Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Saturday 20 November 1915, page 6


FREAKISH CLOTHES.

There is no doubt of late dress has wandered in the direction of "freakish- ness," and the sooner it relinquishes such folly the better. It takes from the

grace, beauty, and dignity of woman. A feather standing up like a clown's in a pantomime, collars that are erect in the neck as no Napoleon would ever have condescended to wear them, aggressive spats, and belts which for all the world resemble the hoops on a barrel cannot come under the head of the beau-tiful. It is in headgear that freakish-ness most comes in. Hats that almost obscure one eye are set at an acute angle and are more wonderful than beautiful, but the less said about it all the better, for women are curious cattle —attempt to drive them in one direc-tion they are certain to go the exact contrary, and the more ridicule is brought to bear on any particular mode the more it seems to delight women, and the more obstinate it makes them. It pleases them to meet the critics with bravado. The designers of fashions declare that ridiculous modes are de-manded of them, and that a travesty is too often made of what otherwise has charms. For commercial reasons they supply sensational clothes which, alas ! are too eagerly bought. Looking back there has certainly been a lack of sanity in past fashions. Crinolines and tight-lacing, nor the weight of garments worn by women at one period, were neither wise or healthy, and not in any way beautiful. How they walked in the mass of underclothes thought necessary fifty years or so ago is difficult to un-derstand.