The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-07
Freedom of
Knees Goes
to Discard
ny MATTHEW WORTH
fAs Quoted In Textile World

@CzarCon era mas Detu ouiiS' pCA
hans the singing of a hymn Of
nraise to new skirt length Is not
snniss. Like the sun, the new skirt
descends toward the evening. After
noon finds it at twelve to fourteen
inches I'D from the ground-tea-
time at ten inches. The restaurant
hour. lust clearing the ankle, and
At evening it dips below the horizon
right down to the toe.
Ladies who still believe in limbs,
and CITY aloud at any attempt to
Danish them, can find peace in the
snort length, a hands width below
the knee, or the travel length OF
fifteen inches from the ground, but
the knee has lost its freedom. hail
to the new length-longer may 1t
wavei
The new feminine modes spell
most surely the return Of charm
perhaps romance. The new style
though never really intended for
business or sport wear save for
very slight lengthening of the hem
line, without a doubt is here Tor
good in evening attire.
Allows Freedom
A few inches more to allow for
knee covering will leave just as
much freedom of movement ana
look infinitely more distinguished
and respectable. The short skirt
too often struck a harsh discordant
note-it may have been chic, but 1t
wasn't charming. Above all. 1t
wasn't romantic, and romance Is
important. even to the modern.
Uniformity in dress is a thing OF
the past. The new fashions call Tor
a much keener style sense in woman
than ever before, with greater free
dom in the choice of materials. The
fiapper fashion invasion with It's
uniformity of dress, had given us
a race of robot-like women, long
and short, fat and thin, young and
old, as alike as two peas, from
point of view of dress. Individual
ity had departed; even the doughty
dowagers gave up the ghost.
So great was the mental havoc
OF the happer era, that today we
see the young woman of borrowed
tastes hurrying along through Slush
and wet, trailing floats of chiffonS
in vivid reds, blues and greens, a
foot or more beneath the hem OF
dingy winter coat, looking for all
the world like a cricket playing at
butterfly.
Flaw Not in Mode
Then up runs the cry-"Of course
the short skirt would be better by
far than that!"-but unfortunately
the flaw lies not in the mode, but
only in the woman of little courage
and no taste. The same woman
wore a sleeveless frock to business.
The dance frock that once used
so little material, has bloSSomed into
A thing of beauty and grace, full
draped and long. What a fine
chance this is for colors in we'll
designed materials-also the sophis-
ticated grace of good black and
white, an idea always supremely
chic.
The designed gown and
frock of the "dressmaker mode"
goes much deeper than just the
dress idea, in its demand on the
textile trades-there is the neceS-
sary return of the corset. Probably
the old fashioned idea of the stays
will not return, but the well-fitted
girdle will, since not even the most
athletic woman can afford to do
without some sort of support if she
wants her clothes to set faultlessly.
Thing of Beauty
The girdle of fine workmanship
and excellent materials, will be a
thing of beauty-as well be-rib-
boned and trimmed as that con-
Stricting rigid thing of old.
One corset will no more satisfy
a woman of smartness today than
one pair of stockings. She will
have from two to four of these we'll
made things. ranging in materials
from cotton to silk.
The new mode Is a mode of
handicraft and detail. AS always,
simplicity is the test of true chic,
and the best of the new frocks
manage to achieve an effect of
subtle simplicity. despite their
elaborate detail and workmanship.
Women have an Unborn love for
ribbons. and a ribbon that can be
worn without giving the effect of
a Dresden China shepherdess is
going to be popular. There will no
doubt be a splendid revival of rib
bonS, French flowers and what-nots