L
ADY DUFFCORDON. the fanmi "Lucfle- of
London, tod foremost creator of fashion in the
world, writej each week the fashion article for iki.
newspaper, pretexting eD that it newest and best in style
for weB-dretsec? women.
Lady Duff-Gordon 'i Pari etab&hment bring her
into clow touch with that centre of fashion.
By Lady Duff-Gordon.
J'' mill m. I. ' ' ii . "t'5",
;cT' A jx - A ?fLr I'll .
( S;;:;irH A New "Luolla" Winter
, ' U J i?' V.,)Vt5;. Modal, in Which Staga
1 ' J I .? f , . . Mav. Toned
' f 1 r''"! Frltxl Scheff In a Ores lullt hi!.. f)r -V'v
or a Play Situation. ii, N .
ftHB real tnfluenc of tha
Mge on faahlont ought to
be weU understood U a
voman la not to m&k tha
mistake of copying too slaTlahly for
house and street the charming crea
tion that often appear there.
The stage Is a splendid place to
study modes. Actresses, as a rule,
know how to dress. But what must
be considered is that gowns for the
stage ought to be built to fit the pe
culiar situations dereloped In the
play. Discerning actresses know
this. because it la one of the Impor
tant points of producing plays that
may determine success or failure. A
dress which does not harmonise with
the spirit of the play may wreck the
whole play.
There la a good reason for thla
The stage's businesi to present the
illusion of life. That is what scene
painters, lighting experts, stage di
rectors, playwright, manager and
actorr are continually striving for.
In proportion, usually, as they suc
ceed does the play succeed
All stage folk know that many a
time a note of Insincerity, either in
lines or In gesture, In speaking or In
atmosphere, has killed an immensely
promising play on the instant
Having all this in mind, we begin
to see how Important It b to dress
up 1o the play. And we begin to see
why the stage dress so created can
not be thoughtlessly transplanted
Into any environment
Take, for Instance, that curiously
interesting production "My Lady's
Dress." in which a series of tabloid
plays centre about the making of one
sown. If that gown did not com
pletely and aubtly harmonise with
every one of the situations what dan
gers the play would run! The audi
ence has to feel that all they see
would naturally cluster around futt
that drtit and no other. If the gown
Old not harmonise, if It con
stantly struck a Jarring note,'
what would become of that Im
portant factorthe Illusion of
reality?
So also of that ambitious
moving picture film which de
pends for conviction upon a
womaa wearing naturally a
million dollars' worth of Jewels.
Such a situation demands a
specially constructed dress
for It.
Would, rata 8cheff be as
sonvindng la her scenes, dev.
r as she is, if sha did not pick
out the gowns she wears to
harmonise with those aceneef
And this being so, we see
why there should not be too
close Imitation of then off the
footlights. A gown which har
monize perfectly with the
lighting, the eurroundkigs, m
concentration or Ufa In a play
may, and probably will, be too
intense for wear outside its
own atmosphere. Or, again, K
may be too subdued. And It la
as important to any woman to
harmonise with ber own sur
roundings and mental and Bhrslcmi
atmosphere as it Is for the actress to
harmonise with hers. We all seek
success and happiness, and "all the
world's a stage."
From this little sermon let me turn
to a description of some of the new
est Winter dressea
Very cosily warm and light or
weight are the newest tweeds and
velour cloth and duvetyn. and It
frequently happens, moreover, that
a fur coat collar and a deep skirt
bordering of the same skunk or foi
will still further Increase the decor-atlve-
and protective effect of the
costume.
6o rou see bow well such a cos
tMme would bear transposition to
the Ubd of snow and sunshine.
A rather bold black and white
check, with a suggestion nothing
more of orange brightening some of
the Inner lines of Mack. Is as Ideal
fabric with Just the collar and skirt
trimming of skunk, and no other
trimming at all save the big. shaded
bone buttons on coat and skirt and
the etll! bigger ones which figure on
and fasten the belt Or then, again,
another new and smartly simple
tailor suit well adapted to leading
"a double life." is In orange duvetyn,
the coat fastening at the neck wit
a close fitting band or seal
musquash, and being belted
In, Russian fashion, at the
waist while the long basque,
which wraps over and curves
upward In front Is In It
turn broadly bordered with
the aoft dark fur The skirt
dispenses with trimming al
together, but 1Mb cut to per
fection; silt op the side and
underlined for some six or
seven Inches with seal brown
wtla. The same model
copied In emerald green
duvetyn, trimmed and lined with
brown fur and satin. Is also exceed
ingly smart and serviceable.
AS
Miss Mary BolSftd
lnthe"tueile" Gown
That Has the Title
Role In "My Lady's
Dress," and Which
Wae Designed Espe
cially to Fit the Sit
uation of That Cu
rioue Play.
f cjg Duff-Cordon
Describes to fust Wh
Extent Good Taste
Permits the Transplanting
of Footlighl Dresses to
the House and Sired
c
v
J
li..
. r v-.v
it ft;. I v , i .
