Life — October 17, 1912 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

-LIFE- 1995 Bok Behind the Times Great Editor Overlooks the Prior Claim of Life's Fashion Reform League— ‘ America for the Americans"’ Has Long Since Been Our Watchword— First in the Field W E. are surprised to learn that Mr. Bok, in a recent statement in the papers, declares that he has been advocating American fashions for American women. Considering the fact that this great movement is now in full swing, and numbers thousands of adherents in all parts of the country under the aus- pices of Lire’s Fashion Reform League, we are astonished that Mr Bok should attempt to steal our thun- der. We are all working in a good cause, however, and if Mr. Bok will only stop in at our headquarters at OCushrae all over the country were flocking to us for aid and counsel. We therefore took time by the fore- lock and secured Central Park as our permanent headquarters, changing its name to Lire Park. The city officials demurred slightly at the time, claiming that this park was dedicated to the poor people: but we were able to show them that the fashions for women in this country are more important than anything else. Our costumes for Ambassadors at foreign courts have, as Mr. Bok ought to know, been the sensation of the last SIMPLICITY OUR KEYNOTE SOM LITTLE APRONS FOR Lire Park (formerly Central) he will get a pretty fair conception of how far the movement has progressed. We started out with the idea that American women should control their own styles and adopt for their motto: “America for the Americans.” We began with a modest establishment, occupying only two squares on lower Fifth Avenue; but it wasn’t long be- fore we realized that American fash- ions had come to stay, and ladies from very LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING six months. Weare now making a Bull Moose regalia in red, white and blue for Mr. Roosevelt's use on his tours. This costume is composed of a lion skin background, trimmed with suffra- gette valenciennes, high sole leather boots—presented as a special gift from the Beef Trust, and a steel gauntlet provided by George W. Perkins. Some of our Supreme Court Jus- tices have made the hits of their lives in the costumes designed by us. It must be remembered, however, that our main business is with the women of this country. We have orig- inated practically all of the styles for the last two years. Paris has secretly aped us, and a great many people (like Mr. Bok) have copied the styles from Paris, not knowing that we began them. We positively guarantee to make any suffragette look stylish—no matter how homely she may Some of our stumping costumes for lady speakers have brought in as high as fifty pro- posals of marriage within twenty-four hours after the speech. We go on the principle that almost all women can be made beautiful if their clothes are right. Step in at our establishment and get your form reproduced in India rubber. You can then order anything you want by telegraph, telephone or cable. Do you wish your baby to be in the latest style? We furnish a complete baby’s outfit, morning, afternoon and evening wear, all the way from two thousand dollars up. Recently we have been engaged in instituting a quiet reform among the wives of Congressmen and Senators. We can make almost any Congress- man’s wife look smart for only one thousand dollars, We make all our own hats, which have been the sensation of the hour wherever worn, One of the latest styles consists of a mother goose crown of Canadian shingles, with barbed wire spindles extending four feet in a horizontal direction and trimmed with special feathers from our bird farm in southern Australia. We have built up a tremendous busi- s and instituted a truly patriotic reform, based upon the fundamental idea that in order to succeed a woman must furnish a constant sensation for man. That we have succeeded, a walk on Fifth Avenue, New York, or the lake front, Chicago, on any bright day will demonstrate to any unpreju- diced person. Call, write or telephone. Life’s Fashion Reform l.caav- comicbooks.com