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!1he Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine
l
FOSTERED by prominent clubwomen,
and engaging th lntcreet of all
vomta -who bsvs beard or retd
of it, and tfieao are hundreds ot thou
anda, the competition for the Polymurlel
Cown will close to-oiorrow.
Oa Juno 18 the prize of one hundred
and fiftj dollars, awarded for the best
design for a practical sown suitable oi
wear at any time of day, or for any oo
cation, will go to the contestant who bas
submitted the design at once moat beauti
ful and practical for all day wear and all
types ot women.
Mrs. Mildred Jobnstoue Landone. who
originated the Idea, bas placed In the
bank that sum. It was she who christened
the garment that Is to be, calling It the
Polymurlel, giving it the combined names
of her sliter snd daughter..
Mrs. Landone has as aides in her pro
ject Mrs. A. M. Palmer, the founder ot
the Ilalpy Day Club and. in that aense,
inventor of the rainy day skirt; Mrs. Flor
ence Guernsey, former president of the
New York Federation of Women's Clubs,
eighty thousand women strong; Rose
O'Neill, . wno invented the kewpies, and
"William Chase, the famoua painter. They
will help her to select the most useful
and attractive gown to be worn by the
average woman all day.
Mrs. Landone'a Ideaa regarding such a
garment she has expressed as follows, to
this oewspaper:
By Mildred Johnstone Landone
A X encduraglng friend of the Poly.
ZA murlel gown movement as ye it may
" revolutionize women's dress. I
ope so. It needs a revolution aa badly
as poor Mexico doesn't.
Understand from the first thst preju
dice xnsy be disarmed that the poly
murlel Is not a raunt gown. It Is a may
town. Its use is not compulsory. It is
uerely recommended. Women may have
other gowns, If they like, but I bono they
111 feel thst they must have a Poly
cnurieL It la the purpose ot our committee to
Recommend a gown suitable (or anytime
uf dy and for any type of woman. It ia
a aartorlal averaging up. Every woman
Vngs for a gon that will be like her best
friud. one mat will stand by.
New conditions produce new needs,
placa one-fifth of sll women are working
Ir a living tLe eubject of suitable dress
taut 1-1 uot be a mere uniform is lm
TiuU Tliere 1 the tailored suit, of
t jars?, tut Hie tailored suit has not been
;
I Would Not Meet . V Thi Would Not Ba Succeful Univerwil Gown Be- ' sv
. J APPT.vll cf X Stout Women Would Rebel Againit It. t&?
The Probable Polymurlel
Prlie Winner The Sam
Garment with Fresh and
Lace-Like Gulmpa for
Afternoon,
universally satisfying. It Is too stiff, too
uniform-like to suit all women. There
are women who rebel against It They
consider it unbecoming to them. The ul
tra feminine type dislike it because It Is
too masculine.
In other words, there Is a demand for
something ot Sjofter texture and more
womanly cut than the tailored ault.
Woman's life is growing wider, more
complex Unlike the housewife's work
that kept her at home all day, the modern
woman a work takea ber Into many places
in one dsy. She needs a gown suitable
for downtown and uptown, for morning
and afternoon and evening. She may
need, if she la a atenographer, for in
stance, to take "the boss's" letters In the
morning, meet a client of bis in a hotel
lobby and take dictation, or report a
luncheon discussion at noon, an may go
to court te chaperona "tho bosa'a" little
dauKbter at a moving picture bouse in tnu
afternoon. When ber work is done she
may wish to meet a chum, auother self
supporting g rl, at one ot the acorea of tea
-
ThU Model
Would Not Meet
the Approval of tne
Polvmuriel Committee
AnnnintMl ta SlfiCt an
Ideal Gown to Be Worn by
the Average Woman on All
1 Occasions, Because Although
I StrSkinirlv Beautiful. It Could Not
Be Worn Every Hour in
This Is the Same Poly
murlel with, the Simple
Gulmpe That Makes It
Suitable for Morning
Wear.
This la a Front View of the Poly
murlel with Train Attachment
for Evening Wear. The Arms
and 'Neck Are Bared by Remov
ing the Long Sleeved Gulmpe.
rooms or restaurants chiefly for women,
and together they may wish to attend a
lecture, or, escorted by their best young
men, go to a dance for an hour or two.
