The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-12-07
FEMININE ODDS AND ENDS.
CURRENT HINTS ON FASHIONS AND
HOUSEHOLD DECORATIONS.
Some New and Pretty Designs for Cush-
ions-French Five-O'Clock Tea-Mrs.
Kendall On the Fan.

"Cushons seem to be the perennial delight of
the average woman" says q writer in a New
York paper. "This is an age of cushions, and
her soul reioices IN them. The saddle-bag
cushions still exist and are likely to, as they have
happily solved the tidy problem. Those
wretched things, abhorred by mankind, are
gone, it is hoped, never to return. But having
hung the saddle-bags over the backs of our
chairs, there must still be cushions galore for
window seats, couches, corners, to fit in uncom-
Portable angles-cushions unlimited and of every
variety. The melon cushion looks rather pretty
If 1t is well made, but the cushion is newer
and is being shown at the art shops. This, which
is, of course, many times the size of its forest
prototype, has the acorn of pale-green silk and
the cup of darker green, which is put on rather
full and sewed down in spots to,give the raised,
uneven look of nature. Another pretty combi-
nation of the acorn is reddish-brown plush and
pale-yellow silk. A loop is sewed for the stem
to take hold by. These wel-defned shapes,
however, cannot be recommended as satisfactory
for general wear. Plain, square, oblong, oval,
or round cushions last longer in every way, and
can be so different in material and decoration as
to supply the needed variety. White silk
cushions wrought in gold embroidery are used
in very dainty apartments, but their delicacy
hardly fits them for cushion service"
Complexion depends largely on the character
of the food. Rich dishes are poison. A diet of
fruit, fresh milk unboted flour bread, grains,
and'vegetables will do more for the complexion
than Il hundred washes Avoid lard dishes,
spices, tea, coffee, and alcohol. Long drinking
of tea, coffee, and constipating food give women
cloudy skins and red noses. A torpid liver
causes constipation, and that ruins the skin.
Dyspepsia and tight lacng redden the nose.
In spite of the efforts of those who follow
closely the English fashions the pointed shoe re-
tains its place in popular favor. For walking
boots the fiat, low heel came to stay, but ones
foot looks so much smaller in pointed toed boot
that the broad and square-toed boot had no
chance.
Mrs. Kendall says that fan is the most useful
thing body can possess. She can use it as
mask to hide traces of tears or lurking smiles
She can secretly apply her powder puff behind
its friendly shelter. or she can nibble sweets at
the theatre without attracting attention. Then,
too, the fan is a weapon of conquest.
There is no ornament of the dining-room or
drawng-room that will give more genuine
pleasure than fernery. If this is grown in
close glass case it will require very little care.
The most attractive ferneres are made up of
ferns and Towering plants taken from our native
forests.
The rough-weather gowns for the fall are of
frieze and tweed, in the mixed weaves and hav-
ing bright flannel or serge waistcoats Felt
| toques will be more worn with them than the
| cloth toques of q season or two back, although
| the latter are by no means wholly gone out.
Quite young ladies with very thick and wavy
| hair have permission to part it down the middle
of the back, combing it to the sides, where it is
braided, then returning it to the back and twist
ing it in a fiat knot on the nape of the neck.
| The american Beauty" is the favored rose for
millinery uses. Next comes the orchid Either
may be bought in a hot-house or flower shop for
30 per cent less than the modiste charges for the
! linen variety.
| The masculine girl has gone into the double
| breasted waistcoat, with which she wears the
| puffed scarf and pin. 1t is not known that the
| adoption of all this makes her any moro at
| tractive.
| The horseshoe pin is becoming very fashion
| able ornament. Dead gold is first choice
mounted like a scarf-pin, the design being an
| inch in diameter.
Five-o'clock tea is served in France with thin
! slices of toast, over which is placed paste of
| fresh sardines and butter, or of caviare and
drops of lemon.
Buckskin vests and trimmings are an expensive
caprice which will only be adopted by women OF
| wealth.
| The rage for colored candles is over. White
wax is the order of the night and light.
l