THE OREGON SUNDAY- JOURNAL', PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 18, 1915
8
By Anne Rittenhotxse
:v- ' : - .. . .
"WM1MBL DRESSED WOMEN WX WEAR H '
Shorter Skirts i ' P " ' I " " ' 1 . Jp
i i m " a-a :-v i v -m m m .... i
(Cop j tight, 181 S. by McClura Newspaper
i - fiTodicmto.)
EVEN at the' height of the craze for.
the imitation of Russian ballet-costumes,
there never were such hlsh
boots and ehort skirts as now. Victor
ia nfsm allowed the skirts to miss the
ground by many inches, in order to
show the flesh-colored stockings and
flat black slippers of a woman with a
well-turned , ankle and an arched In
step., We will have those two requisites
necessary ' for a short skirt. The
American woman has the best looking
feet in the world, possibly barring the
Spanish, woman, among those nations
who wear boots. She is conscious of
the fact, and the manufacturers cater
io it and the rest of the world Imitates
her. , But, - even Victorianism at Its
best; or worst, never allowed women
to wear skirts so short as the ones that
have come upon us at the coming of
spring.
" Twelve Inches from the ground Is
" the measurement of a few of the new
est. A hem that ripples six and eight
inches above the floor is already com
monplace in the large centers of fash
ionable life. The strange part. of it s
that the critics are silent. Are they
stunned, or did the bitter and unsuc
cessful fight against, the hobble skirt
and the split skirt leave them too dis
couraged for further attack? We read
no' diatribes against the new fashion;
We do not listen to sermons attacking
it, as we did when, the "peek-a-boo"
waists became barred from some
churches.
".The cartoonists are strange! silent
about this amazing fashion. And it is
really amazing. We who saw it com
ing on were prepared for a storm of
criticism; yet here the fashion is op-
; ularly launched, and the only comment
anent is left to the reporters, not the
reformers. Between these two classes
in, women's apparel there is a vast gulf
of difference fixed.
What Happens When Slippers Come.
- So far the effect of a skirt cut 10
Inches from the floor is mitigated by
the high boots worn; but what of the
effect when the warm weather makes
women discard the boots and go in for
, pumps? Are we to have the sight of
the thick and thin, the curved and the
straight, the bowed and the fleshless
striding along with no covering but
stockings between ' the heel and the
hem? This is not a pleasant thought!
! The carrying of it out may add to
the beauty of a feminine procession.
, It appears on the surface as though we
were to be asked to approve or corn
bat one of the most remarkable fash-
- ions that has been put over by the
. dressmakers in decades.
The women have taken to it like
fish to water. They leap at the idea of
walking about in an untrammeled
fashion. They have been hobbled so
long that they swing like a pendulum
to the other extreme. Skirts that are
S yards wide and 10 inches short de
light them. A walk down New York's
. Fifth -avenue at noon makes one rub
the eyes and ask if the Russian 'ballet
" girls have forsaken the stage and gone
' on promenade.
Two conditions are responsible for
these costumes: The zeal of the boot
maker and the vogue for the wide
skirts. Every one found that the lat
ter was hideous, if long; six yards
swirling around the insteps or ankles
took every particle of grace away from
a woman's figure, so the hem was
drawn- higher and higher in order to
combine beauty and fashion, and at
, this Juncture the American bootmaker
: saw his chance and produced the high
laced shoe and its more dressy com
panion, the buttoned cloth boot.
; . But for Grandmother Taboo I
A charming fashion, indeed, for the
young woman with a good looking foot
and ankle, but for the grandmother, no
matter how strongly she retains a sem-
' blance of youth, this fashion should be
taboo,
America has developed a race of
! I ; AN ATTRACTIVE DINNER BLOUSE
& y i ' 1 1 ' .. 1 - -
i rri
Most economical of any blouse fabric in chiffon, which may be com
bined with the most tailored of street suits, or used to lend a
v festive tone to fancy costume a. ' This blouse is trimmed with
black dots -embroidered on white chiffon, and red embroidery.'
