MERELY FOR FASHION

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1932, Page 23

MERELY FOR FASHION

B&pFISH OWEN'S SPENDING

The women :of Britain will /Kpend ; € 30,000,000 Hhis ■■ year, on dress, hats, 'and shoes-^just to bo in the fashion!

A convention of designers and dressmakers has decided that' skirts shall be shorter in J932, says, the V Sunday Bx- ■ press." This will'mean that £10,000,000 hvorth of presses in, Britain will.become old-fashioned,. and that amount will ,have to be spent to renew -wardrobes. iMillions of pounds change hands when ithere is a sinew,fasTiion.; '• The change ■ from the short .skirt, to. the,; long skirt .was the most: 'revolutionary; of recent /years. ; _ : ■ :':: "-■■'''' '•' '' '''''"■■'■ '■" •. ■' : ; Manufacturers of silk, textiles, and icotton gained substantial benefit, and ';thousands!, more hands had .to .be em--;ployed in fhe workshops' of the '..-dress 'severe blow. .\, • ".""' ■ Hat • ,i ashions ■• are ', always clianging.iThe towler'Vas the cause of mirth when ;j-.t was first displayed.in.the:dr'jss par;ades. Then some people' decided to try them on. ' f They; brayed the smiles iof the sarcastic, and'in almost a'twiiik;ling;bf ad"eye every- woman w&o'.wanted' fto- be "smartlyl dressed rushed to buy a ibowl'er. •. ■; It was the most ■■•i.'.iapidly' ;j>opular fashion of any that have come ;Info vogue 'this 'century.;l "■ :In a week' hundreds of 'thousands of jbowlertfc had been;gojd, and in less than ra month more than two million bowlers were adorning the heads of British women at a cost of approximately £a,000,000. The popularity of ' the _bowler killed the fashion in a short

period, but it remained in reminiscence iii tne form of the present-tricorn, and the :new< drooping creation which is .half beret,haif bowler.; The .bowlqr brought with it the flowing t feather. More than a million : pounds: was spent in new feathers:to decorate the soft bowler. A million .pounds; was spent in, one season in berets.- The latest t'ashion. is' a tam:o'-shanter type. ', "'' Probably ■fiMoo^qoo : 'w.ill ; jj»e- < ;speVt.:onthe hew'tam-o '-sHaiite'r'iui^g the- pre-' sent British 'winter.' New dress designs are followed by, variations of dress adornment. The short skirt brought with it the flesh coloured stockings; and put £7,000,000 in the banks of the stocking manufacturers. Then came the'gurimetar type, and here again the women paid to the' tune 'of 'i£'3;o'0O ) ooq. :"; ' ' " '; Here are some other recent figures of "moiiey,spent by,women on personal adornment:— ,- ■ .-' ; . ','.-:: -••.-■ "- £ ArUflclal flowers ..:....:........ 2,000,000 NecMets ..; ( 750,000 Chains of beads .....' 500,000 Glass armlets 1,000,000 long; gloves ..:.....i...;..,....., 1,000,000 Plaited sandals. ~.'..-.....'..•.•..'..-... i,000,000 Reptileskln shoes'. ....„;,......... 1,500,000 One-pleco' batliing ~.....,, .> ' f i 500,000 •Beach pyjamas -...;...»...., .-, 500,000 ' Muffs are coining in again.' ilf :th^e. men who buy'the> clothes' /ffor their families escape this" revival under £1,000,000 they will be lucky. It is cheaper than spending £5,000,000 on soalskin coats, as they (lid a lew years i t go.