The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-11-09
Skirts Are
Inclined to
Be Shorter
BY ROSETTE HARGROVE
NEA Service Writer


PARIS, Nov. 9.-It is rather ex-
traordinary to see how fashions
have been subjected to a SOLDERING
influence since the August show
1ngs.
Now that mid-season collections
are in fun swing, all the threats
Of bustles, crinolines and other i'm
piderninta of the eighties have alb
solutely faded out of current styles,
at any rate except in the most sub
tie Of interpretations.
Skirts are inclined to be shorter
for all wear except very formal eve
ming dress, where toe-tip and some
trains are current lengths Sports
clothes are still simple, practical,
and if an informal suit has a jacket
with flaring peplum, it is very
modernized one.
Ensemble Theme Vanishes
Necklnes seem to have been the
subject Of lot Of study on the
part of the Partisan couturiers.
Many day dresses have necks hug
ing the base of the throat and
Worth showed an "end-of the
day" dress of black lace with high
neck, finished off with a torsade of
rust red velvet ribbon.
Ensembles, and the ensemble idea,
according to John Charles Worth,
are finished. The dress completed
by cape or bolero has supplant-
ed it.
Fullness is concentrated at the
back Of the new Worth dresses and
the drawback effect is still pop
ular Most of them are fashioned
of finest wool fabrics and black
Or black and white comes first in
favor. Brick red is stressed as
receiving note on black or beige and
for one or two jaunty costumes.
Dresses Like Coats
There are no hostess pajamas in
the collection, but two hostess
gowns, one in a dark shade of blue,
the skirt of which was split on both
sides and the bodice entirely worked
in fine criss-cross tucking, COM
pleted by a wide red belt; the other
of pastel pink wool shantung, with
angel sleeves and a softly gathered
pastel blue belt.
Mainbocher has number of
dresses that look exactly like coats,
and coats that look like dresses.
Most of them are belted and more
fullness than is usually seen is
stressed by him from shoulder to
waist. Scarf effects are popular in
this house, too.
Day Skirts Shorter
Skirts are distinctly shorter for
day wear and somewhat narrower.
Mainbocher shows a number of suits
for early spring or resort wear in
pastel beiges and green with the
sleeves tucked at the top in the man
ner of epaulettes that have mar
row effect.
Few of the midseason evening
dresses shown up to now feature
any belts
They all are cut on princess lines,
fitted close to the figure with the
skirt fullness placed distinctly
higher than at the beginning of the
season. Many of Mainbocher's eve
ming gowns are fashioned of heavy
faille in beautiful d-fashioned
shades such as roseleaf pink, ivory
and pale green.
Chic in Three Red Shades
His bodices have the fullness
gathered at the center front, bras
siere-wise, and sometimes this effect
is one-sided only. Skirts are not so
full partly due Of course to the
heavier material used.
Chantal shows an end-of- the-day
dress which is in three shades of red
georgette, the more vivid tone being
used for the body of the dress and
the two others in the guise of double
panels at the back.
Redeem, like many other cou-
turiers, shows a number of infor-
NAL and afternoon dresses cut on
the bias. There is even less full
ness in his skirts than before, but
all preserve freedom of movement.