Show Individuality Reigns igns in Spring Fashions as r Big Paris Paris' Names and Uniformity of S 'S Styles les' les Have Have Lost Lost Their heir P Prestige Pres- Pres es tige Among American Buyers By ANNE RITTENHOUSE S. S One One recoils r h NEW JW YORK April r rr with irritation and amI we weariness at any further mention of the doings of the defense syndicate in Paris bec because use so much has been written about abou it true must be and untrue that the public tired tire of th the subject A And ud yet vet temptation to do it is enhanced enhanced en en- lanced by bythe the the far reaching influence of this syndicate on the dress of the average American woman One likes to to indulge indulge in iii the br bromidic oratorical expression from Maine Mame to o Mexico and from the palm to the pine e when de de- describing scribing the effect of th the council of sr ton tall in Paris on the millions of peo peb- F F. pIe in ill the United Slates States It would probably seem an absurdly far cry to the woman living on a rural delivery route to say that she has lias a chance to be dressed differently from her neighbors because Paul fell feIl out with his neighbors yet such Is the case If a handful of the great dressmakers in the world ha hanot had hadnot hadnot not decided to keep their models this spring from from- the from the gaze of every buyer who wished to pass through their doors and if the big American buyers had not become incensed over this edict and if all the minor dressmakers ers rs had not rushed rusted to the front to claim American money for their wares we should all be wearing duplicates of a few few- certain models throughout this stupendous stupendous' continent Big Names No Longer Necessary The thing that was devoutly wished by the merchants therefore has come cometo cometo cometo to pass American women have found out the reasons for the coming over of so many gowns from minor houses in Paris and they are buying liberally without demanding the names of the great houses that heretofore ruled the world of fashion Who knows how far this situation may carry the dress industry into high honesty No one will deny that the false label usage had become a scandal in inthe inthe inthe the of women's merchandising clothes Everyone blamed everyone else for it but that it was done everyone knew As the public always pays so the pub public lie lic is always blamed for whatever goes wrong The rich American women women wom wom- en eit wore gowns that bore the labels of a few French firms and so for forthe forthe the he sake of trade the clothes people people peo pea pie said there grew up a vast industry industry indus indus- try in fn this country of using false labels But in the tw twinkling of an eye has sounded the trumpet of doom against this condition The few great houses in France said they would not sell to anyone they did not care to and ana the American houses took their revenge revenge revenge re re- re- re by buying half of their stock from minor houses who had never had hada a chance And what is the condition now Itis It Itis Itis 4 t is this A good customer with a a large purse walks into a fashionable dressmaking dress dress- making place a and d is wn gowns She likes one immensely She asks if it is a a. a or a Doucet Neither it is from froni Arnold is the answer answer She designs for some of the great There is no duplicate of this over here bere she deSigned de- de Signed jt It for this house llOu e. e I And who made that evening sown own asks the customer further Worth or Lanvin It is by l I 1 know this is isa isa isa a a anew new v name to your madam but Mlle Mile l was the artistic and delightful delightful de de- premiere with Paul and now that his house has been closed since the beginning of the war warthe the buyers have found that his disciple dis dis- ciple can make wonderful gowns If you buy it you will not see yourself as in a mirror at every party Please hay have your mannequin put on that amazing wrap with and the Louis vest in front asks the customer customer Was it made by No indeed it is by whose fame in Paris for wraps has been great for four years The glory of leading the new fashions In sport I clothes at Deauville has rested between be be- tween and Channel You Americans have not been familiar with these names but no smart woman in Europe goes without a wrap from one of these two houses Persuading Women to Be Individual Now you can see for yourself how easy it wilL will willbe be beto to persuade women to wear go gowns ns that ar are not reflected on on every side Here are some of the channels along which rebellion may mayn run If H you dont don't like skirts that flare out n into f ten yards at the hem you can wear the barrel skirt to which Callot and have given their approval it is really newer and aId more original than all th the other skirts and it is not generally known handled or Even some of the best dressmakers show models that are not true to type By the wa way Bulbs ha has haa S one of th the best models made of fine blue serge that looks like silk the hoops or of the barrel placed on ou the under side of the skirt holding it out In a modified manner above the knees and letting it fall in at the ankles The hem or of this skirt does oes not measure over three and one half yards probably and the top lop of it is laid loosely but flatly over the hips The odd feature of this gown is the placement of a few dull uIl pink silk roses on tho barrel hoops hero nero and there The blouse has the new and accepted renaissance neck which means a straight line to the collarbone collar ollar bone hone and finished with a n turnover collar pf some soft fabric fabric- or dery clery There is as much chiffon used as serge in this slim little bodice There is also a pink rose and long loose sleeves of ot blue chiffon over rose colored net If you dont don't like panniers you need not have them for there are just as many good models without them as with them There is usually some kind of drapery on the hips but you youcan youcan youcan can choose from a half hall hundred ways some of which are so ISO inconspicuous that you would have to tell teIl your friends that your gown is bunched up In the new manner Jenny has sent over two especially 1 attractive gowns with hip drapery to which no conservative woman could object One has a skirt of black silk v with a n figured satin design on it and hem a which is surely not over four yards wide the hip drapery formed of a piece of the silk used with its selvage going around the figure loose j ly falling nearly to tho the knees and b bunched up on on- the nips hips Just jus below the J I waist line the bodice is a i cor combination of iridescent crystals crys crys- on net and the Joining of the two w would uld for all the world look like liko a skirt and separate