iSsBMKfc'fete i vL uii J f , .If I'll i ti ' Hrhs ftiSiff tiwV v -
II 1
Palest pink taffeta was used to build up this dainty evening gown,
j so similar in its lines to the gowns of colonial days. The skirt
i hangs full with the merest suggestion, of a gold lace founda
j tion. The wide girdle laps a chiffon vesting, and ' bodice of
! gold ,lace with short, kimono sleeves.
young women for which some historian
should find a name. They are as im
portant in their way as were the Am
azons. Reckless young boys have
named them the Kewpies. Social stu
dents are trying to classify them. The
typeiexists in every stratum of social
lifeThey come from the factory ana
themillionaire drawing room; they'
stand in the subway and they run
theirj own cars; -they go to work at s
o'clock in the morning, and they have
breakfast in bed at 10.
For them all the fashions in the
world seem to be designed. They wear
everything that is launched with bril
liancy and bravado. They are the de
light of the dressmakers and the de
spair of their imitators. They are not
French nor English. They owe noth
ing to any race, or any land, or any
training. .They are made in America.
Of course, they can wear the short
skirt and . the high boot. 1 for nature
seems to have given every one of them
the possibility of looking fascinating
in whatever happens to be the idea of
the moment; but how will the tall
woman, the short, stout woman, the
woman with the long foot .nd the thin
ankle look in these Russian ballet
skirts and boots? A card of warning
should be put up in every dressmaing
house in th amount ry concerning them.
Acceptance of the French Boot.
'When Paris first took up for men
and women the almost square-tod
shoe, laced up the front and made up
of a combination of patent leather and
tan colored cloth, it was called the Ar
gentine. All the men, except English
men, wore this shoe abroad, and, after
this example, the women took it up. It
reached America this winter, and was
scoffed at. . Now it is the street shoe
ot the season, and we lodk upon It with
kindliness and buy a pair ourselves, al
though we wondered in the beginning
of its reign how any one could make
her feet so conspicuous.
The blocked toe of the French has
been changed to the pointed American
toe, much to the dismay of a large
class of young women who like that
shortened : appearance of the feet
which the short vamp and the square
toe give. Deep tan cloth, usually with
a heavy twill, is used for the. upper
part and dull or patent for the camp,
the heel and the bands up the front.
The fashion for this color has
brought back the laced Russian leather
shoe in its natural tan. The smartest
women are wearing it in the morning,
laced high on the leg, with their short
skirted suits of covert cloth, or khaki
colored gabardine, or Scotch check in
red and brown.;
For afternoon wear there , are all
manner of high boots with colored
cloth tops, especially in tan and beige.
Some of these are made in the com
monplace fashion, with a dull leather
bottom and a suede top fastened with
small smoked pearl buttons; but the
newer ones are far more fanciful.
They are of beige-colored cloth with
only the vamp, and heel of varnished
leather. The bootmakers, and 1 many
women claim that this type -; of shoe
makes the foot look smaller; and it is
a point to be remembered by the wom
an with a long foot that a break be
neath the Instep, between - the vamp
and the heel part, is a trick that al
ways seemingly shortens ? the ' foot
However popular these boots are, they
look entirely unfit for the. street. They
are good, enough for; afternoon occa
sions in the house or for the motor,
but - they - look - out - of place - with any
kind of fashionable street suit. ' ' . ,
The bronze boot has also been re-
This afternoon! frock is. fashioned of silk in inch-wide stripes, blue and white. The pockets, appear
ing on everything this year, are outlined in blue, as are also the belt, bands at the sleeves and
yoke. Thd collar Is blue.
vised. It comes in! the most fragile
workmanship which makes Unsuitable
for the afternoon dance, but not the
morning shopping. Unfortunately, too.
many women do not; discriminate nice
ly between these occasions.
Fashions for Spats Continues.
The boot fashion which England has
forced upon the world is the wearing
of tan or gray spats at all hours of
the day. This is an established cus
tom among Englishmen, but it is now
the most popular fashion among Amer
ican women. Tbey wear this cloth up
per over the most extravagant patent
leather pump with high Louis XIV
heels..
