The Wilmington morning star., 1947-10-18

,..tion furore over the hover
~ ~ nemllne rose to a cres-
10 ia,do today when Ethel Trap
ssl ssasn noted American fashion
'las l'1ssr+ and designer, branded
tApT -, psrls styles as obsolete, un-
As .;na7 and an ''inept move on
u ID o." nart of the French textile
A5 S,frry to sell more yardage."
'4s =. her internatiora ally known
.aaoI ~ OF Iasaion Miss Traphag-
INV, maintains, besides what is
"A IN be the largest and most
'e,s aarjp+e fashion library in the
,U,,lg ,,"rld one of the largest histori-
'J-' W costume collections in the
tnited "a States. Of particular in
1- .ost in the current controver-
is a series of costumes dat
~ y, + from the 10Th Century, con-
is5sred n5 in France. A highl; ght
. his group is a model for
.t.ept :. wear, which first made
'1 big hit back in the days of
!. ssnanish-American War, and
IN '.sich. now, fifty years later,
~ been presented almost in
az !, several recent fashion
ssoogy's-apparently soy' seeking atom
age approval of this anti
pated mode.
Since most women are re-
Giant to admit that they have
sacbed the half century mark, :"
AVS Miss Traphagen, "it seems
little ridiculous that they
soIJld be expected to wear a
.a:tllme which, in fifty years:
AZ changed so little as to be
sfmost identical with the Gay
i.neties.
Miss Traphagen pointed out
,at the Paris decree to alter
6e figure to conform to the
new Silhouette, is a ruling which
nav apply to European women,
ait which should have little in
thence on Amsricans. The
great tradition of American
.5eautv refers chiefly to the love
Gness of figure which has won
distinction for our women
throughout the world. Surely a
fashion that would pad hips, add
bustles and coSceal well shaped
lees can only be pleasing to a
textile industry which is short
trying to achieve a
quick economic recovery by
bringing back discarded styles
whose only merit is that they
use great deal of fabric yard
age.
Pointing out that the hue and
crv over the longer hemline has
concealed the real tragedy OF
he new styles" Miss Traphagen
ssId that the artificial waistline-
d dictate of the Paris designers
for the new season is a COM
plete reversal of sane standards
based upon good taste and sound
art theory
Bustles and hip padding are
certainly not conducive to
beauty, smartness or comfort,
snd are equally unsuitable to
= nation of women who lead
Isn active life in business, sport
|and social affairs. The college
|erl Of l947-48 does not want to
Race between lecture halls on
campus in a costume that will
Hamper her stride-aggrSvate or
klstract her mind. 1t may be
|tue that these styles could
prove advantageous to the
fboW-legged, fat-legged, piano
Regged, spindly legged and
Rnock-kneed females" but,
fhank God, in America these are
Rot the majority. For the Amer
Pcan women in the city, in
Ae country, who require a ward
fooe suitable at home, at busi-
fess, luncheon, a shopping ex-
petition, a cocktail party or an
Venlng at night club, the con-
snlng and bulky fashions offered
y Paris are far from useful
attractive"
The burden placed on the
othlng budget of women who
eel that they must keep pace
Nh Paris is another subject on
nlch Miss Traphagen has pro-
ounced views. A complete new
ardfobe for the college girl
S autumn means a wider
sNge of costume at greater ex-
eAse' she points out. For the
arls style fashions are hardly
uiaole for campus wear, and
vi therefore be used only dur