The age-herald., 1898-12-04

Paris, November SO.-They are getting ready for the holidays now, for here, as at home, Christmas begins December 15 and lasts until Christmas day. Then there is a week of wild rejoicing until the new year comes in.
 As befts time of so much festivity there is demand for evening wraps of short, pretty design with enough softness and daintiness to be feminine and becoming.
 Wraps are particularly soft this season for the vogue is for china silk, chiffon, grenad.ne and all the soft materials known to the dry goods trade. Ever so many are white which adds to their delicacy; for, when all is told there is nothing us pretty as white.
 This is also the season of theater par ties at home here and the soft wrap is thing of necessity. The great cumber- some fur cape has gone out and the soft frilled article has come in-though none the less expensive
 AT THE OPERA.
 It was almost with a feeling of regret that watched the curtain go up at the opera the other evening. For a half hour it had proved so fascinating, watching the ! people enter. Fat MT. Bourgeois, con tented, comedy, Mrs. and two young daugh- ters that looked as much alike as peas in pod, which their tw.nly way of dressing accentuated. Dashing Mr. Boulevardiere escorting brilliantly gowned woman made quite little stir disputing the rights of places with party of bewildered Ameri- cans who knew not word of French.
 row of heads that peeped down from the lofty heights of the peanut gallery were earnest and interesting enough. Mus ical students from the four quarters of the globe were represented in the row.
 There is always a delightful futter of excitement that steals over the house as the boxes begin to fill up French how d'ye-do-ing is always so graceful and graz cious among the smart set.
 Here they are quite sure of hundreds of pairs of eyes being riveted on them and a woman conscious of it. looks and does her prettiest.
 If she has stunning new opera coat that she knows is particularly becoming why she manages to appear just for a mo- ment in her box, probably to exchange mods with vis-a-vis or shake hands with her guests, so that everybody is treated to feast for the eyes.
 Fashion creates all sorts of pretty fluffy collets, lace scarfs and feather boas for women to don to protect their bare shoul- ders from draughts. At the opera I no- tice, though, when there is any danger of their obscuring a modish high jeweled collar or string of very precious gems they are never resorted to.
 It is rather a difficult question to decide which is the most popular evening wrap. Long, flowing wraps that entirely envelop the gowns with their numerous styles of capes, collets and hoods are very much fa- vored. Then the half length cape cut a la mode with rounded corners at the front and longer at the back is made exceedingly rich for evening wear.
 ROUND WRAPS.
 The little round wraps that are sort of compromise between a cape and a collet boast all sorts of pretty new materials, and are especially suited to fresh. young faces. with their tulle ruches in pale evening shades.
 One that was snowy in It's whiteness gave the wearer, a tall, blonde girl, the air of an ice queen. It was made of a quality of very shimmery white taffeta