Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-05

boots. Certainly, the methods adopted with
young girls now a days are bad beyond re-
trieya or rather the want of all method and
the ways into which they are allowed to drift
are at total variance with any hope OF useful
ness IN the future. Pale in the morning. with
iack-luster eyes, they Come down to q wail-
ing breakfast at ten or eleven Of the
Clock lounge about listlessIy with n novel
TIL IT is time TO dress for round of calls, or an
afternoon reception, and consider the day q dull
or lost one that does not end in a ball or theater
party. Don't asi, me- cried a girl in reply to
a request that she would attend a morning
Class OF some sort. Il do not rise before noon.
and it is all | can do TO drag myself down
stairs" She was buttOniug herself up in a seal
skin coat and her maid stood ready TO Pat On
her boots and hand her muf and furTed cap
That same evening she was at ball in pale yell
low tuiIe and satin, where she remained till 3 in
the morning. And this will be repeated twice
week at least during the winter.
DRESSING FOR NEW YEARS
There is no special dressing in New York now
for New Years day. for New Years calls have
ceased to possess society significance, and ere
ceiying' is kept up as a good old custom by old
fashioned people, or by the working business.
and professional class. who cannot devote their
every days to calling and society The day is
still pleasantly celebrated by a very large num-
Der OF people drawn from these sources; but the
percentage vi the young Is snail. the prepare
tons are Of 4 moderate and simple character
and the occasion derives its principal interest
from the meeting OF old friends and the retire
spective turn given to the conversation. for
there is less anxiety in regard to the number
OF calls among the staid and middle AGED.
anu more Willingness to pro!Ong calls
INTO visits where there are several de-
Ca les ofcvcnts 10 recall and talk about 4 chance
1trsiei@hing on New Year day is hailed BY the
young iu-E5 a the most rfoptious OF al! hap
reEln-'. Lar-c parties are organized. VINO
drive to the tine house Of the relative Of enc of
':em Ill the suburbs, gather the yoGng people Of
the ncghborhCnd there. or go from house to
house. i'ussi2n IA liOn. returning in the evening
to City HON IS for Il dance 4 certain set a,n0nm
the ultra lasaonab!es ignore New Years day
Altogether. OF treat It as dull Sunday. upGn
which nothing is to be done because the public
could participate in it. ana which they give Up
to the public. like the Fourth OF July refusing
even TO have dinner party on that day. lest
they Lay be supposed 10 be keeping the day.
AFrERN0oN RECEPTIONS
Ladies who do not 20 out great deal are
often puzzled in REGARD to the proper toilet for
an occasisa to which they attach Importance,
because it DIES not often occur, and perhaps
consult a friend Lit is al afternoon reception
OF which there are so many during December
and January the friend says a handsome walk
ing dress will DO and the lady goes and is dis
tressed to find her hostess in full dress, and
perhaps surrounded by half Il dozen friends who
assist her To receive in very low cut satin
dresses OF the lightest shades. with trains two
yards long. Looking at her own dark
simple costume, and remembering the ELEGANT
long trained light silk that lies at home in the
rcCcSses of trunk or closet and so seldom sees
the light the lady feels like reproaciliug her
friend for misleading her until she is COnsoled
by seeing other costumes as simple as her own
Afternoon receptions are still so new that the
question OF dress for them is not very well I'M
deTst0Od. Besides. ladies' who give afternoon
receptions not iEfrcqucntly close up with a
dinner and theatPr party or themselves make
one OF party to assemble at some other house
This is the excuse for full dress. which is quite
out OF rldCe-certaialy as much so as dress
coat FOR Gentleman before six O'clock. An after
noon reception is often large and somewhat
promiscuous affair, and it is certainly one to
which the invited guests are expected to 90 in
day dress. for there is often but slight &C
c0mmGdatlon for removing wraps: and it is very
tad taste indeed for any one 10 minglc in such an
asS2nbiagc, at an informal hour. in light satin
with lotlT train which lies upon the ground only
to be franped upon and with bodice so low it
leaves neck and arms exposed from throat TO
hn%er nails. except TIE space covered by an inch
OF strap which connects The back and front to-
gether. A dress for lady ''rccciying" may he
as handsome and rs rich as the Wcarcr plcascs
but during the day it should be short ard tie
bodice square or heart shaped or high to the
throat. not low. IN effective reception dress
worn the other day was Of pink and silver bro
cate with pfinccs5c train and halt sleeves Of
black silk velvet The br0caGn formed the
pHiItd front Of the robe and high cuffs TO the
sleeves. which We're plain velvet from the pun
to below the elbow, where thcy We're trimmed
fiat with embroidered lace. which also formed a
sHla,t Nc1ic cellar. An ora!inc silk Worn on
The same occasion wa bca.e in a fine aud deli
cate net work pattern ard orIamcnjed with
birds, gTr1liSa s,rey and two together. upon
slilt and shoulder. The Iarge detached pat
terms in brocadcs cannot be made becoming
They are very u@iy, and many Will be lett, Il
dead loss, upon the hands OF the dealers.
Bali dresses are. as stated in my last, OF tullc
over satin. with low. solid satin bodice: and
this is worn almost without exception at the
fine private and Delmonico balls. Yellow tullc
red tue. black tue and grew. tuile are en-
pOyci, but white tuile mere than any other
Sometimes the tuiie is embroidered and this
embroidery feanpears round the neck Of the
bodice. black tulle embroidered with small sun
flowers. q redtullc. dotted with pendant chenille
yellow talle spangied over yellow satin a
white tulle fringed with frosted glasses over
white satin. a grey tulle over satin @arniturcd
with tulips were among the toilets at a recent
great private ball. But one of the most elegant
women in New York. the wife of an artist
wears always black or white. Her handsome
dresses come from PaIis-a black ore this year,
a white one the next. When they have done
duty as long dresses (always plain trained
skirts with square or hcart-shaped bodces) they
make over into short costumes. morning wra,j-
simply yet perfectly dressed. her clothes cost
her probably not more than One-fifth the amount
expended by many more pretenti0us danes.
SOME OF THE LUXCRIE3 OF THE MALE TOILET.
The fact has been several times stated in these
letters that American women do not take kindly
to silk underwear. Much was written and said
about it on its first appearance some years AGO
and one might have imagined that every other
woman had possessed herself immediately of q
complete stock of pink blue and ccru silk I'M
defgarments, tied with ribbons and trimmed
with NailencienRes lace. As q matter Of fact
the sales OF the general dry goods stores ire
quented by the great majority were so limited
that they ceased to keep silk underwear in
stock, and even in some of the best houses it is
only supplied to order. The reason for this
apparent lack ofapprccation ofaluXury in which
ofcours2 his would limit the sale-than the lack
OF a good laundry service. and the almost uni
VerSal prejudice in favor Of something that will
wash that is to say, in favor Of something
mat can be washed by an unsk;lled hand with
out being quite ruined. 1t is time that the soft
SILKS OF which underwear is made can he reno
waited as easily rs cotton, and look more like
new than any washed cotton if well done:
but the water must be Of the proper te1pppra-
ture, the chemical factors rightly introduced
aud the heat carefully tested. as well as applied
under suitable conditions: AID the necessity for
such eXaCtncss the ordinary household lauu-
dress cannot be made to understand Men
are brtter off in this respect, AS in
most Others. The expert laundress deyotes