Evening star., 1942-12-20

Women, paradoxical creatures
that they are, are constantly
faced with the problem of how
to keep in step with the newest
fashion trends, yet achieve that
certain air Of individuality that
indicates fashion conscious
ness"
This, as you well know, is no
easy task.
For example, fashion Is in
troduced, publicized and gener-
ally accepted. 1t may be the
shirtwaist dress, the peg-top sill
houette or the silver fox jacket,
and it may appear by the thou
sands in shops throughout the
country. If purple is "the color"
of the season, a general view Of
a feminine gathering will have
a definite plum flavor; If a
top-notch designer does a certain
skirt drape. it will be copied in
every price range until it's a
wonder the entire feminine pop
ulation doesn't look like a super
chorus.
The curiosity of it is that thou
sands of women can take the
same mode and yet each one
manage to look different" Each
imparts to her own costume a bit
OF her own personality, some
new accessory trick, a color
combination not generally seen,
an air of wearing her clothes
that sets her apart. It's not a
simple chore, but it's sur
prisingly successful one.
This year, more than ever,
you have unlimited possibilities
for individuality. 1t is true that
your slim, WPB silhouette will
provide the basis for look alike"
dresses and suits, but, realizing
this, accessory manufacturers
have put forth extra effort. They
know, fortunately, that we will
count more and more on per-
sonalized touches to add charm
to our Wardrobes. We won't have
too much money to spend, and
we'll have to learn that extrav-
agance is as questionable as
1t Is unpatriotic. With q basic
dress, We'll wear a long, colorful
crocheted scarf caught with a
bright jeweled pin. Well learn
to use punches of dramatic
flowers at the Waistline of simple
gowns, or place our. jewelry so
that it becomes a part of the en-
semble. In recent fashion
show, for example, model wore
two brilliant pins like epaulets
on the shoulders of dinner
gown. To vary the picture, too,
jewelry may be worn on belts,
on sleeves or even, in the case
of dinner dresses, pinned to
the skirt.
Because home-seWing is coming
back so fast and furiously, we'll
go in for personalized, mono
grammed fashions, blouses, Jump
ers, dresses. Not just the run-of-
the-mill form of initiating, but
letters that are strikingly ar
ranged to give the "dressmaker
look" to inexpensive clothes. We
may build up jacket wardrobe
that is well CO. o-ordinated and ver-
satile-not the sort of jackets
that look extra" but those in
colors and materials that will give
style interest and, in many cases,
necessary warmth. There will be
f1irtatious little frilly aprons to
wear over simple dresses, belts
that are capable of making an
old frock look "1943," collar and
cuff sets ranging from the stand
ard white frill to the ornate
tequin-studded variety. Women
will discover that they can do
fascinating things with hand
kerchiefs, tucking them into pins,
draping them skillfully at the
wastline or pinning them, little
girl fashion, onto a sleeve.
In the months to come, as VIC
tory comes closer We'll all pull our
belts tighter. This means that
women will have to give more
thought to their wardrobes, for,
lacking wide variety of unusual
fashions, they will be forced to
use their own ingenuity and the
ideas of experts in the style world
to make their costumes good look
ing and outstanding.
Even if fashions are restricted,
there is little danger that the
weaker sex" will become drab or