The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-10

On divan racing the easel at
which he had beer working sat a
stathesque brunette arrayed in a cos
tune that might well have arrived an
hour before from Paris-and the big
gray-maned. youthfulfaced artist
cried:
why. don't know a thing about
fashions. honestly"
He threw his arms out depre-
atingly, almost defensively, as the re-
porter glanced around the room. ana
Fisher explained:
"All do is draw what see,
nothing else. and ] don't think I see
any more than any observant person
might. II a model puts on a thing
that doesn't seem beautiful to me. |
Just say, For heavens sake. take
that off. and wear something else.
But I don't design costumes, and
don't hold me responsible for what
the girls in my pictures wear. l
can't help it,"
FASHIONS NOT INDECENT.
Patiently it was pointed out that
the popularity of Fisher pictures had
been used by critics of prevalent
modes as illustrations of the extremes
TO which styles were being eveloped.
He was told that Cardinal Duboic.
archbishop of Paris. had asailed
French popular fashions as indecent
and that Prof. Martin, of the Univer-
sity of Paris, had defended them as
necessary to stimulate humanity to
greater production in industry and
art.
The Martin argument is that fash
ion is change, that change is eNhila-
rating. that eXhilaration means moro
interest in life and work. Mr.. Fisher
shook his head as though the water
looked deep. Then he said, abruptly:
FASHIONS. feminine fashions, are
gettiAg better every day. There's no
doubt about that in any fair-minded
person They are getting better be-
cause they are getting more beautiful
81 have no patience with the eN-
ponents of the idea that present-day
fashions are indecent. After all.
beauty or indecency in such things is
largely in the eye of the beholder.
DO you remember the starched
stiffness of women's clothes years ago;
the bustles. choking high neCks heavy
shoes. wooden stockings, pleats and
pleats and pleats. yards and yards and
yards of heavy material? No form,
no grace, no beauty.
FASHIONS today are beautiful be-
cause the designers of the modes un-
derstand materials and something of
the art of drapery. They seek to
drapc a woman's figure rather than to
obliterate it, They know that this
cannot be done regardless of the
amount of material used. You can't
make a statue beautiful by swathing
it in cloth"
When Mr. Fisher was reminded that
Mrs. Margaret Sanger said last week
that the men modistes of Paris were
responsible for womens fashions.
rather than the women themselves,
he remarked:
"Oh. the men may design and man
ufacture them but the women them
selves are the inspiration for the
ideas. They are "A very, very wise
group of Parisians who design fash
ions, and, accept II from me, they
know just how far to go and just
where to stop.
"They study women's whims and
desires, the trend of the times, and a
dozen other elements. They learn to
know what woman wants in the
way OF fashion before the woman Is
wholly aware of II herself. Then
lust as the idea is working out in a
woman's mind, more or less sub
consciously, the men designers spring
the fashion, and bang! over II goes
with a hurrah, ana the whole world
has IT. Then, OF course, the orig
inality of the men designers is ac-
claimed throughout the earth. Well,
they are entitled to II all"
NO PROOF or MODEsTy.
As to where the inclination OF pres
ent-day fashion will end. Fisher has
no fear. He doesn't expect to see
Firth avenue resemble a trail through
the Garden OF Eden and clothing
shops shut down all Summer. for he
said: