Shop Talk

The sailors are home from the sea! Gladys and Belle, those two bright girls with a smart millinery studio at 485 Madison avenue, have gone in for sailors in a big way. They show you just the right sailors to wear with your smooth tailored suits, your town frocks, your knits and your country tweeds. They know how to make sailors behave, with elastics, bandeaus and what-nots. In Paris, Belle bought the identical fabrics-dull taffetas, Riveria straws, alpacas, chamois felts and sackcloth linens that Descat, Patou, Suzy, Reboux and Maria Guy are using.

Another returned traveller is Mary Lewis of Best’s. She had a highly successful trip and came back with two exclusive contracts tucked away in her Vionnet bag. Sweaters out of London by Allen Solly—in New York, only at Best’s. That tells of a big fashion scoop in a few words. London ladies think of these sweaters tenderly—speak of them lovingly. Best has all the new models in polo shirts and all manner of pullons, knitted of fine Australian wool plucked by hand from the backs of contented sheep. Their lisle sweaters in calico colorings and patterns will fill even the haughtiest wearer with pride. Best will monogram them for you for a trifling sum.

We all have our moments in life—and the most important for the fair damozel is still the change of name. Because I’m hopeful by nature, I’ve scurried hither and thither to give you the dope on wedding stationery. The Crane people have achieved perfection in their paper. It is so near parchment it took my breath away—and it would worry a sheep. You can get it in their Park avenue non-fold size and be truly aristocratic — at Marcus. Then Strathmore makes their own particular pet called the Strathregal. It is made in single fold size, dead-white and thin. Wanamaker has this.

A Frenchman has invented a smooth trick—Tubascope (sun-glasses to you). Sun-glasses which permit you to look upon the world with your own eyes and at the same time give perfect protection. The story runs that he got the idea from peering through an aperture in a feudal castle. Husbands returning from the beach speak highly of these glasses—with them, you may look upon pulchritude without interference of colored glass, sun-blindness or your wife. At Abercrombie and Fitch.

A Party suit which proclaims the man-child, is being displayed by B. Altman, and proud fathers are willing to bestow endless laurel wreaths upon that shop. Altman’s seems to have a sympathy for fathers and knows what humiliation and groaning of spirit attend sight of their three-year-old Don Juans in fluffy ruffles. They took father’s own dress shirt as the beginning of the idea for the blouse, a masterpiece of pleated plainness in sheer white linen. The shorts of navy blue Viyella flannel, are complete to belt and proper pockets.

A Series of dresses spanning the sun-down to sun-up phases of life are being featured by Lord & Taylor. Somehow, when you want to hop into something frightfully lady-like for contrast. Even Lord & Taylor’s casual spectator clothes have a feminine quality that says, “I’m through being gamine for today.” Their evening clothes are lovely, flattering things, slim and shapely at waist and thighs and grand for stepping out as the lights begin to glow.