The times., 1898-06-12

expert enough TO count the number of
white and black hats, as well as gowns, |
that are this moment in active wear.
To tell the truth. about once in every |
two years black and white becomes pos
itive obession with the fashionable wom-
en-. Il Is one of the only striking con-
trasts which every one of Ewes daughters
can wear with satisfaction to herself and
her feilow-man and woman. Strong and
steady all season has been the market in
black and white hats. and the very most
modish thing a woman can do just now
Is TO wear white hose into which black
lace clocks or front panels have been set
These are for evening, white, while the
top notch of smartness is reached in the
white hose finely striped in black.
a mighty piece of machinery. built OF
bones and steel and cording and heavy |
coutille, a sort of warriors cuirasse. lit
TO resist bullets, was the stay of other
days. With this medium for torture, |
wOmankind has been faithfully trying for |
years to commit sort of legitimate hari- |
kari against her life and loveliness; there |
fore the end of this century will be |
bright forever, In the history of feminine |
dress, as the epoch in which the grand |
and glorious reformation in figure building |
was begun. Just take up a fashionable |
stay of 1883 and lay II beside the proper
supporter of 1898. Why it's like putting
a fifteenth century mailed gauntlet beside
ten inches of length has been Topped OF
the old body crusher its steel fangs have
been drawn, its tough, hot, contille hide
is now reduced 10 plant sateen and its
niGhtmarish contours have been forced
into compliance with the outlines of the
human frame. A soft, dear. dainty thing
| is the little corset of reformation 1t fits
about the figure like the restful clasp of
maternal hands on nfantiie body; and
| by giving the hips and bust their proper
freedom il enhances the velvetness of the
waist. without in reality compressing it.
More than all, ii has taught women
to prize what is known as the main line
| of grace. This line used to be absolutely
/ lost sight Of during the reign of the
| old corset when the shape of them fore
ed the body TO curve in below the chest.
| l. was this very curve that shortened
1 the waist and produced what is common
| ly known as corset dyspepsia With
| the advent of the short soft stay, the
bend below the chest has been done away
/ with Now the aim and object of every
| woman is 10 have an absolutely straight
4 front line running from the chest to
| a point two inches below the level of
| the hips. This is the new line of beauty.
| the line that the Venus of Milo's superb
| torso shows. and that not only adds TO
the grace and health of feminine kind
| but lengthens the average waist line by
| an inch and a half. All honor then, be
| to the new corset.
That is a goal toward which fashion
seems to be setting Greek modes are
| noticeable in all the new tea gowns.
lounging rohes etc. and in the new
! coiffures Many effectively prettey even
ing gown Of the simpler sort are cast
| on long flowing lines falling straight
| frin hip and shoulder, while the length
of the front breadths of gowns of cere-
mony is quite astonishing. Gowns to
be worn exclusively in the drawing
room fall an inch on the floor in front,
are smooth-ftting at the hip, but flow
full from the knees down
To wear such n skirt woman must
| needs walk with the stately dignity of
! goddess since nothing is more difficult TO
| carry about pleasingly than these statu-
! esque robes. Stout women frankly rejoice
in this leaning toward the classic mode
! for with the flowing skirts they gain
| height. while with the draped sleeve, fas-
| tened a the shoulder and falling to the
| knee and the slight definition OF line at
bust and waist, a clumsily stout woman is
| transferred into very fair adaptation OF
the modern Juno. When TO this is allied
the new method of hair decoration. very
lovely Interpretation of the classic severity
is arrived at Distinctly the coihure La
| Gree is clever French idea. 1t has been
| introduced, they say, in order to have
| style in readiness against the vanishing
| of the long regnant pOmpadour. Although
. | the hair dresSerS now have their firing
rooms decorated with the busts of the
. Venus OF the Louvre and her fair majesty
. | of Medci with other Olympian bellies, and
| a customer is asked TO choose the model
| after which her own cOiffure shall be COM
piled, there is only an adaptation made
! from the heads of these Greek beauties.
The hair is carefully waved on new
shape of iron. and treated with a colorless
LIQUID TO give the tresses a glitter and a
certain soidity of quality that the sculp-
tured locks show Pins are so put in as TO
be almost invisible, and absolutely no
ornaments are used. There are in all at
least half a dozen decided styles of Greek
. ! cofffure. adapted from statuary, and there
| are few women, wonderful to say, Wnom
the simplicity of head decoration does not
distinctly become.
There is no such thing as a golden mean
, known in the finishing off Of the neck
and sleeves of a dress in these days. Ec-
centricity in little things is one of the
needs of the hour, and the short-neck
women must grin and bear the high neck
bands with what grace they can muster
. | 4 very high tight collar, be il of ribbon
, OF linen, is not the most agreeable sort OF
, yoke in hot weather; but fashion Is q
question of style not comfort. Exceed
inglv pretty drawn neck-bands are still
worn but most frequently made of white
, silk muslin or tulle, bearing large and
: small black velvet dots. These finish
; with one or two big rosettes right under
the chin. Collars of shirred chiffon
mounted on stiff silk bands. shaped tc
' run up in point high behind the ears and
r hooking invisible on the side. are by al
I odds the leaders for the present. They
I cheat the eyes into thinking a shor'
= throat is long and render their wearer'
: utterabIy miserable. To add another
e story to the already tall collar the Medic
= Ruff is now being set on behind the ears
: Linen shirt waist collars are all of white
linen, turn over deeply, and the smar
5 women buy theirs at the mems furnishing
= shops There is a cherished feminine
/ | theory that those collars made especially
( for women are never tall enough, nor o
= linen of sufficiently good quality.
As to cuffs. those for the dress waist:
n are cut in the exact shape of five-pointeC
g stars Through the center of the star!
: the hand passes. and the five points ar
s either turned back and tackled to tn