The New York herald., 1921-09-18
American Girls Bathing
Suit Startles Deauville
Royalty of Europe Which Has Been Scattered Over
France During Summer Returning to Paris
Marshal Foch Guest of Legionnaires.
BY MAY BIRKHEAD.


| Special Correspondence TO THE New YORK
/ HERALD.
PARIS, Aug. 20, 1921.
~ ARTS is returning from the
- coast of Normandy and Brit
- tany to the banks of the Seine
and as soon as that half Of the French
capital which summered in Deauville
tells the other half which bathed at
Dinard all the news which was not fit
| to print the stage will be set for gay
autumn season.
| For the moment the Parisienne who
| favored the Normandy resort is busy
giving tea parties where she might re-
lieve her mind Of the stories of the
loss by an Englishman OF title Of some
millions Of francs. and the American
girl, whose bathing suit prevented at
least two inches of her very delicate
| white skin fromi acquiring the --henna
hue. 1t must be confessed that the
Englishman's loss sinks into insignifir
cance as a matter Of interest as COM
pared to the bathing suit story.
The bathing costumes worn at Deau-
vile have always been of more or less
interest to those who did not have the
good or i'll fortune Of seeing them. In
fact, the interest usually outweighs the
costume itself, but in this particular
case interest went beyond bounds and
tho costume proceeded in the other
direction. This is the story, and can
vouch for II, for saw the girl--an
American girl appeared at the Casino
in an evening gown as abbreviated as
| any bathing suit ever dared to be
with her skin burned to a crisp. The
gown was absolutely bodiceless, with
but one wee string Of Jet beads around
her neck holding up q tiny gauze
shield.
When the girl danced one could not be
| sure even of the shield which was
| hidden by her partner, so 1t was with
| fear and trembling that one gazed upon
| this brown back. barred to the waist.
| and it must be remembered that the
very low waist line is the order OF the
| day, which naturally increased the ap-
prehension.
Burned by the Sur.
| At this point she was accused by a
newspaper correspondent vino was look
| ing for a spicy story OF having used
henna, whereupon she challenged the
newspaper man to come to the beach
the next morning and she would prove
| to him that her body was entirely
burned by tho sun. with thin exception
| OF band of two inches. which was pro-
tected by the bathing suit" and she
very coyly added. seeing that the news
| paper man dropped his eyes to the floor
that she did rot wear her bathing suit
on her left foot. It Is needless to say
that the newspaper man appeared
promptly on the beach at the appointed
hour well equipped with cameras, and
"the two inch bathing suit is destined
to become one OF the famous stories OF
Dcauville.
1t might be well to add in justice to
an American girl in a foreign country
that the measurement of the suit is q
slight exaggeration, but It can also be
said that the exaggeration Is exceedingly
slight. The truth Is that the suit at a
glance has the appearance of being O.
harness composed Of two pieces OF
fabric, each a foot square, held to-
gether over the hips by three narrow
straps leach strap about a half inch in
width, leaving the hips practically bare
and straps over the shoulders. A profile
OF the photograph shows the figure en-
tirely nude with the exception OF the
three little straps over the hips The
front and back views. however, show
the ordinary one piece bathing suit.
scarcely long enough ON the legs or high
enough in the bodice to be called even
a trunk. But that is the story, and the
| r~is f.,rv o ~ ha1pV n a
talked about as her bathing suit. There
was a strong resemblance between the
two costumes, the chief point Of differ
ence being that earrings were worn in
the evening.
Another favorite story that comes
from Daauville is that an American drop
ped his cigarette while dining at the
Casino one night and burnt hole about
the size Of small pea in the table cloth.
whereupon two hundred francs for the
hole appeared on his bill. and another
item of interest was twenty-four francs
for ono martini cocktail. The same
newspaper man was called on for help
In settling the bill. so. no doubt, the
photograph of the~bill will appear be-
side that Of the bathing suit.
Exchange Stories Over Tea Cups.
The favoritc pastime in Paris In Sep
tember is to exchange these stories Of
Deauville over the tea cups until one
wonders II it will be possible for LA
PLACE F1eurie'' to pull in the francs by
the millions for another season. There
has not been O. visitor In Deauville for
the last two seasons who has not COM
planned that the prices at the Casino are
nothing more nor less than robbery. Two
hundred francs for a hole In q table
cloth and twenty-four francs for q cock
tail are fair examples. On the other
hand the hotels are good, the bathing
IL excellent. the surrounding country Is
beautiful. the golf Is above the average,
the polo club IL smart, the race course
the best in France, and above all else
Deauville Is but three hours from Paris.
and everything else Is forgotten when
August arrives.
And now that Paris IL returning rapid
ly TO her old haunts on the Seine, the
next question Is what will happen next
Many Parisians are going on to Barritz
for September. and quite q few are 60
Ing to Venice and The Lido. but the
great majority who have been away kor
August are deciding at tho last minute
that the city will have a gay autumn
season. The hotels are already as COM
pletely filled as they wero In June at the
very height OF the tourist season.
The royalty OF Europe which has been
scattered over France for the summer
seems 70 be congregating in Paris all at
| once, and royal guests always give the