The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-09
THE WOMAN OF FASHION.
The Easter Parade All Ready 60
Begin the March.
Two of the Leaders Described. What Will
Strike the I:choldcr at First Glance
Tue Impression Every Woman
Must Aim 10 Give.
ICopyRIcnr 1899. |


Well, tho show day has almost ar
rived The suspense will soon be over
and we shall be regarding. before long.
the costumes which we have waited SO
long to behold. huve been doing
some private detective work during the
last few days, and am able to describe
with great minutencss several entire
toilets that will appear for the first
time Easter day
One is very gay and attractive, made
OF light, fiowery material, with Just
ono small ruf1lc at the skirt. The
bodice is very simple, gathered in at the
waist line in n velvet belt, with big
sleeves. 1t is the cape that sets off the
whole thing: for the cape has two deem
RULES of changeablc silk, and then a
short rufilc of heavy lace, very deeply
pointed. Three twisted cords join the
cape in front, which is not intended to
meet, but stands apart to show the full
ness of the bodice beneath.
Another is very giddy-all bows and
puffs and lace. The material is ondine,
the color delicate anemonc. The pretty
sloping skirt has three bands of white
faille for trimming-broa bands, dis
tributed at even distances from waist to
feet. Each band has Il standing bow at
the left side. The corsage has its slight
fullncss drawn together in a small puff
in front, and beneath, coming from the
shoulders and stretching out under the
arms, are soft folds of white failie,
drawn together, also at the left side.
and caught ut the belt with bow A
twisted rope of anemonc velvet edges
the folds of faillc. At the shoulders are
two more small bows, and below the
two'ondine flounces of the sleeves is IL
deep llounce of soft lace. Tho effect is
wonderfully pleasing. although almost
too dainty to wear these tickle spring
days.
We are certainly getting broader and
broader. There is no telling where we
shall stop, if we keep on. What with
capes, and brctelles, and berthes and col
lars with big flares, we are about as wide
at the top as we are at the feet The
nour-glass effects are accentuated more
ana more, and poor woman will soon
lose all recollection of the good old
days when her garb still conveyed some
suggestion of what she really looked
like. / Venus were to appear once
more in the flesh. she would conclude
that her race had spent itself, that its
light had gone ont upon this earth and
that new genus had appeared, differ
ent in all respects from the noble
women of her time. Our appearance is
indeed deplorablc, and our case would be
hopeless were it not for the small com
fort found in the fact that such large
proportion OF womanliind has still com
mo 4.
travaganccs, even while unwillinrlv
forced to adopt them. Paris is mp in
arms against the hoop, even while it
tells of the skirts which one sees there
that measures seven yards around We
must lay the blame this time at the feet
of our English cousins, of common
sense fame, who have failed TO adhere
to their principles when they allow
these unsightly, flaring rufIles to assert
themselves without rebullc. The poor
Short Skirt Reform league, which is
struggling so bravcly in that same
country for existence, goes to the other
extreme and wants the skirts lifted sew
eral inches from the ground. Amcri-
| cans, beware of the British reforms!
| Let us have none of them. Let us stand
by what our common sense and beauty
| sense dictate and we shall do we'll
The newest short cape has but two
rufiics. The upper one, however, turns
over SO as to form what is equivalent to
third. The turnover is crinolined,
and accordingly stands out stifly, look
ing very pretty, however, as it is SC
| short that it scarcely passes the shoul-
I der. Another short one has single
cape, plated cut open in the back as
well as in the front; edged with three
tiny rows of plain braid, and adorned
with small collarettc. A third is quite
long; has box plat back and front
and deep lace rufllcs falling over each
shoulder. 1t has also a rolling passc
menterie collar which extends down