Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-29

~
wv new division of the hours
of the day--a redivision
that indicates new modes
of living and neceSsitates new modes
| of dressing. For several generations
fashionable women have been accus-
toned to classifying their clothes in a
| general way as those for morning wear,
for afternoon and for evening-allow-
ing. the three meals of the day 70
serve as boundary lines for the di-
visions.
Morning clothes were further di-
vided into those that might be worn
for shopping and street wear, those
mat one might, wear at resorts before
noon and simpler dresses suitable for
morning wear at home. Afternoon
dresses were at various times defined
by such adjectiveS as visiting, prom
enade, carriage, reception, etc. For
hours after candlelight one wore eve
ming dress, which was regarded as en-
tirely out of place any time before g.
ana by the majority OF women was
worn only for occasions.
There were special sports clothes
for golf, riding, tennis, etc-which were
In class by themselves and had
nothing at all to do with the regular
wardrobe.
Most women had a we'll thought-out
ensemble-which they did not call an
ensemble-for Sunday. They wore it
to church in the morning, doffed wrap.
hat, gloves, etc, and wore the dress
Tor the early afternoon dinner and,
unless they spent the afternoon nap
ping in neglige. wore the same Sun
day dress till bedtime.
And now what have we?
y 4 y
For one thing. there are fewer hard
and last classihcations and every
woman who is in tune with the new
spirit of dress bases the divisions or
her wardrobe to a great extent on her
own particular needs. Boundaries are
no longer set by the three meals of
the day. An important group or
dresses belongs to the class known as
the -four to eight" Sort-informal eve
nlng-or formal afternoon. OF the
same genus were the dresses known
last Summer as daylight dinner dresses.
which will undoubtedly be revived
again when the days have heightened.
Sports clothes have a much more
direct bearing on the dress problems
OF most women. Dresses that might
De CHOSEN for tennis are also appro-
pirate for busy hours indoors or in
the garden. tweed suit that is
suitable for golf may with q different
choice of accessories be chosen for
practical street wear. The same
Jodhpur costume that young woman
selects for Winter sports is also an
propriate for flying.
X X
SUNDAY clothes also have changed.
The we'll bred woman of TODAY
chooses simple, unobtrusive street en-
Semole Tor her devotions no longer
looking upon the church she attends az
a place to parade her f1nery An inter-
estlng new type o. dress that fills a
real need in many womens wardrobes
IS the So-called Sunday night frock-
long-Sleeved and conservative in cut
ana color-appropriat to wear when
one taxes Sunday night dinner or sup
per WIN 1rlends or attends q lecture
or concert after dark on SUNDAY.
DreSsmakers and designers have dis
prayed rare ingenuity in devisins So
caleo al-occasion costumes for the
cement OF the ever-increasing Rroup of
women who have very little time Ia the
course OF busy days to change their
oress. Such dresses must be simple.
practical and comfortable, smart with
OUT any suggestion of the extreme.
Not too elaborate for wear in the morn
ing; their appropriateness for more for
mai afternoon occasions, or even for
dinner and the theater, is based on the
good quality OF the material and what
the French call elegance" of line.
Black is often chosen for costumes of
touch OF color through the accessories
chosen.
making selections from among these
various types of costumes every
woman must consider her own REQUIRE
ments very carefully. You may md
your best selection to consist of a tweed
ensemble suitable with one set Of acces-
series for sports or country wear and
fnVs att
wear. Add to this one or two of the
more festive sort Of afternoon dresses
with a wrap and hat that may be worn
with either, and one more elaborate
evening dress, preferably with an &C
companying wrap, and you have the
basis OF q wardrobe that may be entirely
what you need. On the other hand
your engagements and duties may be-
such that two all-occaSion costumes anV
one or two formal evening dresses with
an evening wrap may serve your pur-
poses better.
French women pride themselves on
their talent for choosing clothes thatA
are appropriate for the occasion, andy
quite reasonably feel that American,
women. quite ruin some of the smartest
OF French fashions by applying them to
types OF dress for which, in the minds
OF the creative French dreSSmakers. they
were never intended.
Last Summer there was an example
of this sort Of thing at the English
races, where women, eager to take I'D
with the new French fashions, wore UNI
evenly draped chiffon dresses which to
the conservative French woman were
entirely out of place at any race course.
The flowing skirt drapery, exposed to
dampnesS and dust, ceased to flow
looked bedraggled and untidy And
quite promptly English observers con-
Guided that there was something radi-
cally wrong with French fashions in
general and the new uneven skirt lines
IN particular. 1t is perfectly true that
the uneven hemline had its source In
Paris, but it is also true that to the
French woman it never was considered
suitable for street or general outdoor
wear.
(CopyriEht, 1897