The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-08
Never Before in Fashions His.
tory Were Women Dressed
So Gayly.
Bah DESCRIBES THE TOILETS.
Some of the Funny Sights to Be
Seen Daily on Broad.
way.

NEW YORK, N. Y, Dec 3.-These won
derful autumn days have brought out,
especially on Broadway, an influx not only
of men and women but color in a way that
is marvellous. Never before in the history
OF fashion were women so gayly dressed.
year ago the passing crowd stared and
did little guying when it saw bright
scarlet waistcoat; nowadays she who elects
to wear gown of scarlet may do it with
the certainty that it will cause no commo-
ton. Frills of lace, coats of velvet, hats
with one, two, three and four different col
ors upon them, with jeweled pins to fasten
the wells and jeweled buttons to close the
coats are here and there, and altogether
lovely woman is not only thing OF beauty
but of vivid tints. And yet-somehow we
are never happy-my eyes rest with pleas
ure on the plain, dark cloth suit, fitted
perfectly and trimmed with fur, prefera-
bly, sable. That's feminine! Preferably
sable?" But there is something wrong
about a woman who doesn't like the rich
est furs the finest laces and the daintiest
linen, and the old Southern nanny who
sized up lady by her underwear wasn't
far out of the way.
Here comes a woman-a beauty, the
ideal Trilby-Blanche Walsh. If you
have any doubt as to the change in
fashions look at the coat she wears and
which fits her as if it were her own skin
rather than that of funny little beast. 1t
is an Elton Jacket of beautiful white ermine,
with huge sleeves and flaring collar of
sealskin, while the Marie Antoinette muff
that accompanies it is big one OF ermlne
with piping of seal around the edges, and
the toque on her, curly made, is made OF
piece of seal, a fan of ermine, two or three
ant bio
French mixture. A year ago nobody saw
ermine on the street; now If you are the
wife of a millionaire, or a successful
actress, you elect to have at least one
garment either made OF 1t or trimmed
with it.
1t is funny to see the English people on
Broadway. They are oftenest stage folk,
and the members of the three large COM
panies now here all seem to choose Broad
way for their stamping ground. The
women have good skins, beautiful hair,
but nine times out of ten are overdressed.
With them silver jewelry has never grown
old-fashioned, and they wear innumerable
bangles of silver and chatelaines, heavy
with all sorts of silver trinkets intended
either for use or ornament. The men,
like all Englishmen, scowl at every man
who is stranger to them, and this scowl
always convinces me of the truth OF the
old story of the drowning man who re-
fused to thank man who had saved him
because he hadn't been introduced.
Occasionally one sees Mr.. Irving sailing
along Broadway. l use the word sail
ing" because it expresses, to my mind, the
peculiar way he walks. Then, too, his
legs are as much like sails as anything
else in the world, though, to be quite hon
est, l don't believe there is anything in
this world quite like unto them. They
curve where other peoples don't and are
straight where other peoples are crooked,
and, altogether, achieve an effect that is
unique. Nobody believes it would make
the least bit of difference which way
Irving's body was turned-his legs would
suit any position of it, for they have
neither Alpha nor Omega from the
ordinary standpoint, but simply pecu-
liar wrinkles of their own. And then his
voice. regard Mr.. Irving as one of the
great stage managers of the world, and, in
some plays, he is undoubtedly great
actor, but the language he used in "Mac-
beth" was the strangest I ever heard. 1t
may be the coming English-in which
case I am glad that | shall not be here
when it arrives-but it is certainly not the
English as spoken by any other man but
Sir Henry Irving. 1t combines all the
effects of hot potato in the mouth with