The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-01-05
SOME WOMEN
OUERDRESS
Vanity of the Sex Encourag-
ing Loud Gowns.
Absurdity of Those With 1ihiieu
Means 10 Initiate Iheir
weaIthier Sisters.

'.She is as plain as pipe stem in her
Dress
To this comment uttered ia most con
! teurtuous tone saws writer in the
| Philadelphia Record, replied; Il SIN
cereIy ADMIRE the good sense that prompts
a woman belonging TO the niiddle classes
J 60 dress quietly. Her social grade calls
J for only the simplest modes. You cannot
deny that the subject of your criticism is
! always presentable, no matter where she
/ goes or with whom she is thrown"
My defense did not please. L could see
was regarded as decidedly queer
I THIS sf.oweyeT. rarely deters ne from
/ speaking my mind. | certainly felt I'M
peeled 10 do so on this occasion
The evil OF our daS Is oyer-tires sing.
This EVIL I do not. as a rule, find among
rich women. but In the midst OF those
/ nf my sax VINO are busy aping their
! wealth bier sisters
Limited incomes are responsible for the
| constant appearance of gov ms hats,
wraps that heCunie tawdry, simply be
cause OF their environments. This must
Of necessity he -, for the woman OF aver
axe means has hy comparison sparse OPP
portuni;ias for dress display.
H.r iuoruitlatc vanity refuses to adult
this Mheu She buys an elaborate ar
ti-le Of dress it is doue with bat one OBJ
iect ia view --n2iHely. 10 find in her mirror
an image that Pleases her.
She does rot stop to consider how this
bit OF extravaganza is to be fitted into
her everyda Y Surroundings. She sqreezes
D -,G. 10 IN
get together a costume that must he put
10 severely practical uses. and IL has been
modeled mind YOU. after creation de-
! signed to Figure only at elaborate functions.
The flssy, original, very stunning
! toilette, appears at swell luncheon,
fasasona bic reception. or in some place
frequented 10y exclusives; the copy switches
! it, way through the shops and along thor
oughfares. stamping the wearer with every
| swirl OF its draperies as unrefined.
No use 10 beat about the bush. We
I women Judge each other by the way we
clothe ourselves. Often the Judgment is
unfair, indeed. downright cruel. and should
! not be allowed a leg To stand on. But stand
il does, and often t. our complete undoing.
BY the way. who is it that Eat hers in
the loud-toncd dress fabrics, the dizzy
| hats. the overturned wraps? Not wo-
men OF taste and refineme Mt; merely
| lookcrs-on at the social merry -gO-round.
The article of dress is yet to he found
too gorgeous for affairs where fashion s
butterflies rlUtter their wings absolutely
free from censune. They are licensed to
over-dresS if they wish. The time and
place has been found for fine feathers,
and the fine birds may air their plumage
no matter how tropical in color or how
ornately placed.
1t is the height OF folly FOR women OF
moderate social pretensions to strive as
they do with might aud main 10 dress up
10 the ideas display 10y fortunes pro-
tegeS. Such on absurd desire ELECTS whole
sale condemnation froin people who know
a thing or Two of the delicate art OF dress
Ing.
Refined women NICE women. with IN in
born sense of the eternal fitness of things,
| are never over dressed. They esteem all
efforts in such direction the height OF
vulgarity. / feel the most intense sym
patty for women at large wandering about
in q wardrobe maze. They must move
most cautiously If they would not commit
| dreadful Mundera.