Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-09-21


we got back to town, our Handsome Girl
said, in what | thought slightly
immodest way 81 haven't got rag to
weaf." She looked well.dresscd, but a
very wicked boy just behind me said
how much better she would look if she
had nothing on but the original fig leaf.
turned my monocle on him. His
funeral notice appears in to-morrow's
papers. There never was woman who
did not love frocks. That is really,
rightly woman. So, of course, / was
only too glad to go shopping with the
young woman who hadn't a rag, to help
select her rags. She has theory of her
own. And this is how she voices it
Says she: "lf / only get one gown in
two years, it shall come from II good
place; 1t shall have the tang of good
cut; and its second season it will look as
well rs its first, because, when gotten
originally, II is newer than anybody
else's, and is just in the style when the
people who don't know have caught up.
Possibly | pay more, but | save money
in the end. My Innings are perfection,
and when / throw my coat off it is
delight 10 see the name of the maker,
with coats-of-arms and royal names on
it, and to realize that l am allied SO
closely to the people who
ARE KINGS AND QUEENS BY BIRTH,
as am by good looks and politics."
BUYING EXPENSIVE GARMENTS.
/ admired the Handsome Girl for her
opinion, and went with her. OF course,
to the Grand High Mogul-.hat is to
say, Redfern. He looked at her superb
figure with delight. He told her that
American women were growing every
day to be handsomer than the English
ones, and then we settled down to dis
cussing frocks. 1t seems that this year
we are to be as old-fashioned as posi-
BILE, not the old 1830-dear, dear, that
isn't old enough, but ever so far back in
the days when Elizabeth lost her heart
to Leicester and when Robespierre was
adored by the women of Paris. The
old has been made the new, and has
been made SO marvelously fetching that
il will reverse itself, and be called the
latest fashion. 1t is positive that there
will be no hoop-sklrts. Redfern says
American women have too much intel
ligence TO wear them. Between you
and me, | thought they were too we'll
shaped about the hips to do it. Then
we stayed and looked at lovely things.
The Handsome Girl tried on tight
fitting coat of black satin, with deep
skirt of accordion pleats, lined with that
shade of cherry which looks luscious,
and with wide revers such as the young
ayocat Robespierre had on his long coat
when first he came to Paris, admired
the Queen at distance, and never
dreamed of the woe he would bring
upon the French people. They are great,
wide, flaring revers; double ones; that
make the woman who hasn't much bust
look broad and well-shaped, and, with.
out drawing a lace of her stays, give
the waist very small look. This she
decided she wanted. Then after that
she put on gown that made her look
as If she might have been Anne Hath
away making love to the gentle William
and discussing with him "The Tanning
of the Shrew." 1t was dark blue cloth,
trimmed with black satin; about the
neck was the Shakespearean ruff, and
about the waist-at least, below tia
full martingale, such as Elizabeth wore,
to hide her lack of hips. 1t is unneces-
sary to state that Elizabeth was not an
American woman. Somehow, seemed
to go back ever, ever so far. | forgot
it was New York; l forgot 1t was
Fifth avenue-I forgot everything but
the gentle writer of plays, the court
romances and all the picturesque sur
roundings of the fifteenth century.
THE HARMONY OF coLoRs.
Then | was reused up. | heard Red
fern say, "There is difference between
black and white and white and black;''
and all / could think Of was George
Sands white black bird. But il dawned
upon me that after all it was frivolous,
listened. "Black with touch OF
whitehall is where two colors are
used-the colors alone, is becoming;
stripes of black and white or black and
white plaids are abominable. A black
gown with Robespierre revers of white
satin, with black ones under it, with
fans of white satin let in at the skirt
would be what the average dressmaker
would consider proper. 1t is not. A
cloth gown is walking gown; conse.
quently white satin is as much out of
place on it as bridal veil would be.
Instead, the white used upon it should
be the finest white broadcloth, outlined
either with very narrow braid or very
fine jet beading
This all came before me like picture,
and | saw how absolutely correct from
the artistic as well as from the dress
makers standpoint this was. Then !
heard mo, we never made walking
skirt that trained. Ladies' dresses are
not hired by the city to clean the streets
and the people who made dresses with
trains to be worn in the streets when
walking were people who had never
been in carriages" | almost weptwith
joy at this, for ii there Is anything
abominate and anything which think
ought to damn woman here and here,
after, it is the wearing Of long-tailed
gown outside of her house or her car
riage. l had picked up bit of stuff
and was unconsciously looking at it.
when tine man tailor said to me, "That's
potter's blue" The new color. IL is
between a Mazarin and the light blue
and funnily enough it gets its name
from the stockings that the potters wore
Their costumes consist of black brooches
blue stockings, and sort of black
blouse. 1t did seem that in frocks We
were going ever SO far back, and won
dered if we would not go back little
bit to the day of good manners-to the
day when slang wasn't known, to the
day when woman didn't smoke ci
garettes-no, l don't approve of it.
think it is horrid. don't care whether
Russian women or Spanish women dc
it. don't think American womer
ought to do it. The lips that holds {
cigarette will certainly give birth t.
words that had better be left unsaid
and actions very quickly follow the
words