St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-15
The All-Important Question
OF the Hour Is Not
CpinOline.
The Question Is Really the
Best Costume for the
Worlds Fair.
A New York Fashion Monger
Tells Strikingly How Not
to Dress.
Down With the DoWdyiSm-'
A Good Description Of
Holland Gowns.
Special Letter to the Globe.

Special Letter to the Globe.
NEW YORK, May 11.-Now that the
powers that be have decided unanl-
mously against the dreaded crinoline.
the fashionable world Ia large com
munity, for every one is fashionable
now, have taken up fresh problem,
and much ingenuity is being spent on
solving it.
What Is the best costume for the
worlds fair? The best-in these days,
when the worship of the beautiful has
been taught us by our noyelists ard
artists-means not only the most dura-
able, but the most becoming.
There was time which we may now
consider among the days gone by,
thank heaven, when woman had sort
of unexpressed theory that to be tray
eler she must by dowdy.
A dowdy is a woman's word, and it
expresses all the shabbiness, the an
tiquity and the slovenliHess, all the
parsimoDy and want of taste of which
woman is capable.
Now,why it was considered necessary
by our fOremothers and foreaunts to
wear all their old gloves, tEelr unbe-
coming bonnets and badly fitting gowns
when they were seeing more people
than usual, Is beyond me or any OF their
descendants to account for.
Perhaps they were afraid of being run
away with by some male fellow traveller,
and so thought it best to make them
selves unattractlve.
Certainly there are, and always will
be, suppose, body of snuff -colored
females. who wander about the CONT
nent wearing q kind of self-imposed
uniform, consisting of skirt and blouse
and willie d flower Of hat, all snuff
colored, to which nature has appended
a dyspeptic complexion to match the
costume.
But these ladies are above such vain
thoughts as ''style' and "smartneSS:"
they will never read this or any other
fashion article,so | need not be afraid
of hurting their feelings, and may safely
say that they are good examples of how
not to dress when going to the worlds
| fair.
Now, these snuff-cnlored ladies are
very educated, and very advanced in
their views. They know all the old
masters, and have seen the real Venus
de Milo, and have sketched the streets
of Venice, and know all the names in
scribed in the poets corner, and could
give US all points on travelling rates and
hotel tariffs. But, poor things, they
don't know how to dress, and they don't
want to. Notebooks and general infor-
nation are enough for them.
| But they are in the minority.
Now. a gown of neutral tint is SEN
sible because it doesn't show the dust,
but it need not be snuff-colored. There
| Is an English material called brown
Holland, which is smart and clean-lOok-
! Ing, and washable. And Redfern rec
ommends it. And Fl. r. II. the Princess
of Wales recommends it by wearing 1T.
The material made like my sketch,
skirt and bodice piped with black satin,
and black satin Elton coat worn over
it, is stylish, aWfully stylish. 1t wants to
be we'll laundried when it is laundried;
but, then, you can't be a traveller now
and run up no laundry bills.
| Celluloid Is bad form, you know.
1t was invented for certain class"
which always means people WHO are
not quite up to our own level, don't you
| know.
Another gown of blue serge should
form part of the worlds fair wardrobe,
and this should fit with a Redfern fit,
and be made so as to show just a
glimpse of one Of those fascinating little
Naistcoats of horse cloth, which is a
mannish-looking stuff with dots on it.
The skirts are being made about six
yards in width at the foot and tight
round the hips. The--coat should be
thin cloth, made either to open
or shut, looking smart either way,
with one of those big, cape-like
collars of satin which are so fashionable
Just now. By the way, coats are made
| much shorter. Those made with belt
which runs around under the side seams
and fastens with rosette in front are
meant to wear with a blouse. l saw
several Of these when | was at Red
ferns the other day, being packed to
send to the Chicago house, which is
very conveniently placed for ladies who
are making a stay in the exhibition
| fu