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4| women about new winter
{ahlllnnfl she interrupts to
~ .1; the it‘nsrth of skirts. There’s
. mvziml sense in her question.
n: that the length of a
:x. rim the point where she
:-~i ..r acquires grace. No other
a-{zv- in her frock counts for as
“(1.:- tlosiuners care little (or this
Win-n they slide the hem up
. down as though it we mer-
-‘-t .i barometer. Their busi-
~ in change the appearance
.wlsrunlwlothes. They pucker
, r brows how to do it. \V‘ho
5 ptcnsing? The manufac-
..-_ n: clothes or the public?
. ' tvozh. Probably they
1:. nt’ ihvil‘ purses. Trade rules
unriri, change rules trade. the
w use: chance in everything
.. t‘:~ selection of a President
.. litpublic to the length of a
- vt '
,‘.t this hour we are enmeshed
»~ It-t-tion of skirts. short and
. L’ Ti.» conservatives are hold-
H...i.' it hit; the moderns are
. ‘. it; into clothes that are as
s' it: those in war days. Most
- ~ wmon out of the stir of the
. «iv-a» r>c12rtiing the brief bits
_ .1 -h hanging from the hips
<~ nit unicorn and dismay. There
still whole sections of the
. , ,ntry unaware of the return of
-, .- in: to fashion. As late as the
.t ot‘ November there were hosts
. t' women buying new gowns
u ".i 3: hit the ankles. They looked
, 'u astonishment and some dis-
;t:t:\l‘l\\'.’\l at those who suddenly
:;;'~;uu‘irt‘t‘l in skirts that swung
: who inches clear of the ground.
like it or n‘Ot. skirts are short.
my. the verdict of those who
v
.t.i.lf.
The trim in Gilead is that eve-
nin: skirts remain ankle length.
’lhw ullip to trade is that the
'- l'. ;th of each skirt is guided by
hour when it is worn. This
:uton-sting. It makes for'diver-
«iv, also a change in the apparel
«‘1' ”men according to the task
tltnf’ ure undertaking.
It has been a cause for disap-
prnvnl that. war days brought
;.r out a long‘continued fashion for
wtrinz the some kind of clothes
‘H the hours of wakefulness.
hemisc gown with a. bateau
u. ~i.iine and short sleeves wry re—
;n :ttml in a variety of fabrics to
sl'l‘ll‘ all occasions. It. went to
market. It went- to parties. It.
Just ' a .Little Story
No matter what you try to tell‘
took on somewhat of the ammo
sality of the prewar tailored suit
‘ich women refbsed to omit ex~
cept for a ball or dinner party.
There‘s a Law to Govern Skirts
It has been many years since
there “Was a rigid law governing
the hem lengths of gowns for dil-
i'ering occasions. It's well that it
has come about even if it is dis-
regarded by the majority. At
present. women are obeying the
edict. Skirts e twelve inches
short (or taller d skirts worn in
the morning, ten inches short for
skirts worn in the afternoon. four
inches short for skirts worn in the
evening. T‘ woman who wears
an afternoo rock to a formal af~
fair in the evening is risking her
reputation for good dressing.
That's the way the dressmakers
have applied the screws to make
women buy more than one gown.
No woman should take this ver-
dict too much to heart. If she
goes by it without recourse to
judgment her clothes will be fail-
ures. Let her figure and the poise
of her body decide what skirt
lengths to adopt. it‘s strange that
a woman will rarely regard the
way she carries herself as a de-
termining factor in her clothes.
She will put her age and her
weight in the scales. but never her
poise of body. ' Boiling it down to
an essential fact. the woman who
moves heavily. whose body does
not swing easily and gracefully as
she moves. must avoid the too
short skirt. 5.
Thin legs do not justify short
skirts if these logs throw them-
selves into awkward positions
when they move; if they do not
glide well into the feet: and it the
fed do not place memselves into
sure and graceful positions. it's
the carriage that counts.
