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iVW rO i? 77iT tfOP&S1 TO MAKE DAME FASH 10
0 TO COMMON SENSE, NOT FADS AND FANCIE,
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n'jCi'A
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Frank Alvah Parsons Braves
jVeman 's Demain by Caustic
Philippic Against Custom
pED clothes 6n a wemanhavc the same effect as a brass band in a small
room. ' ,
A Jeweled buckle and a wad of cloth applied te the left hip adorn a
blifnk space en the human body that does net cry out for need of
decoration.
Hats are for protection, net obstruction!
Street, shopping and church .clothes should be seen, but they certainly
shouldn't be heard. '
One of the reasons for clothes is the instinct for privacy. Eve con
ceived the idea. At different times in history it has been apparent in the
concept of clothe. But at present? ? ? 7 ?
Pausing for breath, it is time te say a mere man, dm! a bachelor at
that, has had the courage te gather up all these words and hurl them in
a boir.bsneii unniram ai mere wuiu
Just new the bombshell is relling:
down Fifth avenue and causing per
turbation in many quarters, but
Frank Alvah Parsons, artist, writer
and art professor, doesn't mind. He
isn't afraid. He just leans forward
In his Leuis XV chair, acquires'
another geed-humored glimmer in
his keen gray eyes and fires this elie: "
"And a woman, "mind yeuj weul i
rather take a chance en the here-j
after than being called old-
fashioned."
Decidedly, he isn't afraid. Prof,
Parsons, who has been busier than I
the President of the United States i
turning away interviewers since that
recent afternoon when ha mounted
a lecture platform and said what h-
thought about women's clothes, has
the courage of his convictions. He
can tell you why, when and hew. If
he tears down with one hand, he
builds up with the ether. He has a
clothes creed. It isn't piffle.
It might be called p?yche-analyz-ing
clothes.
Finding the why in them is' a
plainer way of saying it.
Has Clethes Creed
and Isn't Afraid
If he were that nert of a chap,
he might go te the housetops and
shout' out a message and the mes
sage would sound like this:
First. Thcenust be a crying need
for decoration before any decoration
should he Ufcd. It would seem pos
sible te have certain blank spaces
en the human body unadorned, with
out any noticeable cry of pain en the
pait of the spot.
Second. Decoration should never
interfere with use. Shoes in which
one cannot walk, dresses in which
one cannot step, clothes in which one
cannot breathe and hats that nobody
can see past would seem te come
under this law.
Third. Decoration should fellow
structure. The human figure ap
pears te be bounded by curved lines.
Inasmuch as it is possible te fellow
theie lines without overdoing the
matter, we shall be within this. law.
Any fashion that distorts human
proportion is anti-artistic.
But in every man's English and
In the straightaway style Prof.
Parsons likes best te put it, he says
in the last essence women's clothes
are hound up in three things, sim
plicity, consistency and common
Ml.
Who hns schooled Prof. Parsons for
Ms courageous calling? Ne one knows.
One inspects a pnlr of twinkling but
B gray eyes. SuspectB them of peer
w out the windows of a meter by
y as It advances slowly through the
trafflc of Fifth nrenue: by night as It
whirls mere swiftly past the lighted
shop windows or pnues for the Inpntir
lug of fnshlen herself into the thentres
Of the "Rnnring Portion." lie Is exec
uHre in chief of nn nrt school In Pnrli.
He Is president of the New Yerk Scheel
of Fine nml Applied Art. Ten years' nge
he wrote u bonk en the psychology of
dress, in the meantime he has hud
classes innumerable lit Columbia Uni
versity. At present he lins it class lit
New Yerk University, with 11)7 pupils
for only 1113 chairs.
8eekl.i nn interview with the much
talked. of Prof. Parsons wns an adven
ture of no mem; proportions.
At 71!) I'lfih avenue Mr. Par-en was
net in home. William M. Oilum, who
shires the tantalizing apartment, with
It: vistas of lovely yellows nml soft
urn, ,iih wlm U active lieail of the
"flioel in pris, wi,H. . butler moved
bark in the well-proportioned shadow.
