The San Francisco call., 1896-02-02
A RECEPTION GOWN.

embroidery, odd combinations being the
order of the day. OF course, many stage
gowns are appropriate only before the
footlights or for fancy ball, hut nowadays
only the cleverest of designers are en-
ployed in creating such gowns, which nat
urally abound in good suggestions for the
woman who desires to be thoroughly up to
date, and that is the reason 1 so carefully
keep my readers posted concerning the
latest creations OF the stage.
At the Fortnightly cotillon the girls
were as delightfully."- pretty as ever, es-
pecially those in gauzy, fluffy frocks, for
organdies, muslins, chiffons and mulls
made even the least beautiful dainty and
pretty. The older members of the club
wore handsome silks and laces. A wise
maiden never makes the mistake of wear
ing gown OF very decided hue which
may clash with other colors, as the result
is bad. However, l know OF a case where
very handsome little brunette desired 10
make herself conspicuous and well known
from the first. She made her debut, very
correctly, in the whitest of white gowns,
and at once realized that dozens of girls
wore white, pale blue. light, pink and
Nile green, so she would nave moth
ing, to do with such delicate shades,
and forthwith appeared at her next
dance in most fetching toilette of
crimson and black chiffon, red roses nest
ling in her hair; her next venture was a
vivid orange frock with touch of green.
Both of these costumes were perfectly sue
cessful, the petite brunette was declared
belle at once, but then she mad rarely per-
feet taste and all the attributes of a belle,
but oh, how the other girls would have
liked to have extinguished her, for such
vivid garments made their dear little
frocks look so faded and washed out when
she appeared, and of course this young
girl was very incorrectly garbed, as she
dressed as woman five years her senior
might have done, as far as colors were
concerned, although to be sure the fabrics
and styles were suited to her age.
A gown greatly like is the property of
a tall, slender blonde. 1t is made of the
palest pink satin, the hem being trimmed
with TWO rows of white spangled ribbon,
roses adorning the front of the decolle-
tage.
Black and white has been so popular for
the past two years that most expected this
spring would see the last of IL. However,
those best informed write from Paris that
white and black will be again worn this
spring and summer. To be sure, there is
considerable difference between black
with a touch of white and white with a
dash of black. Nita Allen showed the
effectiveness of this combination when she
iSO tdlCS oOLSh WulbG TQlltS WulCu COIL
posed her skirt edged with black. White
India silks sprigged with black will be
soon en- route from the East. However,
torquoise blue will probably be the color
OF the spring-summer.
The craze for Delft china has been and
is so great that designers of fabric com BIZ
nations evidently have come to the con-
clusion that the same shade of blue as we
see IN the china on white ground will be
equally popular in silk, so many of the
latest taffetas (summery-looking weaves)
show Delft blue fgures-usually flowers;
warp printed in white.
Last summer we had new line, and an
other one has just been imported which is
far more beautiful. 1t is like cloth of sill
yer, its surface being described as soft and
glossy, of perfect silver gray. Many of
the grass cloths and. other linens have
small dots brocaded over them which look
like embroidery.
Organdles and grenadines will be much
worn. The grenadines are arriving in
great numbers, some being as thin as
mousseline de sole, while others have large
canvas-woven squares. Many have fine
velvet stripes and some have wide, solid
colored stripes alternating with rose vines
that also form stripes. The background
organdies are also unusually attractive
and are to be had in black, blue and dark
Prussian blue and navy covered over with
beautiful floral designs quite different
from the large stiff pansy and rose designs
seen few seasons ago. Even newer are
the patterns which show wide stripes of
solid color on white ground; narrow
stripes in rose, lilac, black, blue or green.
alternating with white stripes of the same
width, and all over Persian patterns with
floral and scroll effects in varied colors.
1t seems entirely too early to hegin a
discussion of fabrics which are to figure in
garments Tor the next two seasons, and
yet Lent has always been selected by those
who prided themselves on being "before-
hand" as the proper time to make up all
the wash dresses at home, SO the dealers
are fastening to unpack great cases of the