The San Francisco call., 1897-10-24

ton TO the evening toilets, EN- broidered
with jet or spangled with steel. Some of
these net trim innings are quite bewildering
in their beauty. The designs are intricate
and colors diversified. Ruffles of the net
are arranged in rows across a vest OF the
same.
Skirts grow daily more fanciful. At the
bsck they are fan-shaped; at the bottom
they flare. sometimes more, sometimes
less, but flare they must. One skirt that
saw completed this week had box flare.
II was FIVE gored with the regulation fan
back, the box plests folded under at the
bottom, where each front and side ter
minated. A dressv skirt is that
consisting of front gore, two
box-pleated back cores and two
short side cores having their lower por-
tions circular in form. Another has an
upper part of three pieces which termi-
nate in a hem. This hem laps over cir
cular founce. The plain fare skirt, the one
most in vogue, has seven cores, the back
cores either pleated or gathered at the
belt, the side cores slightly sprung at the
bottom.
II the corset-makers here and abroad
had laughed aloud as ioyously as they
felt when the Russian blouse came into
vogue. they would have been heard half
way round the globe. The blouse, you
see, has created a demand for a corset
especially adapted to it. 1t is not quite
enough that you know just how to wear
your blouse-the proper ''set" to give to
it by the way in which you carry yourself
before critical and commendatory world
which is ever ready to doff its chapeau to
the woman with an air. that seems TO
say from every fold and seam, Pm a
natural-born aristo crat." No, you must
have a new corset like unto no corset you
ever got into before in all your we'll
dressed life.
Now, these corsets which have arisen in
response 10 the crying needs of the waist
from Russia are Frenchy to the last de-
gree-Frenchie ier than anything yet done
across the pond in the corset line of use.
fulne IS and hygienic murder. They
would make Venus weep were the lady
to hop down from her pedestal
and wear one. She would rather lose her
other arm han doit. And as for The people
who go in for corsetless figures and shoes
the shape of a m mudscow, sensible and hid
eous. why, they are already entering a
shrieking protest. l met one of them the
other day. She happened along when
was examining corset warranted TO re-
construct the anatomy of any woman who
might wear it.
Awful said she, smiling scornful)v.
and pointing at the offending object with
her umbrella, as though she longed to i'm
pale it on the ferruie thereof and drop IL
on. of harms way into the gutter. "What
could be more pernicious 10 woman's
health than a thing like that? Did you
ever see a victim of tight-lacIng dis
sected2"
l confessed that l had never been
through the experience, my acquaintance
with post-mortem ceremonies not even
being upon bowing plane.
swell, if you had you would never rest
until you had driven corsets from the
face OF the earth. Why, l have seen as
many as four cavities made in the liver
where the rios had been iammed there by
tight-lacing.
As l went my way down Kearny street
wondered how many of the women
met had had their hearts Knocked out of
plumb by corset pressure. Personally.
think the corset is harmless contriyapce
if worn wisely. What the fattest of our
sex would do without such support l can
not say. She would certainly resemble an
jelly fish on the promenade. OF
course she must carefully refrain from
tightne's at the waist, which dis orts her