Evening star., 1921-09-28
FEATURES OF THE NEW GOWNS
BY ANNE RITTENHOUSE.

:. PARIS, September 26.-Not every
gown has a wide girdle nor are
they black. but when they omit the
:, one and refuse to be the other they
have a way Of making themselves
different
The gown without a girdle is spon-
sored by many houses of Importance.
Cailot and MolyneuX have been show
Ing many gowns that depend entirely
upon their drapery to define the hips,
and Poiret shows SO much contempt
for the ubiquitous hip harness that
he almost forgets to use 1t. He still
. clings to the straight sweeping robe
after the Venetian manner with the
long stovepipe sleeves of the doges,
or the straight basque of another
Italian period with circular skirts
that fly around the insteps like hoops.
It is we'll that several styles and
autumn, for as all women are not
shaped alike, so should frocks be
different Cut in two by a conspicu-
Gus hip girdle, many middle-aged
women would appear ridiculous. If
they were dressed in the 1870 skating
skirt which the French empress wore.
or the hooped ball gown of tulle and
handfuls of coral pink flowers such
as the southerners wore at White
Sulphur Springs and Saratoga be-
fore the civil war. they would appear
as age gone mad from the pursuit
of youth.
Happily, therefore. there are frocks
which youth will not care to wear.
the figure that is no longer eellike
or attenuated. And there are many
such.
The sketch shows such gown.
1t is highly fashionable. but makes
no pretense of aping the reignins
silhouette. 1t is sponsored by great
houses, therefore one need not feel
out of the picture of the hour.
The fabric is dull blue cloth. that
new supple weave of Rodier that is
used to Offset the wearying usage of
crepe. 1t takes the place, also. of
duvetyne. which is truly absent this
season. There is enough dull green
in the dye of this blue to give the
broidery on 1t. and the touch of black
is a tribute to a dying fashion.
The bias line is strong evidence
OF a new movement at which all the
designers take a fling
There is a trick Of surrounding the
bateau neckline with band of en-
broidery and running bias line be-
low it that stretches from shoulder
to hip. In this gown the obiique
treatment is more direct and con-
In a manner frequently adopted. a
tight underskirt. covered by the
points of a long tunic
A large number of evening gowns
are built with this pointed skirt over
one with an even edge. There is not
much effort to get two colors to-
gether. nor even two fabrics. The
past fashion of placing dark blue
serge over a tight skirt of black
satin is not revived.
One thing which seems to be quite
true in this seasons clothes is that.
no matter how snugly the sleeve may
fit the arm below. it shows no inten-
ton of touching it above the elbow.
The larger the armhole the better.
Better still if there is no armhole.
1t is rare that sleeve touches the
arm down it's whole length. Usually
1t is square as a handkerchief, and
often 1t is attached only at the upper
part Of the shoulder. leaving the rest
of the armhole without mission.
The sleeve then hangs away from
the body, caring not what it exposes.
1t is curious that with so much
Imagination expended on the arms
this season there should be such
conspicuous absence of it in rela-
tion to the neckline Molyneux tries
to vary the bateau decolletage for