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Show The American by Eugenia Sheppard a reverse twist to the European story this coming year. Boatloads of will be arriving from America -- almost as many as will sail our way from Europe. couSince the beginning of organized fashion turiers and all that American women have idolized European clothes. They have believed that European designers were endowed with some special magic, and that any dress with a foreign name sewn in at the back of the neckline puts them a couple of steps ahead in the race for status. Each season when our stores show the imports their buyers have brought back, along with the copies made here, literally 'thousands of women jostle each other to get Into the opening and see what is going on at the top. The funny thing, though, is that European women have become equally mad about American clothes. r. They They love the whole concept of admire the easy, American way of shopping, the fabrics, the fit of the clothes and the range of sizes which is three times as wide as it is any place else in the world. That secret little dressmaker every European woman is supposed to keep hidden from her best friend may have given French women, at least, a reputation for great chic. But the dressmaker is no longer what she's reputed to be. Fittings and pinnings have become bores. world. And nobody can turn It's a ready-to-weclothes more quickly or out attractive ready-to-wemore effectively than the American manufacturer. Inevitably, most European countries are starting to make ready-to-wefashions now, but they're still a long way behind. It takes a year for their designers to finish a model and get it in the stores. And the clothes can't help but look dated to us. at least. clothes haven't reached Europe If our ready-to-webefore this, it isn't because European women don't know about them. Their fame has been spread by women who are conhordes of American-dresse- d stantly on the move, traveling through Europe. (Last year the most popular gift anyone could take to a European woman was one of those printed rayon jersey shifts from Wilroy that looked as if it came from Emilio Pucci. Remember? You bought them in those plastic envelopes.) The big barrier has been the high cost of American clothes exported to Europe. When an American dress reaches another country, the price tag can be triple what it was when it started here. And another thing: Funny as it sounds, American manufacturers have suffered from a certain lack of Artisans are about admitting to artistic or cre- - There will be ready-to-wea- ar ar ar ar i f i'. v i tt.- - mr sit us Ftuition tkelchet by Barbuit Fearlman 4 Dimension in Living |