Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-07

evening being daintily embroidered, while at other seasons finest Lisle-thread is the reign ing favorits. with insteps of 6lmy-lace-work for full dress.
 Occasionally bride has stockings that are real works of art, and. however much her newly made husband may admire them, he is probably glad to remember that the paternal pocketbook rather than his own opened to pay for them. The prettiest ever made in this country are probably those of fine white silk, with instep of point or duchesse lace carefully inserted, and which the low slipper shows to advantage.
 These are of course only seen on rare occa- sions, and those of cotton and Lisle-thread are most used. A few years ago on rainy day one caught bewildering glimpses of red stockings of all shades as the fair wearer climbed an omnibus step or carefully lifted her skirts to escape the mud, but now gloomy black prevails on all sides. This is more particularly the case with children, and boy of proper feeling would feel eternslly disgraced if called upon to wear red or blue stockings with his close fitting knee-breeches. But the ladies wear them, too-wear them in spite of tho fact that the dye literally pours from them, blackening the white undercloth- ing and making the feet look like those of an African-and all because they happen to be the fashion of the moment. Some women are rebslling at last, and positively decline to use them, declaring that the dye Is ini furious, besides being so peculiarly disagreeable in that 1t clings most persistently to everything but the stockings They are going back to the old-f shioned unbleached Balbriggans, which are after all the most comfortable, and perhaps the prettiest as we'll. A lady, when interviewed about black hose the other day, said that the last pair she bought had kept her awake for two nights by causing the greatest irritation of the skin.
 ''I Ithought at first that must be poisoned" 7" she added, but it soon passed Rway after l left them of"
 Do you think cheap stockings are any worse in such respects than more expensive geods?' she was asked.
 Not at all The very ones which caused ne so much trouble were by no means cheap, as paid no less than $1.50 for them, al- though they were of plain cotton have uad cheaper ones which were much better, put they all rub of in 8 most disoouraging fashion. If anyone could invent a black i've that did not run have no doubt fortune might be made, but until that happens I shall wear more black stockings "
 Red hose are almost as bad about rubbing if. and several serious poisoning cases re suited from their use. Dark blue is general another bad color for running. S1ik StOck- ngs are now sold at such very low figures hat many people of only moderate means Fsar them altogether of late. Very handsome 1nes of all shades may be purchased for $1 25, and some are even sold for ess than SI. It is partially owing to this fact, doubtless, that silk stockings matching the color of the toilet so much more gen. 5rally worn with evening dress than was the case year or two ago, and the wearing of black stockings with bali costumes is now almost exclusively confined to children.
 The fashions in mems socks change even more rapidly than those for stockings and the fashionable hsberdashers windows are constantly filled with them in styles new IS they are gorgeous, although these of black -ilk are still considered the proper thing for evening dress
 The latest fancy in socks is for the ''digi- | tated hose, B which come in all colors and are peculiarly absurd in effect. It is noteworthy in mems goods, for what woman could be in- duced to make her feet appear larger and more clumsy than necessary for the sake of being in the mode in such an affair? These hose must lead to all sorts of accidents too, and the washerwoman, ignorant of the wonderful new garments, would very likely | a1istaks them for ill-made gloves, and per haps even sympathize with the unfortunate man who had such dreadful hands
 These suggezt, too, the possibility of dudes" of a few years hencs walking about in ''digitated shoes," the absurdity of which will far outshine that of the long pointed | boots of last year