The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-06-04
written for The Post.l

written for The Post.)
New York, June a.--"The Lord made
the shirt waist" said an irreverent young
person, "but the devil added the high col
lar"
And the little iups painted in the
round and round stripes" laughed her
mother. and persuaded stout women to
put them on"
Those excellent ladies In federation as
senbloa at Denver last summer, who
irowned 50 black upon the shirt waist that
,hs Storm clouds OF their displeasure
datkencd The fashion skies OF the country
may have been surprised the least bit
when, with the arst summer days of go,
the ohjecs a their wrath bobbed up more
sereuegy confident, more stifhy starched
ana asserive than in any past season.
The excellent ladies were OF course quite
righs--olub women can do no wrong; but
neither excellent ladies nor fashion max
ers can STAY the shirt waist. Both have
tr4ed
What article OF dress is 80 recklessly
abandoned to insists, and 50 incurably
addicted to intruding az times and in
places where i. has no warrant for APP
peargnE? what is at once SO violent in
color and SO distressingly monotonous as
the shirt waist, with It's commences and
unhappy conyenlencs?
And on The other hand what is capable
Of 50 much ,r4mness and distinction?
49,
Far an object lesson on what not to
wear, Try some OF the summer resorts
around New York on any of these early
summer afternoons. Whether you go to
Long Branch or Manhattan Beach or Far
Rockaway. along the Jersey coast or Long
Island or into Connecticut or Rhode Is
land, a certain proportion Of the summer
girls with their strapped and buttoncd
and narrow-tailed sNlnts, their broad
barred and shouting shirt waists, their
outlines as Indecent as nature can permit
and their walk a cross between that OF a
crab and a mermaid. present a spectacle
that two seasons from now. II exact
sketches are preserved, will be considered
too grotesque and unpleasant even fol
caricNture
These girls arc performing a public
service, though all may not realize it
they are as useful as confirmed drunkard
for awful examples,
Admitting that the shirt waist Is abou
the most important item OF the summe
girls outfit, requiring this season specia
trunks for the conveyance OF Its new
frilleries, the first essential consideration
Is that of materials Under this head mus
come list Of don'ts; yet since one girl /
able to look like a Quakeress thong
flaming In scarlet, while another can no
.t....s.
shadowy grays, even the most imperativ
don'as are subject to qualification.
~
Remembering that every general state
ment. including this one. is untrue, I'll
wise woman nevertheless will hear In min
that the bayadere stnipe is all but fat
to the stout woman's claims to. comma
sense, to say nothing of good taste; thi
white, which this season is in hlEhe
favor, Is unbeconlng, in large expenses,
most women past their first youth, espi
clally in the thcl, cotton goods which al
used in smart waists; and that fame
plaids have been hopeessly vulgarl2ed.
More important than the question
novel goods or old style; OF plain hgure
Powered or dotted; than the brands
pique. cambria. percale or bingham TIL
will or won't wear and will or won't fade
ders, deep or shallow cuffs, straight
flaring collars, pointed or rouad yokes
the back, yokes or no yokes in the from
plaits, tucks, gathers or shirnngs are ii
two points hat often seem to get, by con
paidson, litile or no attenti0n-the seleetlo
of colors that, out Of doors and in II
broad daylight are 10 the individual b.
coming-a more difficult matter than mo
people realize, when the tendency OF II
picturesque 30 become the glarng
taken into accountant the exercise OF
much care in the matter OF ut as Is give
to tho tailor gown
~
Why will woman who Is dantily @;
acting as 10 every ether article Of atti
go about serenely satisfied in shirt wal
bullying at the back and = clumsy horr
frtm all points OF view? For this 81
among others, the bargain counter mu
answer.
Net that the ready amade waist Is will
out It's advantages. Some of the be
makes are we'll enough graded in the ma
ter of sizes to suit the woman of mediu
figure better than the work of the avera
dressmaker; but whether bought for fe