Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-10


was amazed to see
that the two daughters of my friend were
attired in blue duck for trip across the
continent! That was bad enough. but my
friend was not even as sensbly attired as
her daughters; she wore grass cloth!
How 1 do wish 1 could have seen those
got to Kansas City. The grass clcth would
lock as rumpled as crepe cloth and as
spotted as i leopard with dust on every
place touched by drop of liquid, and the
blue ducks would be gray with INCAPABLE
dust that would not shake off, spotted
worse than the grass clcth, mussed as bad
again, and altogether they would be a
disreputable looking lot with their jour-
ney only fairly begun.
There is one general rule for travelling
attire, which. If observed. would save
good deal of modification and worry. The
proper material for travelling gown is
wool, light or heavy, as the exigencies of
the case may demand, or the trip is
taken on land or water.
The accepted material just now is mohair.
Any color you like, though dark shades of
brown. blue and green, with liberal
sprinklng of black, are the best liked
colors.
Next to mohair comes serge, and next
to that light weight cheviot. Any of the
materials mentioned shed dust beautifully,
and water does not affect them in the leas t.
You can double up on seat and steep
calmly, knowing that a shake or two will
smooth out every wrinkle soon as you
get up. If one was sure that everything
would be smooth sailing from start to fin
ish, in Pullman, or a cabin on a palace
steamer, then one might travel in white as
foreign brides do and have no thought hut
to look sweet.
But there are a dozen things that might
occur to one on a long trip. All kinds of
accidents might happen, especially on an
across the continent trip. and in a pref
tily made wooden gown woman may defy
all sorts of weather and never much as
frown at delayS-always supposing that she
mas had fCrethought enough to prepare for
them in other ways beside attring herself
sensibly. Suppose, for instance, that my
grass-cloth and duck-clad friends had been
storm-staid out in New Mexico for a week
in one spot. with a days travel after two
or three hundred bridges had been replaced
only to get caught between two land slides
for another five days. Wouldn't those cot
ton gowns be a sight by this time? Yet
that was the plight of some friends who
started to California few weeks ago. Be
cause of washoutS and landslides they We're
forced to remain four days in one place in
the middle of desert three days in an
other, and then We're carried into a small
town by a wrecking train and told to stay
there TIL the skies cleared. They were
there just one week.
Neat and Tidy When Travelling.
Pussy" travelling gowns are out of place
in anything but a drawing room car, and
they must be of subdued fashion to be &C
ceptable even there. A great many wo-
men will take a used up silk gown for a
travelling dress. and are not always care
full that 1t shall be whole or clean, others
take an old street gown that has almost
outlived its usefulness. fondly believing
that 1t does not matter how one looks
when travelling. 1t is a serious mistake,
and one that an old traveller will not make
woman should look as neat and tidy
when travelling as she does when she goes
out shopping.
She never dresses for shopping as though
she was going TO market, or as though she
was going to a reception, but she strikes
happy medium, and is thus attired for any
emergency. You may think it makes no
difference how you lock, since you will not
meet any of your friends, hut let me tell
you that it makes a great deal of difference
in the treatment you receive from train
men, hotel people. and the public in gen.
eral. Money will buy a great many things,
but it will not buy respect or esteem. be-
cause nobody can respect or esteem dowdy
and a trump.
For this season of the year the omni-
present shirt waist will, of course, assert
itself everywhere, as it is about the most
comfortable garment ever worn. To wear
with this shirt waist one should have
skirt and jacket alike. If you are sensible
and wish to avoid weight dragging you
down from the waist you will have the
mohair serge cheviot skirt finished
with a simple hem and rows of stitching,
or it may have a light percaline lining. 1t
is eXtravagant to line such a skirt with
silk Better make the silk into a pretty
shirt waist for semi-dress affairs. You
may select any pattern you like for the
jacket, though it will be well to make it
with short, moderately full skirt, large
sleeve and revers pretty well stiffened. If
the material is very light, like mohair, line
1t with surah satin in some soft changeable
color. The skirt should just escape the
floor all around and not be more than four
and a half yards at the foot, fitting plain
ly about the hips.
Some Practical Suggestions.
For a petticoat, If you have no old silk
dress that may be made into a silk skirt,
get black Saline. Six yards of this will
make you handsome skirt with three mar
row ruffies. You might run two or three
rows of feath,rboae in the hem under the
first ruffle If YOU like to make it stand out
a little. If the weather. is very warm, dry
and dusty, you will Feed n clean shirt
waist every day, If you want to keep your;
prints and persales will be best, with a
dark lawn to wear in case of excessively
hot weather or one Of the pretty f1imSy
wash silks, but they are rot at all advis-
.AoAS
less in black or navy blue. Then have one
stylshly made silk waist, with boned lin
ing, which may be donned for dinner in the
dining car. when. in case Of accident,
you are obliged to stop off where you may
wish to go about and look a little nicer
than the print waists will permit
The matter of travelling hat is hard to
decide. Never wear a big hat, never wear
a bright one, and always wear plain one.
A dark straight brimmed straw, with a
wing or two, ribbon bows or rosettes, or
dark shades Of chiffon trim best. Neither
feathers or flowers are quite the thing for
q travelling hat. A close toque shape Is
really best, for you can lean your head
back with that on and not crush It, but If
1t must be a hat, let it be a simple one
Wear gloves. Ones hands always get so
soiled in travelling, end constant washing
them. Silk and taffeta gloves
are so cheap chat you can surely afford to
protect your hands that much. Then you
will want a rain cloak, and let me advise
you to get really coed one while you are
about 1t, because they wear a lifetime al
most. Provide a shawl for emergencies,
and In case you are starting on q long
journey Of several days, be sensible and
carry small pillow in pretty silk slip.
Travelling Bags Contents.
Then there is your travelling bag. What
are you going to put in it? The way in