Women who go In for sensible shoes
and these are also quite fashionable
this spring, with their two-layer heel
and flat soles also place.the tan and
the gray spat above them, One might
safely assert that the strong rivalry at
the moment is between the spat and
Out for Women
in Business
By Jessie Roberts.
Boston has a club that is entirely
for business women, and New York is
following her. What Is more,. the two
clubs hope to interchange courtesies
between the members who may be vis
iting either of the cities, much as uni
versity clubs do. '
It is an idea that , should be devel
oped in every large sized city on the
continent. The Boston club was found
er because several women who live en
ergetic lives in the business world re
alized that there was too little inter
change between women who are work
ing out in the world. As the founder
of the Boston club, Mrs. Robert R.
Woods, puts it, "There Is a substantial
group of business women whom people
in general do not know, and ! wno do
not know each other, yet )they are
women who know life by actual ex
perience, and who have something to
give the community at large. W e relt
that such women do not meet very
much unless by chance, and have no
knowledge of the various pursuits in
which their fellow workers are en
gaged. Here they meet on a personal
basis. No one has to explain herself,
everyone meets on a common ground."
A big part of the club is the restaur
ant, where the food is well cooked and
tempting, but of moderate price. The
lunch hour is the greatest hour, for
then the women run in from their dif
ferent offices. . Bhops, or even farms,
for a number are farmers, and have a
chance to swap ideas.: There are also
evening lectures on many topics, busi
ness points, art, nature, anything the
women may choose as an interest or a
hobby. - j .v-."--;j)--.
The building is f pleasant; central,
charmingly . but simply, furnished.
There is also a committee for the ex
change of information concerning em
ployments keeping office hours. It is
time for .the business women every
where else .to get together and found
their own clubs.. Boston has proved
the success of such, an organization,
and the speed with which New York is
following her example proves : that
business women are keen for the Idea
the laced shoe, each being In a tone of
tan. --
f There seems something incongruous
in the Juxtaposition of a cloth spat
above a liouis XIV patent leather
slipper; realizing this, there has come
about a fashion for fancy uppers made
of corded silk, of thin suede, of heavy
brocade.
One sees these on the street in the
afternoon, admirably harmonizing with
the skirts above them. Summing it
up, there seems no place for,- the un
covered ankle in the fashions of this
spring, but the warm weather will
surely change his condition. High
boots, hot cloth uppers, will both be
shelved in the closet when the first
hot day strikes town. -
It has always been a curious coinci
dence in fashion that new things are
brought out at unsuitable seasons.
.The designers advance the high 'heck
and the long sleeves when spring
comes, and the high boots for dancing
when summer is scheduled, and the
transparent blouse when the snow oe
gins to fly. Possibly these are just
advanced runners of the fashion. If
we do not feel tempted to dance in
NEWEST FASHION TOUCHES
THAT APPEAL TO MILADY
SIMPLICITY in line is a strong fea
ture, and it shows the straight
path along which the winds are
going. There is no complicated dra
pery or ornamentation. Naturally, th,e
French designer uses more skill in the
manipulation of material and effects
are usually simpler than the methods
when the American sewing woman
goes to copy them.
One of the well known Fifth avenue
importing houses in New York says
that It is no easy matter to rush out
new gowns these days. The trick they
turned in other times of taking an
order for a frock on Saturday after
noon and delivering it on Wednesday
morning is too difficult to contemplate
now.
, The fashion for putting a picot edge
everywhere has gained in importance,
and when there are yards and yards of
it on one frock time must be allowed
for such work. And yet this trick of
putting the tiny pointed edge instead
of a hem contributes to the seeming
simplicity of at frock.
Jet is used in quantities, as every
one expected. Jenny likes it well and
puts it under tulle more than she does
over it. There is a strong feeling for
the styles of 1840 and 1870, both of
which call for quantities of lace and
artificial flowers. Often the latter Is
used under the former or to loop it up
into the festoons which the Empress
of France liked. That 1840 pointed
basque, ; with its straight decolletage.
also, copied by Eugenie to show , her
lovely neck and shoulders, is used by
Callot as well as by other houses. - .