It was the next day before it was
Wlble te take the next step in the
luecem of seeing a niiicli-seught-uficr
BMifcuiiiii. H s, if jeu will, ten
thirty In the morning. The hunsbl.ic
11,1,1 'i''1'"" Hrimilwn streams m and
''amen about a bit In a waltinic mum
f the tut school One sits en a bench
tuuiile a fateful deer.
A kmdi rattle. .Mcmeile.s of the
artistic apartment persist. Would the
MMluuail weui a flowing tie?
He did net.
Critic of Weman's Mede
h Sternly Masculine
I'runk Alvah Parsons, nnlst, writer
d tt-ut'her of note. Imue.l ,..n...i..
'rem . threshold of hl office, but the
weriifki feminine eje, retaliating in the
name 0f her M L,M,K1 ,u,,t W(J
flirt fault wllh. The figure that Meed
'Mn doorway was tall, bread of build
let hUlliellflvu lln. .... I .
if fttrenciiH, Thn suit w .u.b .
rTT.tH'. ,"u.J1w,M 'k itemed te me that of "":"rfn
that it'waa.kartuBhJth.ntheaMatTrtal.;
flj that U'wm hard u, tu.
What Mr. Parsons Says
About Seme Fashions
QLOTHKS are for privacy.
Eve thought of it. Seme peo
ple de new.
A pcail expanse of bitik'e en
tlie left hip' could ithrhik
without being vihncd.
away
Red en a woman ii like a brass
band.
A waist line four inches above
the knee, emphasized with a
chain, may be fashionable, but
it's net artistic.
Decoration should be applied
at point of particular interest
where attention is te be directed.
Thus brlght-hued stocking with
chicks en 'em.
A four-feet three-inch woman
can get away with lets vege
tables, fruits, plumes, rhincstenc
buckles, earrings and laces than
a six-feet woman, but net with
much less.
A woman would rather take
a chance en. the hereafter than
en being out of fashion.
Fans ought te show where the
gray ma'ter is stored. Hence
hair mattresres at the back of
the head and wads ever the cars
te decrease the size of the fore
head. color; the shirt and cellar te match
were b'ue and white pinstripe. Shoes
somberly blnek. Hnir gray and closely
trimmed. 1lere thnn nnythina eNe In
the world he looked like u banker a
successful bnnkcr.
New. one usually expects Interviews
en the subject of wivneii's clothes te
start, run and finish en these flowing
robes the (Ireek ladies used te wear.
The mind roved te laurel In the hair,
tnndnls en the feet and girdles loosely
fettered.
I'ref. Pnrsens .smashed tradition
squarely in the eye In the beginning by
snylng :
"Of course, they were lovely nnd
graceful, but we're net Greeks. What
women want in clothes Is fitness, suit
ability for the nge In which they live.
Ilring It down nearer than that. They
want te wear the right thing nt the
right time each day they de live. Tit
ness is as much a matter of nrt us
beauty, and In clothes wrll, goodness
knows we need it. They nut evening
dresses en the shop girl nnd plumes ei.
the buslncsc girl. We bring tlie tkatlug
rink into the drawing room and the
drawing room into the skutlng rink.
"Short people wenr bread things and
tall ones weur long things. Where's the
fitness or reiisen In that? Horizontal
lines Increase width nnd decrease height
nt the same time. Conversely, vertical
ones should, increase height nnd decrease
width.
"De you knew what? A short, wide
person wearing n bread, lint hut.
with a joke dress and a co'ered belt
and skir stepping at the kuees. re
minds one of nothing less than u closed
concertina.
Say Women Will Put
Rules Inte Effect
"Ah seen as you get this law of the
i .i. f..... ti.t.. u iiiimii hi nnflflu '
U'llV niKl WHITI'MiTt- "" -. ;
tlievVe wiliie te applv It te them-elve.s.