A woman whose age does not
justify a ten-inch skirt. whose
shoulders may be a trifle heavy for
her hips, can carry it oil with ap-
proval if she moves swiftly and
easily through the world like a
yacht through a sea. apparently
regardless of her feet. The Woman
who seems to be afraid to take
a step up or dovm. the worn who
propels herself“ torward b the
hips or the knees. the woman who
stoops in an ungainly fashion as
though she used her shoulders to
push her way through a crowd.
for such as these the new short
skirts are a vexing problem. That
A .
‘4‘ F
' which
At I How. of arm
a..." a Deal“. idea of a, length the makers lav down for 1:012:
o‘fr'rrtoon gown that ”In.
l7'v'rc in o T:
”w nktrt that carries a coat 01"be“
Inn‘nlal silhouette which marks
trltrct skirt a 34”“ III M
1' a most decorative b10106
Um’ri rmbrnldcry W W
Mark skiff ‘1 tea “he.
3:3th height or a hen when m our!
bomb: “M
from shoulder
am can: a m lot-oer t a.
m pa track an: the
season. At right—A. blade
from t. sole of the foot, thick in the estab-
uthWMnmho-n.
Mod
is if she realizes what a factor
her carriage is.
High Heels and [10“.m
While we talk much. of the
superiority of the American styles
in shoes. every knowing one
knows that we scan the French
skies for whatever is new. We
sdbpt it shortly after it is estab-
lished there. According to this
plan we will take up the single
Dump of pre-war years with a
modified Cuban heel. It will re-
place the Egyptian and other
Oriental shoes. strapped and per
forated. which have made our feet
look more fit for gilded barges
than dirty pavements. With such‘
moderately low heels as these
pumps will bring into fashion. the
short skirts will not appear ab-
surd. With the really lowuhseled
sandal. there is danger that a
twelve-inch skirt may have its
awkward moments. However.
either of these shoes are better
with short skirts than the French
heels of Eighteenth century make.
It is well that sentiment has
turned against thaanor street pure
poses if the dresemskere succeed
in reviving quite short" skirts for
the majority.
As the beige stocking continues
to be the fashion in leg coverings
every inch of bone and muscle be—
tween instep and skirt hem is ob—
it
TM: tailored cult was established 7_
in» the first line of fashion by its
appearance at the great race be-
tween Pam and Zoe, near New
York. Ito skirt is twelve inches
from the sole of the foot. The line
is simple and cleanly cut, the im-
mense collar and mud cufls giving
the touch of decoration desired by
most tailored nuts this season, espe-
cially when the embellishment is of
fur.
g.
servable. All light colored stock-
ings make short skirts appear
shorter. This is another reason
it : caution by women who are not
ire that youthfulness is their.
best quality.
It is not necessary wear
transparent beige stocking called
“nude" in the shops. to follow
fashion. Smoke and taupe. orchid
and gray deftly mingled, sem
the purpose. Black has no pres-
e‘nt‘chance of revival. Plain gray
remains inoouter darkness. Dark
brown is not worn; Pale brown
is good when reduced to thethln-
ness of a cobweb. The cobweb is
the aim of all stockings, no mat-
ter 'whaluthcir color.
This is not a shoe and stocking
story. but no discussion. of the
shortness of skirts can be com-
ple without bringing in the pre-
vail g foot as leg coverings.
They count for
7 Godot. Glue Grace
When rumors drifted over the
seal of the incoming circular
movement in heme at a time when
’eklrts reached the ankles, there
was dismay among women. Nab.
orally. The combinatioa of the,
two would have meant the same
ugliness~ that prevailed when we
accepted it in the eighties. Pos-
sibly women looked as lovely and
graceful then as we do now. but
nothing could make us believe it.
The dressmakers. however, were
kinder than we anticipated. They
gave us the godets. but abbrevi-
ated the hem. The circular skirt
. Bq ' Anne .Rillenllouse.“
a .
of the hour has much grace. =
is flat in the back, which aids the
silhouette. and its toluene in front
is unstil'fened; the fabric fall.
against the body without attempt
to make an artificial circle.
