Evening star., 1949-02-25
Fashion
Notes

What looks like the beginning
of another great war of the hem
lines" was pooh-poohed today by
q majority of leading American
designers.
Commenting on news from Paris
that French designers are show
ing skirts "a foot and half
shorter, the designers said:
Hattie Carnegie: Fourtee n
inches from the floor is the short
est I'll make day dress for either
summer or next fall. AS a matter
of fact, I have never made skirts
much longer than that because j
do not believe in extremes, either
short or long.
Nettie Rosenstein: This season,
as always, each dress should have
its own proportionate length. I
believe that every woman should
judge with her eye on the mirror
and not by a news column,
Adele Simpson: Length Is a
matter of taste and height. We
are showing our dresses - or 13
inches from the floor, which we
think is the most attractive, we'll
balanced length. In the gradual
shift of fashion, there's about one
inch difference each season, up or
down depending on the general
trend. Having gone about as long
as it was practical for the Ameri-
can woman to wear her skirts
10 inches-the trend is now NOV
ing back the other way, one inch
at time.
Lilly Dache: AS always, I like
medium length. When you make
q new style you always exaggerate.
then strike a happy medium. My
dresses for summer and next fall
will be between IL and 13 inches
from the floor.
Claire McCardell: It's not what
length skirts, but the dress, the
time, the place and the wearer.
think skirts won't get much
shorter anyway. IL to 13 inches
from the floor is OK for me. Actu-
ally, it's silly to talk about the
really short skirt; nobody Is ready
for 16 inches.
Pauline Trigere: I've made
skirts little shorter in front for
summertime effect is fattering
to women whose legs aren't too
good. That means a length OF
about II inches from the floor in
front, and 10 in back. In general.
our skirts will remain from 1872
to IA. I don't like exaggeration
of any kind. and. besides, such a
length is especially reasonable for
winter, when we're cold.
10 Copeland Of Pattullo: We're
Just settling down to a skirt length
that has a very sane elegance. II
we make skirts too short, we are
likely to lose that elegance, and,
as a result, the clothes will look
unimportant and cheap. For Fall,
think skirts will be between 1112
and 13 inches, depending on the
woman and the type Of dress she
Is wearing.
Jane Derby: In my opinion,
skirt lengths will continue to be
from IL to 13 inches, according
to the style of the dress. It's time
something more exciting than
hemlines made the headlines.
Carrie Mum: I'm making some
of my Summer skirts, such as
quilted peasant things, little
shorter-about IA inches. My reg
ular skirts are II to 13. But
there's no question about skirts
being on the way up. American
women like young silhouette and
q young" length skirt naturals
In American fashion. So is the
widened shoulder and that's why
pads are coming back.
Cell Chapman: Skirts in Sum-
u1er collection are 13 inches from
the floor. think the length for
day will remain from IL to 13, and
for cocktail dresses, 10 inches from
the floor.
Ben Reig: think our skirts
are going to stay as tney now are,
from 13 to "A inches. Last Sum-
mer, our skirts were shorter than
those worn in Paris, and the fact
Is, we've always made skirts from
one to one and a half inches
shorter than the Paris designers.
It seems to me that Paris is fol-
lowing us, rather than vice versa.
Samuel Kass: My prediction Is
that skirts will remain from IL to
13 inches for Fall. No radical
changes in fashion are indicated
this year.
Fra Benenson: Every woman
can settle the question Of what
length skirt by having 1t cover the
calf Of her leg. This is the length,
in my opinion, that will continue