The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-21

the Too Reckless shopper-It Is,
Beware of Blouse Lengths-The
New Black Coat.
Correspondence The ST. Paul Globe.
NEW YORK, Aug. 1S.-As the sea-
son for garden parties is now CON-
meEcing, a few descriptions of gowns
worn at these functions will be accept
able Before l enter upon this subject,
let me say that 1 think dresSmakers
and designers seem to imagine that the
only people who frequent garden par
ties gre between the ages of eighteen
and thirty-siX, and the consequence is
that one is frequently distressed at
the sight of matronS "sweltering"-n
other word properly describes tin
every known and unknown variety of
black silk and satin, not to mention
brocades and heavy bengalines, with
the thermometer at something over so
degrees in the shade and looking with
il-concealed envy at the cool musl1ns,
foulards, etc, around them.
This is not necessary, as l have prov
ed by my researches this week. A very
pretty matron of my acquaintance,
who has just brought out her only
daughter, to my mind hit the happy
medium, which is SO desirable a
thing from modtstic point
of view, with a gown she
wore at recent garden party.
She is still quite a young-looklng Won-
an, and she very properly refuses TO De
considered passee just because she pos
sesses q girl old enough to accompany
her mother to parties. The material OF
the gown in question, then, was NOUS
seine de sole, one of the new makes In
a delicate shade Of gray. patterned
over with oblong squares of black,
whilst from the center Of each oplonS
sprang a tiny green rose and Its leaves.
The foundation was of glace silk IN the
same shade of gray, and the trained
skirt was bordered with FIVE rows OF
ribbon frills in black satin. To my
mind, however, the charm of that
gown lay in the cunningly contrived
bodice. This was Of the ordinary shape,
tight lifting and pointed back and
front, with the full pleats on either side
of the bust drawn into band with
green ribbon velvet, finished with
bow. But the happy touch lay in the
square grille-what smart bodice rs
without one?-at the top. This was of
satin, and the broad epaulettes, which
extended some three or four inches
over each sleeve, matched 1t and were
edged With a frill of the black satin
ribbon.
A very smart gown, intended for
well known society woman, who,
though long past her youth, is still
markedly beautiful woman, was shown
to me the other day. This was OF
shepherds cloakcheck, and rather
larger design than that usually infer.
red by the term, in black, white and
gray. The material was a soft, ribbed
silk, The trained skirt was absolutely
plain, save for innumerable rows OF
black satin piping, which reached from
hem to waist, and were set on with
q tablierlike effect, which was chic IN
the extreme The bodice was a. tight
fitting one, with g. corselet belt or plach
satin, fastening on the left side with
two buckles of cut glass. These are,
1 believe, great novelty; therefore
the fact is worth noting, as they have
only Just made their appearance. The
deep grille at the neck was square
one, bordered with a. piping of black
gatin and filled in with orange color
ed chiffon, worked with black sequins
of a conventional design Of lotus and
lotus leaves. The sleeves were plped
with. the black satin piping from shout
der to wrist, and had ruffles Of old
lace and orange colored chiffon. The
back of the corselet was adorned with
a softly tied bow and long ends OF the
same chiffon. l am aware that this
sounds rather homogeneous, but the eff
feet obtained was really excellent and
did much to soften the severity OF the
gown, the accompanying toque being
composed entirely of black tulle, Or
ange-hued peoples and a single Whrte
ostrich tip.
The sunshade provided for this gown
was so beautiful that 1t really merits
a paragraph all to itself. The outer
side was of the silk, matching the
dress, with chiffon frifls in white,
gray and black, and inside 1T was just
one mass of ruched orange chiffon,
81 1nyn n
orange silk peoples, matching those IN
the toque, curved themselves round In
a manner whose mystery made it's
charm. for you could neither tell where
It began nor where 1t ended.
But by far the prettiest dress Of
any shown to me that morning was
one intended for not uncommon type
of woman nowadays, the one with alb
solutely white hair and a very young
face This special gown was Of pale
silvery blue, a blue with a good deal
of gray in it's depth. The material
was Of the new make Of bengaline,
which Is peculiarly light and soft, and
lends itself admirably to draping. the
trained skirt had a single deep fiounce
of modern point, set in under a ruch-
ing of black chiffon. The tight-f1tting
bodice had the fullness in front drawn
down into a sash Of black chiffon,
whilst the grill was a transparent one
sleeves were also of the lace, and also
transparent; they finished at the
wrist with Accord on pleated ruffies Of
the chiffon and the entire dress was
lined throughout with silk Of its own
hue A charming toque of Tuscan
straw, trimmed with deep-red roses
and black cherries, was provided by
way of headgear.
Just now, while the sales are in full
swing, the women who have the hap
by knack Of shopping not only well,
but wisely, can possess themselves,
and they WILL of many an odd length
of dress material or gauZe or lace Or
passementerie which the clever fingers
of their pet 'tlittle woman may trans
form into q thing Of beauty, If not
for ever, at least for present needs.
Just one word of warning, however, I
would whisper into the ear Of the In
tending and too reckless shopper: Be-
ware of the seduotions Of those short
lengths of chine, glace or other silks,
unless you contemplate the utilza-
ton thereof for petticoat purposes
for-I regret to say 1t, but It must be
said-the blouse worn in conjunction
with g. black skirt has seen It's best
days. True, blouses do still obtain in
the home circle, and those Of muslin
tucked and with great deal that is
beautiful in the way Of entre-deux Of
Valenciennes have much to recommend
them when worn in unison with a.
pique or duck skirt, but the reign Of
the blouse for all smart occasions Is
over-alaclsl that I should have to
chronicle it-and during the present
season it has been conspicuous by its
absence from all really smart ward
robes