The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-18

Natalie G. She says:
"Drring the past year I have been
making a sort Of living making
dresses: so I have learned a great
deal about clothes, styles, values,
shopping, etc. It boils me over to see
girls throwing their hard-earned
wages away for the sort of cheap
clothes that neither look well nor
wear well.
L have very definite ideas on this
subject of fashions and styles. Nat
urally. Communist girl does not
want to attract undue attention by
being dressed too differently from
the average working girl On the
other hand, for her to appeal in
sleazy rayons with a rhinestone
buckle, dime store jewelry, high heels
ana red nails is not only bad taste
but bad Communist tactics as well.
Our girls should dress in becoming
simple clothes, within the prevailing
styles but w 4 a sirnplif1cation of its
1ntr1cacles. l. 2e question is, where
can the poor girls get them? It is
q well-knoWn fact that simplicity in
clothes is expensive. I have seen
plenty Of $3.50 dresses devoid of all
ornamentation except that of its ex-
cellent material and workmanship
but I'll be darned if I ever saw it in
$685. dressl My answer is, as it
was years ago, to solve my own
clothing problem-nake them your
SELF"
Comrade Natalie says she feels
sure s',e win be able through this
column to give assistance to those
Who wish TO sew for themselves. Such
help will be very welcome, I am sure.
However, I think that, though some
Of us will be able to solve a problem
by making our own clothes, there are
many who cannot do SO, either be-
cause they do not have access to a
sewing machine, or have Jobs that
tire them out so much they could not
possibly sew at night.
So / think we should agitate for
the kind of clothes we do want. Let
the manufacturers know what kind
of things we want. What about those
nice "shirtmaker' frockS that sell at
SIS or SIG? When a girl makes Sc to
$40 or $12 week, how can she buy
such dresses, be they ever SO sensible
and durable? Why can't we have
some such dresses at half the price,
without such finish" perhaps, but
still a simple, sensible dress of ma
terial that will wash. and last awhile?
Proletarian girls have very little
money, If any, to spend for dry
cleaning. I hope manufacturer or
two will hear and heed.
Conrade Natalie continues with
some very useful suggestions:
by the way - about low-heeled
shoes. 1t has been my problem for
year. I will not wear high heels, and
I have a short, wide foot, very hard
TO fit. found that the only simple
GOOD looking shoe with fiat heels
that will wear well is the theatrical
fiat or tap shoe. You can buy
them in any theatrical shoe store in
the forties at about 81 a pair. Most
of them come with bow ties, but the
stores will change those for heater
looking straps with buttons. I GER
tainly believe they are good-looking
enough for anyone, and they have
none of the silly frills high-heeled
shoes have. And they will wear.
ITO solve lingerie problems: For
email sizes only, / have discovered
that the regular child's white cotton
pantie size or 10 you can get in
the dime store will fit girl size IA
or is and is only Is cents. They
1T tight, are very comfortable, COOL
and are easily laundered. You can
f;et them in wool for winter ard get
little shirts to match Much better
than sleazy rayon at 20 cents end
r-r more economical