(7fcn I- '
J
ByH?iJe Thnk of Cats, the Moon and Women Together
By Prof. J. C Barbler to Egypt u cat symbolised tha moon, the basis of w UgCtliCl .
Of the frbonn., r.ria "d 1 that slgniflcMce it. body .Jwaw t, tiTXT" T Tl U u,Ben" moon. In T
Alloa i 4oyee tn a
Oowii by "Lwtie
Designed Ispoolaily
Mr Oo wHh tljOOOAOO
Worth af Raa,
Jewaia.
IN the very ancient and widespread
feeling that women, cats and the
moon are linked together by certain
subtle tlkenesseo we have one of the most
curio u phenomena of. the human mind.
The moon la Invariably apostrophised as
"sha" Invariably we associate cats with
a mistress and not with a master, and
womaa throughout the ages ha teen
called either "a full moon In loveliness"
by one side or a "car by the other.
We never associate the sua with the
feminine, nor do we think of dogs as a
type aa feminine, and when a man Is
compared with either the moon or cats It
give as a distinct shock.
We aaver picture a witch eying tnu
the sua with a dog oa her shoulder, but
tha symbol or the old lady oa the broom,
stick with a black cat oa bar (boulder
ad lying across the moos u one that
txlata tn an eountrtea
la Bubeatia. la anment Egypt, where
rallgkm was the moat highly specialised
la tha world, cats were directly repre
nted aa being a part of a trinity com
posed of the moon, womeo and iht
ehrea Evea Uia. the wife of the great
ged 0lria, was sometimes tans repre
sented. Indeed, aa tar back aa we caa go
oore ue neaa or a woman.
Perhaps there were soma natural rea
sons for this association undoubtedly
there must have been which were more
plain to our ancient forefathers than to
oa The curious Influence of the moon
upon the majority of people, which tends
to stimulate suggestability. hysteria and
other subconscious phenomena, more In
women than tn men. Is probably one rea
son. The effect of the moon upon cat,
which love to prowl under Its rays tn the
alghu and the stmOartty of its waxing
and waning with, the dilation and con
tracting of a cat's eyes la. no doubt also
on of the reasons at the bottom of this
association. The feline love of comfort
and luxury and it general attitude of
toUratlng more than welcoming demon
strations of affection la In Itself an atti
tude which women during the long ages
of their reoraaainn fca -. .. .
- uiienauiea
u "" ana auguises his basis It Is
imply the ,tak of keen minds to strip
uiB inm tne Kernel of truth and
find out Just what it is that gave rise to
the superstition.
There la. too. the changeebleness of
the moon, la which poets have always
found an analogy for the shifting of
women's mood.
At the beginning there is oo doubt that
the curious aatociatlon of the three wa
complimentary Diana, the moon god
de.s. tn on. of the old Roman poems
to their fight .gain.t the Tltana And In
11 the earliest myths woman, cat and
moon are Invariably bound together la
complimentary fashion.
Uter. when through ca0M. ot whlco
we know mtle. the superstition, of all
race, degenerated, thia Mmnih....
arMu.,, .a. ttd. .v
wuvn vj m
observer, throughout th. world who maka
superstltlona
v 8uperstltloB te osuaily. by the way. only
true psychology with the wrong dresa
Th.r. is a bails of truth at tha bottom of
HI of it Th mind of maa cannot create
.anything out of nothing. He mutt bar
VtiAAfa
aaavwaja a B UVawe
the descendant of the Maya, pinched
weir taus to drive away an eclipse. At
emblems of the devil they were dual
into the tires In Paris oa St John, night
The mystio seven return again tn tha
Hungary legend that every black at
urns into a witch at the age of tews.
Orlmm gives it aa a common saying tlit
cat at twenty turns witch and a witch
of a bundrsj turn cat again.
The exit and entrance ot a strangs cat
were ominous Shylock speaks of sob
that go mad If they behold one. Tia
- "?", thai the great Napoleon bad a
marked fear of them, and that Henry 1H.
or France twooned at light of on.
irour minuter attested the truth of ta
tele which Captain Burt brought froa
Scotland is 1730. that the leg of a ct cut
. mut " ltcd turned Into th
g of an old woman. The rpaiit
u,ltl. ho tempted Aflam, wu
T " in itn to century wu
the body ot a oat
agricultural communities both
' Utit ootlced by the to Insult Nrr.nhaiaVh. ... moon te are ooniulted about ral
obeervera throughout th world who ,.w in.. ""na.le, the .upersuUoM. nd fro. D0Ul
" rw "d aftv. women
lib a d.vii ,n u.. .h.p, of , biek
Cat. were Conner ail th. tale-
uin!!-' M tb North Carolina 30tt
uineer. 4 cold ,n.p ta tnevltabl.
mai .r? B,w of 1u"u uffrl
STfiJ lxtHct omen from the t:
ff' Prtltion. which have o Mil
Si.",?""'1 n,r honorable aaciwt
oclatloM with th moon and cat.
O.pyrr.ht. 1M. hr n, g, Comfr 0rM W(i Rhu RMr?f4