Evening star., 1947-01-08
Spring Fashions
By EIeni
Fashion Editor.

NEW YORK, Jan. 8.-You'vt
been hearing a lot of talk about
clothing prices going down. DOM
be too heartened by those words
For according to the designers wht
are participating in the eighth an.
nual dress institute press week, be.
ing held here all this week, the cost.
of labor are still high, fabrics still
expensive and hard to come by
Therefore, the price of your dres.
will continue to be somewhat the
same as it was last year with, per-
haps, in some instances, SIS or 81
added to it. But you should be get
ting better workmanship and better
quality for your money.
Assembled here for the spring
showings of the collections of Ameri-
can designers who make up the big
couture group are fashion editors
from all over.the Nation. Also fash
ion writer's from points as far as
Sweden and Switzerland. Spring
style trends show not over abundant
use of fabric, as was expected with
release of LBS. In a forum con-
Quoted by the New York Dress Insti-
tute at the Plaza Hotel, significant
trends were pointed out. Fullness
was noted but not in the bulkineSs
of the Partisan styles.
Also at the forum the new execu-
tive secretary of the institute, Eve
lyn Hayes, was introduced. Miss
Hayes is herself a former fashion
editor-in fact, she was the fashion
editor for The Evening Star not toe
long ago.
Throughout the collections it was
stressed there will be noted the re-
turn of pleats, fine fabrics and in
fluences from various sources, in
Guiding Europe. For example, the
use of the Lucien Lelong cutaway
jacket that is gaining headway in
many collections. Skirt lines will be
longer by or inches. This marks
the official passing away of knees,
and we are not sad to see them 60,
either.
At a luncheon at the Waldorf
Astoria the editors were rendered
an official welcome by Mayor
O'Dwyer who thanked the Nations
press for what it has done to make
the Nation and the world conscious
of the part that New York plays in
the world of fashion. Among the
many people present at the lunch
con to greet the visiting firemen'
we're Grover Whelan, termed the
Official welcomer,' representative
from Gov. Dewey who read his mes
sage of welcome, and the English
actress Leonora Corbett, now ap-
pearing in Park Avenue" An In
teresting point brought out at the
luncheon was that 78 per cent Of
the volume of clothing manufac-
tured in this country comes from
New York. Another high light re-
garding the prevalent high prices
was the remark by Julius Hochman,
member of the Executive Board of
the Dress Institute, who claims that
in 1929 the average cost of a dress
to be manufactured was $8.43. In
1916 it was $773. So we haven't
reached the peak yet!
In the four collections viewed yes
terday-Claire McCardell, Herbert
Sondheim, Bruno, and Pauline Tri-
gere, there was great softness, longer
lengths, longer jacketing, fullness of
cut, and fine fabrics. In all four
collections, of course, there is de-
signer difference as to detailing, use
of color, and, naturally, design! For
the slim, 1.-THE, boyish figure Nc
Cardell's clothes still are A-No. l..
Also in Claire McCardelIs collection
are play clothes made of pastel
corduroy. They are becoming, espe-
cially, to the college girl who wants
freedom from restricting seams,
sleeves and jackets. Her bathing
suits, one in particular in new
golden-brown shade called "sun-