1940-11-05 — Page 11

By Genre MacManus -

„DARDÓN MES- BUT YOU LOOK JUST LIKE MARONE-

WELL-TWENTY DOLLARS-ILL BE AT TH' CLAM

BAKE EARLY

8.20

opr. 1940, King Festuves Syndicate, Ine, World rights seribveð.

A PAGE FOR WOMEN

New York As Fashion Centre Will It Replace Paris?

Elsa Schiaparelli arrived in New York the other day on the Clip- per from Lisbon and announced that she had come to buy some clothes! The item was a fine bit for the American newspapers

one of the leading couture ex- perts of Paris come to the United States to buy clothes!

Perhaps only a joke; perhaps, actually, Mme. Schiaparelli went only in connection with a lecture tour on "Clothes and the Woman."

But the item has precipitated a very interesting discussion.. Con- sidering all that has happened to France, to Paris, since last June, does Mme: Schiaparelli's visit pre- sage the ascendancy of New York as the fashion centre of the world. to replace the city on the Seine which has held that distinction in our era? The answer may be no; the present writer, after a careful study of the situation, thinks it is no, but it is not an answer that could not come very close to a yes, for so much is involved in the problem.-

Mme, Schiaparelli was asked the question. Her answer is signifi- cant. She said:

"I see no reason why America. cannot build a couture of its own. I know there's designing talent here, and, if it is given encourage- ment. it will develop more and .more."

As if the American fashion in- dustry got all the inferences in that observation; some of the lead- ing manufacturers at once began to make her offers to keep her in America. Four of the best known producers of women's dresses are 'known to have expressed a will- ingness to pay her 5,000 dollars a year for the use of her name on labels, and at least one of them offered her 500 dollars apiece for original designs. As one mentator put it, "You could almost hear them sigh, 'Ah, thank heavenl Schiaparelli will pull us out of this hole!'

h

com-

Mme. Schiaparelli, however, re- fused the offers and announced she was returning to Paris in Decem- ber.

If Hitler Controls Paris, Paris Won't Controi Fashions

Knitted sleeves in this green tweed suit. Cleverly gored skirt and matching tweed bag add a "tonic effect."

The

principal reason

why

France has led the world in the designing of women's clothes is that, in the words of an observer, she had an "intuitive understand- ing of the direction in which the feminine mind was moving with respect to clothes matters."

Proof of this isn't hard to find.

When Patou, for instance, raised the waistline back to its natural- position; when Vionnet employed: the bias cuts to reveal the curves of the body; when Schiaparelli manipulated the shoulder line to. give new contour to the silhouette,

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The Influence Of Hollywood

sudden flooding of the American. market with pictures from Berlin of German designers' couture seems to indicate that perhaps the German capital may be aiming to succeed Paris as the centre of A source of fashion inspiration world fashions - although, if unique, in the world, is Hollywood, where, without having to think of American fashion writers' re actions of these pictures are any costs, and certain of wide publi- test of the world's woman's re- city through the movies, designers action, the Nazis are setting them- making the striving for an ideal work practically untrammelled, selves a hopeless task.

a practical possibility,

American writers on fashion Presuming that Paris, under A fashion leadership, a group of subjects have tried to make the German compulsion, or by reason noted women who will sponsor point that, as long as Hitler con- of the consequences of the dis- and wear certain styles, in the trols Paris, Paris won't control location of her economy as a re same manner that the, leading fashions. It is, of course, too early cult of the war, is no longer able French couturiers had their to predict what the exact effect to maintain herself as the world's coteries of smart customers who the defeat of France will have on fashion centre, will New York, as wore their best or newest "things the freedom of Paris to conduct a consequence, therefore, be able in advance, thus setting style what was in times of peace to take her place? What about standards. Women like. Mrs. Har- France's second largest industry. London, which in recent years has rlson, Williams, often found on made enormous strides in attract lists of the world's ten best-

The earliest intimations of Goring the best-dressed women of the dress-women; Mrs. Vincent Astor, many's long-range policy toward world? There are a number of wife of the noted capitalist; Mrs. France were to the effect that she reasons why New York might Lawrence Tibbett, the wife of the would be deprived of her Empire,, conceivably succeed to the place singer: Mies Barbara Hutton; Miss and her position is a leading pow. of Paris and a number of reasons. Ina Claire, the actress; Ms. er on the Continent ended, but why she is not likely to achieve Bernard Gimbel, wife of the dis- that her production in certain the distinction. An, examination tinguished merchant, and others fields of fine manufacture where of these covers the entire range have been gradually assuming the she has always led would be en- of the question of fashion in wo role of arbiters in feminine couraged. On the other hand; the men's clothes,

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