The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-19
The WOMAN OF FASHION.

New York, Jan. 1S.-Now is the time that
the poor man thrusts his hand into his
empty pockets and askes himself and the
attendant fates why things are as they
are. end wherewithal he is to be support
ed for the next few months while he pays
his Christmas bills and makes up the de-
felt occasioned by the season of bargain
days.
1t is to be deplored that January bar
gains cannot be postponed till summer
which is as consistent as wanting ones
ice cream hot, by the way, but I'm sure
there are plenty who will agree with me.
If enc takes the merchants point of view,
IL is easy to understand that he has
lot of sorry-looking, dogeared holiday
gifts left on his hands which are as use
less to him and as embarrassing to the
general public as yesterdays daily paper
Naturally he wants to get rid of them, to
get them out Of sight of his holiday-befag-
ged statesmen who are ready TO show
their teeth and growl at the very men
ton Of Christmas.
Then there are the thousands of yards
of fall and winter goods, the coats, and
capes, and separate skirts, that will either
be moth-eaten or out of fashion before
next winter, and the endless supply of I'M
derwear that gets badly soiled and shop
worn with continued handling.
The underwear question is a study and
there are a great many sides to it. Just
as the conservative woman has succeed
ed in overcoming her prejudice against
what she considers an innovation, and
has at last adopted the union suit, she is
confronted with the fact that the long
loved chemise is the fashionable thing
and union suits are "old." Then by the
time she gets back to the old fashion it
has become passe. The only way to do
Is to try both and see which you like
best, then stick to it, In general the tail
or-made girl prefers the union suit be-
cause it offers no unnecessary bulk to in
terfere with the perfect 'ht' of her dress.
The girl with ruflies and pleats and frills
above her gown usually likes them under
meath as well. Indeed, even the tailor
made girl finds it hard to resist the filmy
laces and microscopic tucks that grace
the different articles of underwear nova
DAYS. Some of the tucks suggest long
| seasons in the cloister where those black
yelled nuns stitch and stitch away at friv-
olous garments for the unconsecrated, and
then one remembers the new machines
that are so finely constructed as to lay
tucks no wider than hairs breadth. Such
tucks, alternating with strips of fine lace
insertion, enter the composition of chem
ises, drawers, fine skirts and night gowns
and it is difficult to say which are the most
alluring.
| the null or cambria petticoats and those
made entirely of silk. A compromise
which was pretty enough for ball gown
was pink silk with a yelling of tucked
white null skirts run up to fabulous
prices, and the cheapest are hardly to be
had at less than four dollars. The plain
silk skirts have a fiounce with several
rows of wire cording to stiffen them, and
these are really more useful than those
made of null, which are so fine and soft
that nobody would think of starching
them enough to fill out the present dress
skirt
All skirts are gored and sewed to a
| yoke that is two inches wide in front and
| narrows gradually towards the back.
| They fasten with a drawstring as do also
| the garments beneath. The last mention
| ed articles are usually very wide at the
| knee with a ribbon run through to make
| them as tight as is desired, leaving long
! fiounce below that suggests the historical
! pantalet. These and boomers do not 90
! we'll together The large dress sleeve
! has given the chemise its opportunity
Beneath the silken (or woollen) expanse
! there has hitherto been a vast cavity
| which is now filled with the ruffies and
| frills and flaps of the chemise sleeve. All
the waist they are cut so as to fit the
| is usually so soft that it does not make
! up much room.
But of all the woman's lingerie that
| is hung up to tempt the frivolous minded
! there is none more fascinating than the
! night robes Most of them are made
without yokes-such as have them are
! cheap. There is no visible means of fas-
tening, but the tiny pearl ebuttons are
| concealed beneath a fiounce Of embroidery
or lace up the side of the front, for few
| of them fasten in front. Some have Ions
| reverS slOping into a broad collar and
! these, of course fasten under the chin
| There is a fancy to make the front slight
! ly low, like a square necked dress, with
| an embroidery or lace heading. The
! sleeves are large and puffy with ribbon
| at the wrist to draw up the flounce that
| falls over the hand.
1t would be impossible to describe the
many different styles of trimming. Suf.
! flee to say that the more fine tucks, the
! more ruffles and lace and embroidery one
| puts on, the better If you buy these
| fancy garments ready made they are
| very expensive, and if you try to make
| them there is hard labor before YOU but
! the reward is in the loneliness of the re-
| suit.
Whatever may be said of the above.
described underwear, one is forced to ad
init that 1t is not suitable for outdoor
| wear in the winter time. When one be
| gins to think of skating or sleighing OF
tobogganing ones mind turns yearningly
| to thoughts of union all-overs and wolleT
| stockings. 1t is the underwear that mus
| be most carefully attended to when one
| goes skating, for out side wraps are cum
bersome and prevent the freedom of mo.
| ton which is Indispensable.
Very Few of the skating costumes seer
| on the ice have any more than fun
/ Soi tt 4, a Ounu the neck here is pretty
| suit that came out with the January cold
snap that froze toes and noses so regard.
| less about week ago: 1t is made oil
| brown cloth with an eight-inch strip OF
! Corsican fox around the bottom On the
| right of the skirt are four metal buttons
Stimulating a fastening. The fur collar
IS adorned with tails, and the astrakhar
toque has an aigrette and chou of CHERRY
| colored satin, which gives just the bright
| tune.
But when all is said and done ~
| though one may have the prettiest cos
| tune in the world, if one have not grace
and good health one cannot hope to lool
attractive on skates.