Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-01-30
SIGN OF REFINEMENT.
Manner in Which a Woman Adapts
Her Clothing to Her
Means.

what one must wear. If one cannot at
ford expensive gowns and wraps, one can
at least have them becoming with a lit
tie care and study. A woman accus>
toned to receive many dinner invitations,
owing to her husbands popularity as Il
diner out. may attend each and ali III
the same black silk waist, varied by
different accessories of lace, jet or chiffon,
which can be so arranged as to trans
form the entire gown. While money ga
lore can be put into the richest dress
fabrics, the most beautiful laces and the
handsomest wraps, the prudent woman
, may sui so select her winter wardrobe
! as never to appear at disadvantage, even
in comparison with her weather. friends.
A great variety of garments is a de-
fusion and snare. The mistress OF an
extensive wardrobe may look no finer on
some special occasion than her modest
neighbor, who is wearing her very best.
More depends upon the care of clothing
than upon constant change. The choice
of selection is also important when one
cannot afford to make a single mistake.
| The ripple velour cape with lace-trimmed
| collar pleases the woman naturally
| dressy, but she realizes that while sulta>
| BILE for an afternoon reception or the
| theater, it is not fit for general wear.
| To look comfortable and to be comforta,
| BILE should be the aim of every woman
| of limited means. She had better forego
| dreSSy functions than to provide only for
! these and then look shabby or thinly
| clad on the great majority of ordinary oc-
| casiOnS which make up her winter gale
| ties.
One nice warm, comfortable outside
garment is a positive necessity. There
are many who are willing to ecOnOmlze
elsewhere for the sake OF possessing
sealskin cape, which looks well, whether
serge. It can be worn any and every
where, and with care will not look
shabby for several winters. There is no
| outside garment more comfortable or
protective than the long coat, which is
again in favor this year. Such a gar
ment as shown in the picture gives the
air of refinement and comfort, which
! every faStidlOuS woman strives tor, no
matter how limited her resources. The
| broad lapels and deep rolling collars may
| be covered with just as expensive fur as
can be afforded. Alaska sable makes an
elegant finish in this case. A plain rough
/ cloth coat, nicely lined and we'll fitting, is
preferable for general winter wear to
! some fancy wraps far more dressy, but
less suitable to cold weather. On the
same reasoning dark gloves look better
than light thick shoes than thin, and
the well-dressed woman is she who has
! the good sense to select her winter ap-
parel according to her needs rather than
to make a show.
It all depends upon the woman herself
| WneLn0F SIZE Cdn COulI1NG " 1OOh well
dressed upon 5000 year or not, says the
Brooklyn Eagle If she tries to initiate
some dressy woman who spends that on
! a lace f1ounce or a fur coliet she will
never succeed! Fortunate again IS 1T
| this winter that simplicity is the keynote
/ of some of the most admired silken
! gowns. The skirts are cut and fitted so
/ perfectly they need no trimming to en-
| nance their elegance. The bodice may
be the usual round one, draped to fit the
| z 41of 0olyn fro re
of appliqued jet. A chance for variety is
| afforded by having a folded stock collar
and belt of velvet, which may be of diff
ferent colors for different occasions, or
the dress may be kept all black, The
| most economical dress to wear with such
a dress would be black undressed kid, as
these would look well with any colored
belt or collar The bonnet should be kent
| all black also, some light airy affair of
! jet and lace.
If one has leisure for sewing she may
! possess very smart gown at small cost
| which would be simplicity itself except
for the braiding on waist and skirt, which
| she does herself and which is beginning
to be so fashionable. The skirt, for in
stance. is of brown cheviot, with round,
smooth-htting plain waist of light cloth
] covered with braiding in an atl-over YER
/ miceli design of brown soutache to
match the cheviot. A narrow band Of
| this cloth is placed round foot of skirt
and braided like waist. Any good dress
maker can cut such plain, simple dress,
which, when braided, will be effective
and pretty, but not expensive.
Some appropriate evening costume
need not be out Of the question for one
who possesses a nice black silk like the
| one just described, as she can manage
probably to have a second waist to wear
with the skirt. Anything SO fragile as
| the much-favored chiffon she does not
/ Mt hut sill
which will look fresh all the season.
/ This same waist may be cut with q V
neck, which may be filled in with some
soft material when desirable. The SEN
not try to look stunning, but just neat
| and nice. She knows that she cannot
afford numberless fneries, which, after
all, are not indispensable. A heliotrope
velvet collarette, lined with pale pink
satin, edged with sable and finished with
| very becoming, perhaps, but trif1e, all
/, the same, in comparison with the gar
!. ments far more necessary,
/ 1t grieves some Wutneu to be thus
practical about their dress, while others
rather enjoy making the most of a dol
| lar. If one cannot afford a Worth nov
city, there are other garments quite as
| pretty. 1t may be hard to choose be-
| tween a dainty lace-trimmed tea gown
| and a serviceable flannel wrapper, but
| the latter is far more likely to suit the
needs of the woman with no money to
spare, and it is likely to be far more
| consistent with her morning cares and
mode of living. Such a wrapper may be
made very pretty with velvet collar and
cuffs and silk cord girdle. The silk neg
lige jackets are very lovely and quite
suitable for the mistress of a mansion,
who has a maid to wait on her and is
not expected to brush even her own hair,
but the little woman who must tend to a
sick relative in the house, must tidy her
own room and keep busy for several
hours had much better select the fancy
wooden or flannel jacket, with turnover
collar of the same fastened with bow
of ribbon. Nowhere does true refinement
show more plainly than in the consistent
way in which a woman adapts her cloth
ing to her means She may be in So
ciety,. but she is respected all the more
by all whose respect is worth having for
the simplicity of her dress.
Boots, slippers and gloves are expen,,
sive items, but their cost may be lessened
by care The French woman, who has
the reputation of being "bien gante, bien