The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-26
Copyright. 1851


While the air is raw and cold ana
The ground still showing traces OF the
beautiful snow, as il is known i'm New
York, the shop windows are filled with
the daintiest, airiest and finest of fab
rics - wonderful embroidered muslins
such as were brought years ago from
the mysterious countries beyond the
seas printed muslins such as Mary
Washington wore, wonderful contrasts
in color i'm the dainty cotton materials
that seem to have belonged to the days
OF Marie Antoinette and Petit Trianon
And with it all they are so cheap,
When our muslin gowns were brought
by some travelling cousin from China.
they were really worth their weight in
gold When domestic manufactures
were unknown, a cotton frock was al
most as expensive az wooien one.
But nowadays. when clever American
girls draw the designs, when wonder
full American looms weave the mate
rial, the beautiful. artistic fabric is
within the reach even OF the woman
who has to economize.
She is the wise woman who buys her
tbilbH NHilt IL IL YET winter
why? Because she has her choice OF
designs and because she can get her
material while it is yet fresh and be-
fore il shows the effect of passing
through many hands. Then. getting
the material so early, the wise woman
can devote plenty of time to choosing
her decorations and to selecting the
modes in which her gowns shall be
Perhaps she has chosen a dainty white
muslin with little dots thickly embroid-
cred upon it, She goes to no pattern
house for her design. month ago
there came TO her from Paris some pho
tographs of famous French beauties in
their summer toilets, and ii is these she
will initiate. Her dotted muslin will be
made after the fashion OF that worn by
Mile. Yahne as she emerges from be-
tween two velvet curtains. The skirt
is finished with three tiny ruffies, while
the bodice has n tucked yoke and
corsage decorated with frills of vaien-
ciennes lace and insertion. The sleeves
are glove fitting, but trimmed with the
lace. while the crush belt and soft coll
lar are of white silk. Chic? Immense
ly so. And yet while il is i'm the style
IL does not after a servile fashion imi-
p tate the gown worn by Dorothy, Gwen
doleR or Cynthia.
Another cotton is made after one OF
Anna Held's newest frocks. This shows
a decoration of the dainty ruffies, edged
with narrow lace, while big white
parasol is made-in the photo. at least
TO seem special part of the toilet But
ii is her jacket of which the wise woman
is proudest this spring-the Jacket over
which all Paris is raving. 1t is the
dainty little coat worn by that wonder
u Af l.. L.
1t is of bright red CLOTH showing lapel
facings of white. but the coat itself is
so cut that, though IL fits the figure.
there is a certain laxity to the front
which is an ingenious compromise be-
tween the bagging of the ubiquitous
blouse and the severity OF the classic
Jacket Surely the wise woman could
not choose three better models than
those pictured. for the French actress,
even on the stage, never goes to an eN-
treme and always sets the mode. In
England and America the actress imi-
tates the ladies of the great world. In
Paris the most artistic dressmaker
brings all her genius To bear upon a
toilet for the stage since she Is sure
that IL will be extensively copied by
the most fashionable women. As
natural sequence the French actress
seldom ONe1uftSStS. anu Stlt tdhtS a.
special pride i'm suiting her toilet to the
exact time and place. When she is sup
posed to be the daughter Of poor but
honest parents, she does not come on
the stage wearing a Felix dinner dress,
but she thinks out what. under such
circumstances. would be proper. and she
assumes IT, Who Of us hasn't seen the
exact opposite on the English speaking
stage?
BY the bye. 20 leave the stage. which
few people are willing TO do. do you
realize that just about now everybody
is taking TO Delsarte again, and young
women are black and blue from tum-
bling up stairs and tumbing down
stairs and learning how TO decompose
themselves? That's an abomnable
word But it's n received one. De-
composition, you must know. is the
ability TO become suddenly limp and
then lust as quickly TO use whatever
part OF your body you wish i'm the most
graceful way. one OF the best Delsarte
teachers announced before a class the
other day that she could tell a south
ern woman the minute she entered a
room and sat down. She claimed for
her that she sits naturally and her
limbs fall in easy poses. IL seems un-
necessary TO say that after this was
told l blushed. But at the same time
] credited IL 60 my natural Incidence.
According 90 this teacher the great
trouble with the woman of today is that
she hurries. Every movement expresses
her haste and there is ne time for
grace You know you can get 60 place
a. quickly bN walking well and evenly
"a Ht tfottinE ani stumbling It's fun
ut how the novel of tie day tanks
about the bearing OF women At the