The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-02-10
.sCl,ra Relle !" in the Cincinnati En-

CLARA Belle" 10 the Cincinnati En-
quirsr has the following. under the
above healing: You'll excuse me- II
go behind the screen. my dear We
got to undress now for the stage Inc
speaker was an actress, on whom was
calling in her dressing-room IN the the
atre. Ii at once struck me "a a strange
that she dislike1 to strip herself before
ne, a woman, while she was about 10
display herself in that condition before
than a thousand persons Of both sexes.
| said something like thac 70 her, ami
she replied as follows Its a a mat
ter of usage. I'm going uut there On
the stage in flesh culored tights, hlF
high, and shan't think OF b.u>htng Dut
in the street, Id scream I THE wiad
blew my skirts half way up to ~ knee,
and it wouldn't be afvctatitH. either
You 20 to balls, don't yoG! ami 20
wear corsages 80 low on such occasions
! that you don't dare - stinp or drop
YOUR shoulders for ward. for fear You 70
.pill yourself cut Of your corset. Yet
YOU don't teel immpla,t, because You re-
only doing what other reputable ladies
DO. But would you think or going out
by daylight so nude as that? The mere
| idea of such a thing shocks yen
Yes, the actress AS right. Their Is
a great deal in Usage Not 50 many
years ago evening dresses were cut
straight across the corsage. leaving the
shoulders bare from the tops downward,
while a short section of the upper arms
were covered by rudimentary sleeves.
Women in those days would have felt
too naked without those little sleeves.
though displaying the whole breadth OF
| their bosoms without shame. Since
Since then, fashion ha. shifted the u
face of exposure. The sleeves are gone
entirely. leaving the arms bare clear to
the shoulders-top but straps OF more
or less width cover the sides of the
bosom, and without these the woman
Of to-day would feel indecent. This
winter the opening will be generally
square or h~eart-shaped, but always al
ways extending as low in front as the
conformation of the wearer will permit.
The only change from last season IS that,
in many cases, there will be a cores
pondlng bare spot at the back. Women
with weak lungs and strong a%pprehen
slons used to clap porous plasters Oh
their backs when going t. a b,li, as 4
preventive of taking cold in front but
the new style of decouete will prevent
that kind of precaution.
The season s novelty in this direction,
however, is a high necked dress that
discloses more OK the bosom than was
ever before made public. How can
that be? Oh, easy enough, by the US
nf NOT ornrly I1,a ,nnrlo ba- ,n, cnt I
by the fashionable dressers Of the met
ropolitan stage, and other women will,
| suppose. follow the example. Ellie
Wilton, who came back from California
last year with a big treasury, is lot a
good actress, but she easily outdrcsses
ali her rivals. Her toilets never show
any taking, but are always new, rich,
and stylish. She was In the cast at the
new play at the Park Theatre on We
nesday night, and wore four different
costumes-eac a marvel of cost and
taste. The Finest of these illust. aztec
the device which | have msutioned.
The coursage extended to her throat,
but the front of 1t was a network made
of narrow velvet bands crossing ore
another at right angles, ike the bars IL
a cell, and showing the white, imprls-
oned flesh between. These openings
ran further down than the most auda-
cious woman would dare to expose her
self in the ordinary banner. The effect
was at first both puzz,iug and staring,
Ada Rchan, the ~rcignins beauty ii
DAILY 5 Theatre. also wears euch a dres .
In one scene of the play now running
there, she is called upon to lie uneasily
upon a sofa-now on her back, low OIL
her side, and now half sliding of-and
these contortions cause a tempestuous
ness behind the velvet lattice that is Sc
ductive indeed. | leave the reader to
imagine the spectacle of a ballroom full
of bellies, thus bodieed, dancing the
wild racket waltz.
[NoTE.-We print the above to show
how loose the fast women of
Fashion" are becoming.
ED. f. 6. NJ.