The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1942-02-21

on what goes on across the foot
lights. That's where fashions are
born and astute designers know 1t.
Clothes are shown on glamorouS
girls against glamorous backdrOps
and the women in the audience Just
naturally fall for fashions that are
ably designed and ably presented.
Chorus Is Eye-Filling
But let me let you In on q secret.
a stage secret. II you like-night
club proprietors are stealing the
show. They are convinced that
something new is expected Of them.
SO instead Of the society chan
teuse" and the society dancers"
we now have the floor spectacle
that Is the equal. II not the superior.
Of the so-called Broadway produc-
ton. This means that the ladies Of
the chorus are dressed - not un-
dressed. by the way-tn something
pretty eye-fllling.
Because many Of the apprecia-
tive spectators are men. 1t takes q
man to design the costumes. Moth
ing new about men designing wO-
mems clothes. In happier days
Paris labels bore the names Of men
who preferred to work in fabrics.
or first did crayon or pastel sketches
and then transformed, them into
fabrics.
Now that we are working inde-
pendently Of Paris. more and more
men are taking UP fashion design.
After all. it's easy to see why they
should and why they should be sue
ceSsful. They see us. not as In q
glass darkly. confused by the reflec-
ton Of their own image. but clearly.
critically and with the characteris-
tic male desire to idealize what they
see. They are free to indulge their
love Of beauty, unhampered by any
personal completes.
Miles White, late Of San Fran
cisco and now a young man OF
Manhattan, has entered the FASH
ion field via the stage and floor
show. His costumes are currently
applauded at the Versailles. elabor-
ate night club. and as q proof OF
this, Life magazine devoted q cover
and several inside pages to pictures
of some of the girls. complete with
his original costumes. Miles White
has. in fact, streamlined many
glamorous showgirls, with leading
lady or two thrown In for good
measure.
Footlight Fashions
His sense Of the dramatic tells
him that there Is close tie-up be-
tween fashions and the footltghtS.
and that the women on one side
envy and admire the women on the
other. Stage clothes. says Mr..
White, are applicable to real life.
Even the Big Tent covers beauty as
well as the beast. which Is why
Miles is doing some perfectly lovely
clothes for those who fly through
the air with the greatest OF ease.
but are equally at ease In the home
or at a night club.
Mr.. White tells me that women
are not built for slacks-"a bit too
hippy" Is his way OF putting 1t
and as he Is convinced women Will
wear Stacks, he Is determined to do
something constructive about them.
He already has q sort of haremized
garment. also touched by the glory
that was Greece and few defts
twists Of his own. There's nothing
masculine about them but the
name. Our men. according to his
way of looking at 1t. like women
who look and act the part. although
he doesn't object to. in fact rather
likes, women in uniform. 1T does
something to them" he explained.
"gives them q posture and carriage
that many sadly lack. In uniforms.
they walk and stand as they should
and are pretty choosy about their
hair dos"
Miles White Is determined to
keep up a high sartorial standard
and is priority conscious. OF course.
but pretty sure that even the war
cannot destroy beauty as long as we
have form and color and the desire
above all to preserve beauty. Like
many of our young creators. he Is
unhampered by memories OF Paris.
which Is, to him, q place, not q
frame Of mind.