Evening star., 1948-07-23
By EIeni
Fashion Editer

NEW YORK, N. Y.-"Button.
button. who's got the buttons"
is the first thing you think Of
when you see the great number
O, dresses featuring them. Don't
be misled and think that these but
tons are truly functional. Oh, no!
They are merely decorative. In
fact, we never thought there were
that many types Of buttons In
buttondom. OF course, we don't
think the national pastime this fall
will be button-hunting, but there
will certainly be . lot of activity
gong on when the search begins
for the button that has rolled across
the floor. Buttons are all over the
dresses from neckline to hemline.
For while there was a lot of I'M
certainty regarding the fashions
this fall and those Of last fall.
Spring saw the styles tending to
compromise. Fall Of '4s sees a re-
turn to more natural figure line.
Clothes are not sensational as thev
were last year; they are noteworthy
in that they are wearable and
classic looking. The kind, thank
goodness, you will be able to wear
for a couple Of seasons without
looking "out Of style!" Men, seeing
the new clothes, will probably re-
mark 1T took q little bit of time,
but you women have finally gotten
some sense" And, regardless of
what is said to the contrary, women
DO want to please a man when they
wear an exceptionally handsome
outfit.
The majority Of the fashions are
simple in line, and depend on trim
to set them of. And what trims!
Victorian ball-fringe, embroidery
touches, velvet collars and other
'icings" are just few. We men,
toned buttons as being very much
seen this Press Week in nearly all
of the collections. Running a close
second are pockets. There are pock-
cts on everything from daytime to
evening clOCneS.
Details make the clothes of the
different designers stand apart. Just
such details are what we are going
to outline, briefly, for you in the
following paragraphs.
NETTIE ROSENSTEIN, showing
ut Sherry's, placed a lot of emphasis
on the feminine figure. She uses
fur trims extensively in her collec-
ton. Her coats are mostly full with
a few fitted coats also shown. The
SHOW stopper" as usual. was the
evening group. One gentleman in
the audience commented that a
number Of the clothes shown were
exactly what his mother wore back
in 1905-13. Peplums, cowl backs,
cape coats, lovely wide open neck
lines filled in occasionally with flesh
colored mousseline de sole or net,
tiers and tucks are what to look for
in Rosenstein's collection.
At the FOXBROWNIE collection
we were told they are not using
imported silks because they cannot
begin to compare with the silks
made here in the United States.
However, where lace is used in the
collection it has been mostly of the
imported variety. The one thing we
haven't been able to do very well
here in America is to make delicate
and fragile-looking lace. Corsets
are on the outside" this year
Brownie stresses this corset middle"
and the beltless waistline quite
bit Navy and black are used to-
gether quite frequently. Touches of
fur are seen here as in nearly every
other collection. Tiny fur hats worn
with the suits Of this collection had
big red roses trimming them. It's
as Victorian a look as any headgear
has a right to possess. This, Incl
dentally, is the first time in nine
years that Brownie has used fur
trims on her designs. There is a
lot Of sealskin and moleskin being
used for this trimming.
JOSEPH WHITEHEAD, the de-
signer who is really specialist in
the art Of creating lounge clothes
par excellence has done it again.
His evening clothes are also very
striking. In the lounge group the
taffeta "at-home" coats are very
attractive. One truly elegant robe
of black velvet with cuffs of silver
fox was really something" along
Lillian Russell lines. His loveliest
evening dress, we think was black
sheath of silk fringe. 1t was the
slickest thing in motion that we've
seen this week. A deep v, front and
back, with a slit skirt is not very
good description of this dress that
was sirenish and refined at the same
time.