Women are wonderful these days. Yeu ,
iVmxv it's enlv thete last few jeurs I
hev've eve,' had .'iu.nee. It wi.sn't .
fnshlouable for tnem ,e win mint," um
for themselves before. They were tee
busv warming slippers and tending
babies. New I repeat, they re won
derful. Yeu can't beat em. Ihey
corner you. They won't let you get
bj. They want te knew why. Always
why. . .. . ... ,
"I suppose one reason is that It 8
nn nge of psjcholegy nnd psycho
analysis. Psychology means the work
ing of the mind In regiud te iinj thing.
And psychoanalysis '11,1"' out
what t lie ciitise is and treating the
cause, .lust as seen as some one puts
It into tlie beads of women te upply
cause and effei't te their clothes they re
going te de it. .,,., i ,
"Once u woman gels it Inte her head
te de something, no one can get it out
again. Once teach her the relationship
of art unil nn evening drew, and she'll
KMr Parsons leaned ferwurd a little
eagerly in his chair.
"Let's get te the bottom of this
thing. De you realize there never
was a time in the history nf our Natien
where the esthetic sense was reused as
It li reused new. Art used te bit u
fad, a frill, a drawing lewxni or a pic
lure ten years age. New It s being
sought eh a universal possession in
evervthing. Take tlm movies, take mi mi mi
toinebiles, 'take liauses, hotels, clothes.
The answer N that art itself Is an
answer In umterittls-te what the public
needs. The ail of tin' teiniilii In the
hiuh (ireek period reached Its highest
state because temples were what people
needed and what they thought about.
The nrt of the salon reached its great
state in tlm eighteenth century hecniibe
that's what the peepln wanted then,
"New It's our present-day interests
that cry out for attention, Ami; it
K
U'
J t'
&
- -il
' ' rfVFangrZ8t&tK. 'i
! v,.
Hair ornaments and wndH ever
the ear decrease the width of
the forehead, and that'fi where
the brain is supposed te be!
LK
SiE
jry.
fcT,
m
l'e.ipi-.titic I tint orchard:, au.p one's head and rope chains
dangling from the neck are anathema in Prof. Parson's cede
are the most personal and through in-1
lerest in tiiem the people ale mere
easily reached.
Applies Basic Art
te Rules for Dress
"New let's net
buck te the ueiieral i
purposes of nit.
Prof, l'arvuis settled
feriablj In his cliuir
himself mere mmferiablj In his .hnir
and drew nh."i.t -minded designs en u
blotter s be lulked. Theie are two,
fitness and be,,,,.,. I'im,- is .eally
, ne toiinitiiijeu et taste nml taste is
what America is licenced of net hav
ing." He looked up. "Isn't It true.
though? If taste is Illness, where is
the tnste of furs worn in the heat e1
summer, of lace stockings worn in the
blast of wlnterV" be dlgiesseil, "Ami
where is the tusle of the jeiiiig woman
who stands en n corner and powders
her nose or rouges her lips In public':
Or where is the taste of the jeiiiig
woman wlie holds hands with her
'steady' in front of the public library?
"Hut te return te the subject, the
second part of art Is bcautj and we
nri) accused of net knowing this when
we see It. What we ought te de is'
knew the laws that govern the ex-1
pressien of beauty Just as we de these .
that govern music or ailllimelic."
Summing up, Prof. Parsons then
briefly but tellingly made this Indict
ment against Fashion.
He made n sweeping gesture with his
well -shaped hiiliil.
"Fighting against art with its. fitness
mil its beiiutj is llutt old enemy
nf mankind, piuticul.irly womankind,
called 'Fiuhliiii.'
"The gii'iitc-l enui.y of common
sense, judgment and art Is called Fiibli Fiibli
ien. It is nn enemy because It seeks
te impose en the Individual will th
will of u inferior person or Idea. It
nlse rccegiiUcti that everjbedy is.gev.
erned morn or less hj fear. Whj, n
woman would intlicr take a chniice en
the hereafter than en being called old
fashioned. If some one says, 'Loek at
her, they did that last jenr,' slm Is
crushed for life.
