Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-07-12

hons and lacps, the delicate and fragile
things on exhibition there that are soiled
In an hour. withorcd and shrivcled in an
evening! Nanites they are, and none of
them absolutely necessary for n wOman's
comfort, with no reason for existence but
their own dainty beauty. 1t has always
been question whether a woman has a
right to adOrn herself with useless frivol-
tiles and 1neries, but somehow the women
have gone on buying and wearing them
and looking extremely pretty in them
while the question is being decided for
them. Like the flowers, the "vanities'
Of woman 5 wardrobe are their own ex-
cuse. Even the old lady recognized that,
though vain and only ornamental, they
must he bought.
And these vanities? They consist of ev-
cry delicate fancy and dainty caprice that
| can be wrought out of lace, ribbons, flow
ers, jewels, silks and vclvets, and clouds of
filmy chiffons and billowy tulles and sheer
linens and mulls. Each of these materials
alone is beauty in itself, but when they
are deity and artistically combined they
! reach the stage of perfection like the flower
on the plant.
The vanity of vanitics just now is the
| pineapple muslin sets of vest and deep
cuffs, or the chcmisctte with its folded
stock garnished with fine narrow lace in
bands There are also quaint fchus made
of stiff linen lawn cut bias and laid in ex-
act folds with lace odging laid flat between
| the folds. These dainty fichus are crossed
modcstly over the breast and fastened I'M
der ribbon belt or they are long and
reach under the arms and fastcn in the
back with long tabs. One of the vaineSt
of these vanitics is made like blouse
. b, oh, l. IN
of IA square yoke in the back. The folds
are edged with narrow valcncicnnes, and
the central one was arranged to droop over
the ribbon belt The stock was hem
stitched on each edge, and tackled over the
ribbon band and on the edges were the
dainty lace and where it closed was "a full
chiffon rOsette to match the ribbon in col
or. There were deep cuffs reaching nearly
to the elbows of the lace and muslin. This
special vanity was not quite as vain rs
some of the Others for this could be laun-
dered and thus kept clean and dainty all
the summer, and by that time some other
vain imagining will have taken its place
There was soft and messy crepon
gown rather duh and dark of itself This
had no vain and useless garnishing on the
skirt, and the waist was IA sensible blouse,
with II belt of silk of the same shade
There was a wide slaShcd collar of the silk
and a gathered wing stock " On thi,
collar vanities in the shape of silver and
pale pink silk wheel fowcrets We're sewcd
thickly. This collar was removable anC
could he worn with any other dress, it be
ing particularly pretty over white dottec
swiss
Bands of ribbon. the delicate chcn'
gauze being particularly fine for the pur
pose, are arranged to give the appearance
of blouse stripes or folds. They are fas
tened together at the neck and left loos'
from there to the belt, and they extend be
low the belt in form of loops The bel
may or may not be Of the same, and I'll,
collar may he of the ribbon or of some still
! lighter and more Iactahle material On
that | have in my minds eye has the rib
bon fastened to the shoulder by n bow O
the same color as the foundation of tn
chenc, figured, but plain The bands d
) not extend down the back, and there wa
a stiff belt made of the material in tn
gown which was lavender gray sicilienne
This bel: had four fancy oXidized silvc
buttons. Another new but inoffensive van
, ity is the full quilted neck rutiling mad
of chiffon, lace and silk muslin. This rui