Evening star., 1921-04-03

e1Iner OF tne extreme skirts. Inc
American importers insisted upon a
proper and convenient length in the
gowns they ordered from French
houses.
Those who sponsor the directoire
style in New York cut the skirts
above the shoe tops. They do not in
tend to follow the directoire period
closely. but it must be remembered
that the ladies of the directorie epoch
thought themselves quite shocking.
deliberately daring. with their tight
skirts. minus petticoat. exhibiting the
ankle. 1t was the insult of the peo,
pie to the voluminous skirts of the
Austrian queen. who was dead.
The very eXaggeratedly full skirt
which America has copied from
France is made short in this country
and long in Paris. 1t is for the pub
lie to choose. The French skirt. is
more artistic. The American skirt is
far prettier to our present way of
thinking. Both countries unite on
the oriental trick of mounting a long
transparent skirt over a short Opaque
petticoat
The designers of both countries OBJ
tanned a newer length without bulk.
A frock of dyed lace combined with
transparent chiffon or crepe follows
without hesitation to the ankles but
leaves two long slim lines. stockings
in beige or gray beneath its classic
drapery.
The ways of draping the new gowns
are not new to the public.
The majority of houses follow the
lead of Cheruit, who in 1919 produced
a skirt which had sling sleeves or
aurora borealis streamers of thin
material from waist to ankles. Such
drapery is ubiquitous today. There is
no reason for its discontiHuance. 1t
is the excessive charm of the orient.
There is no limit to the number of
skirts produced which have the flying
effect of the winged victory. Even
large woman is transformed into
something slighter by the trickery
that these swaying sleeves give
narrow foundation. These swaying
draperies are caught in at the lower
end.
1t might be said without danger of
contradiction that the ruling fashion
of the skirt of the hour is a flying
drapery superimposed on a narrow
foundation, the two uniting at the
hem.
The entire weight of fashion is
therefore on the side of the longer
sleeve, and yet so elastic is the fash
ion of this season that woman may
continue to wear the short kimono
sleeve without looking as though
she came from the cedar chest.
This fact was established as early
as last season. but the commercialists
fought against it, as did the major
part of the public.
The sleeve of the spring pays a
tribute to the fashion for exposing
the arm. 1t refuses to conceal it. 1t
reveals it through drapery. 1t gives
glimpses of it thro Ugh lace. 1t shows
a long slice of it by an opening from
shoulder to wrist. at the back. Even
a demurc tricotine sleeve is made
startling by a wide openwork in lat
tice fashion reaching down the length
OF the arm on the outside. Another
demure sleeve, the kind made by
Renne, is shown in black crepe de
chine frock of Quaker severity. This
sleeve is somewhat wide, is gathered
into the armhole. again at the wrist,
but does not join between the two.
1t falls entirely away from the arm
as the wearer moves. American wom-
en- who like the model and know it's
exceeding charm have the loose sling
sleeve cut at intervals between the
shoulder and the forearm
The directoire sleeve as it is intro
duced in plain dark blue tricotine
suits for street wear. fits the arm to
the elbow, and Is there finished with
three wide circular ruffles faced with
white organdy.
Paris adopts the high muffler collar
with more enthusiasm than America,
and it may be that her women will
wear Robespierre collars to the chin
and open sleeves from the bazaars of
Delhi.
America will reverse the fashion.
She win adopt the Opaque sleeve for
the street of open net, with the fichu
or rolling collar of Charlotte Corday
The French gowns for the afternoon
emphasize a collar that will please
American women for all hours of the
day. 1t is made of white organdy. is
about three inches high and stands
upright from the decolletage
The fourteenth century idea Of in
cooperating colored sleeves in dark
frocks is sweepingly evident. Jennie
has made a successful gown which is
in chemise fashion. the lower part of
plain blue tricotine, the upper part
wide and squarely cut. of Indian red
crepe thickly covered with dark blue
soutaching