Evening star., 1952-03-16
By EIeni

PARIS (Via AirmaiD. - The
average FTenchwoman who does
not work is very poorly dressed.
It takes what her husband may
make (about $50 month. pos
siblyl to feed and clothe and care
for her family. The chic" Of the
Frenchwomen built up through
the years is really only to be cred
tied to women who possess ''pur-
chasing power" Once bills are
met. taxes paid. food bought.
there's little q French wife can
buy with prices way up there.
She'll buy the plain black coat.
the Somber little hat. the dress
that will wear and wear and wear.
The life span of her wardrobe Is
. much longer one than most
American women would dream Of.
American women are amazed at
the furS. worn by women here.
After q while the eye becomes
accustomed to seeing furs that
women In America stopped wear
ing years ago. Mink is not so
prevalent here that it can't cause
comment. Most seen are q num-
Der Of long-haired furs, such as
raccoon. natural opossum, skunk.
something called baby seal,"|
fitch, silver fox and white fox for
dreSsy wear, Persian paw and car
acul. Mouton is another much
worn wrap.
Visiting French department
stores is great experience. Our
United States displays are so much
more effective. In one, the
Samaritan De Luxe with al
branch store in another section
or Paris that specializes in low
ncome-bracket merchandise In
no way resembling the de luxe
stores stocks) we priced some
fur coats just out of curiosity.
Persian paw was selling at 159,-
600 francs. or about $3.50 in Amer
ican money. A muskrat coat was
selling at about 5000. Furs here
in Europe are not nearly as well
styled as they are in America.
They are heavier, bulkier looking
and apparently styling Is sacri-
feed just to achieve warmth. Not
a bad idea, we are inclined to be-
ieve, since Paris can get pretty
cold at times.
Shoes Are Heovy
Another sight one gets used to|
is the number of heavy-looking
shoes worn by men and women
alike. The majority look like crepe
soled sports shoes but with soles
that are triple the size one ordi-
narily expects. One sees these, too,
on the youngsters.
French ready-to-wear is at the
stage now where American ready
to-wear must have been about 80
years ago. It is true that one sees
q number of nice-looking dresses,
suits, coats and evening gowns in|
the windows along the Champs
Elysees. the Rue de Rivoli and
throughout the city, but they
seem to lack the zip, the sparkle,
and the really fine workmanship
that marks so much merchandise
in America. They are not tool
cheap, either. Forty dollars canI
buy a fairly nice sheer wool or al
tussah shirtwaist dress, but the 4
styling is nothing to rave about.
Their ready-to-wear differs, too,
in that the customer can come inl
and select the style seen in the
window Of a good ready-to-wearI
store and choose her own color
and material. It's still something
of a custom-type operation. Each
year has seen more and more
ready-to-wear items finding their
way into stores. Yet the womenl
who can afford to are much fonderI
Of having their own clothes made.
They like the fittings, they seem
to find the time for them CHATS
all some Of them have is leisure)
and they don't like to buy "hitI
and miss" clothing. They plan
their purchases. They have. tool
It's too expensive an undertaking
with which to fool around. AM
evening out at the ballet, or in aI
night club like Monsiegneur,
where one will spot a few out
standingly well-dressed women
wearing lovely evening gowns, the
majority is to be seen clad in
dressy black tailleurs or black
dresses with a few well-chosen ac-
cents. On the whole the best
dressed woman in Europe today is
the American woman trayelinrl