The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-16
American Women Are
Best Dressed in World
French Expert Decides
Clothes Are Better Tailored and Latest Styles Are Adopted
in All Prices of Clothng-Engsh Marvel at Our
Ability to Stay the Heels of Paris.

1.-The opinion of Paul Poiret not
withstanding, the American woman is
still maintaining her reputation as
the best dressed woman in the world"
asserted David N. Mosessohn. execu-
Industries of America. American
style shops far exceed in number and
in character the style shops of Paris.
America is not three years behind the
times when it comes to style and fash
ion. American designers are not all
mere machines for copying creations
of others. The American woman is
not slow to adopt new style ideas.
ION the other hand Paris is recog-
nized as the style center of the world.
No one knowing the apparel business
would challenge this fact.
"These statements are prompted by
an interview recently published in the
| New York papers in which M. Poiret,
| one of the leading couturiers of Paris,
made statements which would indicate
that in America we are three years be-
hind Paris in the matter of style and
that the American woman does not
care for style, does not reflect it, and
altogether-we, in this country, are
back numbers.
conceded, Paris is the style center
of the world. Then stop to consider.
What do these styles represent? They
are the product of inspiration. accord
| ing to the accepted idea. They are
the product of careful study and his
toricaI research into the dress of
periods, the designs of respective ma
tional architecture for centuries back.
| They are the product of reclaimed
| textile designs and cOloringS made by
| every tribe and every sect and every
nation from The days of the uncivilized
| civilization. They are the product of
nature study, of the clouds. the foliage
and atmospherical influences. The re-
suit of this sort of background must
be beautiful. It must be artistic. 1t
must be attractive to the eye when ap-
| piled to the form of woman. We do
not dispute that Paris leads in the
creation of style.
| Paul Poiret's idea of a well dressed
woman may honestly center down to
the French woman. But even then he
| must narrow his vision to the ultra
fashionable and the demi monde, to
| the exclusion of the average woman
| and miss, who still adhere more to the
peasant type of clothing and the girl
in the city who appears in working
clothes befitting her position.
All Style in America.
! 'In America practically every wom-
an and girl is dressed in the latest
fashion. The quality of the merchan-
disc may vary with the ability of the
| woman to purchase, but whether a
| garment costs SIS or $500 it has the
touch of late style which cannot be
denied.
| "And the styles are adopted here
as fast as they become recognized in
the French capital. The manufac-
turers of women's wearing apparel are
| either represented in Paris by COM
missionaries or they go to Paris two
to four times year for the latest
offerings of the recognized style crea-
| tors. The leading retail esta blish-
ments of the country send their buyers
to Paris frequently TO purchase the
newest models, which are sold in the
stores here at high prices. In gen.
eral, however. these models are used
for reproduction purposes. Seldom are
they reproduced just as the are de-
tsigned, because in the majority of in
stances the styles which fit the French
woman would not be adaptable by
the American woman. The women in
this country are more stately. They
require more technically tailored gar
ments. And so the designer here takes
the French idea and modifies the lines
and possibly the drape in a way which
becomes the American woman who