Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-02
FASHIONS FOR FEBRUARY.
Perfection of Modern Dress Fabrics and
the Beauty Of the Wearers.

| the Beauty OF the Wearers.
THE APoTHEosIs OF THE sENsUoUs-BEAUrY AT
| ToILET-RENAIssANcE OF THE REVOLUTION
TIE LATEST STYLES IN EVENING DRESSES
STUDIES IN BLACK-ENTERTAININa AT DINNER.
From Our Own Correspondent.
New YORK, Feb. 1, 1889.
Every one to-day is interested in costumes.
| The drawbacks to the entire beauty Of the cos
| tune effects Of to-day lie only in the makers
and wearers. The loneliness of materials is
beyond the power of words to convey, but they
! seem to require something finer than fingers to
| fashion them, something more delicate than
mesh and blood to wear them. Beauty of form,
lace, color may well be at premium, for they
are essential to the grandeur of the pageant of
our Vanity Fair, and are applauded as the
choicest Of gifts. Our age is rapidly nearing
that apotheosis Of the sensuous, which was
reached at the apex of the French revolutions
| for we do everything for our goddesses but
1au down on our knees and worship them.
The other and better side of this picture is the
| personal care and control needed and exerted
70 preserve this beauty and this ascendancy.
Probably there never country or
! a period in which there were so
many beautiful women as in America to-day.
life OF freedom, filed with pleasant excite
HcHts, Win OUTDOOR air anu WIFI leiSuTe anu
means for the cultivation of every charm, is
giving us race of women of Incompatible
sweetness and attraction. 1t is an object,
therefore, to cultivate and preserve this per-
sonal attraction and ascendancy, by every
| means known to science and art. The time Of
| the beauty. not given to costume and its dis
play, Is reserved for the and cultivation of
itself. The delicate skin must be kept soft and
pure, hair bright and free from corroding
dandruff; nails clean, pinky and polished;
teeth firm and white eyes clear, and blood in
active and healthy circulation.
A BEAUTY AT HER TOILET.
1t is probably II of the clock, if she has been
out the night before, before the announce
ment is made that her perfumed bath is ready,
mule" slippers and her lace and ribbon night
dress, covered by wadded silk dressing
gown-into lovely blue and white tiled room.
heated to something warmer than summer
temperature, and after disrobing, plunges into
porcelain tub, is quickly, yet thoroughly
soused, dried, indicted into underwear of soft,
fine wool and again into her dressing gown,
over which, by few strokes of the comb, her
hair is allowed to flow, the sides only held back
by a large silver pin. which holds them lightly
together. In this condition she proceeds to her
boudoir, where her breakfast by this time has
been served. It consists of fruit broiled
chicken, roll, thin slice or two of toast,
soft boiled egg and chocolate or coffee.
large or coarse eater. Her breakfast lasts a
long while, however, for she has her mail to
look over, and she gives directions to her maid
to reply to certain notes and invitations from
lady friends, while she reserves the gentlemen
for herself. After breakfast she seats herself
at her pretty inlaid desk to reply to these. and
at o'clock is ready for her manicure, who is
also her chiropodist.
Beauty reclines upon a couch and takes a
look at the latest and most talked-of novel,
brln hahn
removed and nails trimmed and polished. This
woman is succeeded by another, who is fine
specimen of physical development. She has
previously been taken into a small ante-room,
where she has removed her upper clothing,
and appears in elastic underwear, like an ath
lete. She then proceeds to give the massage
treatment according to the Swedish system,
leaving the subject tranquil and drowsy.
little nap follows, and then slight repast,
which may be luncheon or o'clock tea. After
this the serious business of the day begins.
The hair-dressng, the dressing for dinner, and
then for the evening, or for an event which
may include both. All day long callers have
rung, flowers have been sent boxes of bon
bons have made their appearance, but Beauty
has not been visible. Now, like the night
blooming cereus, she unfolds herself, daZ-
zlingly bright blooming and beautiful. Wo-
men are enchanted; men are intoxicated. The
result is worth all it costs in money, and
Beauty knows that it is not attained without
abor and sacrifice.
EVENING DRESSES
this season enhance every personal charm, if
they are not kind to personal defects. They
are all, more or less, notifications of the en-
pire styles, which began and ended in and with
a reign of beautiful women. Skirts are close,
but not too straight or clinging. They fall in
the softest most graceful lines. The low-cut
bodices are high upon the shoulders and draped;
the waist well defined and shortened by the
al - h.4a ooTS IA
ings or furbelows for young girls, only the
daintiness Of tulles and gauZes, silvered or
striped, lying close to the white skin, made
over satin mervieulleux. The young-looking
mamas, who chaperone these airy sprites,
wear magnificent brocades, whose colors
are 80 exquisitely blended that they
are lost in one another and only have the ef-
feet Of tone, soft pink, yellow cream;
rarely blue, for blue has been discovered to be
cold and very trying color, and not to be
trusted by artificial light. Blue is pre-emi-
nently a summer and out-ofdoor color. In
winter and indoors, by artificial light and in
the absence of atmospheric heat and glow,
wine color and cream, pink tints and yellows,
browns and reds-which last are not glazing,
but dusky and bronzed-produce more artistic
effects and are in higher vogue.
The present styles are Venetian and Russian
Long, nearly straight, open or princess cut,
the high bodice showing laced or embroid-
dered front, or high on the shoulders and
pointed back and front with silk crepe or
gauze, gold embroidered for finish. The uses
to which black is put are noticeable. The black
in q recently-made dinner gown was all of a
very rich faille franchise, brocaded in the long
slender leaves of water plants, the ends turned
over. The draped vest was Of India silk Grape,
half covered with jabot Of lovely chantilly
lace. At the left side was a draped gore of the
Grape, yelled in the same manner with wide
lace, which terminated in pocket lined with
Grape and ornamented with clustered loops of
liz Tha av1 lon ffao