Evening star., 1926-06-20
drens Fashions France Differ Very Widely From Our Own
BY MARY MARSHALL.

w YOATEN in Paris dress sur
priSingly like women in
NN New York or Chicago. or
any other American city
but the juvenile fashions
are vastly different. 1t is not always
easy to spot the American woman, but
American children can be recognized
as far as the eye can see--unless they
have been outfitted in France and have
laid aside all their American clothes.
The American comes prepared tC
see childrens clothes very much
shorter here than at home--but she il
still amazed ut the excessive brevity
Of the little boys short trousers and
the little girls frocks that end far
far above the knees. Not only are the
Childrens clothes short, but they are
scanter about as well. To our Ameri
can eyes these children seem all To
have outgrown their clothes or to
have accidentally donned the suits and
frocks that belong to younger brothers
and sisters.
This rule of brevity seems TO apply
20 poor, middle-claSs and Well-to-do
alike. These very short .frocks for
little girls are effective, no doubt, but
the stranger wonders how their
mothers or nurses manage to hide all
signs of undertakings beneath such
short skirts. There are never boomers
showing beneath. Under the tiny
skirts there are short, close-titting
&whito wool knitted drawers-and there
seems to be no idea here that these in
I dispensables should be hiddenN
The visitor does not fail to observe
that children of the same family are
almost always dressed with outside
clothes at least to match. Here are
three charming, robust boys going off
t. Schuol--obviously of well-to do
familN. The younger boys. one, two
on three years different in age, are
dressed in gray tweed suits with very
short, close trousers. tight gray socks
and well-polished stout black shoes.
They wear round sailor caps of black.
The older boy of about 13 has a long
trousered suit of matching tweed, with
the same sort of black shoes and
more manly type Of hat, which is also
black.
-Four little girls OF different ages
are walking out with their govern
ess~ All four wear coats and hats of
Lanvin green. with hats exactly
matching. On a warm day you see a
humble mother sitting in the garden
of the Tuilleries doing fine needle
work, undoubtedly for one of the
little girls are playing. They wear
neat white pique coats and white
pique hats to match
We are assured that bobbed and
shingled hair is still gaining converts
among well dressed French women.
but there are many more long haired
little and young girls here than in
America. Sometimes the hair is
braided in two braids, one falling for
ward over each shoulder, and some
times 1t hangs luxuriously at the back
Of the neck. Even when children
have short hair il is usually arranged
with rather large hair ribbon. And
these hair ribbons at present are
quite frequently of some shade of
rose.
The middle-cIass French schoolboy
wears short, close. dark trousers and
short. close-titting Jacket TO match
with q white shirt with open Y neck
comfortable and immensely becom-
ing. Sometimes he goes to school
wearing his black Sateen apron
though more often he dons it after
he reaches school. Short. close-tit-
ting socks-very often of black, and
black shoes of stout build are part
OF the ensemble. Not infrequently
these boys wear high laced boots.
Inc scnOOlDOyS S nat is almost IN |
variably the black beret of small size, |
fitting closely to his head These |
berets are worn sometimes by the |!
better-to-do children eS well, and at /
present many of the well dressed lit |
tie girls wear them in colors Two |
little girls in light green coats have |
light green berets to match-eaCh /
with n tiny silver initial at the front. |
These berets are of wool in various |
colors, cost very little and appeal |
strongly to the visitor IN Paris. A