The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-06-07

~F risen slowly from a
state of semi-conscious'
- ness, scarcely aware OF
her powers. She has displayed, in
her rise. an amazing change OF
pace. Majestic and rhythmic strides.
feebly mincing steps and an untold
variety of uncatalogued gyrations
have been included in her roper
toire.
However, also like the human
race, her progress has accelerated
increasingly until today she stands
out as a reliable force, whose fun
damental character Is steady. AL.
ways willing to adapt herself to
needs and laws, she is now reveal
ing herself as an obliging person.
amenable to the dictates of COM
mon sense. as we'll as the sugges.
tons Of science.
All of which brings us down to
the startlingly new and graceful
fashions that have just been offer.
ed by the coutouriers of Paris and
New York for the inspection of the
feminine world.
Gone is the Gibson girl-fading
memory of "Fleradora" days
with her full-blown. billowing
curves.
Gone, too. is that aftermath Of
the war, the staggering. fat
chested young thing lately known
as the "f1apper."
And nov the flapper's more mo-
dern sister. the extremely long, ex-
c~essively languid and unnaturally
lean and angular one, is to join
this defunct company.
For when Dame Fashion a few
weeks ago opened the doors of her
numerous Fifth Avenue and Rue
de la Paix establishments and is.
sued her latest DEGREES she proved
to the world that even an old lady
may mend her ways.
New Ideal
The enlightened year. 1880, has
brought a new ideal of feminine
pulchritude. The silhouette" mode,
It's called. Wholly unlike any OF
the preceding fashionable ideals,
1t is an ideal. nevertheless, that
always has been with us. for the
silhouette mode is nothing more
than the figure of the normally
healthy and vigorous woman.
Curves have come back. Not the
violent curves of the naughty
nlneties' but gentle curves and rea.
sonable u~ndulations In what. before
the rise of the starvation cult, used
to be considered the right places.
And these, in turn. have sent the
walstline back to its natural place.
Sheath-like gowns are characteris-
tic. Skirts are longer, nearly to
the floor for evening wear, almost
10 the ankles for the afternoon and
shorter. of course, for morning and
sports.
The evolution of the modern dress
styles is. Of course, a story of end.
less elaboration. Every era-in fact
every season-since Mother Eve
cast aside the original and plucked
Tor herself a new garment of fresh
Zig leaves. the world has had its
best dressed woman" While all
these have been soon forgotten. It
is a curious fact that on the other
hand this history records the trous.
ers OF George Sand and Rosa Bon
heur and gives prominent mention
to the other women who, in an ef.
fort to reform the clothes of their
sex. dressed in the most unappeal.
ing garments ever devised by man.
kind. Significant IS the part that
these faddists and reformers played
in bringing the world to it's present
day ideals Of line and design.
They failed In their efforts TO
foist their ridiculous extremes upon
their sex but indirectly they made
q contribution to this progress, de-
spite the fact that every m
dress reformer would have been
: Mortified at the sight OF the intelli.
gent and beautiful clothes Of today.
For one thing. they we're all op-
posed to tight lacing and they
helped destroy the prestige Of the
corset. They made a contribution
to this. but 1t was only a contribu-
ton, for the corset and hustle and
the trailing skirt and hop were all
undone In the final analysis by the
factory and the bicycle, by the war
and the motor car. by the tennis
racket and the fox trot.
Perhaps one Of the most perfect
types of the dress reformers who
have infested all civilized countries
was an odd little person. Mrs. Mary
r. Tillotson. who. has asserted that
she was the first woman to wear
reformed clothes in America.
Mrs. Tillotson had been for i've
years declining with dispepsy''
when she cast of massive founces,
starched cordings and cuttings and
corsets and lifted her dress defiant.
ly nine inches from the floor, with
good drawers made like trousers
to take the place of p~etticoats. In.
cidentally in the following five