Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-08-02
Fashionable Iuln,ofiestv.

ness. 1t only looks" SO, because the world
sees so little Ofit.
-.>>-
Fashionable EIlnloiesty.
Lon Ion Letter in San Francisco Argonaut
Take the family portraits which hang In the
picture gallares OF all great houses, and we are
driven to admit that whatever else of womany
virtue our Qrandmothers and great aunts pos
sessed, mOdesty was not one of them and that
the study OF female anatomy was as adyanta-
geOuSly provided by the paintings of GaInsbor-
ough and Sir Joshua Reynolds as by the writ
ings of DungsOn and Hunter.
But to come down to our own time. In Eng
lard the female evening or full dress is and always
has been de ,'igueur decoliete. 1t is the estab-
li,hed court dress of the English court and there
never has been a sovereign strict i'm the rules
and regulations which enforce its observance as
is Queen Victoria. The Queen herself in her
best days. was never alarmingy reluctant as to
tho extent of her own display of those wOmanly
charms with the possession of which she is in no
small degree accredited Her daughters too
when In evening dress. are quite lavish in an
exhibition which leaves but little to the imagi-
nation. Especially may this be said to be the
case with the Princess Louise. And. indeed
She can hardly be blamed for not seeking to con-
ceai one OF the most rounded. plump and satny
necks and pairs of shoulders and the most bill
l0wy OF bOsoms in the United Kingdom: and
thar is saying a good deal. Certainly 10 men
object TO the gracious view she gives them. and
what women may say is of course actUated by
jealousy and spite doubt if LabOuchere has
ever seen the Princess Louise in low-necked
gown. If he ever had he wouldn't have another
word to say against the custom.
The PrlncesSOt Wales, on the other hand
makes great mistake in dressing SO low as she
does In many harmless things an avOwcd
prudc. her bodiCes are not only among the most
decoilete in England. but she has Il way of hoist
ing up her shoulders that aside from giving the
appearance Of ctfort on her part to crawl through
shows the complete contour of both arms be-
tween the top of the bodice and the shoulder
Joint. One could. perhaps. forgive her this
trick if the result was satisfactory in other re-
spects But her neck is bOny and scrag0y to a
degree What surprises one most is that she
should be as fond as she Is Ofbeing photographed
in semi-statuesGue fashion.
Gladys Countess of LOnsdale has beauti-
full neck. and bust which, to once see as she
graciOusly cOndescends to unveil it, would make
one regard as IA species of vandalism any move
Ment of fashion directed to even q sOupcOn of its
future Obscurty. Mrs. CORVALLIS West is now
getting decidedly passe; but In her best DAYS
about three or four years ago. she dressed as
decollpte as-well. as dccOete as everybody
dresses now. But at the time she was con-
slderably sat upon in consequence. Yet no one
could really blame her, beyond its then styled
immodesty, for showing as lovely neck and
shoulders as one could well wish to see The
young MarchiOness Of Kildare. Lady HermiOne
Duncombe that was a few months ago, has a
beautiful neck, of which she never hesitates to
show what would be con sidered superabun-
dance in a less ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS woman.
And, after all. that is really where 1t all u.s.
One doesn't object to the pretty necks going as
decOllette as they please. 1t Is the ugly ones
that make the fashion detestable. Did fashion
restrict the custom to the pOssessOrs of marble
shoulders, satin necks and billOwy bOsOms there
wouldn't be a word said But, unhappily. 1t let's
every one take part in the full-dress "undress'
parade. and, as q consequence. fat old dowagers
with necks and dumplinT-like combinations of
purple buckskin; ancient naidens with yellow
parchment backs more rounded than their
chests: tall, ungainly women who consider skin
covered shoulder blades and collar bones siuht
to delight the eye: and esthetic young damsels,
the Nile green of whose compilations and the
unbrOken fatnesS of whose outlines seem TO
intensity as they descend all find entrance. and.
in keeping with the well-established pecuiari-
ties OF ugly women, think their charms are so
great that other people cannot be shown enough
OF them No wonder, then. is it that the sights
one sees at balls are enough to nauseate one
and that people are up in arms against a con-
tlnuance OF custom that forces them to look
against their will upon nude hdeOusness But
could the fashion, as | say, be strictly confined
by act of parliament to the women have men,
TONED and few Others such as Young Mrs
SassOOn. Lady BeatriX Herbert. Lady Garoagh.
and Mrs. langtry. the anti-lUW-neck movement
would no more be heard of.
OF Mrs. Langtry In connection with the sub
JeCt, L Hceu HOU say Hucn. i understand that
her theatrical tour in America will this time in
cude San Francisco. and those who have not al
ready seen her will then have the opportunity of
Judging for themselves. will say this If after
seeing her in decoletedress they do not ex-
press regret that gowns are worn so high now
a-days l shall be very much mistaken. Some
pespe there are who will tell you that that is
her chief attraction. Perhaps they NAV be right
but do not think SO. EXcelling as she does in
all that goes to make physically speaking)
In hna ifI1t let
say in which she eXcels the mOst-in feature
carriage. complexion, form. figure. smile eX-
preston or manner. Whatever attracts your
notice most at the moment will seem to be her
greatest charm. 1t in turn will give place to an
other and so those in her presence will EXPERT
encP an eyer-present but ever-changing delight
She never tires you. 1t Is in the immense va
rety Other attractions that Mrs. Langtry really
stands alone among women. not only as the
most beautiful but the most bewtchng woman
of the day.
Her powers seem inexhaustible, limitless.
Not only does she attract attention but she
keeps it; and l defy any man Cor woman ether
to keep IFS eyes of her while sheis within sight
The subtitle influence Of her presence l have
never heard denied by any one who has ever
been thrown in her society. have no doubt
there will be many who on first seeing her on
the stage will say they are disappointed. But
they won't really be. They will only think so.
woman whose beauty would please all pre-
| conceived tastes and satisfy all anticipations
would not only be an impossibility, but a non
descrpt as odd as ever delighted the willy Bar
| mum. No such woman ever existed. The ma
jorty will like her at once, while the others.
| with ideals Of beauty different from hers, will
| find their real and only disappointment in the
shattering of the models their minds had ever
pictured to them at the perfection of female
loneliness. But once the ideal destroyed. they
will soon be won over. To those who come
! back from her first performance say "Wait.
| Wait day or two and SEQ II you can helm
wanting to go to see her again, and if, during
| the interim, she does not come up before YOUR
minds eye thousand times, and as no other
| woman, real or imaginary, ever did before"