Evening star., 1921-03-27
T h e Afternoon
Frocks Produced by
Paris Dressmakers.
Spanish Inspiration.
The Things Tn a t
Count-Corsets Ef-
face Themselves.
The Extreme Sill
hOuette.
BY ANNE RITTENHOUSE.


TN the afternoon frocks shown by
Molyneux and other important
French dressmakers some of the
skirts were quite, if not nearly,
as short as those shown and worn
season ago. Yet some of Molyneux's
draped skirts almost touched the
floor. Lelong showed much longer
skirts and SO did Paquin and a dozen
others. Callot showed skirts of all
lengths, but many that are really
short.
Skirts are full and skirts are mar
row, they are shirred up on the
hips, or draped in one-sided effect.
They are straight gathered. some
times with crinolines at the hips and
sometimes with cording at the hem to
make them stand out. They have
panniers to add width at the hip and
again they hang sheathlike at the
sides.
Sleeves are short, full and long.
wide and scant. puffed or corded and
here and there is a sleeve that hangs
to the shoulder by a thread of beads
or. a ribbon. Collars are sometimes
absent. There are frills at the back
of stiffened lace suggestive of the
ruff and there are collars that are as
high at the front as at the back, COM
pletely eclipsing the chin.
The Madeleines are making much
of a silhouette that shows a waist
line unbroken from the arms to
point almost to the knees. The low
placing of the girdle is everywhere
noted and yet there are those who
look for the return of the high waist
of the directoire.
Paquin and Patou are pushing the
circular skirt, while a good many of
the other French dressmakers will
have none of it. Plated skirts per-
sist here. and there they have disap-
peared.
Spanish fashions have been hover
ing about in the wings of the stage
OF fashion for SO many seasons that
we have grown quite accustomed to
the prediction twice year that Span
many of the French dressmakers
called upon Spanish modes for in
spiration in the clothes they showed
at their openings. And those who like
to find analogies in dress and like to
see history repeat itself very pre-
cisely in fashions saw connection
between the second empire tendency
and the revived Spanish. Was not
the Empress Eugenie-who is given
perhaps more credit for originating
fashions in the second empire than
she deserves-a Spaniard? And did
she not introduce the Spanish man
tillz and show the French women
how coquettishly to wear q lace
shawl?
There the stress is laid on nine
teenth-century Spanish costumes. 1t
is seventeenth-century sganisn t;n cos
tention in Paris at the present. and
It is to Spain at that period that
Parisians go to get their inspiration
for carnival and fete costumes at the
moment.
OF course, the reason for this is the
popularity of the play. "L'Homme
q Ia Rose" laid in Spain of the sew
enteenth century. Paul Poiret did
the costumes, which led many admir-
ers of Poiret's art to expect that he
would provide the impetus, in his
spring opening. needed to push Span
ish costumes at last out OF the wings
feature Spanish costumes-at least
no more than he did Jeanne d'Arc
costumes or those OF the time OF
Henry " or half dozen other
periods. Possibly he judged the
woman of the twentieth century bet
ter than she judges herself. 1t is
popular notion-at the moment-to
feel that you would look especially
charming in Spanish clothes. Nine
young women out Of ten. blonde or
whatever their typo believe that
there is something about their own
particular charm that only needs a
lace mantilla and a swaying Spanish
skirt to produce an effect positively
irresistible.
dress is not easy to wear. 1t is
suited to the women south OF the
Pyrenees. women whom IbaneZ speaks
Of as angular Venuses. 1t requires
a sort of characteristic Spanish angu-
larity that is at the same time virile.
and that French women certainly do
not possess
So perhaps Paul Poiret was right.
He knew the peculiar charm OF Span
ish costumery. but he also knew the
twentieth century woman
You have heard it until you are
weary--until it is meaningless-but it
is well worth while just now to re-
member-that the line is after all the
most essential thing about clothes
and the achievement of smartness.
There are SO many influences. SO
many periods. SO much talk. that it
seems as il there really was nothing
distinctive or characteristic about
the mode Of 1921.
We may vary our frocks but we
do not vary our forms Our gowns
may be directoire or second empire.
Spanish seventeenth century. or
French eighteenth century. but our
figures are twentieth century They
are as different from those Of the
late nineties as the late nineties are
from the seventies as the form mold
ed under the steel stays and heavy
vardinRales Of Queen Elizabeth is
from that of the directoira and the
hrst empire. with its stays that forced
the bosom IN under the chin.
They are the complex result OF our
mode and ideas of life the sports we
enjoy the things we eat. everything
that makes twentieth century civili-
zation different from that hundred
years ago.
And even the pessimist who likes
nothing better than to decry women's
clothes must admit that not for four
bodies been left so unrestricted by
stays and constructions as at the
present time.
So it really is tremendously signif-
icant that though we talk of second
empire tendencies in clothes there Is
no tendency to push second empire
lines in corsetry- The corset makers
have at last found out that they can
hope for nothing from advocating
nipped in waist line. that their saliva
lion depends on making corsets that