Evening star., 1899-04-08
Spring Costumes That Blossom With
the First Warm Days.
MANS OPINION OF WOMAN'S DRESS
And She Has Something to Say
About What He Wears.
SOME CAUSTIC CRITICISM

~
ali three" Men of today are finican to a
degree on the question of the raiment of
women The denser their ignorance of de-
tails the sharper seems to be their criticism
of the general effect. The women of Wash
ington would be rather surprised to know
what a number of men there are in this
town who do the fine afternoon parading
act at this season for the purpose OF en-
joying or disapproving of the feminine pur-
pie and fine linen peculiar to the present
period The Easter parades on the uptown
avenues were somewhat marred by the chfl
of the day. which rendered wraps and WIN
ter hats necessary for all but the most raoi-
cal of the sex. Spring plumage there was
to be sure, and there were even enough
overcoatless young men shivering IN opVl-
ousIy new frock coats to make showing
but the real blossoming forth of spring tog-
gerry was postponed. Not every woman
nor every man, on F street during the al
teruoons of this week has exhibited the
ornate yestments of spring, but the
street parade of spring finery has been sur
ficiently elaborate to draw out the crlu-
cism of male persons who profess TO KNOW
a whole lot about how their neighbors
ought to dress One of them displayed MS
Grass ignorance something after the follow
ing fashion the other afternoon, as the
street throng whirled by his pinnacle.
Doesn't Like lne SOiors'
II see they're mos. of 'em wearing gray
this spring" said he. Il wonder VINO
starts 'em off on these colors. anyhow?
Now, last year an affiiction to the eye
called new blue was, I believe. the real
kink It's a good gamble that the ocuiists
had something to do with the new blue
craze. for If there's any color weird
combination of colors more perfectly cal
c1lIated to injure the eyesight than that
same new blue it's new one on me-
Now take this gray fad. l think that
gray dress for woman, at any stage OF
the game whether it's tailor-made ana
lined with silk or one of the S34s sym
phonies of the department stores, ls-er-
we'll just dinky, that's all
"A gray dress is not so utterly bad for
a slender woman, or a woman of average
weight: but IL surely is a holy show a
stout woman. 1t makes her look twice her
size. 1t makes her look as broad as she
is long. Hah? Regarded, you say, as Sc
date and neat, gray dress? l don't see
it. / think gray dress is just plain dinky,
and that's all there is about it 1 know
all about it, and / have spoke What color
would l have EN- wear? Why, dark blue,
or black. or some color that's got tone to
It. Gray's neither white nor black-neith5r
fish. flesh. fowl or good red herring.
woman with a new gray spring outfit on
seems TO me to be saying to all hands.
Just look at the stab I'm making at being
Gluaker1Sh, and neat, and Subdued" And
then, when the gray dress is taken in con-
nection with the silk dust-ruffie-say how
about those things anyhow? What's the
meaning of them? / haven't seen spring.
logged woman this afternoon who hasn't
looked tired and worried over the job of
hanging on TO the skirt of her dress for the
sake of showing that she's the sole and
only proprietor of silk dust rufie-gen-
orally certse. but sometimes green. hello
trope, purple, or some other hue that in
sists on making itself seen. ] don't see
anything so dead swell about those dust
rufiies, do you? What's the matter with
the old-fashione white-and then look how
the clutching of the skirt knocks all the
shape out of wOman's new frock. Why
don't they let US take ii for granted that
they're owners of silken dust-ruffles. and
let their skirts hang naturally? We can
hear the swish of the dust-rufie. and this
gives us sufficient of an idea of the super
abundant wealth of the wearer thereof
I'd rather see those spring skirts hanging
plump and straight, and just imagine the
dust-ruffles.'
Spring Millinery.
This is only sample of the way poor
ignorant men maunder on about things
they know nothing about. Another pain
fully stupid man who walked home from
his office the other. afternoon In order to
take III the F street parade thought he
knew something about spring millinery
What's all this array of bowling purple
for feminine headdresses about I won
der?' he inquired. Il don't see ANYTHING
anywhere except purple hats, with now and
then one of the real things in the shape of
one OF those huny-you know-white and
pack hats-lacy contrivances. | dunno
how to describe EN-. but they're all right
These purple things, though-wen, they
may be the proper propositinn and oil
that, but they make me think of the nurnIe
Easter egg shells scattered over the White
lot m in daily horror of my wife spring
ing one OF EN- on me when l get home
from work. but if she does she'll wear II
an alone l couldn't stand the glare n
hurts my eyes. And, say, look at all the
girls. with their hair floating around a Ia
Anna Held Dye think that's pretty
Ihere one now with her hair fixed In a
kind o combination of Anna Held and CIe1
de Merode, and the wind tossing IL about
Until she looks like Boadicea in stavs H.
/ want en- to do their hair up In the old
fashioned ways? Not on your life Ru,
there a Joyous medium Old-fashionad
hothins' II there's anything in this life
now Una. particularly don't like it's what
lheS can these 'common-sense' shoes for
women with fiat heels. / think they look
ari- periecsiy t; SHY and country. want 'em to
wear high-heeled shoes--so high that they
can Just about walk in them. like high
hteied shoes Tor women, and I've vet to
meet the rightly-built man that doesn't.
ne more feminine women look the bette,
ihey look. Yes. even laced. Heaven for
Iend an era OF common-senses in the raj
nent or women Common sense and the
artistic spiri, Of women are deadly eneDfeS
and they'll never become reconciled
Suited to Rainy Days.
There goes lady in bicycle skirt. She
Just got OF a street ear. New idea, isn't il
See how the turquoise sky bends overhead
thai Is 10 say, there isn't any rain in sight
and hasn't been all day, and the street,
are dryer than bone. And yet the bicycle
skirt FOR stopping. Now, I've seen this
quite number OF times lately. and it's hare
10 understand. The rainy-day skirt is mr.
in2rtstic evil that yet possesses some sd
vanta&es. and. therefore. / suppose We
booked 10 stand for 1t. It's ugly enough
IN all conscience, at that. But the abbrevi.
Hted bicycle skirt on bright, clear days TO,
street car wear and for shopping-not any
thanks: / pass that up.
Here comes a girl with cream-colore(
NewmarEet-that' what you call il ism
r?-cOa, that hasn't got a wrinkle on IN,
back or II from the collar to the pavement
That what | call shapey and all right
swell. in fact. But what's she got the tw,
corners down at the bottom in front pinned
back for Because Mrs James Brown Pot
ter, In play of the French reyoiution
pinned her long coat back that way yoi
say! On well. in that case, l suppose it.