The San Francisco call., 1898-01-09

is considered an abomination, fit only for laboring men who have rough out door work to do. American women, unbiased by foolish prejudice, suit the material worn for warmth to their own personal wants. Neither wool nor silk nor even cotton is scorned, but the most favored woven underwear is made of interwoven silk and wool, and for those who need heavier garments wool and cotton.
 The mixtures are more durable than pure wool, because they do not shrink in the wash, as all wool is almost cer- tain to do despite the most stringent precautions.
 But aside from the question of warmth, the linen lawn articles worn over the woven wear this winter are simply fascinating. Gowns made of superb quality of linen are cut to trail three to four inches on the ground and fasten down the entire front. Fichu- shaped collars-those fussy soul ting things so pretty in the looking glass and so tormentin<ly calculated to fairly strangle the sleeping wearer who may be the least restless-are again in fashion. The ffchu is inane- ly decorated with good Valenciennes lace, cut in puckered strips to outline clusters of tiny handmade tucks. Va lenciennes lace insertion is laid on with lavish hand, and the ends of the big linen bows that tie so becomingly under the chin are also lace beruffied. Again the front of the nightgown shows a series of tucks and insertions usual ly laid in downward points. The sleeves are broken from armhole to elbow with encirCling bands of tucks and inser- ,iOI s. At tn elbcw they are trimmed with a wide lace frill.
 Despite the Parisian call for flowers. America has been rather slow in re- spending. They are coming to the front now, however, as cockades in velvet toques. The chief turn is toward vel vet, those marvellous flowers that peo- pie never seem to tire of. This time the whole toque is violet in color, with a reddish purple tinge. Never were so many wings, quills, tails and breasts worn as there are to-day Pheasant is here to stay. and wholesale millinery stores predict revival next fall of this catchy idea. This is a hint of which it would be we'll to take advantage
 
 and silk dress goods have made their appearance. The majority consist of undulating lines produced by jacquard weaving. WliIe those, however, at the beginning only showed continuous lines they have now been developed into an endless variety of designs, some cover ing the ground entirely, while others show more ground covered with small spots in the color of the filling. The bayadere fashion has evidently not reached it's full development yet, and is one of the features which will be taken up during the coming season.
 Last season we had our best night gowns accordion kilted, but this was an inconvenient process. for it had to be repeated every time the nightgown was cleaned or washed. Yet one more sim pie method of making an attractive nightgown is to cut it a little open at the neck and to supply it with a large sailor collar or tucks and lace, with lace at the edge of the collar, to be al- lowed to wander down the front, whicS should be liberally tucked. The back of such a nightgown might we'll be set into three box pleats, forming a yoke. and slightly gored at the skirt.