
here The skirt shows t.a Egyptian
influence in the deep girdle with lis
hanging panels at the side. These ac-
cessories in this particular case are
of red blue and green beads.
The girdle is placed below the waist
line and the side panels are longer
than the skirt, a fashion which IS
generally accepted and which the de-
signers think is straw In the "ihd
to show the near acceptance OF longer
skirts The sleeves in this frock are
long and in this connection II may De
of interest to the reader to quote from
a letter of our artist in Paris VINO
made this sketch in the salon of Car
los, a dressmaker who designs for an
inner smart set of French women.
The artist writes:
Carlos states ne is making all of
his day gowns with long sleeves. as
he is tired of seeing half-nude women
in the daytime.
Jumping from gowns to hats. it is
of interest to find that many of the
smart women who lead the fashions
continue to wear hats in the same
color as their gowns. This does not
make for economy. but certainly, it
makes for safety in dress.
The hat worn with this frock, for
instance. is a broad shape of gray
satin turned up in the back and tilt
ing over the eyes in front. At the
back there is a curled ostrich feather
to match one in front. both in gray
of deeper tone than the satin of the
hat.
The average woman. backed by her
milliner, would introduce into her
headgear the Egyptian colors in the
girdle and panels of her skirt. 1t is
mooted question which method is
the better. the contrast or the one
color scheme