Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-03
FOR UP-TO-DATE WOMEN
The Importance of Being Well Shod Cannot
Be 0verestimated.
Russet Calf Becoming More Popular
All the Tfme-Patent feathers
and Rainy Day Boots.
Written for The Eyening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
When one wears No. boot it requires
no courage to enthusiastically adopt the
broad. low, heavy shoe which fashion now
prescribes, but when one is blessed with a
| foot which requires No. ) it is different
matter This accounts for the shoe one
| most often sees wel!-dressed woman a
| compromise between the old pointed affair
| and the new ultra width. Yet the broad
toe, the wide extension sole, and the heav-
| Ter leather are worn with all out-of-door
costumes by Dame Fashions decree, and
| very satisfactory it is that she and COM
mon sense should thus be allied Only
| with carriage gowns, ball gowns, or the afr
| lest of summer creations are thin-soled
| shoes permissible.
For summer wear the low shoe has al
most entirely displaced the buttoned or
| laced boot. 1t is a matter of congratula-
| ton that the attempt to foist the unbe-
coming buttoned low shoe on us is also a
| thing of the past.
Russet calf grows more popular year by
Year for everyday wear. and the time will
| yet come when 1t will be worn all winter
| as rough-weather shoe. The shades vary.
| This season ox-blood is preferred With a
black gown or even a black skirt a black
shoe Is preferable. No woman should wear
| a russell shoe with an elaborate toilet any
more than man should wear a russell
shoe with a frock coat.
White canvas shoes are out of favor
though still worn with white gowns when
one Is not going beyond the hotel veranda
and even then they are largely super
seeded by crash and linen shoes in the nat
ural flax color. Many linen shoes are
costumes. and are very cool, though not
| to be recommended for durability.
The artistic and graceful bronze tie and
slipper have returned, and are the pet
test of al, foot for evening No
other color has ever taken their place.
There Is something poetic about Them they
| are the aristocratic as well AS the artistic
members of the shoe family.
A novelty which is gaining in popularity
as the summer advances is the patent
leather finish for russell shoes. The russell
patent leather has the merits and defects
of its brother in black. In summer the
merits predominant, as there is no danger
of cracking the leather by putting IL on
when the shoe is chilled. The patent-leath-
| er russell like the black patent leather. is
4 shoe for dress wear, though il Is recon-
| mended by good shoe men to replace the
ordinary russell for outdoor and ordinary
| occasions.
The Care of Shoes.
A stern moralist who wished to reform
| the world once said in my hearing that
| each generation had to be taught all the
| virtues, as if no one before had ever been
| taught to be good. When 1 look at the
condltlon Oh the SHOES OF many otherwise
well-dressed women l am tempted to be-
| lieve that a pamphlet on the use and abuse
| of leather should be presented with every
pair of shoes sold. Even then it is ques-
ton whether the matter would end.
Even women who most fastidious
about the shoes of the men of their family
are most Indifferent about the looks of
their own-often never polishing or clean
ing them from ek's end to weeks end
Many a well-gowned woman thus spols the
| effect she intends
Women of even moderate means should
always have at least one change of Shoes
Shoes last longer and keep their shape and
freshness better when not constantly worn
A pair of boots kept especially for rainy
| or damp weather will be found wise in
"estment, as no fine or new shoes should
be subjected to the indignity of rubbers
The rainy day boots should be heavy and
should lace or button very trinity about
| the ankle. If of stout material, with cork
soles, they will wear for years, and rub
| bers may be dispensed with except in the
very stormiest weather-thus doing away
with great bugbear.
Very few of us can afford boot-trees such
as our wealthy cousins affect nor should
l care TO fill my shoes with oats or BRAN as
| some enthusiasts advise. The toes of ev-
cry pair Of shoes. however, should be