The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Battle
in Paris Shops
ReSem bIes Circus
All Kinds of Devices to At
tract the Prospective
Buyer.

lTHOSE OF us who have been on
the firing line at the battle of
clothes in Paris have been In a
twenty ring circus. The parades of
hundreds of new clothes were all going
at one time. Is it necessary to say
that our minds We're confused, our
eyes We're crossed and our Judgment
held in abeyance?
OF course there are more than twenty
dressmakers and milliners In Paris.
'Ihls town is as full of them as a
honeyeomb of cells. But less than
twenty rule Paris, which means that
they rule Europe. which means that
they rule the United States. Whatever
other dressmakers may do is buiIded
on what these powerful factors launch.
But behind the dominant forces
lies more dominating power. It is
the public. Curiously- enough, It Is
divided into two factions. amiably
inclined toward each other. These
two are Paris and America. The
public of Paris decides on one FASH
ION, the public in America decides on
anotner, sometimes they agree, as
they dld last summer From Vichy to
Deauviile, from London to Rome fash
ionabie women were dressed alike This
season 1t is probable the same thing
will happen. for Paris has shown TO
Americans many of the same garments
she launched in June.
The designers know that the pub
lie is the power and that it gives the
fnal decision. Therefore the public may
care to know exactly what the obsery-
ers think is important as shown by the
leading Paris houses for on these things
must they deliver Judgment when it
comes to taking the money out of their
pocketbook
The battle was fierce while 1t lasted.
II is always compressed into a few
weeks, 1t is enveloped In mystery. Il
is companioned by intrigue. 1t pro-
crosses with rivalry. Behind the scenes
is vast network of wires of which the
public knows nothing, the Journalists
not a great deal. and the buyers and
sellers much. OF all that confusion
the public cares little.
The Game of Clothes.
When one tells group of women
In America the story of these semi
annual battles in Paris, of the diff
Guilty Of getting into the front line, Of
the intrigue and spies and trickery and
lies, that group of women gaspingly say:
You mean that those dressmakers in
Paris don't give their eye teeth to get
fashion reporter from America into
their houses to see their gowns and
write them up; that they won't let any
woman come In and buy a frock and
take ii homer" One wants to burst
into lecture as an answer and tell
what really happens: tell how the ac-
tivities of these few weeks are watched
by hundreds of thousands who are
playing the game of clothes: how the
crumbs that fall from the designers
table are eagerly snatched by thousands
of little wrens and robins to gain a
little credit and little money. I'll tell
you this: that the game Is so great to
a reporter that the clothes are almost
forgotten.
But there are clothes, and as Ameri-
cans are said to have spent nearly a
billion dollars in Paris this year 1t Is
surely interesting TO summarize what
the leading factors in dress have shown
and have sold to Americans.
The house of Callot. governed by
three sisters, never lacks courage. 1t
is a house of individualism. This sea-
son 1t projects the styles of the Direc-
toire. 1t insists upon the normal waist.
also the high waist which is nearly
under the bust Skirts flow freely
from these high waists. Ribbons fiut-
ter. There is strong suggestion of the
clothes of Josephine when she was un-
known to high society. but very we'll
known at the Luxembourg.
The Callots continue short skirts for
street and afternoon. They use white
velvet for gorgeous evening gowns COM
bined with silver lace and the Oriental
splen Tor of festoons of pearls. Oriental
beading Is again used, not exectly in
the Babylonian manner which this