Evening star., 1949-08-24
By Robert Green

Wy NVbStt StSSu
Executive Director Of the Institute Of
Contemporary Arts
Dame Fashion has always been
accused of being tickle but I have
felt that a more logical analysis
is to recognize that she is lady
with emotional problems. She is
insecure and needs support and
reinsurance to make herself feel
that she is accepted. In a world
where most relationships are
superficial we depend upon a lot
of surface values to establish our
position.
Small talk, being seen at the
right places, having read the latest
book (there is an organization
that not only tells you what books
to read but what month to read
them in) and above all dressing
in the latest fashion. There are
probably very few among us who
have studied the subject of clothes
from the psychological angle who
hold that the origin of clothing is
to be found in the impulse of
modesty. The main impulse among
the attendants at the 'Dinosaur
Fights" opening nights, comes. on
the, contrary, from the desire for
display in its most basic forms Of
a decorative emphasis on those
parts of the body which modesty
leads us to hide.
Protection. as a motive for
clothing, is now reduced to a
minor role although it is some
times used falsely as an explana-
ton for purchasing clothing.
The latest fashion has become
a greater problem since the In
dustrial Revolution, chiefly due
to large scale production but also
the, survival of snobbery into an
increasingly democratic world. 1t
used to take fashion a decade
to trickle down to the lowest social
level. Today it is a much more
rapid process and can occur with
in q year or two at the most.
You can begin to see why Dame
Fashion has gotten to be such
nervous lady. 1t means she must
constantly be on guard to be sure
that her position is not gone.
II everyone has access to the
same clothes, then it is not a
fashion but a custom. The clothes
must prove something to the
wearer and to the world. They
must declare her position In the
social scale. This is a scale set
up largely by the amount of
money one has In the bank or any
other place. tIf you have any old
oil wells. railroads. or real estate
lying around the house you don't
have to be too concerned about
the hanks.
There was a time when the
emotional relationship between
the ladies Of high fashion and
the public was such that glori-
ously vulgar display Of valuable
objects were attached to the wear
er's person. Look at the costumes
of royalty on parade q few CEN
turies ago. Remember the express
SION r"All dressed up like Mrs
Astdr's pet horse? There was q
perfect example of conspicuous
conaumption-diamond ear flaps
gold incrusted reins. rare plumes
andI royal colors. This kind o1
dress still persists for its psyche
logical effect In large ceremonials
the stheater. the movies. and in
military professions Of very pub
lie character. It is the motiva-
tion behind the vulgar dress Of the
newly rich often. As Mabel Boil
the diamond queen. has often beer
fept1ted to have said, you got
'em, Honey, wear EN-"
The breakdown Of the social
hierarchy leaves every woman (for
mAn has ceased to compete In any
real sense since they made the
great pronunciation at the end Of
the 18th century, free to dress