"The ether ally nf fashion is van
ity. There Isn't really a human woman
who doesn't roll in glory when she
hears. 'Isn't she chic, or she lias the
yery latest' thing in a coat.' " The
UepHtaaed a bit and tbeufht
and' tapped tl
t&l
WKrmi
AT I
RJ5I1
n
n
M'
Decoration should be applied at the point of particular
intereat where the attention in te be directed. "Therefore
the buckled?" queries the critic
desk with his pencil. "I'lishlen knows
all this ami a let mere."
He spoke Impulsively. "Why. Fash
ion ought te be the hand-mniden of
woman and net woman the cutspaw of
Fnshlen!"
Pre!'. Parsons' teice s New Knir
amlen;. "Who's Who in America"
lists his birthplace ns Chesterfield.
Mass. Ills tones were pleasant te
listen te, even when feeling for his
subjett uiiiili' them till the small office,
ihere was then no discomfort in this
interview only a vague fear that kept
rising iu the threat. One wuh u
woman. One were clothe. ) Qua had
XJ. w.'jySES" J?.V?I3ntFt:
Om Mt Hint feet awt
i f,r,,,
DUm.
ivlw- vX.i.. t
'Z
ipffnt ii u ft i ij
A " - "fKMvTMmu ill t-2ai
gm
w
'T
'" '
Toe man:
clothes are nv
bad as tee few,
is the xcrdict
here
,p..
''fH""Z;
S2
:fyM
is ' 1
'&7Jmf'
V-
'
tien fellow slructuie? Oh, timught
net te be downed. Was decoration in
terfering with use
A wdce Intel riipted. It was an nn
swer le a question that had been put
a few minutes before.
Asks 'Why Are Clethes?'
and Has Own Answer
"Whj are clothes'.' Well, there are
three legitimate teasens for clothes
only. First the instinct for shelter."
The voice paused Its posxesser looked
at the ceiling, "That's why peepln put
en sur cuius, eipu m
Ind up their whale fuee
4 bedlei wktn It la Junatry It and
go out
njpm awMaf ajit -trick
A short, wide person with a bread, flat hut
and a skirt stepping at the knees resembles a
closed concertina, nays the professor
i'ref.
Parsons,
.'lie has
ideas of his
own en clothes,
id the woman
.
EK!i
&&'
&
";
An oval fate with hair
neatly but net I'unmIv
dressed is a thing of beauty
and joy forcer
shoes.
active.
The instinct
theie. but net
'A second reason is found m the
instinct for privacy. llw. niucelved
the idea. At different times i hNterj
It has been nppaicnt in the uuicept
of clothes. But at pi ut- -"Theie
were mi words najwheie around
te describe what Prof. Pa, -oils thought
et the pi cent.
There wns an Interiuptieu jnt lieie.
lhe telephunu raii- It w.is Mi, ,
"lioed meritlng, Mj,s w ," dis-,
appeared into the black mouthpiece et
tie teiepm e ."I'm perlV.t .' He p.med. "Theie is :1 feunh law.
n ?! i Ii""1 , w","l " te Ih.H.r.uiiui should I ppllcl a tl,
disturb them us long as we lhe it ,. p.iiiicular niteiel wh e the
lour humlred and lilt) women:" attention ,e be .luce. ed.' T nt 1
bellee it. He laughed. "I knew it." white shoes wlth black clothes ..,"
The rerciwr did net s,...u. te be i,iiiilkn,llngs with dark blue iicsc-. Imgi'
down when the telephone ranir hlmIh. pendants steiiplng en the iibdoiinei nml
nine ii'iiiii-r weie walling iiowu iiewu
stalls e see Prof. Parsons. "Veu uiuv
sty I uui out of town tuilellnitelv," lie
iiistritcicd.
' ' ............. ... . .
