Life, 1927-05-12 · page 19 of 43
Life — May 12, 1927 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a satirical dialogue between two fashionable ladies discussing French fashion terminology and design trends. The conversation, titled "Two Fashionable Ladies Read a Copy of Harper's Bazar," mocks upper-class women's pretentious engagement with French fashion vocabulary. The women debate terms like "Chevalier" and "Vif La France," with one character (Mrs. Finkl) repeatedly misunderstanding or questioning French words' meanings. The satire targets both women's limited comprehension of fashion jargon and their social aspiration to appear knowledgeable about continental style. The accompanying illustration shows what appears to be a religious or allegorical scene (possibly a medieval mother figure with children and devil/demon imagery), likely commenting on the contrast between serious spiritual matters and women's frivolous fashion preoccupations—a common satirical theme of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\ \Y SAL % Qu, look at this, Mrs. Finkl. It says here, ‘Mesdames—You adore the subtlety of iy) gowns— Now I bring to America my new “sophist lingerie,’ and_ it's signed, Drecoll"—that's the rench title, M It means ‘Chevalier,’ I be look at these delightful names they thought up for the underwear—' Joli,’ ‘Allusion,’ ‘Bébé’ (oh, that one’s “They certainly are smart, in- deed, Mrs. Blom. But what does ‘Vif’ mean?” “That's a kind of a cheer, Mrs. Finkl. You know how they say, ‘Vif La France.’ But do look at this where it says, ‘Riding to hounds at Radnor, playing golf at Pine Valley, listening to a symphony, or dancing at the Ritz-Carlton—the Philadel- phia woman invariably presents a y picture.’ ” “Mr. Finkl and I once stopped Harper e) Baxa c over at Philadelphia on the way back from the convention in Atlantic City. Such a lovely town! But what would ‘riding to hounds’ mean?” “That's just a phrasc—a kind of expression, you know, Mrs. Finkl.... “What happened when you told Ellie she had on too much rouge?” “She got hot under the color.” Mediaeval Mother: Now stand still, Willie, or Mother will never be able to cut down Father’s old suit of armor to fit you Gwo Fashionable Ladies Svoead a Gopy of Oh! Here’s the Baron de Meyer's article!) He says, ‘Everything Ma- dame Boulanger shows is most care- fully studied; nothing she ever does is ever banal, ever overdone. Her creations are the quintessence of Parisian cl ren’t those costumes smart, Mrs. Finkl? “Oh, they are, indeed. But what does ‘banal’ mean, Mrs. Blom?" “Well, that's one of those French terms, Mrs. Finkl. It means kind of —well, kind of snappy—you know what I mean. But no ou must look at these charming designs where it says, ‘Evening gowns from Deeuillet embody the distinction pre- ferred by the true elegante that is so charmingly shown by the gown of pale rose satin with an asymmetric cut ending in two godets.’” “Yes, indeed, Mrs. Blom, what do...” “I do love to read fashion maga- zines, don't you, Mrs. Finkl? I mean, they really appeal to smart people, don’t you think so?” “Yes, Mrs. Blom, indeed they do!” R. E, Sherwood. but comicbooks.com