Evening star., 1933-08-20
Beautiful Workmanship
In Gowns Has Great Value

same meticulous detail. which they had
noted in the garments of their husbands
and brothers.
I was not long in discovering that
there are great many women who
keenly appreciate beautiful workman
ship and who will wear a dress or blouse
for several seasons without once fear
ing that it may not be in style. They
realize that excellent workmanship is
always in style and that a really well
made garment does not become passe
IN designing costumes I keep very
closely in touch with modern life
and trends. feel definitely that mod
ern life makes certain strenuous de-
mands on both men and women. and
that clothing should closely reflect
modern needs. And since modern life
is best expressed in sports and street
clothes, have found most pleasure in
designing this type of garment.
But if l am making a blouse. or q
sport dress, do not dismiss it as un-
important. I feel that it is exceedingly
important not only that it should be
smartly cut, but that it should present
the maximum of comfort and ease. 1t
should not merely be blouse, it should
be distinguished blouse. so beautifully
cut and made that it will stand out in
any group. That means mathematical
precision in cutting and sewing. How
often a frock is ruined by careless
stitching.
If dress is pleated every pleat must
be exactly like every other pleat. There
must not be variation of a sixteenth
of an inch. Buttonholes must be worked
with infinite pains and even the inside
OF blouse or dress must be finished as
carefully as the outside. It is detail OF
this kind that makes mems garments Sc
satisfying; and it is this same detail
that 1 believe should appear in women S
costumes A dress should not be beau
tlful merely when it Is made. but as
long as it lasts.
Whatever type Of garment I am max
ing try to use the finest material OBJ
talnable. 1t may be nothing more than
pair OF slacks for wear on the Medi-
terranean beaches. I search until /
find the very texture and color of heavy
cotton fabric that pleases me. 1 may
md 1t necessary to have it especially
woven and designed for me. But 1 dc
not feel this is wasted effort. Or if it
is blouse or pair of sleeping pajamas
That :! am making may send to China
1or the best qaulity of natural silk. !
DO not feel that this is an unnecessary
expenditure of energy. On the con-
trary, 1t seems to me that the only way
to do beautiful work is to demand the
best at every step of the way
X
BELIEVE that many women would
find it infinitely more satisfactory To
have few costumes of beautiful ma
terials and superb workmanship than
workmanship. If were a woman and
limited to a small allowance I would
not attempt to buy many gowns. I
should follow the example of the well
dressed man and should limit myself
to one or two eXquisitely made cos
tunes. I should buy the very best ma
terial possible. If could not afford a
fine silk I would buy a beautiful cot
ton. Then I should make the costume
with infinite care. Every detail, every
stitch would be exquisite. When the
costume was finished it would be q
thing of distinction
You may have seen at some time the
blouSeS and dresses made by peasant
women. Often they are of the simplest
cotton fabrics, perhaps woven at home
yet every stitch, every bit of drawn
work or embroidery is done with such
painstaking care that the finished dress
is a real work Of art. It doesn't take q
great designer to make u beautiful
dress. Any woman can, with the simples,
materials make gown worthy of the
most exclusive designers. She can il
she is convinced of the value Of fine
workmanship
(COpyriRht, 1933)