Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-08-24
}Women Here Aren't Going All Out for New Fashions
By MoIyino Stephenson

The women of official Washington
are not going overheard for the
revolutionary new styles. but they
will accept a modification Of last
years lines, survey here indicates.
For example, the ladies seem to
like the somewhat longer skirts, at
least two or three inches; but they
show little enthusiasm for the
much hailed padded hips and slop-
ing shoulders.
Why pad the hips?" asks Mrs.
John r. Steelman, wife of the as
sistant to the President. Nature
already has taken care of that for
most of us women"
Jocelyn Freer, one of official So
ciety's leading glamor girls, who
makes a hobby of fashion, declares,
Slender hips and broader shoul-
ders are the most f1attering, After
all, women want to emphasize their
best points, and I think they will
stick to that silhouette.
Miss Freer reports that ner
friends in official circles here have
lowered hemlines a few inches, and
perhaps bought one of the ankle
length ballet frocks just for the
novelty. But" she points out,
they're timid about wearing those
long dresses at the cocktail hour,
at the intended time. They wear
them for evening dresses"
In Middle Income Bracket.
Most officials are in the middle
income brackets, and their wives
shudder at the thought of having
their entire wardrobes dated. I'VE
usually have two or three dresses
left over from last season." Mrs.
Steelman says, land think a wom-
an is doing we'll to get one new
dress the way prices are"
Miss Eva Jane Lewis, first woman
president of the Missouri State So
ciety, calls on Government girls to
hold out against fashion revolu-
ton.
IT think the Government girls will
let out their hemlines as far as the
material will allow, few inches, and
let it go at that" Miss Lewis de-
clares. "A Government girl simply
can't afford much new at the pres
ent price level"
Besides. Miss Lewis doesn't like
the ankle -length and calf-length
dresses. I'm ready to go along for
dresses just little below the knee"
she adds
One enthusiastic supporter of the
new styles is Drucie Snyder, daugh-
ter of the Secretary of the Treas
ury and Mrs. Snyder who is just
back from her first trip to Europe"
Lovely and So Smart.
It saw several Paris shoWings," she
reports, land I thought they were
lovely, and so smart. Of course,
they are extreme and I don't know
how far the American woman will
go in accepting them
AS for the general line of styles
available on this side of the Atlantic,
Miss Snyder gives her stamp of ap-
proval. Il think the fashions have
been designed too much for the
longer skirts and flowing lines"
Miss Rose Conway, secretary to
President Truman, thinks the Amer
lean secretary will be able to find
models suitable for Office work. After
a shopping tour of Washington
stores, she is optimistic
THE slightly f1ared skirt for the
suits holds up better than the tight
straight skirt after a day in an
office chair" she says. Il also like
the new long-sleeyed blouses; but
Ill take some padding in the
shoulders.
Mrs. Kenneth Royal, wife of the
Secretary of War and one of the
Capitals best dressed, is taking
fatalistic attitude toward the fash
ion changes; Some of these new
styles certainly don't appeal to me.
but eventually 1 guess We'll all have
to fall IN line. I suppose we can
get accustomed to them, if we
have to-"