blouse if the belt had not been featured It is made of blue satin and has of the black and blue standing high up in back and rather que queer r blue satin ornaments ornaments or or- holding them in place The week that this gown came came out it was was worn at the same time by a distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- young actress actress- and by a smartly smartly- dressed society woman at a restaurant dinner Two days after I saw the original gown exhibited at an opening which goes to show how difficult difficult dif dif- it is to get hold of anything thatis that thatis is not reflected by someone else Long Sleeves Preferred There are few women who will rebel sufficiently against long sleeves s to toI I put them out ut of fashion It It- is js passing pass pass- ing strange that long g sleeve w will alI al- al in with the advent of warm I weather instead of cold but SK nr o sod sod- ern era version of using transparent nt fabrics to cover the arms robs the thelong thelong thelong t long long- sleeve of its terror It is fascinating to go among the many French gowns that are re offered I for inspection and try to classify Y the different kinds of sleeve sleeves s and the next thought is th that t any woman who does not care for for- forone one kind may have havea a chance at several others There are even sleeves in evening gowns and some of them reach to the knees There are ones I of silver or gold net that before they are put on the arms look like the stockings of some greedy child hanging hang hang- ing on a Christmas man mantel el When I they are put on the arms the entire length is wrinkled up between wrist and armhole In this vast variety of sleeves one kind is missing nothing fits the arm without a break or bulge between the between the armhole and the cuff There are coat sleeves that start out outto to be quite conventional but which run up when they get below the elbow or reach the wrist One of the most amazing sleeves in an evening gown is nothing but a pair of long mitts mitt of lace that are made of the ends of lace and tulle drapery that flow down the back of th the gown As the wearer spreads out outher outher outher her arms either in talking or dancing she widens the back drapery until it looks like Uke the wings of a butterfly Rebelling Ag Against tt New Neck Lines Lires It goes without saying that hundreds hundreds hundreds hun hun- of women are areo going to revolt against the renaissance neck line Une which cuts straight across the top of ot the shoulders leaving the bare neck come out like a column from a huge basic framework It is not easy to explain why this l age Moen-age age neck line has become fashionable fashionable fashionable fash fash- during an an era of Louis XV and Lpuis Louis Phi Phillippe lippe fashions unless one remembers that and Pre Pre- met have emphasized this kind of neck neckline neckline neckline line for sev several ral gowns from being true to to type The French designer never likes to tobe I be he accused of copying pictures or periods periods periods pe pe- exactly she would think that I such slavishness would be an insult I PINK TAFFETA A MAUVE MAUVE VELVET I r r t t f JE l r T f t. t t t.- t. J t N I J I r. r i i I I. I j I 1 r s J k kY I Y t i I Pink taffeta taffeta trimmed trl ed with Ith mauve vel velvet et ribbon bon Model Model by Rondeau to her genius for original de designing she would frankly own to the source of her inspiration but she would always always always al al- ways add something to the gown to keep it from being a copy This cu curious curious cu- cu urious u- u rious neck line is an example There is no doubt that some of the tire French designers exaggerate this last feature to the point of freakishness and others like for example I seem to handle it in the most graceful graceful grace grace- ful way She has sent to this this' country a gown of bl black k net and velvet ribbon that is entirely suitable for the he mid midi die aged woman who does not riot want to appear like a fledgling and such sucha gown a-gown a is is' rare these days The foun foun- dation of the skirt is is' black chiff chiffon n with loose strips of black velvet ribbon ribbon rib rib- bon boD hanging over it it In the Spanish effect Above this is a sling like HIre drapery of white and black lace Bythe Bythe Bythe By By- the way slings of transparent mateI materials materials mate mate- I rials are exceedingly smart for hip drap drapery ry and Mme Joire who is the the- I head of the establishment has made a feature of them on street and evening gowns There is really n no need to describe them further for all you have haye to think of is a surgical sling used to rest a wounded arm The bodice which is quite low in front is of of black and white lace and it is made quite high higl at the back by a wide band of black velvet ribbon lined with black silk which is made to stand straight up pp across the back of the n neck around the armholes and then down the front of the blouse forming a surplice below the decol decol- then crossing around the waist and going to the back where it hangs in two ends Above its crossing at atthe atthe atthe the back there are are long ovals of of- jet linked into each other and forming form form- ing ingan an an attractive definition of the waist line One of the other good variations of this r renaissance neck neckline line is to drop it a bit lower than the collarbone in front round it up up slightly at the outer edges to reach the shoulder line and finish it in the back baele with a turnover collar of white organdy or or crepe This Continued on page e 5 INDIVIDUALITY REIGNS Continued from page 3 3 has lIas peen been effectively done In is the new gowns to be wpm in deep mourning One thing seems to be as nearly certain as anything can be in fash fasli- ions This is that the round neck in afternoon bodi bodices es and evening gowns is to be the fashionable line of ot decol- decol In one of Jennys Jenny's admirable black r and silver sUver gowns there is a Brittany basque hasque in fine jet on net the peplum below the belt being cut into battlements battlements battle battle- ments meats that are held out by the stiffness stiffness stiff stift- ness of the silver slIver embroidered taffeta used for the skirt The gives the tho appearance of being a genuino ine me 1870 one Upon close examination examination examination examina examina- tion it is found that the short puffed putted sleeves of at tulle and pet that are placed well below the shoulder line are held up b ya clever cleverly y arranged gusset of flesh colored tUlle that hugs the top of the shoulder This is offered as a brand new frock at smart Fifth avenue shops and yet Florence Walton has been dancing in a marvelous gown with just this arrangement of the shoulders for the last two months I |