Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-11

plays a most important part in the sum-
mer beauties; balancing in the tip Of the
fingers an odd-shaped hat, in fact, it
seemed a velvet cap with a straw roof.
The owner said, "How many yards of
ribbon do you think there is on that
hat?'' Twas past calculation. Years
ago the milliner would compute on her
fingers the cost of your hat and
would enumerate five yards of ribbon
and you would start saying in surprised
tones, five yards!' But then that was
ribbon, it was from three to five inches
wide and cost pretty penny. The fair
interlocutor answered her own question,
forty-nine yards, and that does not in
clude the looped strings, looking at it
critically AT the front of the straw
roof there were loops piled on loops; at
the side cluster that was like the thick
est petaled flower, while at the back
loop-knots and ties i'll ineXtricable con-
fusion told the tale of forty-n yards
most concIusively. OF course nothing
but narrow ribbon could be bestowed in
so wanton fashion.
A glance at the fish net dress of the be-
ribboned girl was enough to show that
there was some needed for gowns as well
as hats The full skirt had many rows
set plain, then there was a side panel
gagged about twelve inches, the fullness
drawn on narrow ribbon, as was the
fuIlness of waist and sleeves; and how
much in the frock? 81 bought six
bolts, - she said simply, "but 1 believe
the dressmaker had to get two more.
Which is it ribbon period or golden
age?
But to come back to gold, we have all
nh r. nm iS
left for the fashions of 1889 to teach its
adaptability; such lesson was taught
by the study of pretty bonnet. No,
no, not at church; a woman never, that
is hardly ever, sees bonnets in church;
she goes TO hear the sermon, she does.
Well, it was at a pleasant Reunion of
women, and the bonnet was black tulle
pulled on gilded wires, simply trimmed
with loops of gold metal ribbon and ali
aigrette of gold. The bonnet a la mode
needs something glittering to make it
visible: it is shrinking so rapidly that an
front view it is hardly dIscernable, at
the back it is seen to be not much
more than a corOnet covered with
lace, with an occasional flower.
The boys think, and they have borrowed
a word from the girls vocabulary, that
the midsummer hat is very 'cute'
with its turned-up brim crinkled in front
and its blossom ed-covered crown finished
off at the back with a knot Of ribbons.
The tennis girl, the catching girl, the
girl that climbs the mountains. and the
girl that has business in her eye, still
puts on her pretty head a sailor hat, and
it is certainly very fetching.
Week after week the journals tell us
white is worn; none deny that it
is enticing, especially when the
material is soft, like China silks,
wool veilings and challies, or
the delicate lawn from which the demon
starch is thoroughly banished. The silk
is pretty when made with round belted
waists and having the fullness on the
shoulders drawn in rows of thick cords,
forming points in front, behind and on
the top of each full sleeve. The skirt is
drawn upon cords for depth of over
four inches below the waist, whence it
falls in full, straight lines. Few people
can need telling that none Of the skirt
.breadths is gored and that they are cut
off straight around, except in case of
pronounced empire dress, which is made
shorter in front than hitherto, showing
the embroidered silken instep curving up
from the satin slipper. High-shouldered
full sleeves arelthe natural finish to such
gowns. The belt. the collar and waist