Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-08-21

TCor. Boston Herald

tSoks Dyeto0 kl6f1xu-
This season, for a wonder. presents
something new to be written. The
shapeless bags of blue flannel IN which
vomez used 10 satisfy the utmost de-
mands of propriets and ugiiness are
considerably displaced by such gar
ments as have formerly been seen in
pictures rather than IN actual use.
These commonly consist of belted
blouse reaching about half way down
between the hips and knees, the rest of
the limbs being tightly covered With a
little OF trousers and a great deal of
dark stockings. II ia the fashion not to
assume any air of prudishnsss in this
earb. bat to lounge about en- the sand
IN 1t as though fully skirted. The po-
litest girls follow this practice daily,
and vie with each other IN the richness
Of the hosiery revealed. Marie Pres
cott, the actress, 10 here studying the
role of the heroine in "vera,n q play
written for her By the very method
cally mad Oscar Wilde. and viii star in
il next season. She gets frequent let
tiers from Oscar, containing the
minutest directions - to the forth
coming production, and even samples
Of cloths 10 show tie colors
which he prescribes for her costumes.
However, she will scarcely wear any
thing q startling a. the bathing dress
which have mentioned. She is tall,
commanding woman, as all will remsm-
Der who have seen her playing tragic
parts TO Mccullough and Salvini. She
strobe out on the sands With much dig
nifty when I saw her, and dropped into
. half reclining posture. Her head was
wound with red silk hand kerchief; her
body was encased in white flannel,
trimmed and belted with red; her arms
were bare to the tops of the shoulders;
trousers reached from the bottom of the
short white flannel skirt to her knees;
than came Q space of flesh colored no.
aisry nearly to her ankles, up to which
we're red stockings, with their top.
rolled outwardly. These were held in
place BY red tapes crossing round. If
more Imagination than the reader pos
sesses 10 required for oonceiving the
Of bare-leg sedness, l can
hslp ont by adding that the hue of the
upper stockings was exactly the same as
that of her arms. She stretched her
Delf out for q Summing on the hot sand.
md lay there composedly for half an
hour, with her head pilloved on her
Grm, her eyes half closed, and her
whole posture faultleasly graceful.
Etelka Borry's costume was far more
notable. She is an actress of the Ger
man theaters, and whose venture ia En-
dish a. Camille at the Fifth Avenue
vas an event In last winters dramatic
reason in New York. beg you tdebe-
ievs that am accurate in describing
nor attire. because I had ample time to
note it at my leisure. To begin with,
NINE. B0rry il as beautiful in form as
The 10 plain in feature. She therefore
,hrewdly shaded her face from the
glare by means of hat with
! wide brim, tied down, while barring
her arms their entire length to the sun.
Her body was snugly encased in bright
blue, of a woven fabric, and red belt
girded her slender waist. There was
not a square inch of skirt. but short
olue trunks instead. Red stockings of
he finest silk, embroidered in black,
the costume. No eel was ever
more closely fitted by its skin than this
woman by her single thickness
II clinRin9 materials, Thus amaz-
ngly attired, Madame Berry
emerged from the west end bath
houses, sauntsrei into throng of not
less than 200 men and women, airily
red velvet parasol over her
head. She dropped into graceful pose
On ths sand, betraying no heed of the
0pen gaze of the men, or the side
2lances of the women. Then abe stretch
ID out fat on her back, and lay for a
while complacently. A series of atti-
sudes ensusd. The exhibition lasted a
full hour, before she went into the
water, by which time the spectators had
grown into q crowd. Throwing aside
her parasol she plunged into an incom-
ing wave, came out beyond it SWIM
minR easily, foated at will and per
formed other feats of accomplished
She was in the water. how
ever, only about q quarter as long as
she had been ON the sand; and on
though there was about her
no drapery to lose grace with wetting,
she at once retired. The women were
severe in their remarks, and SO loud
that Mme. Berry could not have failed
to hear some Of the condemnation.
II DECLARE" exclaimed q voice Just
back Of me, 81 am ashamed TO look at
her. don't think she ought to be al
lowed here"
turned to SEQ the speaker, and was
for she was a girl attired
quite a. sparingly. except that skirt
barely covered her hips. She was the
oenter Of . group Of fellows, palpably
the object of their curious visual atten-
ton, and not in the least disturbed by
her position or condition. And she was
the highly respectable and acc ,nplished
daughter of q Philadelphia "flrst fam
ily." Thus you will understand that,
however improper Borry may have
been, this critic was not to be censured.
Whatever is lin the circles of fashion)