| OCR Text |
Show WOMEN BALK AT PRICE OF GOWNS i Parisian "Creations" Cost More Than the Average Customer Can Afford. DRESSMAKERS NOT TO BLAME Patrons Demand the Best France Hss to Offer, snd They Were Forced to Buy Expensive Material Used on All Costumes-Much Costumes-Much Velvet New York. There has been n host of troubles in the world of dressmaking dressmak-ing this autumn. There are many Chastened and saddened souls among tlins,. who sell feminine apparel. Something Some-thing happened nobody yet knows quite what It was but women did not buy as they should have during the three autumn mouths. In this city, for instance, where oue expects the largest larg-est amount of money to be spent on Clothe, the buying was held back for so long that numbers of high-class dressmakers and shops sent out additional addi-tional announcements after the first one and devised several kinds of shows to bring the public. The delay in buying clothes was laid to Infantile paralysis and the election, but, possibly, If the truth were acknowledged, it would be due to the tremendous prices asked for French gowns. It Is true that prosperity was rain-pant rain-pant and wages high, but the cost of living was greater than ever before In the history of this country, and It was not the psychological moment for dressmaker! to aah enormous prices for apparel. Forced to Pay High Prices. It Is true, they huve their own troubles; trou-bles; the American women demand styles that have orlgiuuted in France, and the dressmakers who went to Paris in August for Inspiration and for French models were asked prices that Marie Antoinette and Catherine de .Medici would have refused to pay. They felt compelled to pay them, however, how-ever, and when they came back to this country they tried to get the original price plus the duty. Evidently, enough American women rebelled to throw the dressmaking world Into a state of turmoil and anxiety, anxi-ety, and we have arrived ut December without settling down with uny definite outlay of eostuinery. Even counting the struggles of those who are trying to do their best wit bout spending large amounts of money, it Is riut a winter of economy. Materials are splendid, evening gowns are especially es-pecially gorgeous and women In general gen-eral have taken on an oriental sumptu-ousness sumptu-ousness In their apparel as soon as they leave the street. Change in Demand. I'p lint 1 1 now, women have gone along with whatever evening clothes they happened to possess, concentrating concentrat-ing their attention and finances on the getting together of street clothes. In doing this, the manufacturers have iwtiffl w&Ltu mrlStfcl MA Wi L -1 ajj laaTaaaaaaaaaaOaaaa 1 Malaaal Small Veivet Hat of Red Velvet, the Feathers at the Back Also of Red. already complained that women are Insisting Upon one-piece frocks and top coats Instead of coat suits, hut as there has rarely been .such a demand for fur coats, furriers are delighted. BvSfl In the far South, women are wearing fur coats that envelop the figure, and ufter their first enthusiasm enthusi-asm in the new possession dies nut, they realize that they may not have 30 duys In the whole season during which such u garment muy be comfortably com-fortably worn. Whenever coats of fur are In fash Ion, economy can be safely counted put of the season's reckoning, and when velvet, brocade and bullion lace make up the trilogy of expensive materials, ma-terials, then, again, there is no chance for saving money. Prevalence f)f Velvet. Velvet is everywhere, Don't have It for u street suit ; that's all. In evening gowns It Is lavishly Used, The demand for trains has brought it Into general use. Eveo the woman who does not have a velvet gown ami who insists on practicing economy bj still wcurlug her short frock of satin or II tulle that belonged to last spring, compromises com-promises with the new fashion by adding add-ing a train of velvet at the wnlstim.-or wnlstim.-or Just below the shotilderbbides. It Is a very good scheme, this, i'liere Is not enough change in the silhouette of evening gowns to cast the ones of last year Into outer darkness. Satin Is still profusely used, also silk net. The ultra fashionable line Is n straight one from bsjsi to ankles, but a normal waistline slightly loosened, with a careless girdle at or below It, remains in fashion. Skirts are again short in front for Hie evening, and the striking differ- vvsvssssSvvi TVnnJV ljt s'v i Dinner Gown of Gold snd Silver Transparent Trans-parent Tissue Touched With Lace The Decolletage Is Outlined With Pink Roses. ence between then and now lies in the tram. As all the new models show this In a detached form, the solution of putting fin old gown into new shape is made easy. Velvet Is almost exclusively used fulfills ful-fills train, and its lining does not go along one line; every kind of fabric is used, from metallic brocade to plait-lugs plait-lugs of silk net ; even a deep band of fur Is used a quarter of the way up the train to steady it. Employed in Many Ways. The woman who lias exotic notions iloes not choose a velvet thai matches Hie rest of the gown In color. She puts a train of king's blue velvet against u slim frock of yellow tulle or she makes u train of lUirgundy red edged with ermine against a gov n of black tulle and Jet. There are blink velvet trains lined with white nod edged with ermine, caught with ropes of Jet over bare shoulders, that hang n way from slim frocks of white satin girdled with gold. There is no attempt to get away from the velvet train, be It short or long, and It Is quite eli' -nl fr.nn its wholesale appearance that It is arranged ar-ranged as often nt home as In the dressmakers' salons. if any one color predominates In velvet it may be red; whatever the shade, a piece of it is Inserted In ul- I most every costume. There are few people who can stand the gorgeous. ness of Japanese red, '.it even it is found in velvet trains as well us suede girdles on afternoon frocks, bill can see lor yolilsi , Imw uick- ly an unimportant gown I;, turned into an Important one by the addition ol a velvet train. Iteiiieniber that It should not be long, that it Should not be snakelike and that its lining should be Important. The problem of fasten Ing It to the gown is not easy, and When one gets to that pari of it. it i best to be Imitative rather than original. ori-ginal. (Copyright by MoClurs Newspaper Syndicate.) |
