Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-29

with us-at least in our cities, and the wife IL
much less frequently iet to wear out her heart
THE WOES OF THE ANTWERP GIRL.
The young girl, emancipated from school, but
suppressed ut home, seems to the transient
visitor, the member OF the community most to
be pitied in Antwerp, and all continental
cities; Young men 81 dare not speak to them;
it Is supposed to be-and they can only follow
her lead. To the New York woman who re-
ISOLATION they afford her, in the retrospect for
the dreary loneliness of her married days, such
wearing away Of youth seems cruel; and to
at home or abroad, who ''order" the COM
ings and goings, and consider their father and
what they want--as invented, in short,
for their particular purpose, and gene
rally mescIliy and proyidensaly
full and necessary than their presence To such
girls of the period the habits and behavior of
they ''only wish they chad a chance to get at
them alone, poor things, and tell them what to
do" Still, while they loose something of growth
in their lack of freedom and spontaneous ex-
ercise of faculty; they gain much in selfre-
straint and knowledge of what woman should
know, knowledge of which our girls are lament
ably ignorant, and which accounts for much OF
the unhappiness and frequency of divorce in
American married life. The New York girl has
girl after.
The distinction of dress where age is con-
Sery a In nd
and straw hats or bOnnets are the rule, the for
mer trimmed with cream or colOred embroid-
cry To match. The thin wool materials, printed
in small designs on cream grounds, are, as with
us, novelties, in common with canvas cloths, of
the season and much used for simple dresses
with straight skirts and waists gathered, back
and front, and belted in. Wide sashes are worn
with these pretty gowns, but not so commonly
as velvet loops, belt and standing collar: with
lace above, the velvet and lace matching that
upon the hat, and all of a dark coOr-green,
garnet, brown or blue,matching color in the
design. AT somewhat formal afternoon re-
daughters sdt, Of wealthy man, wore tunics, or
ply but prettiIy draped over geranium
red surah, with cream satin belt and ribbons
and bunch of the flowers at the belt. Both
canvas cloth, striped with ine-cOlored velvet
over dark satin skirt, plated and showing
beaded panels The trimming consisted Of
COLLAR close to the throat, sleeves and collar
edged with rich lace, the latter forming a
ish, and harmOnized admirably with the rich
cOlOrs of her dress. Another dress formed q
tunic dr7,ped to the side of embroidered cream-
colored canvas, over a Straight plated skirt of
gems q arme blue silk. The Jewels were carved
onyx linked with'silver.
thing of the conventional air which we call
"style' in New York, but she is saved from the
unqtterable commonplace. so frequent with
us. by her permanent possessions, by her artistic
ornaments and the individuality with which
these invest her. The Antwerp lady is, as a
rule, much more careful, too, in regard to her
underwear, and especially her cOrsets. Her
underwear is less fliInsey, but 1t is beautifully
made made ana embroidered, or trimmed with the
and htted as carefully as her dress. The Ant
werp lady, and by this designation do not
mean a member OF a small exclusive class, but
the representative wife OF the ordinary well-to-
do man, would look with establishment upon
the 6th,avenue shopper, who buys her corset
where she can get it cheapest, sometimes at one
shop, sometimes at another, and rarely has
two in succession that tit or msfit alike. Her
porIant as her dressmaker. She COMES to the the
house TO lit and try on, after taking q measure
and makes a corset for three dollars, of any
brodered in feather stitching, and guaranteed
for year. The fit is perfect and the bones
only wear through when the rest of the corset
Is Civ ing way. 1t is, in short, a conscientious
corset.
THE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION
at Antwerp affords an excellent opportunity for
seeing representative Antwerp ideas, and also
the newest and richest in fabric from the CEN
tiers of Continental industry. 1t is not SO extern.
sive as the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
but the exhibits are in some respects much
more complete: The entire display of Lyons
Silks, in the French department., has been
bought up by the leading dry goods house at
Brussels, and comprises every rarity of rich
silken fabric, all in the newest, most beautiful
colors and designs. For evening wear there is
every delicate shade of Canton creme which
will be more fashionably worn than ever, en-
with silk or satin of the same shade. Contrasts
have given way to combinations of material in
tone upon tone, in the same color, but different
material. As for example, brown silk has a
wide velvet stripe, shaded in five distinct
tints OF brown which are not blended but
placed beside each other like strands of sewing
silk of different shades
But there is also a smoke gray with a dark
strawberry, the latter inclosed in dark sea-blue.
There is a blue with nasturtium stripe, shaded
TO brown; and IN velvet brocade, a long, slender
spray of leaves in brown velvet upon a pale
yellow ground of satin. A dark shaded green
plush is striped with Ottoman silk in ErressOn-
green. and bottlegreen satin with shaded
brocaded in pointed festoons, tied with narrow
satin bows in small graduated spots, and there
An old idea, very fashionable some twenty
five years ago. has been revived, in white wa
or rather follow the lines in the fabric with en-
broidery. This was formerly done with gold
and silver thread. 1t is executed now with
beads, white upon white. black upon black
and with distinguished effect
THE FINEST EVENING DRESS
in the Antwerp exhibit is of pink moire very
rich, with a long, superb train of Brussels lace.
laid in a fiat, double jabot the entire length.
The front is of lace fiouncing intermingled
with the MORE, the side OF the silk, the bodice
OF the peasant form surmOunted by crossed
io d t OF the lace, tucked in and pointed back
but not over the elbow, and are open, except
where the two sides are brought together and
enclosed in n band of pink velvet The garni-
ture consists OF groups of pink ostrich feathers
placed high at the side and upon the bodice
A bridal dress displayed a long, perfectly plain,
plated train, as bridal dresses abroad always
do; The only very great elaboration admiss-
able in a bridal dress is in the veil, which NAV
be priceless, IL il is of lace and an heirloom But
MORE itself is not in the best TASTE unless it is
for a lady past her youth, or who has been mar
ried before. 1t is too old for q young LADY, and
gives an appearance of age to the wearer A
soft, rich, satn-finished, but not glossy silk is
more suitable, because more Youthful and
quite as rich and distinguished looking
Some snowy contrasts were passed by with n
shrug OF disapprOval by the born and expert
enced Antwerp lady who accompanied US i'm
our round of inspection. mot good" she said
.our Antwerp dressmakers have not ALWAYS
best designs copied" The day is past however
Notwithstanding Antwerp traditions when anv
one line OF fashion is closely exclusively fol-
lowed. Antwerp young ladies wear white upon
the street. 1t is remarked, upon the rare occa-
sions when they are seen, and quite frequently
in the gardens on the summer evenings for the
first time this year, and competition will do for
Antwerp. what it does every where, produce
continued diversity. There is fashionable de-
mand, just now. for the old pillow laces. A New
York artist IN Antwerp has made of a pillow
lace worker striking picture, and the reigning
ladies, the Queen of the Begians and the
Countess of Flanders, anthem and have them
made in special patterns The Queen of the
Belsians is plain gray haired woman rather
above the middle height, graceful in her walk
ana bearing, but very simple in dress and man.
ner. Her economies are carried to such an
extent that she is said to have her dresses taken