Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-09
McEvoy Puts
Neck Out as
Style Critic
Insists Women
Know Nothing
About Clothes
BY ]. p. McEvOY.


About Clothes
BY J. p. McEvOY.
Having had = fairly uneventful
winter I propose at this point to
stir up . little trouble for myself.
For years now have toyed with
the theory that women know very
little about men and nothing about
clothes. Women's clothes. I mean.
They know quite . bit about mems
clothe+more than men do for that
matter, which isn't much to be sure.
Whenever you see . well-dresSed
man you can be pretty sure that
some woman dressed him.
There's . popular saying to the
effect that women dress for men.
This is rank nonsense. The fact is,
they dress for other women-to i'm
press them, discourage them, or
make them jealous. Women have
genius for selecting colors that men
don't like, patterns that men despise
and styles that absolutely paralyzs
men with fright.
Now 1t is . well-known fact that
men like q red dress, and yet most
women have a cockeyed idea that
they look more fetching in black.
No other female bird in the animal
kingdom thinks 30, with the pos
sible exception Of crow, and that's
what most women in black look
like.
Wilderness Of Words.
What do women talk about most
Of the time? I mean besides other
women2 Clothes! They start when
they first learn to prattle and they
keep 1t up all their lives. You'd
think they'd learn something about
1t. But all they succeed III learn
ing Il what other women know.
which Is Just q inaccurate -
their own knowledge.
I shudder to think Of al tho
noble trees that are cut down to
provide wood pulp on which IS
spread = wilderness Of words, and
oceans Of ink Just to tell women
how to buy clothes, make clothes,
wear clothes. Mostly wasted, I
say, judging by what they drag
home after q hard days shopping.
Take hats II you like. Take them
all. Every year they get moro
comical, and the more comical they
get the more seriously the women
take them. Whom do they buy
these hats to please? Not men, I
can assure you. I haven't seen /
hat in 10 years that didn't look
like something out Of Ed Wynn'1
attic. .
Sometimes you will surprise 4
woman into admitting that her hat
Is q little bit silly, but then imms-
diately she rushes to its defense
as though you had criticized q half
witted relative. Nothing makes
me feel 50 good as to buy . new
hat" she will say. which reminds
you Of the old story Of the man
who liked to hit himself on the
head with q hammer because Il
felt 30 good when he stopped.
Long-Su6eeing Men.
Why do I say that women dreO
for other women? Because .
woman would rather Be stylish than
seductive. Women are impressed
by chic, and an appearance Of CHIC
Is usually achieved BY severely re-
pressing certain landmarks which
through the ages have grown rather
foolish about. Silly Of US to b
sure, but fun no end. I for ono
prefer q shape to . silhouette, and
there are millions Of us men ready
to march on Washington tomorrow
Why do women 60 shopping like
50 many kleptomaniacs, who have
to grab the first thing and run
with 1t 50 Is not to be caught?
They grab = hat and rush home
With 1t. only to ind 1t doesn't 60
with anything they have. Next
day they scurry out and grab .
pair Of shoes that declare war on
the hat. Then they bring home
. bag which starts . guerrilla cam.
paign with both the shoes and the
hat. Hoping for an armistice, they
bring home . dress, and then tho
war becomes general with intensive
lighting on every front.
And who suffer most? As usual
the innocent bystanders-the pa
tient. long-su1ering men. What
to do! Darned II I know. (Omcer,
will you please escort me homeD
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