The godet skirt has its peril!
for the amateurs. There are I
dozen varieties ot it. The most
acceptable kind in America limits.
the tulness to the front and runs
it upward to one hip. The most
pleasing‘way to make it is to add
a circular dounce to a shaped
apron front. The flounce goes
across the knees and ends in a
buckle at the left side where such
movements, including sashes.
have their finish this season.
The French godet skirt carries
its fulness at each side. .Jt makea
one looks a trifle heavy unless its
width is well handled and its hem
shows the-ankles, at least. In
evening gowns it is scalloped and
has the street of a Spanish
dancer's skirt. It is better mov-
ing than resting. It is better for
dancing than walking. It is worn
more lightly by youth than age.
The model with the dounce in
front, going upward. is more ser-
viceable, for it suits more people.
Its dimcult feature is the flat back.
the unbroken line of which drops
plumb from shoulders to hem.
Not every figure can stand the
severity of that brush stroke. A
1“”
belt or a. sinus might help; but
these are omitted from gowns and
costs this winter. Even a bit or
drapery going across the 'back
would help. This is not permitted.
The genuinely wide skirt of the
winter is for the evening. It;
fnlness goes evenly around the
hem. There is no sharp difference
between" the back and front. Only
the ankles show. Often the heme
of such skirts are faced with chif-
fon or Georgette in an’ opposing
cola? which is an old fashion
brought into the light. “The bod-
ice is more Spanish than Second
Empire. It reaches to the hips in
0.
New S
» first place for the evening.
women. especially those who are
W .1923 1y macaw NW W'M .s y
seeming
This formal eve-tug gem of ”vendor velvet,
train to mdloe up [or in luck of sleeves. audits a
go this winter.
a straight line and securely holds
thogathers of the skirt.
‘In contrast to. it is the abbrevi-
lbed straight (rock which is as
simply cut as the first garment
worn by women. .It has no ear-
marks of novelty. but it holds
Older
heavily built. do not look their
best‘ in it. For them. there must
be panel trains which give length
and dignity.‘ Drapery has its
strict limitations this Mn, but
there is ‘sumcient fashion behind
ankle length chemise sj for
evening to give encourage ant to
those who are no longer slimof
hip and shoulder. The waistline
is indicated by a few packers at
each side.
Undoubtedly the panel train is
a compromise. It is more popu-
‘lar than the dressmakm hoped.
Q
~_z —
IR 5 for Miter
Often it is looped under at the
waist or hips in the Watteau man-
ner. It rarely starts from the
skirt. The short cape has gained
so much importance as an adjunct
to an evening gown that this panel
train appears to be an elongation
of it.
The Camisole Skirt Rules
Possibly there is more uncer-
tainty and disgusslon about the
length of the tailored skirt than
elsewhere. It‘ grows shorter by
the week, also narrower. Little
fulness. if any, appears in its hem.
It hugs the hips, it barely escapes
the knees. it ends ten and twelve
inches from the foot. If one
would be comfortable in it. be sure
to put it on a camisole bodice, giv-
ing it a modicum of fulness at
back. This eases its hem when
one site or watlks. Far too many
3
. v .
which n boldly embroidered 9': silver threw, has a and
Mr: kneels the exact length to which evening skirts will
women try on their clot es stand-
ing before a mirror. then ey at.
dismayed when they see how
badly a skirt behaves when they
walk or sit. They try on an eve-
ning bodice likewise. and find it
impossible when they take their
place at a dinner table.
The camisole skirt is I depend-
able garment for it keeps its bal-
ance better by hanging tram the
shoulders than fastened around I.
loose and flexible waist. It should
be attac ed to s bodice out like
a' child's inafore if one want! to
get the best result from it and
it shouflavoid too much width at
the hips to keep from giving a bad
line to the over blouse. A thick.
waisted woman should drop the
fabric of the skirt as far down on
the bodice as she can: the thinner
the cloth over her waist. the
better.
I
Hero on the cm coconut skirt lengths for My, afternoon and com.
of the m. Stout ankles and Modular: moor
city settle the figure
Norwalk Chronicler