Evening star., 1922-09-03

ger break the line. Surely that's
enough negations!
1t may not be possible to wear
what we have, and pass 1t of as
new, but II we have sufficient cour-
age, we can add. flicker of new
trimming and carry it of. The
American buyers pay more atten-
tIon: at this moment to decoration
than to silhouette, for the French
must have spent most of thier wax
Ing hours inventing curious things
to place on the surface of we'll known
materials.
EABRICS are important even to the
onlooker at tho game OF fashion.
which is played with more anxiety
and intrigue than the outsider
guesses. And 1t is in fabrics that
little change has appeared this au-
tumn. Crepe In its various mani
| festations. is as lavishly used as in
the early days of its career. Wraps.
frocks, hats appear in 1t. Satin Is
withdrawn. except by, some Of the
milliners, and they use 1t In ribbon,
not by the piece. There is satin
surfaced cloth that Is built into one
piece frocks, also into the revived
coats which replace capes.
Matelasse. or what has. been called
cloky and gaunre, appears to have
had its day. although there is =
new kind that has a wide appeal.
1t was quite the fashion in America
six months after it was accepted in
France. and possibly it will be con-
tinued there throughout the autumn.
but, As far as one can judge at the
hour, 1t Is dead here. Its influence
lives in tho new decorative effects.
American buyers believe that the
curious molelike designs. which have
come up like robins after summer
rain. arc the direct descendants Of
these ornate and dificult weaves
which the foremost weayers revived
from 1870 fashions. r.
These 'molelke trimmings are
worked through stitchery and ap-
| Piled designs. Fine tucks In wheels
| and spirals, in triangles and squares
| interlace each other and are raised
slightly above the surface to imi7
tate the raised designs that became
familiar to US through the matelasse
| weaves. Hard work this. and un-
doubtsdly a factor in the price of
| the frock. 1t Is easier to ask a high
price for hand labor than for ma
terial by the yard. Tho weavers
| lose, the dressmakers gain.
The designers of these laboriously
| worked out decorations might have
been sketching in a zoo to Judge
by the form they take. There are
cushions made of brightly colored
bird plumage; snakes made, Of .desp
brown chenille. turning. twisting
and caught by pieces of narrow
| braids: toadstools of beige plush and
chenille running in clusters; monkey
fringe dyed rust and gray and
placed in close clusters on the fab
rfc as the Chinese place hair on
portrait All furs are dyed, by the
| way, even light blue fur appearing
on a blue matelasse house coat.
There are groups of ribbon in vary
ing colors to ornament blouses and
gowns simply becadse Rolande con-
tinues her TESTERS trick Of punching
ribbon on her new frocks. unmindful
of, or Indifferent to. the fact that she
did this with such success on last
season frock she sold to Americans
that our buyers called 1t "the Ford"
Lucien belong continues the Chi
nese trick. of padding wide strips of
material to use for hens on long
skirts and the edges Of sleeves, and
now and then he makes wheels and
various other designs.
He is the designer who uses copper
embroidered on chiffon and placed
over crepe de chine to give the Indo-
Chine effect which all the dress
makers employ, because France is
trying to bring into the 1imelight her
colonial possessions, possibly as an
offset to the recent Russian and We
netian costumery, which came about
through social conditions.
OTHER decorations, and most en-
phatic ones, are wheels, interlac-
ing or separated, made of wool
zephyr or closely clipped silk floss.
There is an obsession about wheels.
Where did the idea come from?J
Now and then one sees crystals
used as embroidery, but not as pro-
fussly as in the spring. and in the
pastel shades they don't appear. In
dian colors rule in elongated crys-
tails, such a. deep ruby, fg, purple.
stained glass blue. Bits Of jade ap-
pear sewn to the fabric with metallic
threads, but none Of the genuine In
dian embroiders. such as one sees in
Delhi, appears on gowns as it does
on separate sblouses and hats, even
on sport hats.
Metal plays its role right in the
center Of the spotlight. The Indo-
Chine fervor governs that There
is . fabric suggested by these peo-
pie which Is used with success. It is
. water. green brocade, with squares
marked of bys silver threads en-
closing three-quartsr figures seated,
% lifsliks as portraits! Mo1yneux
uses 1t with fishtails Of silver lace
70. open, renaissance pattern in a