The courier., 1898-03-19
Fashions of the Day.


silk plaid waist the other day-and l
uust tell you that the new silk plaids
are exquisite! Personally. / declare
against plaid for the whole of dress; l
never seem to be able to get away from
the prejudice that it is adopted always
by women who have no natural style.
Or is it that the most stylish woman I'm
mediately sinks into prCv:ncialism in
apr earance when she makes herself con-
splcuous 10 a plaid dress? 1t is different.
however, with The plaid waist. 1t is ef-
fective and dainty when cut correctly
which should be, OF course. on the bias
To return TO the plaid waist saw re-
Gently: The prevailing color in the
plaid was pale blue. There was a guimpe
OF pain silk IN the shade OF blue. This
was covered with a coarse, or open. pat
tern, OF cream lace. The plaid, Of the
blouse. was open down the front, where
it showed more Of the lace covered blue
silk. Around the top OF the plaid was
bertha. or revers Of the plaid, which
we're narrow in front at the opening and
in the middle OF the back, aud broaden
ed out into caps for the sleeves. These
revers were edged with two very narrow
overlapping ruffies-the under one was
of blue satin ribbon and the upper one
was OF lace-and were keaded with mar
row black velvet. The stock was OF
black velvet fastened at the back with
rhinestone buckle. with pleatings of lace
and ribbons standing up against the
hair at the back of the neck. The belt
was wrinkIed black velvet faster ed back
and front with rhinestone buckles.
Down each side Of the front, apparently
holding the bl id to the lace and silk un-
derwsist were rhinestone buttons.
1t is going to be a season of taffeta
silk, and OF trimmed skirts. Black faffeta
silk flounced nearly to the waist, and
the founces trimmed with graduated
bands OF black velvet ribbon, lie an estab-
lished fashion.
Organdiee. crepe de chire, muslins,
silks and cloths, are all made with
1ounces. in one way Oh anc ther. The
circular f1ounce coming from the knee is
favorite, for both cloth and thin stuffs.
Where more than one fiounoe is used,
the foundation skirt must be cut rather
narrow. The clcse cut or tight fit around
the hips, shown. the outlines of the
figure to the knee is again with us-and
naturally, SO are padded hips.
And, my dear. il you could zee some
Of these women with their patent out
lines! The excessively rounded hip is
bound to be coarse and vulgar, even il
nature insists upon it; when the manu-
fscturer helps woman into the curve
it ls-well, monstrous. Aninnocent pad
sewed in to help the fit of the skirt, or
even to round out the hip bit, is per-
fectly correct, but, like the artificial COM
plexiou. it must rot be discovered A
wired pad for the hip is bound to adver-
tise its own falsity. With every step the
pad goes one way and the hip the other,
or else the pad dances a sort Of jig,
where the hip ought to be, that is not in
unsion with natures gait. 1t is strange,
Adelaide-the perversity OF human ma
ture; if a woman is endowed with hips
she hates them, il she hates them not,
then she wants them, and will have them
even if she must buy them. l see clearly,
that with the laying aside Of the winter
wraps every woman on Broadway will
be provided with the latest imposition
OF fashion-if not one way-then the