Evening star., 1898-05-28
FOR UP-TO- DATE WOMEN
Roman Stripes in Soft Heavy Weaves ant
Gay Shades.
The Very Latest for Silk Wnfsts-Sur
plice and Blouse Effects
Plaits and Tucks.


Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
NEW YORK, May 26 1895
| While summer fingers under a heavy
| bank of clouds. evidently discussing af-
| fairs of state with the sun, silk shirt
| waists are in their glory. 1t is not that
| cotton shirt waists are not seen, but with
! their more delicate and lighter colors they
do not seem to be appropriate to ;hc SOM
| her weather which has kept us under UNI
| blellas for month past.
The very latest shirt waist is of soft
| heavy basket weave or corded silk I'm the
| Roman stripe pattern. Not the Roman
| stripe of the past winter but the RCman
| stripe of the sashes of our childhood with
| one wide stripe of some color, be it blue,
| red or what not, and a number of smaller
| stripes of gay shades to set it off One
| may find the same shades in some of the
| best of the Roman silk blankets which
| have been brought over during the past
| few years. These waists are ideal, and
| their price at present keeps them far
ahove the purse of the average woman, so
| unless one throws economy to the winds
| and gets in spite of their nearrlcSS to
| the twenty-dollar mark, they will be worn
by the few and not by the many, in mark
ed contrast to the Roman stripe of the
| season just passed. These waists are. per-
| haps, most beautiful of all in dark blue,
| Win the narrow stripes showing Sll the
| gay Roman co!ors. They are all male bay
| adere, but short women should a. Least in
| sist on having the stripes running bias, If
| not up and down. They have collar and
| stock with long ends of the same silk. In
| scarlet they very beautiful but should
be avoided by all but very young girls, or
| women of slender build with the dusky
| coloring of the south. The high price ask
| ed for these waists is well deserved, for
| they are of very good silk and new and
| we'll made, but it will be prohibitiye 10
| many women who object, on the score of
common serse to paying large sum. or
more than eight or ten dollars, for
| waist which is, after all, shirt waist,
| and although most charming for afternoon
| or morning wear, is so modelled tnat ii is
| impossible for dinners or evening affairs.
| To wear when one is quietly spending the
| evening at home, they would be very APP
| pIopriate and most suitable, but any waist
| made the simple shirt waist pattern,
| without tucks, revers or other additions TO
| make it waist without the prefix We add
| to those made on neglge lines. is not
suitable for anything which is formal to
| the slightest degree.
| Silk shirt waists of taffeta nearly all
| beast of few tuckS, running up or down,
| across, all the way round, or bias. The
| choice is large. In spite of reports TO the
| contrary, the plain colors are preferred to
| the pla:ds. Yale blue is the leading shade,
| turquoise, apple green. cerise and hello
| uope and lavender all being chosen as they
| suit the complexion of the woman inter
eSted.
| Tucks Are the Thing.
| Tucks really deserve more than a pass
| ing mention. They are so much a feature
of the new waists. The tucked fronts with
| a blouse with revers making one think of
| the sailor waists of.yore. have been worn
| for several months, but are still eagerly
| sought. For they are becoming to all slight
| figures and are very comfortable. The tuck
/ I'D nLaS nj
| trasting color, generally white. One made
| lately was of striped gray and white silk.
with the vest and collar of white satin,
| tucked by hand. In this waist the yoke
| was continued down to the waist line.
| forming a vest making most effective
| change to the prevailing yoke. Bias tucks,
| crossing each other at intervals and thus
| forming squares or diamonds, are very
| effective, but need the hand of master,
| or the waist should be bought ready made
An imported waist made in this fashion
was of brick-red silk, with mauve jacket
of the silk tapping over the crossed tucks
| 1t was model and correspondingly eX-
| pensive. But when one thought of the
amount of work on those mathematically
crossing tucks no price seemed too high
| for them.
Dainty little waists of white, crossed with
narrow stripes of lavender. gray, pale blue,
etc, made with collar of the same
| and box pleat down the front, edged with
| i knife plating of silk the shade of the
stripe.
Accordian plating has come back. and
some of the prettiest waists have accordian
plated fronts.
Revival of the SurpIlce.
Most of the silk waists blouse little, in
spite of the prophecy that blouse of any
sort was thing of the past. But it will be
noticed that very few of the model gowns
have a blouse front 1t is not discarded.
but a wise moderation is shown in its use.
So il che is having couple of waists made
up it will be an agreeable change to have
the fronts not fall over, as there are many
pretty styles, surplice, gabrielle. etc, which
are newer.
Every one must have at least one white
silk shirt waist. Taffeta is the accepted
material, but there many soft, rich
silks which can be used by those who tire
of the inartistic stiffness of that much
worn weave. A white silk shirt waist is a
poetic creation under most circumstances,
and can be worn with much more license as
to the occasion on which it may be seen than
waist in any other color Many of these
waists have touch OF color in the coruing
of the revers, or in bit of gold braid
trimming. For some reason, not explaina-
BILE to the mind, but quite apparent to the
eye tucks are never as dainty and as pref
ty as on white fabrics. So have your white
shirt waists tucked by all means.
Accordian plated fronts of chiffon are
worn with White shirt waists which blouse
in front and have one or two cords or or
naments to tfasten them over the chiffon
front from the point where the revers fall
away to the waist line. Pale yellow and
pale blue are both much used for this. and
the collar is of the chiffan IL Is an excel
lent plan to have ut least one silk shirt
waist, either white or of color. made with
removable yoke front. This gives one
many changes; and is especially grateful
when going about from place TO place, as
one need only have plated yokes and col
lars of muslin to replace a stiff white linen
"dickie" to make one quite presentable
when stopping over night at hotel.
MABEL BOYD.
"a strange. woman rang our hell toa.r