What kind ot garment will serve all these
purpoaes?
The clubwoman la a factor in affairs of
the world. In every city women are act
ively interested in civic affaire. In many
of them women Tote. A woman who haa
these varied activities msy go out In the
morning and not bo able to return until
late in the evening. I have heard Mra.
a. M. Palmer aay aba would be very glad
indeed if aha could feel when she set out
in the morning that ahe waa suitably
dressed for the rest of the day, and for
any occasion that might claim her.
The woman in the homo would be glad
if there were a garment ao becoming and
Intrinsically beautiful, that ahe might
wear it at homo and that would be equally
appropriate at a committee meeting at her
club, at a luncheon or matinee, for shop
ping or even for the theatre.
The universal gown will meet theae
needs and others. It will remove the em
barrassment and banish the dividing line
between the rich and the peraona of mod-
rynrlht. lili. by th star Comoinv. Oraat Britain Rights Reserved,
Results of the Contest for
Designs for a Gown
That Will Be
the Day.
By an Attached and
8weeplng Train This
Polymurlel Acquires
the Statellness of an
Evening Gown. -
erate circumstances when they meet at
public or social functions. A difference
m the estates of the prosperous snd un
prosperous will be less marked if there
bo one gown that ia accepted aa suitable
for all occasions. Women will not bo
envious of each other'a Polymurlel. A
Polymurlel will be a Polymurlel. That's
all.
My conception of a universal gown is
that It be a comfortable, becoming, and al
though not atlff, formal garment. I In
cline to a two-piece gown. I think a coat
necessary. The color would be dark. The
fabric should be serviceable so thst it
msy last from on season to another.
There might be alight alteratlona of auch
accessories aa collars and gulmpea for
afternoon and evening wear. The cloth
should be of neither too light nor too
heavy texture.
The Polymurlel. I hope, will end the
alavery to changing modea. It will not
have to undergo changea from season to
season and year to year. It ia conceivable
that a Polymurlel may be worn and be
very presentable indeed, in ita third year
of service. It will be so suitable for even
ing wear that no woman need again aay:
; a ' M
Becoming to
All Types
of Women
and Suitable
for Any Hour
or Occasion.
' ehell stay at borne because I am too
tried to change," or "I shall decline this
Invitation because X have nothing to
wear." She can wear her Polymurlel and
she will meet other women wearing theirs.
They will meet on common sartorial
ground.
The garment should be aa beautiful aa
possible, yet consistent with health and
comfort. Possibilities for attractive vests,
collars and cuffs and girdles should not
be overlooked; for high or low neck, em
broideries or laces or anything that ap
peals to the wearer. I have in mind a
garment built on feministic lines made to
conform to our best aesthetic standards ot
beauty.
The adoption of a universal costume
which ia acceptable, will make a woman
healthier and will keep her young, be
causo it will eliminate the distractions of
changing fashions. If she knows her
Polymurlel "wlll do" for any occasion she
will not become a nervous wreck in try
ing to follow the will o' the wisp of
fashion. It will lesd, I hope, to a stan
dardization of beauty in dressing. Now.
when a new style is announced we gate
upon it in wonder and rapture. Nothing
prevloua has ever been so engaging and
becoming. We hasten to possess or imi
tate It. In a twinkling there la a change.
It -baa become ridiculous.
A thing that la ridiculous at one time
la ridiculous at all times. A garment is
either intrinsically beautiful or ia ia itself
ugly. What a travesty upon our mental
habits when we are forced to admit that
the person dressed la shoddy garments,
but of the mode, wins our approbation,
while the out-of-date garment, though ot
excellent quality, will claim only a de
risive smile.
My hope for the Polymurlel ia that it
will have the same function aa the "cut
away coat" or the dreas ault. It will bo
honored, respected and welcomed every
wher
Page (f
9
(Above) Another Concep
tion of a Polymurlel That
Can Be Worn All Day g
Woman. I j
I
(Below) The 6am Gown
Adapted for Evening '
Wear.
r w
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