The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-03

diet. She prefers to be a little plumper
than the fashionable law allows rather
than deprive herself of that which Is in
deed meat and drink to her.
When the fair Lillian Russell found that
she was becoming less sylphlike than she
desired, she took a rigid course of absti-
nence, but it was too wearing for any one
as petted and pampered as the lovely Lii
llan, and she soon changed her mind
about this course of treatment and went
to work trying TO dress III simmer
fashion.
Now you know everything is in ones
appearance. Things are seldom what they
seem. Indeed things are never what they
seem. 1t is all an optical delusion. Ii
you do not believe this get glimpse of
yourself In convex mirror, and then
look at yourself directly afterwards in
cOncave mirror. and see if you do not lose
all faith in the actually and the reality of
things.
But to return to the lovely Russell.
Taking her modiste into her confidence
and consulting the best artist of
her acquaintance she found that
the slim pointed basques made
her look a great deal larger, and
she also found that any kind of trimming
round the waists line made that same
waist line much greater than il really was.
Accordingly she gave up basques and she
gave up waist trimmings and she likewise
gave up folds and cross-bands and pa =
menteries and cords and everytIN tuat
produced round-and-round effect.
Next she ordered gown made which
should be on straight lines and yet not at
all Mother Hubbard; no loose flowing
unbelted horror did she want; but an
actual gown with a conventional waist,
and yet the whole thing so that it should
run from neck to feet.
And this is what the modiste achieved.
The modiste drew design for it first and
then faithfully followed out the directions.
There is Nagpore silk vest of yellow silk,
and the collar is done in the conventional
Greek pattern of black braid upon a
groundwork of yellow. The gown itself is
made of llama wool ana the trimming is
done in hand embroidery. The gown is of
black and the vest only is of yellow. The
folds run lengthwise. and the fullness is
brought under the arms and is wrapped
around the waist. The effect is extremely
pretty, and is so graceful that Lillian is
going to have 1t recopied for stage dress
in her next play.
very pretty gown was recently turned
out for dinner given by well-known
club in New York. The invitations read
''for ladies dress informal, and that meant
that the dress was to be neither very
decollette nor vet strictly a walking dress.
1t is not an altogether easy thing to make
z gown tldL iulllIlS All tueSc
1t must be full dress, vet not full dress.
1t must be a dressy looking affair and yet
be quite informal in its appearance.
The pretty gown that was produced for
this occasion fulfilled all these ideas. The
waist was of lovely kind of lace net with
large figured lozenges on it of gold and
silver tinsel. 1t was cut pointed front and
back, the point extending but very little
below the shoulders. The sleeves were of
n net and terminated at the elbow, large
slit in the net revealing the fair SKIN of the
wearer. Gloves Of wide suede stitched
with silvermet the sleeves above the elbow,
and the neck of the gown was caught
front and back with large gold clasp.
There was nothing suggestive of the dec
ollcte in the dress. and yet II was most
dressy and pretty. The skirt was demi-
train and around the hem there was q
broad band OF black velvet tied AZ the side
in a very large how. The corsage was fin
ished bv very deep black girdle with black
passementeric around the upper edge, and
at the front there was huge black velvet
bow. There was also a bow ut the back Of
the corsage, and the ends hung down to
the foot Of the train.
The passion for bows seems TO have
spread about "a far as it possibly can.
Every we'll dressed woman has half dozen
ofthem somewhere upon her gown, and she
even adds a bow to the side OF her hair and
hands her couture with strips Of ribbon.
Very large bows are used for decorating q
gown here and there and one need not
be afraid OF getting on too many OF these
ornaments.