The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-02-17
The WOMAN OF FASHION
Some Sensible and Some Remark
ib'y foolis'l Women.
THE FIRST DRAWING ROOM.
Little Changes to occupy Our Mind
Skirt Trimming is One OF Th.m-A
Cape and an Evening Gown-The
Debutante's New Color

While society holds its breath and
awaits In anxious suspense the first
drawing-room of the London season, to
be given by the princess Of Wales early
next month, and while Mrs. Stanford's
Anti-Crinoline league in London Is
working hard to secure q few more
thousand women on its lists, let us look
about us and see what lies just at hand.
We have still month before we shall
know positively whether crinoline is TO
be on the other side of the water, for
nothing can be known until the first
drawing-room Is over. All we know
now Is that the royal family has not CO.
operated with the league, and that
therefore there is strong possibility
that the crinoline may show itself on
that great occasion. And IL IL does,
woe unto US! for sooner or later, in
spite of all efforts against 1t, it will
reach us over here. For London So
ciety is bound TO follow in the footsteps
of the princess Of the realm, and Amer
lea is bound to follow the leadings of
foreign danes.
But in the face Of these tantalizing
facts let us continue on our peaceful
way for another month. Let us be quite
oblivious TO the fad that at the end of
our short respite we may become meta
morphosed, may assume an altogether
different identity, may change from the
independent fin-de-siecle girl TO the
dropping, blushing, weak, helpless bit
of femininity, all skirts and draperies,
of few generations back. After all
there Is no time like the present, and
there arc plenty of other things to
think about Somebody is always de-
vising something new.
Just now 1t is skirt trimmings. You
may trim your skirt first with a row of
feathers, shade to suit your fancy and
the dress, and, above, a series of half
shells and-coquilles-in velvet or satin
ribbon. Or you may start again with
your feathers and have narrow bands
embroidered in the shades of your gown
on white cloth, laid above. Or you may
have a closely-twisted roll of ribbon at
the edge, from which rise curving
bands of ribbon, each headed with a
bow. Or you may cross your ribbon
bands all around the skirts, tipping the
crosses with rosettes.
Then there's new fichu falling from
the neck in froLt in the real old-fash-
ioned lines, long and slender, below the
waist line. A scant rufile runs around
the sleeve line In front, stopping at the
shoulder. From shoulder bows fall
long. straight streamers of ribbon, in
the front only.
Then the very latest cape, looking
just as dowdy and old-fashioned as you
please, has a Henry III. collar, and,
falling below, plain cape long in front,
sloping up toward the hips, and short
in back. II is of purple velvet. The
collar is prettily embroidered with jet,
and the dainty satin lining is of palest
yellow.
Now there's magnificent evening
gown which deserves our careful atten-
ton. What a striking effect gives the
violet velvet border on the heavy white
satin, particularly when the velvet is
edged by marten sable and the satin is
heavily embroidered, far up the front,
in rich gold threads The corsage is
stin more striking, for it reminds US Of