Evening star., 1947-10-01
Bv Elem

~ AsSp'
The violent battles being waged in
the press, magazines and over the
bridge tables about the longer hem
lines, usually include at least one
effort to pin the blame on Paris.
Undoubtedly. Paris haut couture has
had some influence on our present.
day fashions-just as it did in pre-
war years, wheh American women
chose for themselves the details that
did the most for their appearance,
and that was best suited to their
way of life, and let the exaggerated
styles go by the board.
As a matter of fact, the really
wild and woolly Paris fashions ap-
peared In the first showings after
the European phase of the war was
over. Paris couture has tanned down
considerably since then. But there
is no reason for any American
woman to deck herself out in any
of the outlandish styles that do still
remain. She will Gull the best, we
hope, and adapt 1t to her way of
life.
AS for the longer hems-our own
American designers were fore
shadowing this trend even before
the repeal of LBS. Let's look back
at some reports filed on fashion
press showings in New York several
seasons ago:
From the Nettie Rosenstein show
ing of last falls designs: Her hem
lines border on the longer side"
And this item from back in July of
1916: by snap Judgment on this,
the first day of Press Week, We'll say
the rounded feminine line Is in, and
the more elegant the trim the higher
the fashion note for fall" And about
hemlines: "It Is true that although
there is the desire to lower hem
lines, LBS is still a matter to con-
jure with. But American women can
wear their skirts quite a bit longer
and still be within the law. Hens
now are worn too short. and sub
tract from smartness. Skirts that
are too tight and too short are hor-
rors and there's no excuse for them,
say fashion people in the know"
And reporting on the new trends
here In America in January of 1947
we quote again from one of our
New York stories concerning those
long hemlines that supposedly have
just been Thrown at the women Of
America without any warning"
Throughout the collections 1t was
stressed there will be noted the re-
turn of pleats, fine fabrics, and in
fluences from various sources, in
cluding Europe. Skirt lines will be
longer by 2 or inches. This marks
the official passing away of knees
and we are not sad to see them go,
either"
American women were in the
know concerning shoulder pads
way back when. too. Again we
quote from a New York story OF
ours: Hattie Carnegie hasn't
phrased it this way but what she
was really saying in her new spring
collection was '23 skiddoo' to shoul-
der pads. The football look for shoul-
ders has gone back to the stadium
and in its place Carnegie has sub
stituted the soft, rounded contour
of the natural shoulder line"
Now, we tell you about these
things because we feel that the
American woman probably knows
and understands the why's" of her
fashion much more thoroughly
than any other woman in the world.
She knows what is good for her
way of life. She cannot be ham,
pered by skirts that go down any
longer than midcalf. There's no
reason why they should. But she
also accepts the new fashions for
the evening. She uses what fashions
are suited to her busy existence
that calls for a great deal of free
dom of movement. But whether
to wear the so-called new fash
ions" or not-she shouldn't lose her
sense of humor. For once that
happens fashion Is no longer fun
but becomes, as some one has said,
IAN argument"
Style evolution takes time just
as the evolution Of man has taken
time. The whole meaning of fashion
is that it change and that it be
new. Extremes are to be deplored.