Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-28
WOMAN AND HER DRESS.


a Terribly Cynical View of the Fashions
for the Coming Spring.
No question but woman is variable
animal, and how should her patron saint
be other? And whittier. having achieved
a certain measure of elegance, oh,
whittier will she hurry us? Toward
what slough, what quag of ugliness will
it please her to turn our all too willing
feet? Will she revive the old horrors of
pannier and "draped" skirt and the
hated birdcage? Who can tell? Her
responsibility is devoid of sequence as
of reason: tbs intractable as a mule and
as highty as Miss Broughton's heroines
(old style)
At the present moment there is much
to rejoice in. The long. foundationless
skirts, with their graceful, fanlike folds,
are both attractive and comfortable; and
no petticoats were ever much prettier
this side of Eden. Built in many colored
brocades after the same slim fashion as
the skirts above them; frilled with lace
or founced with their own silken fabric;
lined, too, sometimes (but imperceptibly)
with the finest of fine woolens; albeit
most untempestuous they are worthy Of
immortal verse.
Unhappily, the tartan denominations,
most odious of patternings. are always
we'll nigh irrepressible, especially in
respect of underskirts and stockings; for
there is nothing so tasteless as woman
save only man-man, whom (she avers)
she lives to please. Both petticoat and
stockings should carry out the enhar-
monies of whatever color chord may be
struck in the outer toilet, in vest, garni-
ture or headgear. If the costume be un-
mitigated black, why, then its brocaded
supplement must shine intrinsically fair
in black and white or black and cream
One such radiant example parades a
woven design of conventionalized elder
flowers and berries and is berdered with
several rows OF foainy lace. Again. with
a chestnut brown gown. broidered in
eucalyptus green and faint pink (Which
colors haunt the bonnet, and Herewith
the lapels, collar and cuffs of the Louis
XVI mantle) the petticoat is overclus-
tered with pale pink chestnut blossoms
and leaves upon a delicate cream with
coffee ground.
1 Here the shoes, sufficiently stout for
outdoor wear, are in dark chestnut brown
leather. with plain gold buckles, while
the silk hose. in a little thicker silk than
common, are broidered in dim green and
pink. Again. you may ruffie it in violet
helnmed and violet vested black; your
broad velvet hat shall be a parterre Of
pale violets, black ostrich and empurpled
bows; your flowing mantle, in black vel
vet shot with dim CLEANS of violet, shall
be ostrich bordered; the long, straight
falling folds of your skirt, gathered in
your left hand. shall give but glimpse
of your pale. lilac petticoat literally
strewn with dark violets and violet buds
when the crowning satisfaction, the mems
conscia recti. shall be yours, for you will
know that the completeness of your tot
let is as grundlich as all real works of art
must be and are.
! For walking wear O. mornings there
are fabrics agreeably rough, touched
with. as it were. Il pleasing affectation of
savagery Soft, fuzzy surfaced cloths.
patterned or plain (plain for choice, yet
not Objectionable though patterned), in
dull browns. fawns, heathers, grays, etc.
But here, too, is the trail of the tartan;
howbeit you would, alas! it were not so
forever and forever"
4 Of the unpatterned cloths, gull gray
gown, very plain and trim, with long
ish coat worn over a frilled China silk
shirt, mistily printed with Japanese ane-
mones in gray. amber and white-this,
we say, is charming, as is another, a kind
of duh roam, shirted in likewise with an
ashes of roses silk, bearing dim device
of scattered purple violets. Both have
Mat, down pointing girdles clasping in
visibly to left, the first of old Flemish
silver work, the second of hammered cop
per.
For the freaked woolens, arabesques,
neither too large nor too distinct, are the
only possible decoration. Flowers OF
leaf shapes are obviously inappropriate
stripes are WEAKNESS, spots an irrita-
ton while chequers delight not any hui
man thing. The ideal enfigurement il
vague in outline. harmonious OF tone anG
in size avoiding bed curtainless on the
one hand and any impression of poverty
on the other.-National Observer.
The Woman's University in Scotland.
Some fifteen years ago few ladies
started a small scheme for the higher
education of women and Glasgow uni
versity most generously gave the move
ment it's full sympathy. After some vi
cissitudes, helped by the personal kind
ness of most of the professors, the scheme
grew till, in 1883. the association became
incorporated as college under the name
of Queen Margaret college, and Mrs
Elder, in 1884, generously gave it home
by purchasing the house and grounds O
North Park, most conveniently situated
in the vicinity of the university ant
Botanic gardens.
She made one condition, however, viz.
chat an adequate endowment should b.
raised. This was accordingly attempted
and large sum was gathered by sub
scription from among the richer mem
bers of the community. But, with tn
consent of all interested, part of this sun
was used thoroughly to fit the colleg
with all the necessary aids to teachin,
In all branches, and now our 300 student
have the choice of a full curriculum il