Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-08

girls at the other end almost unoccu-
pied. So possessed myself of patience and
a chair, and wondered while 1 waited why
so many of the women who We're slipping
their tea or absent-mindedly crumblinS
cake on the edge of the table as they chat
ted appeared to have something extreme
in some cases almost outre, about them
The ladies in question are usually most
conventionally correct in attire, and !
could find no other explanation than the
time of year.
At season when nothing decidedly new
is to be expected for weeks, the conscien-
tious dressmaker does her duty. as she
sees 1t, to her clients by running the gamut
of possible variations of established styles.
Some of her experiments have happy re-
suits: the issue of others Is more pictur-
esquely weird than are any of the fashion
failures that twice year are tried on
the dog" by exhibition at openings or in
shop windows. These latter bloom for a
day and are forgotten in the brilliancX of
successful fashions: but who is to project
us from the dominant style which, asAit
approaches decadence, goes off into p
carries?
Eccentricitfcs of Fashion.
Verify, nobody. And so it happened thai
peering around side or the other Of
the great bowl of white japanese chrysan-
themums that filled the middle of the tea
table l could watch the approach of Gains
borough hats with such tremendous tits
that they looked likely to come sliding
down like avalanches, and of Victorian
hats with the side flare turned so far over
as to become middle flare cutting the hat
deity in two. The plain swathed neck
band which might be called still young
seeing that the time is short since lace and
neck frillS were tabooed, was carried so
high in one notable instance and was so
vigorously, fashionaby plain that one could
think of nothirS but the turtle" collar
to sweater. From under Persian lamb
blouse jacket there hung over a plain
black cloth skirt two broad ribbons in Ro-
man colors, that We're knotted together
just above the hem. This development Of
the sash upon the tailor gown looks like
gaudy reins on a horse, well enough kept
otherwise.
Such little eccentricities belong to Janu-
airy. The early importations of next sum-
iners muslins have been in the shops for
three weeks, but nobody as yet takes them
seriously. Instead. the dressmakers keep
up their practice on ruffles and fiouncing by
covering heavy cloth skirts with an orna-
mentation of tiny frills that until this sea-
son was unthinkable.
At the Midseason.
Barring the extremes of the midseason
fashions stand at the present moment
somewhat as follows:
Inc RUSSIAN blouse is more popular than
ever, but it has been abandoned by many
vi liie idsHioH ledut,FS, VINO favor, instead
of 1t, bodice OF cuirass shape, tight fitting
ana with as few seams showing a s possible
Inc most popular skirt fits tightly around
the hips and over small hustle; below the
knees 1t flares into deep tiounce. The
tlght-lltting piece may be laid in tucks
from the waist down, or it may be covered
with narrow ruttles. 1t looks best braided
or left plain.
The skirt which has the mark of more
exclusive fashion has three flounceS around
the back and sides running up to the waist
line IN front and working after redngote
impression.
1t Is correct to have the skirt lie on the
ground, bat this degree of rectitude is and
pluS lar 10 continue somewhat unusual.
Return of the BustIe.
The hustle has grown large enough to be
seen. 1t has existed in the form Of small
and obscure pads, neither useful nor OBJ
jectionable for some months; it is emerging
from this innocuous sloth, to what violence
of activity it is not yet possible to say
The hustle is inevitable with the short
french corsets now worn, which produce
small waist at the expense Of abnormally
large hlps: In its present stage of develop
ment 1t continues the hips we'll around.
a dress recently worn by young Mrs
Harry Payne Whitney illustrates several
facts in current fashions. This costume
has an underskirt of red velvet, with
gray cloth overskirt of equal length form
ing redingote which opens in front and
rounds away gradually toward the hem.
The overskirt is faced down the front with
red satin and is trimmed with bands of
sable edged with narrow heavy lace. These
bands are put ON to simulate q second and
third overskirt shaped like the first. The
bodice is tight-itting, with no blouse sug-
gestion., 1t is cut with a guimpe of lace
over red velvet, and has high velvet col
lar band unrelit yed except by little out
standing triangles of velvet at the sides.
The sleeves are almost skin tight. The
waist is trimmed in front with diagonal
bands of lace and fur. There is a swathed
belt of red velvet which is drawn up on the
left side and finished with a large rosette.
With this dress Mrs. Whitney wore large
gray velvet hat, edged with fur and with a
gray owl covering the crown.
At n Morning Concert.
An Englishwoman of title who has made
some stir in New York of late, wore at
morning concert one day this week a dress
Of smoke-colored cloth, trimmed with five
ruffles set on half way between waist and
hem. These ruff1es made deep VS. in front
and sloped up behind. They were very
scant, for good dressmakers recognize that
fullness in heavy cloth is awkward. The
bodice was tucked perpendicularly and
turned back from the front in revers of
heliotrope silk over plastron of hello
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