Fashions of 1934 (Warner Bros.) (1934)

leaves from which she made the first dress. She would undoubtedly feel highly flattered if she knew how faithfully her daughters have accepted the battle-cry she wailed when she looked through her wardrobe for the first traveling suit, with that haunting ery: ‘‘But)I haven’t..a thing to wear!’’ And women haven’t had a ‘thing to wear’”’ for over one hundred forty generations. Ladies Never Satisfied The girls, though, bless "em, were not long content to clothe themselves like the lilies of the field. They began to want things. They coveted everything in sight; the bright plumage of the birds, the furs of the wild beast, the yellow metal men dug from the mountains, and the pretty colored pebbles they learned to call emeralds, rubies and diamonds; they wanted things as they do till this day—and as they will continue to do. After the lovely ladies of the Beginning knew what they wanted, the most important pastime in their well-dressed lives became the discovering of the newest and most beautiful things they could wear before ‘“‘that nasty woman who lived in that silly looking cave down by the big tree’? did. And there was the start of our pres This sports costume comes directly from ancient Bavarian Alpine climbers. wife of to-day—and if sabretooth tiger coats were the rage that season, there was as much sharpening of stone knives, axes and spears by the males, as there is manipulation of stocks on the exchange to-day. They Dressed up Without Clothes! In more favorable climes where grass was soft to the step and the warm sun kind, a less rigorous existence did away with the necessity of From monkish dignity to 1934’s Chic. sensational gowns she Petite Bette Davis — wearing one of the features in “Fashions of 1934.” furs and other heavy clothing. Women in these parts of the world found time on their hands. And, of course, began at once to doll up and otherwise do themselves proud with paint tattooing, and other types of primitive adornment. It has been said that the adornment of the human body, together with dancing, poetry and music were the beginnings of our civilization. Fashion Went to Their Heads! The head has been the victim of dame fashion’s most fantastic whims. Addison wrote in the beginning of the eighteenth century, ‘‘There are few things in Nature as variable as a lady’s headdress. The women at times, have seemed to be of such enormous stature that men appeared as grasshoppers beside them.”’ Within the memory of living men are coiffures as variant as the huge ‘waterfall’ —the ‘switch’—the ‘rat’—the ‘bang’ —the ‘transformation’ and the ‘bun’ and others even more weird. Wigs of all hues, false curls, bobs and the flowing tresses of the ‘seven sisters’ Special Sunday Feature. have had their day—and no doubt will have it again. Before 1790 women had be gun to dismantle their high headgear, with a few curls hanging over their shoulders. Over such heads would be seen towering mob-caps tied with ribbon and deeply edged with lace. Fashions in those days literally reached high altitudes. And so with bracelets, anklets, rings, belts and neck pieces, extravagant head dresses and elaborate coiffures are among the earliest types of body adornment. It is interesting to note that every single one of them are integral parts of the modern costume. Thus Fashion was born! And how it continues!!! The Male Too! The less deadly of the species has led the ladies a merry chase in putting on the dog. It’s only a century or so ago that men, too, indulged in ruffles and lace, perfumed hankies, Order Mat No. 4—40¢ Verree Teasdale shimmers glamorously with the other stars of “Fashions of 1934.” silver buckled shoes, jeweled snuff boxes—and for that matter, even the founders of our republic delighted in scarlet coats, coaches with outriders, liveried drivers, and other relies of royalty. Tailor-made men of 1934 have suspenders, handkerchiefs, ties and socks to match, and make themselves up in symphonies of brown, green, grey, or whatever shade the fashion of the moment demands. Incidentally, among the best dressed men of the day is William Powell, star of the new movie, ‘‘Fashions of 1934.’’ Drawing the Veil Veils are one of the most effective means employed by women to express the type of ‘modesty’ peculiar to their own time and country. With Mohammedan people it is immoral and sacrilegious to uncover the face. Chinese women think it extremely indecent to show their artificially com Soldiers of the Revolution inspired this modern ensemble. Se ee. ol ee eS ee ee ere ee eens sians and those portions of the Mongolian and Indian races which imitate Western culture, for instance, the breasts of the women are always covered even in the warmest weather. The male of the species, at least in this country, has: only lately earned the privilege of baring its bosom to the soft breezes and women, too, may soon decide to assert their equality. We Appear As Modern Ancients! Thus with a tremendous backward leap we finally return to the mysterious erypts of the modern fashion immortals, for whose. slightest whims, nearly five hundred million women wait breathlessly, have been called ‘‘delvers into the past; mighty prophets of the future.’? They are impelled in their genius to cull from the veriest whispers of to-morrow to set the rhythm of their creations; they have learned in their wisdom to wrest the riches of an olden time to present the creation with a fitting background. And in their far reaching search they turn to the unusual, the ‘odd,’ the ‘strange,’ the ‘very ordinary.’ The spiral leggings of a buck private may be the delicate winding sleeve motif of a stunning backless robede-style. The sombre robes of the austere clergy, the leather jerkin of a Bavarian mountaineer, the miserable girdle of an Australian bushman, are all touched with the magic of these ‘great adapters’ and lo, they become ‘originals’ without price. The accompanying photographs from a new film ‘‘Fashions of 1934,’’ ecomtt ht ire: eS to archaic simplicity of the middle ages have inspired the newest and smartest Fashions of 1934! And again, while man continues his search for Utopia, the days of the charming help-mate who aeccompanies him, are made more pleasant and more livable by these new discoveries in her search for ‘something to wear’!