The Omaha Sunday Bee 1
U Q)3 U, y
lo
0
Sty
By
Lady Duff
Gordon
("LuclU") .
T.1ERB It a quality
in the old things
to which , our
hearts respond. Old
friends, old songs, old
wines old fabhious.
You perceive In, these old fashions
the thought, the dream that 'was in
them. The lovely women, perhaps
now dust, who were clothed in them
hare bequeathed a ,part of' tlielr
loveliness to these things of silks
end satins and laces.
This memory that is left behind
Mrs within us a fugitive, subtle but
real admiration. , Grandmother's
dress appears quaint and charmrug.
not because It is In Itself altogether
quaint and charming, but because In
relation to the woman It clothed it
was very quaint and charming.
This feeling Is a universal one.
Carried to, a conclusion It makes
fixed fashions, fashions which have
endured for centuries like the cos
tume of the Bretons, the Basque,
of the Russian " peasants. Used
eathetlcally and in moderallm it
sometimes colors all the fashions
of the season. Such Is the case now.
Every once In a while the mind'
t Mis back to these old fashions and
taking them, turns them Into new
fashions. It seizes the essential
charm, it crystallzes the memories
of the dcar.assed women who have
worn them, and It materializes all
Into a touch here, a Hue tbwre which
weds the ultramodern to the very
old like a gown of the moment
that exhales ,a faint scent of old
lavender.
Lady Duff-Gordon Describes the
Influence of Olden Days
on the Dresses of the
Ultra-Modern Present
I AD l
Lithe f
AD Y DUFF -GORDON.
e famous "Lucile" of Lon
don, and the foremost creator of
fashions in the world, writes each
week the fashion article for this
newspaper, presenting all that is
newest and best in styles for well
dressed women.
Lady Duff-Gordon's Paris es
tablishment brings her into close
touch vilh that centre p fashion.
I
A New Treatment of
"Luclle" Furs That Carrlei
Forward Old Fashions.
And at the Left
A Charming New AM
Modern "Luclle" Winter
' Creation. '
One of the Newest "Lucile" Winter
Hats Whose Waving: Plumes Is a
' Memory of Ancient Bysantine.
y People say we are
"going back to the old
fashions" when this
happens. But this la
. not true. Rather we
are bringing the old
fashions forward, reju
venating them, breath
ing once more the
breath of our life Into
. their faded loveliness. To my tulnd,
when such a thing happens, we are
.In one of the two most interesting
phases of fashion. One paramount
phase Is the creation of an entirely
now and original fashion one which
'will make its Impress upon that age,
Interprets and standardizes It. The
next paramount phase Hind one
that requires Just a much art is
this breathing of life into fashions
which are separated from us by
years.
And this is what we are now ap
proaching ludeed, are actually In.
There Is another odd phase of the
trend In the furs.
To be absolutely up to date, you
will not only have a complete fox or
leopard skin Btole to fling about your
. shoulders and swirl round your hips
In the most approved barbaric fash
ion, but also you must ma-i.'gn to se
cure some weirdly and vaguely
shaped wrap of Hottest lnoluskln,
which von can swathe si your
AZSf
V
:
r
J
Will
1
X
V
V
figure In any way
X Vj ' that may seem most
' desirable and decor
ative to you at the
. .moment. On one
such grace -giving
affair. I have seen a mole-shaded
fox akin" laid along one side,
the bead peering out above the short
pointed scarf end and the brush be
ing permitted to dangle at the back,
while -the fulness of the other and
very wide . and lengthy end of the
moleskin eventually drawn Into a
huge silken tassel. What is this but
a memory of barbaric ages?
Then there are shawls of fur yee,
veritable deeply pointed and some
what voluminous shawls with, a ts
npI or two for their finishing, but
these take a clever woman to arrange
rhem In Just exactly the right way.
else they mlgbt easily be dl3flgur
lngly dowdy Instead of piiu'ntly pic
turesque. And here again is the old
re-youthlfled.
But, Indeed, this brings me back
to my original contention and invari
able warning which is that unless
a woman has the knack of putting
sn her clothes and wearing them
irtght, and, moreover, unless she be
o wfll provided with clothes and
ish that every little detail of her
toilette can always be of the perfec
tion which Is more than ever neces
sary If anything startling or unusual
be worn, she will be much wiser to
keep rtrlctly to Just the ordinarily
smart styles.
Anything bizarre or daring wants
everything eUe to be in keeping aad
In perfection.
That is precisely why I arranged
coiffures of deeply purple and blue
hair to crown my most daringly
colored and designed tango dresses
and Oriental tea gowns and boudoir
robes. And you will have realized
that frequent Imitation and adoption
are paying the proverbially most sin
ce re form of flattery to my innova
tion. Also, hare you realized that not
only are we gping back to the past as
regards our figures, but that we are
making a simultaneous return to
an older age In our passion for
beads? Personally, I have no great
affection for these particular adorn
ments, but the fact still remains that
they are being used in their myriuil
Jusi now looped over otherwise bare
arufs, festooned on a corsage ren
dered as nearly as possible invisible
by Ua making in seml-tranfiparencles
of . flesh colored fabrics, fringed on
tunics and even arranged in entwined
and encircling fcetoons at the hem of
a skirt!
it
In this latter position, however, I
foresee distinct danger, alike to the
beads themselves and to their wear
ers, to say nothing of any unhappy
partner In t;he dance. Don't you?
