Evening star., 1947-09-04
This and That
BIZ Charles Z. TrdceWell.

Templeton Jones is not SO much worried
about the length of the ladies' skirts as he is
that their clothing is not functional.
II have been looking around" he said "and
see wonen's clothing that I like lot better
II saw Hindu woman the other day, in long
robe, like toga or something, and I thought
it far better looking than most Of the clothes
American women wear.
This Hindu lady looked pretty neat
Then I saw some Amish folk out at the
Zoo. The men wore those broad-brim hats,
soft black suits and blue shirts, and the ladies
the sunbonnets and black dresses.
"All Of these costumes looked hot, will
admit, but they looked as If they belonged, as
the phrase has it.
II will be willing to bet that all Of these
clothes, coming from almost around the world
from each other, have good reason for being
They are not just some designers ideas
Of what other people ought to wear.
Certainly the design has never been changed
at somebody's mere whim.
These were clothes that evolved
They came about because they suited some
body or some group of somebodies. Maybe
whim and fancy, wouldn't know, but at any
rate today they seem to mean Hindu, in the
one case, and Amish, in the other.
II was particularly charmed by the fact
that the little Amish girls wore the exact
costume of their mothers, and the little boys
tAe same SGyle ClOUQluS AS LflelT 1AtQelS.
They all seemed happy in them, despite the
heat, and couldn't see that they looked any
hotter than any one else.
IT have always been somewhat amazed that
some personable and progressive lady did not
get up q fad or craze for wearing the Hindu
costume, or the gypsy clothing. or even the
classical Greek or Roman wear
"1t is true that most of these garbs would
not do so well in cold weather, but inventive
genius could overcome that.
1.-THE main thing would be to get clothing
that somehow seemed to belong to the people
who wore it.
To-day what do we have?
young people have sensed that American
clothing does not, somehow, seem to be right
They have made up for themselves sorts of
costumes both for boys and girls.
They feel easier, happier, no doubt, In these
semi uniforms The boys have even carried
the thing SO far that they all roll up one
trouser leg so that bare meat is showing.
There would be no need for such eccentrici
ties if American clothing really expressed thoGe
who wear It,
"As 1t is now, we are so obsessed with keep
ing the crease in trousers and determining just
how long, to the inch the skirt shall be, that
we have no time to put on the main question
of how our clothing looks and feels.
Mems sincerity in clinging to old worn hats
and clothes of all types shows that something
is wrong with our dress.
eff our garb were truly functional, as that
of the Hindus, the gypsies and the Amish
farm folk of Pennsylvania we would have less
to worry about, and no doubt would be happier
and more comfortable at all seasons of the
year.
1--WE would not have to go on fishing and
camping trips to be ourselves.
"The day is coming, feel sure, when we will
do something about this matter, but not until
we decide to be Americans, first of all, not
y, ipnito fiOS1r
1--WE want to be ourselves, and If we ever get
around to that instead of poking our long
collective nose into every national life the
world around, we will make for ourselves
beautiful comfortable clothes that fit us better
than anything thought up abroad"