Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-02-28
SHALL THE WOMEN WEAR
TROUSERS. HASKIN ASKS
Daily Letter BY Frederic J. Haskin

Modern knickerbockers. like the
| old boomers. have sought the level
| OF the skirt in vogue. Skirts go up
and down, bat they have never be-
| fole gone quite sc high, and they
| arc now wavering toward a drop.
This was the psychological moment
the first in centuries when knic1
kers might successfully appear on
| the streets. They were only a step
| from the knee length skirt and SO
they attracted very little condemna-
ton.
KnicKcrs are now being worn for
| sports, OIL the street in the daytime,
for shopping, and in general for IN
formal wear. Their popularity as a
perm.nert feature of women's dress
| depends on their possibilities for var
! ie.y. So long as they have some
/ touch of nov city the chances are
good that women will continue to
| be interested in them. One enthusi-
astic wcarer OF the tweeds insists
| that TIE Knockers in soft silks of deli
| cate shades wou-G. be as decorative a
| costume foi evening wear as a skirt.
She admits, however. that unless
knickers become firmly ~entrenched
as an accepted article of feminine
apparel this sort of evening dress
will remain g. vague dream.
The fact which makes 1t seem
likely that knickerbockerS will re-
main popular is that they have been
Introduced naturally, without any
suggestion of dress reform attached
to them. The vogue Of sports brought
about sport clothes, and these be-
came popular because women were
not frightened away by the words
Sensible" or reform" Instead,
| they were attracted by the newest
| styles which happened to combine
comfort with novelty. So long as
knickerbockcrs continue to be asso-
ciatcd with the latest fashion by rea-
| son CT new trimmings, cut, or mater
| ial, they may be expected to rise IN
favor. A any rate. they are mere TO
stay for actual sport wear.
Several years ago Vance Thomp-
| son, In his book or woman" pre-
diCted that women would approach
! the question of by wearing
| the eort of clothes that men wear for
hurting, riding and other sports. Wo-
, mer were already wearing leather
brooches, he pointed out. for air.
| plane travel. They wore suitable rid
| ing clothes, and were beginning to
wear knickerbockers and breeches
| on the golf course. These he mem
toned as signs OF women's
| ing interest in trousers, and he ap-
| proved Of the start. !.
Mr., Thompson's views on sport
clothes are unusual and interesting.
He says, In part: Il do not say that
| the dress men wear for sports is the
| ideal dress for human beings; but
| It's the best we have in u civiliza-
| ton. 1t is the best thing women
| can get today I am perfectly GER
tain that once they have adopted THIS
| kind of dress they will make many
improvements on it. And the men
| will be quick enough to take on these
improvements. So in h END you
| will have a tolerable dress In which
human beings. men and women alike.
| can go about when they are concern
| ed in human business.
"You see what I am driving at?
1.-THE kum&n dress is for humans
| occupied in human affairs: it belongs
!! to Elen and women alike.
ct dc not care tuppence how a wo-
| mon dresses when she is bent on sex
! capture. Than she may put on silks
and soGngles and all the fal-lals that
sks has found by experience, help
! to blow a raan down. When h
| goes out dressed like that men Will
knew what she is about-and can
take to cover
"Wnen, however a m is lead
| ing the normal iife of a human being
| she should (if she has m self-re-
spcct) dress like a normal human
being.
"And her skirt, just because it is
a badge ari advertisement of her
sex, belongs Tn the dust heap-with
! tbs dead bird on her hat"