"What a life.
hack in bis cliai
he sighed ns he sank
lie gave us a third reason for
.1 unliei'iil desire for beiiiilv,
lethcs
"Nrange as it may seem, thai is
what people think they hi,e nchleved."
lie aiuplilicil. "(,'lethcs exist n.i mil
te enhance personality,. strengthen ll',
iimKe.H mere atiraetlve and effective.
.,.. Iiji nut manm k. -. i ' :
ut they also it,4, a huaua ant," bmW ' ' hai tL (Z ".i1 j 'SSt
tin. a. n.artrnT.VTJeH.lTtJd
uress as ieu
Comfortable and Loek Well,.
Net te "Bern Style, "He Says
is possible under the circumstances
Any fashion that distorts human pro
portion is Inartistic. When jeu move
the waistline four Inches above the
knees and eiiiplinsl.e It with n chain
se that from the waistline is one and
n hnlf times as long ns from there te
the gteund, It tnny be fashionable, but
It certainly Isn't urtistlc.
".Lines, that's the story. That's
learning the why of the beauty in
clothes. That's getting nt the science
of them. Horizontal lines for tall peo
ple who wish te decrease height and
increase width. Vertical lines for short
ones who want te work It the ether
way nreiind."
Knows Technical Terms
of the Dressmaker
One marveled ut a mere man who
could de what Prof. Parsons did
next. Hut we nre u witness. Clearly
nnd seeming te knew exnetly what they
meant, he sat there nnd ticked off en
his fingers these terms, plaits, Inser
tion, hems. ,
"These are lines." lie said, "that
rnn be made valuable In resteting th
human proportion. This is decoration,
but perhaps there is nothing in art
that Is less understood thnn that word
dei oration."
Then he summed up the Inws of dec dec dec
oratien ns laid down centuries nge by
Leonarde da Vine! nnd said they had
never been Improved en.
K-aw""
I.
";v"W
,
nn
fPHBMw
Hips de net cry out for ornamentation, se why decorate them
queries the critic. Hats were made te bW b and past, he adds
"The first law is 'There must be a stibii-et nf tl... ,..,i.i. .
ctying need of il-oeratioti before air. I, , ,M "Mdeltatnm by women
diceriitiiin should be used.' It weul'l ' "' ""'" ,m'-v wear.
s.,.m pessihl,. te have lertnln blank, "Ne weniun ought." he said, "care te
tlMlls. Ikll till! Illllllflll lL..jlt 1 I . . . ' " l
.' ' in-M Willi l 1 1 111',
u f unit urn nnti. ...iM.. i.i.t ... ...i
. ,. .. v r. 1.:;.'.; .... :. ...v.. rr ..viiXiirni 'i..ii,
' ! -. ' iiiiiii if en
piled te the left hip in wn.U f elethes.
tin liiicKles or oilier iii. iti rials would
seem tit be applied te n spot that it is
net altogether essential te dieerate,
'Wie prevailing mode of sinking en
jewcli d pins, huiid-emhieidi nil panels,
tin ii ornament-, iimieii.ils en h.its
inUlil he Juihisl bj tills inle without
pi'iu te the siilinct iieateil
"The second 'iw is 'I tei oration
should never iiueifm. with u-e.'
"And the thud, 'l ration .should
fellow stnict . 'Pli,. Iiiininii figure
appears te he hounded l' curved lines.
IMiigeiml lines fi one shoulder te
the ether, ng :u- tnseiicd innteriiils
like laces or insertions or applie I tniu
llllllg, whose lines seem te be sint.nling
te find where tlie liu t the hum. in
iieilj me gi iug, uii iiUii luhaiuioiiteus.
Decoration Important
te Teut Ensemble
such like
"Decoratien: lie mused almost te
himself. "A four-feet Ihieclnch
weui.in wcighiii'j llll pouieN can uct
IIWIIJ successfully with less vegetables,
fiuils. plitiues, rhlucsteue buckles, cur
lings, Mlrii'tlus of haves ihaii a sis
lint woman weighing 1MI, hut there is
n liuuentiiltle chance for either (u get
iiwiij with mere than they can."
Having done with Hie properllou of
ni the face.
