The times., 1898-12-11
Charming Fancy Dresses for
Holiday Junketings.
PLAcQUET HOLE HINTS
The New Glove-Fitting Skirt Re
sponsfbIe for Many Fashionable
vagarics-smart Novelty Wells for
sharp Weather Wcnr-Pretty- Jew
eIry brought Into Favor.


and the dressmakers, who ought to
know, say that Christmas eve costume
dances are going TO be prominent fea
ture. Hostesses who possess large
houses and hospitable souls have ar
ranged to open their doors at O'Clock
in the afternoon of the 2ith Of December
to the very young folk. They will frolic
until s. when the schoo.boys and girls
will arrive for merrymaking in costsme
until eleven, to give way at that hour 10
the grown-ups, and a german, or more
probable still, games viii BE- play ed
All this has encouraged the manufac-
ture of the fancy dress to such markell
degree that more interest is given to the
hoops Of a sixteenth century skirt and
coiffures of Richard Occur de Lions day,
than to the sober realities of our own
time. II it is permissible to use the ex-
preston, fashions in fancy dresses, then
it is safe to say that Mary Stuarts. Ma
lie Anroinettes. fisher maideas and Span
ish senoritas are quite out of the run
uing-nine out of ten women want 10
dress as girls on the Dutch Isle of Mar
Ken do wear lofty colts OF the thirteenth
century, appear in the boots and red
curls of Polish and Bohemian Jewesses.
The japanese Geisha has lost her vogue
in favor of smart costumes of the Chi
nese noblesse, While Wendish pea ant
toggery and the gew-gaws of feminine
brigands of Sicily have swept Normandy
damsels and Dresden Shepherdesses quite
out of sight and mind
ha nf he q
Mode grinds steadily on, and over these
petticoats of other days women are wear
ing long opera pelisses that are too inter-
esting to escape mention. To establish
this assertion II is as well to tell of
cloak or two worn at the opening night
of grand opera in New York Mrs. Pier
pont Morgan undoubtedly appeared in one
of the most splendid wraps, of white cloth
edged with chinchilla. At the back
square collar of the gray fur folded over
the shoulders and from beneath this the
back fell In the Princess fashion, slightly
caught in at the waist. In front a pair
of huge f1ounces rippled down from the
neck and were faced with dull black silk
webbed over with intricate and lovely sii-
yer embroidery. OF course, the flounces
were bound with fur, the reticule sleeves
We're fur trimmed and collar of the
gray stood high and stanchly about the
tops even with the wearer's ears.
As a sort of foil to this in the same
box momentarily appeared a pelisse of
black velvet with enormous hood of ruck-
ed rose-colored chiffon, edged with mar
row bands of sable. This hood served as
q head scarf and when thrown back, fell
nearly to the knees behind. Women In
the orchestra appeared down the aisles
in shawl capes and satin opera hoods,
tied with sashes of chiffon under the chin.
BY the scores almost We're counted the
gray wraps and chinchilla is the fur that
the majority were trimmed with, while
nine out OF ten Innings were done in pale
blue Limousine silk that is soft and
sweet on bare shoulders.
The Younger element at the opera, no.
tably Miss Sloan and Miss Ogden Goelet,
wore white: especially white tulle, crys-
tallized with steel sequins was repeated
all over the house. The favorite addenda
with these were chatelaines of flowers.
From the girdle on the left hand the chat
elaines fell and were formed of series of
blossoms tied in little nosegays by narrow
white ribbons. AT the hip the knots OF
flowers are small and growing larger to-
ward the knee. they ran in varying tints
from white TO carmine.
ANY number of dresses. including mag
nificent toilets worn by Mrs. Pierpont
Morgan. Mrs Harry Payne Whitney and
sole and satin draped with white lace, the
worked designs of which were all traced
out in the narrowest black ribbon. Pretty
Miss Cutting wore such a gown in pink
and one great lady appeared IN rosy
brocaded satin that was buttoned up the
back from shoulders to far below the
hips with small emerald cabochons set
round with brilliants.
4 new Southern beauty in one evening
set a fashion by pompadouring her hair
high and then drawing, right across her
white forehead. a black velvet ribbon
sparkling with small diamonds. This was
drawn back so that its ends disappeared
In the thick folds of her hair In which
a delicate black aigrette mixed with wired
brilliants waved and glittered- 1t was not
after all an invention of the beauty to
show off the exceeding whiteness of her
forehead but a revival of a fashion that
in the days of the Empress Josephine pre-
vailed.
Out of the sphere of music some new
fashions are fourishing apace. 1t is es-
sential to note that astrakhan is coming
more and more into smart usage, and this
is because IL is dyed a most delightful
chestnut brown. Brown astrakhan trims
things and forms admirable capes muffs
collars. etc. and after all only an extra
ordinary daintily tinted woman with
whom nature has been generous in gifts
can afford to wear cold gray chinchilla
dead black Persian lamb. golden cinna-
mon bear, etc. For the mediocre in beau
ty, brown fur is always an enhancing soft
framing for the face, and is not any less
serviceable than the other dyes of skin.
The jewellers have set plentiful snares
for the holiday shoppers, and few are the
young women who now wish to wear any
thing on their neck chains but large cut
crystal heart in pretty good imitation of
sapphire amethyst, topaz, aqua marine
or turquoise. Fretted gold or silver COW
ers the top Of the heart. Beside the heart
pendant all up and down the chain are
fastened short sections of links to the
ends of which are attached an amazing
array of trinkets. They are as various
and in form almost as interesting as the
types OF humanity, but some enjoy great
er popularity than others, and they are
made Of gold, silver, steel, gun metal
platinum and even of brass. Few of them
are larger or longer than ones thumb
nail, and the favorites are crabs, mus
hand, jointed doll, an enameled golf
ball or football a rabbit and a perfectly
executed oyster shell in gold and gun
metal with pearl in the center.
If a crystal heart is not the thing de-
sired for the young lady's chin, then a
rarely chased small gold cigarette case
may be preferred. Those for the Ch ist-
mas trade are sumptuous in the extreme.
They hold only four small Egyptian Gig
srettes and by touching a spring the
button of which is a jewel. a false bot
tom, which Is a case for wax matches,
appears; by touching another jewel but
ton the whole side of the case springs
back and reveals a glass pocket for stor-
ft,ex -.t,A