The New York herald., 1922-02-12
RESORT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE WORLD OF FAS4IONN

women and which would be becoming
to the least number.
The new covert is Of a silvery color.
II is so soft and silvery that you hesitate
to call 1t gray. And while there Is al
ways numerous class of women who
are wise in turning down anything sug-
gestive of gray, this new covert color
quite enhances a certain sort OF good
looks. And II is undoubtedly smart.
The twiiled silks come to Us In many
new guises and with many names Silk
serges, batavia and something that re-
semb.es a Poriet twill only Of silk rather
than cotton are among them.
Kasha materials play leading role
and will until warmer days give the cue
in this country to heavy fabrics to make
as graceful an exit as possible.
Fabrics Indicate styles.
Women who study clothes merely for
the profit trat their knowledge gives
them In selecting their own usually DO
not give quite the thought to this ques-
tion Of materials that 1t really deserves
1t deserves IL because often costume
succeeds or fails to Gerry a note Of chic
all because Of the material from which
II Is cut. More than most Of us suppose
the successful dressmakers and design
ers select their materials just as an art
list selects the sort Of paint he will use
because Of the ability of some particular
material to convey certain design, to
carry a certain style.
To n certain extent the style tend
ency of any period can In measure
be discovered merely by the fabrics
employed. TuIle and tarlatan. gauze,
barege. jaconet. organdy. alpaca. Chi
nese taffeta. poplin, mohair, grena-
ltoh
the materials OF the first days Of EN-
press Eugenie's reign-light weight but
substantial fabrics that conformed to
the demand for many gathers and a
billowy silhouette.
The women of the Directoire and
early Empire period chose India mus
Inns, China silk, sheer linens and CASH
ueres--the very names OF which sug-
gest the more classic lines Of early
nineteenth century styles.
Rich but Supple.
Nowadays you can't be quite 80 exact
In your deductions. Dressmakers and
designers work seemingly very close to
fabric makers. and the looms of the
great silk and wool and cotton makers
seem to be clay In the potters' hands Of
those who design. II fashions call for
lines that are straight then satins and
velvcts. taffetas, foulards, organdies and
the rest are produced that give the re-
quired straightness. Comes demand
for materials that yield more readily to
the lines of the form, ard--presto
change we have chiffon velvet, satin
charmeuse, duvetyn and host OF fab
RIGS that unite the richness and spfendor
OF materials that were once stih with
the pliableness and grace of current de-
mands
So 1t is predicted that despite the
unique stion1bie demand for fabrics like
crepe de chine at the present time. the
season may still be good for those who
gamble in taffetas. for these fabr,cs are
already being turned from the loom in
so soft and cinging guise as to make
us forget the old time association OF
crispness with this silk Of venerable his
tory.
The Reason for Crepe.
To the woman whose clothes buying
must always take on the aspect of a
problem in economics there is real adj
vantage to be gained In making the
most Of the continued vogue for crepe
de chine and its near OF kin--crepe
Maroca!n and crepe Roman. The bet
ter grades of these materials moy hon.
estly be put down in the list of wash
able fabrics, In fact they take Tubing
and ironing rather more gracefully than
a good many Of the novelty cotton
fabrics
Doubtless this IL merely coincidental
and the reason why the French dress
makers--who design new frocks with
the buying demands of Americans in
mind quite as much as Americans look
to France for inspiration in these mat
ters--have remained faithful to crepe de
chine and her close of kin after a de-
votion Of two years is not because these
silks are so durable but because they
may be used to such advantage In maxi
ing the frocks that are built with ample
drapery often with numerous gathers.
and yet show the line that Is straight
or the one that yields to the curves OF
the fody