And so I need hardly, perhaps, warn
you to keep your beads to your bodice
or, at any rate, to your skirt tunic,
and to leavs the lower part of your
t.klrt free from any such dangling
and dangerous additions and adorn
ments. Something quite new in the
way of sport coats Is made in rab
bits' wool, the silky down of iaby
A New
"Luclle"
Gown
In
Which
the
Essential a
of a
Fashion
100
Years
Ago
Have
Been
"Brought"
Forward
. Into the
Present
and
Mads
to Live
Again."
bunnies' fur, and the softest and cos
iest and most "cuddleable" looking
and feeling fabric imaginable! It Is
expensive, but it is worth Its price,
and such coats are being made In
the brightest of the season's all
bright colors and lined with silk to
match, the skirts being either la the
same or some contrasting color. Im
agine a flame colored coat, knickers
and puttees and an amber colored
skirt and hood-scarf and them yea
will understand why there are more
women and girls hoping for snow
this Winter than everr!
ill
ow to ID). the Mew .OamcesNo.
Four Steps, Latfy
Going Backwards.
ml
"Mollnstts"
(Keep Turning
on One Spot.
The Cours 1, 2, 3,
4 and Slolinstte.
THE Argentine polka is of Span
ish origin, and at least one
huu'Jred years old. It Is lively
and auusiug, comprUlng all the
elements of ball-room popularity.
But I nuKi repent that any old
polka limbic ou'i do In this
case. it U bad. Lut true, that
nianv pleies cf iunti- have been sold
la tLU cmuti.v v ltU ibe btstenieiit
't "tUU ntue cuii be use'i as a
tango, one ctep or turkey trot." It
s etuis rldiruiout to tus to suy that
yon cannot tai.Ko to ragtime muxlc,
and It will bi rltlU-ulous to attempt
to tlanx Ikv Argentine polka, with
Its novel unl linlHlied tibialis, to the
tnulc provhltfl fur tlio plain, old
fsshloneil polka.
The diiXM ll-na whl'i I nui trl liu
here fur eetuiiu tills new daue
will be reuJily undei'stood by jeople
who have uuy practW in ballroom
' Tap with Outside, Stamp with In
aid Foot.
ilau'ing. Compare the Uem-vlptloii of
each btiure lu the denoe with tbe
pbotourapu which lilu.4traiii its moat
charscterutic pose jnl u lll et
tlie Idea.
Uttute iThr Miilixette.
Purtm-rs aasuiue the regular dam-.
Ing position. Take four or five polk.t
steps and mollneit-'. Molluette means
to keep tur.tln; a.ound on one BHt.
f igure J-r-lhi' Coarff.
The lady's right hand clasps her
Coprrlsbt.
partner's left, and both faces are
turned In tbe direction of their ex
tended arms. Tbe step la the same
ss is used in the tsngo, only In the
polka It is much faster. Always lead
with the outside foot. Then take
one step forward with the Inside foot.
Follow quickly with right and .sud
denly draw the Inside foot to the
right heel with a little stamp.
Tbe count Is four, and may be
Illustrated thus: 1, z, 3, 4 mollnette.
Repeat four times. '
Figure 3 The Stamp.
This figure is easy and very ef
fective. It begius Immediately fol
lowing the mollnette of the preceding
figure, which must not be forgotten.
Begin with one "course." Then thiow
weight on tbe Inttlde foot, snd with
the outside foot tap from left to
right. Between each tap stamp with
the iuxide foot. Finish with the
mollnette.
figure ilhe Turisi.
Begin with two repeats of the
"course." Now comes the polka
twtt. which Is the utost .amusing
feature of the dance and lots of fun.
Iloth cross with outbids foot and
balance on Inside foot. Each partner
throws weight from the luside to the
outside foot and crosses with the In
side foot. Now begin the full turn
the lady turning one way and her
partner the other, so that they end
the turn back to back. At the com
er the Star Company. Qraat BillaJa
5--The Argentine Polka By Evdn Nesbit
The "Tisf Full Turn
Back to Back.
pletion of the turn, mollnette.
This figure should be practised
thorough It U worth It. Wbeo you
can go through it In an easy and
sprightly manner, with sn effect of
spontaneity snd huge enjoyment, you
will have tbe spirit of the wbo'e
dance. And It will be only leaa en
joyable to sirf-ctutors than to yourself
and your partner.
Fxjure SThe H'a.
Assume the same poaitious as for
Kights Reserved.
The Walk Four Steps to Right.
Turn and Four Stsps
to Left.
lids Inside Feet
Forward with
Stamp.
the "course," and walk four steps in
one direction. Then, with arms in
the same position, turn heads and
walk four steps In another direction.
This step Is useful when a ballroom
Is crowded, as you can repeat It ss
often as you like aud walk in any
direction you please. Complete the
figure with the mollpette.
Fiyure c The HI id ami Stomp.
Note carefully the arms and heads.
Lead wlih outside foot, heel dowa
and toe up, as In illustration. Slide
the inside foot forward with, a stamp,
at the same time tapping with the
toe ef tbe outside foot. Keep this
up until ready to molUiette for the
nnish, always going forward.
This completes the dance. You
can repeat the steps as you please.
In fact, for the American tempera
ment, I consider this daaoe of the
Argectiues more satisfactory tbaa,
ther tan