Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-03-03
T0mbs Are Raided
For Spring Styles


aren't arrayed more deliberately
than the wives of Old King Tut,
the A2tee princesses or the Gnl-
,ese gods during the sPr'1< sea-
son. it won't be the fault OF the
International Silk Exhibitors.
The huge Grand Central Palace
has been turned into an Arabian
Nights dream in which one wan
ders through $50 booths of mar
velously draped silks ranging
from the old taffetas of our
grandmother's DAYS TO the latest
silks of 1928. which are printed
batiks, tie-dyes and copies OF
Egyptian designs unearthed az
ter 5000 years of burial.
One wanders into a tomb-llke
booth filled with luxurious fab
RIGS printed in horizontal effect.
with rows Of wild animals and
loin-drapered men and suddenly
n dapper salesman startles one
by saying that these materials
are replicas of those worn In
Pharoah's time. Then from ont
the ancient looking drapery a
sleek. tall girl with flat black
hair and finger nails stained with
henna energies in a 1923 frock OF.
this Pharaoh material.
Further along, in the various
booths motion picture stars gown
ed in silks of Arabian Chinese,
Egyptian and Navajo designs ap
pear in fashion p&gerts.
One imagines that the whole
fashion world has gone print
mad for there is scarcely a ma
terial which is not covered with
hieroglyphics or figures. Some
of the designs are so intricate
that one might feel better about
wearing them, if one could disci
pher the ancient printed codes to
ascertain whether they are per-
fectly nice in their meaning. m
deed, some Of them are quite
shocking affairs. One can't mag
inc ones mother going about in
one Of those Egyptian taking a
bath" frocks, even though they
are printed in perfectly respect
able old lady colors.
As for the bearded men in loin
cloths done on orange back
grouuds-what young debby
would wear one OF them?
OF course there are many good
looking young Egyptians with
features like Rudolph Valentino
and with sleek black hair, etc,
hut usually they are doing the
Chicago, with hands and feet ut
funny angles.
Materials have net changed
much from those of last season
except in the fact that they ere
usually designed. Roschanara
crepe in dark shades with border
designs in Paisley colOringS.
creep de henes with small ou=,
lined Egyptian figures in black,
brown or green. tie dyed silks in
onion and brown tones. bandana
prits and India cloth prints are
shown in the various booths.
Among the novelty materials
are printed angora crepes which
are heavier than thu average silk
crepes and have satin surface.
In their darker tones they re-
mind one of old tapisteries.
A remarkable material used
for evening capes and for sum-
mer parasols is called "sevilla."
Ii has a canton crepe foundation
that is batiked in tie-dye effect
and on top Of this are rows of ba-
tiked floss or fringe, shading in
to all the colors of the rainbow.
II is the mos marvellous mater
ial Imaginable and can be pur-
chased in several of the larger
stores.
The thinnest stockings in the
world were displayed at one of
the booths and are made to sell
at $125.00 3 pair. 1t is said that
while they were being made, it
was necessary to keep paper over
them 70 keep the breeze from
blowing them off the machine.
Brigand. the name, was first