Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-03
SOME FASHION TRUTHS.
HALF-LENGTH COATS AND HEEL
LESS SHOES SCORED.
You Mustn't Dress All Alike-Challies,
Satins and Jets-Evening Gowns-Lace
for Summer.


Satins and Jsts-Evening Gowns-Lace
for Summer.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 30.-Alas, the
day! What is the matter with the
girls? Why, oh why, will they firmly
set their little noddles to work, and de-
termine to look just alike? It's shame.
It's more than that-it's a burning
shame. Those dreadful half-length
coats, that cut off the figure, are just
bearable on a tall, willowy woman; but
when plump Miss Peaches-and- Cream
wears one she's-well, it's slang and
very dreadful; but it's what mean, SO
I'll say it boldly--she's sight
Besides that, she's just about ten long
weary years behind the day. People
don't do that way now. No, they do
woman, and wants to be
in the mode, just lies awake nights
thinking wrinkles into her forehead,
trying to conjure up some entirely diff
ferent way to dress-diherent from her
dearest friend, and entirely, oh, entirely
different from her dearest foe.
Sometimes they happen to be the
same person, which simplifies things.
x*x
Have you noticed the delicate sea-
green, shell-pink and cornflower laces
They're lovely. And there are some chal-
lies in the market that are blisses. There
are new India silks, too, and they're
very good to look at, very good indeed,
and they're better still to wear.
They droop so beautifully, and then
they're as cool and comforting as flash
of sea-foam on dusty day.
Well, satin is coming in again. That's
what they say, at least. The "they''
mean is the mysterious being that be-
gins with capital very big capital
T, and it means more than any pronoun
alive.
Satin has it's virtues, without doubt.
1t is rich and splendid and impressive,
but it has also few vices of its own.
One of these vices is, that there are
sucn odious, cheap things called satin,
and if you get gown of the real thing
you must make up your mind to be
petrified by meeting your cook arrayed
in an exact imitation the very next
week.
Then the army OF stout women always
insist on wearing black satin and jet.
Just as the very thin women persist in
donning huge checks, and it becomes a
sort OF livery after bit.
Xxx
Jet, by the by, is coming in. Com
ing in T! It's simply rushing in. Now, a
word or two about this same jet. 1t is
bright and. sparkling, there's no denying
it, but too much of it is a mistake. One
! likes to see an Amazon march on the
stage, but one doesn't care to wear a
blonde wig and rouge de theatre in the
street. See the point?
**x
Evening gowns are enhancing. They
are using soft laces in combination with
bright brocades, and the effect is gor-
geous. A draped front of beautiful lace
with white and gold brocade en- train
is striking, isn't it?
x*x
"No corset covers and no heels.''
That's what an eastern fashion writer
says. A writer, too, that usually knows
thing or so, and knows them pretty
we'll. Now the first no, is all right.
Corset covers are out of date, as much
so as the long, cumbersome, old-fash-
ioned chenise. A silk vest that will
give and stretch accordingly, yet never
grows big or bulgy, is the only thing
thought of in the way of bodice under
wear.
But no heels Think of it, ye gener-
GUS footed mortals Imagine large,
energetic woman, with feet to match,
literally Hopping her way through the
awe,stricken .multitudel Foy flop she
would if she hadn't a heel to help her. Now
| fharo ha hna1a onI haa1o or1 Io
places and places. Places where they
f1at-iron, and places where they are
very, very pretty and timely.
A high-heeled, pin-pointed Parlsian
heel that comes precisely in the middle
of the foot is not pretty. Not at all.
But it's fetching, awfully fetching. But,
no girl as knows her Society as |
found it," would think of being fetching
on the street. Never! She may be
dainty and she may be neat. but she
must look as if she didn't want anyone
to dream she had complexion, or a
figure, or anything else delicious and
difficult.
AT home, oh, that's different. Pointed
toes, mites of slippers, and towers OF
heels, anything that makes a foot pretty
and pleasing to the beholders-I was
going to say-bachelor's eye. Don't
you think so?
The proper thing in boots for the
streets now, are broad-heeled. and toes
not at all pointed. Low heels, broad
heels, but heelless-the fates forfend.
believe that writer had eaten hard
boiled eggs for supper when she dreamed
that hideous nightmare of an idea.
x*x
Lace is the thing for summer, and
some of the summer hats and summer
parasols are simply fluffy towers OF it.
The summer hat, by the same whim,
has taken to growing to an alarming ex-
tent. 1t has stretched from a butter
plate to saucer, and from a saucerto a
desert plate. in the last eventful four
teen days. By next week it will be q
platter. It's pretty, though; delight
fully pretty, and it's cool and summer.
resort looking. NINE. LIE VANwAY.