There is also the medieval decollet
age, which is cut in a straight line
across the collar bone and which -is
distressingly ugly. Cheruit and some
of - her followers- almost discard the
deep decollete line- and . bring the
frocks - well up on the chest. The
square, front with the high back. Is
smart.
high satin boots or brocade spats this
warm weather season, we shall prob
ably find the fashion in full swing' by
September
Dancing in Kifh Boots.
When Mme. Paul Poiret was here
she introduced the fashion for wearing
the regulation high Russian boot in
white, red and tan leather. -It was
square-toed, flat-heeled and reached
far above the hem of her skirt. It was
considered a Poiret;fantaey.
Today our best Women are asking
for these high Russian boots. The
mannequins who showed off the new
fashions in New York wore them.
Another fashion of the hour which
was introduced at the Paris openings
in February Is the. high laced satin
boot to be worn in the afternoon and
evening. It has taken the place in
smart usage of the satin slipper. The
mannequins in Paris are supposed to
introduce the newest footwear along
with the newest gown, and their high
satin boots made of the gown material,
worn at the private openings for
American buyers, instantly . started a
new fashion.
Although the high collar is reckoned
as a first fashion, the best houses
sent over, tha neck which is opened in
a V in front, outlined-by a handker
chief collar in a soft material. Or
gandie embroidered in colors is a fea
ture of many gowns. It often extends
from the neck to the waist, forming
a vest, a double collar, and also a pair
of turn-over cuffs.
In the minds of all the designers a
strong purpose ran to keep the hips
smooth and the waist trim. The sec
ond empire waist line is as frequent
a the normal line, but the balance of
power is toward the latter. Evidently
there was some perturbation about the
armhole. The kimono sleeve was not
liked; the regulation armhole had to be
varied, and so a new placement of the
sleeve has arisen which might be
called an adaptation of the raglan idea.
Th top of the sleeve is cut into a
deep point, which runs to the collar
band. It narrows the shoulders and
gives a less military took than we were
led to expect would prevail; After
all, this pinching in of the shoulders
is not general, but it Is significant.
It is strongly 1870.
Doeiullet tried out this shoulder
line in the winter, so It Is not strictly
new, but this trick has been vastly
improved upon. It . is used more in
coats than in gowns. Its chief dis
advantage lies in the fact that it will
be well-nigh impossible to accomplish
at home.
The average American tailor Is such
an admirable master of cloth and sew
ing that we may not have any fear of
its being well handled in a low priced
suit. ; There are few things that our
tailors cannot do when they have once
seen the model.' In this fact lies the
secret of the excellence of our ready-to-wear-
street clothes and .the ad
mirable appearance of a vast number
of our women on small incomes, con
trasted with, the street appearance of
the working women of other nations.
." ' i -
Brown taffeta was combined with net
afternoon costume. The sleeveless
and taffeta bands trim the wide cuffs, the front of the bodies
and ttfe bottom of the skirt,. Tassels depending from each corner
of the jacket give a finished air to the whole.
THE
KNIGHT
SHOE
Today's ' np-to-
t&t-Miaat
'Styles
For $5.00 the Pair
Morrison street. Bear Broadway.
u ; - -
C.E
HOLLIDAY CO.
EXCLUSIVE OUTER GARMENTS
"Of the Better Class.'
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Geneva E. Reilly
514 Abington Bldgr.
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Main- 1226. .
The Bruce Hat Shop
SSfSSS A $7.50 HAT
1 38 V4 AUin ST.
Henrichsen's
1861
Hat Pins tor Spring Wear
$l$1.50 Pr.
386 Washington Street
Bet, Wj Park and 10th Sts.
ultra-smart
cf taffeta.
Art Embroidery and
Button Co. .
633 Morgan Bid g.
M&in t048
Washington and
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Hemstitching. Scalloping, Button
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latest styles. Box,j Accordion and
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For Women and Misses
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Corsetiere
141 Eleventh St.
Corner Alder
MARSHALL 406
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Designer and Maker of
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Featuring beautiful Hand-Made
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the finer class or Artistic worn.
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148 TUrteeata St.
to develop this
jacket is . made
V