Hie body, I'rel. PaiHeiiH tinned in ibe.se
"A race mlit
te be mere liupeit-
. .. T ":r,
,. , its"
oneuia w net
Then pcepltVi'j
h n innnnef $fi
widest part nt the top.
.'iriau?i their hnir In such
that the face seems like u circle, an
ellipse or nn oblong nnd the proportion
of the ideal human fnce hns beMl
ruined. It is inartistic te nrrnnge th
hnir in nny manner which doesn't giw
the best proportioned oval face n cluinct
te express Itself.
"Hnir mattresses back of the head
or wads ever the ear decrease thi
width of tlie forehead In nppenranee,
nnd that's the part of tlie head when
the gray matter is supposed te be le
cnted."
Celer came net in discussion.
"Kvery tone of color." Prof. I'nr-
, sons pointed out, "hns something te say
for itself. People de net think of fire,
mi August sun or nn athlete's bleed M
being baby blue or pink or mauve. Xfi
are se constituted that red excites)
Irritates nr-d it should be used te ex-pres-
that idea.
Toe Much Celer Like
Toe Large a Band
"A brass band of 100 pieces In a
12x14 room Is net essential te tht
knowledge that musle is going en," waa
this artist's way of putting it. "Neither
is a red sweater, a red hat, or a red
dress of fullest Intensity in the same
small room unless there is n color deaf
ness en the part of these present.
In summing up his clothes creed for
women. Prof. Parsons dwelt en tht
"y
WSm
a z.
s
w
mm
tWHBi
' j
IH'I' JJ (I Sltl Ml ,,,,. tit t ...
... I" ' "l fiUJtHT of ttv
telcst In..
Sireii. hopping
inn i rni rui. .i,.i... i. ..ii
, l... ,, ,.;.".'" H "V l'"r.
I, i ". '"" l "'".unij net
l erhaps the tiK.st B,bl,. point
Iieani.
hats
, tien n " l,1,,"1,,"l,1". net an ehstruc-
Lr"",,, '' '"i"81" '" l" !1 -n-i-t.'iit ag-
t 7. !' '.""' "!! '"' ."M-ressoe, of the
I ; , ''-'iiei(. nun iiiineini
""in th" sinmlpeini ,.t,,.,
milegj or allliieiici. "
'lllKiieill
beiany,
Mr. Parson, believes ( s ,,.,. ,)mt
women ,, ess most , ,Hllril(, !, ' "J
'I Het IIIVV tlie l,l.. I... I ..' ."'
i liens ... ." , '. "' ee
"'"I me II1K IllhCIISSi
tne mm-
I' I "llll IUOISllls of hi
own sex. that
ii is ii iiilst.iKi. or
'tllllt clothes wbl, I,
women I,, believe
e liti.lt ....ll.. .1-
Httinet Men. he finds. , '...
i e et i..l., i. .. . - '""' "'l'-
- ,,l'i e.ii i iir
want with
mil as,nin,e.'
Here Is Platform
Put in Few Words
In its last
llll.llws ,s idalferm
this
(leihes ,,. iM )ht personal of nil
tlltliwdlllil ipiessien. Tbeic ,X be
no ih.iuge fei better or wei.e In mnt-
til's el external expiesslen of clethfN
unless (hcie is a .hiiugn in meiilii) at
titude. Sinn. l(. begirililng of t,,
slinplhltv, censistenej and coutineii
sense have h, en geed guiding pilmlplcs
III life. I nil., these xxltl, the piesent
universal democratic intellieiuiil re
h use. ami mi should appear nut. .mall,
cully In women s elethis us it ,iih i.
wiijs appear' d lu eiher ihlngs when
net crowihileiil bj iilitlairj for fashion
nnd show.
I'veij peiied can be expressed
inpiiiiij. consistency ami riwlrnliir.
Ii te express coo. I !...
v sheubi i, J te express giwd tilHlt -
mid fitness, In (lie epoch in whlck w-' f '
l
!
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11
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