Evening star., 1899-07-08
COOL SUMMER GOWNS
Dainty Effects in Making Up Cheap
Lawns.
SEVERAL GOOD MODELS TO FOLLOW
True Lovers Knots in Narrow
Velvet and Lace.
THE NEW DIAGONAL TUCKING
pecial Correspondence of The Evening Star.

NEW YORK, July 6, 1899.
After cleanliness there is no one habit
conducive to refinement of living which is
comparable in Importance with that of
dressing for dinner. And it is absolutely
surprising how much it is neglected by peo-
pie of comfortable circumstances, when no
one is expected to share the evening meal.
There is nothing beside a slip shod table
service which quickly stamps a family
as having acquired refinement during the
present generation than a neglect to make
some change of dress at o'clock This is
rather sweeping, / know. and many wo-
man who all the days of her girlhood came
daintily. though perhaps simply, clad to the
dining room at or T. will sigh and say that
at times it is impossible. For no matter
how carefully the girls of family have
been trained In the refinements of life, the
men of the same family may be derelict IN
little matters. and when his wife takes a
man of this sort in hand she will find ii al
most impossible to coax him into another
coat when he comes home tired and hungry
And perhaps if she has cooked the dinner
herself, she, too, may feel Il is too much TO
expect that she should be maid and mis-
tress too. But If she will be firm about 1t,
wearing, If only print gown. one that has
either pretty ribbon or a turnaway collar
showing a white throat, and If she will insist
upon her liege lords having a dinner coat,
even though it be only black one which he
wears to church, she will find change in
the tone of the family life-provided always
the good temper and surface content, which
is the give and take of refined living per-
vades the household, even if his business
has not gone well all day. and her house
hold has been most trying.
Dress is Not All, Though.
For even a pretty gown will not take the
place of a cheerful face and pleasant topics
of conversation. We don't want to be like
Gibson's picture of 1.-The Poor Rich" and be
poor well as dull, or, worse still, i'll
natured.
For the woman who makes her own frocks
there is no season so becoming as summer.
Then for little money one can buy materials
which make up charmingly, and. although
there are women who look best in severe
tailor r-made gowns, the average of good
looks is best supported by fluffy, feminine
draperies. No matter how simple mex
pensive these draperies may be, if they are
made with a low neck, transparent sleeves
or none at all, and a few ruffies. they give
a festive and holiday air to every occasion.
A festive air is too much neglected by the
average woman. To be perfect-or rather
to be charming, which is better-she must
be many things TO many people. In her
workaday world. be it within the walls of
the home or out in the busy world, she
must look and be quick neat business-li<e,
yet not short or curt But when she pre-
SlIeS dl OWN ldDit, Oi Is d SuCSl al
others boards, or when she meets the men
of her world after the cares of the day are
over. she should endeavor to have a hol-
iday air, and not fear that she will be call
ed too frivolous, too gay or too brightly at
tired. We need beauty more than any
thing.
Inexpensive, but Pretty.
So, when the hot evenings come, have a
little gown of muslin, null, dotted Swiss or
even 10-cent white lawn. and have it made
with decollete corsage. elbow sleeves
rather tight fitting. a graceful trailing skirt
with one or two hounces it and array
yourself therein and look at your image in
the glass. Be you sixteen or sixty, The ef- |
feet will be fiattering to your vanity and !
pleasing to onlookarS.
These very simple evening gowns, which |
can be made at home, need little descrip- |
ton. This year the skirts are narrow and |
long, the bodces are round and the sleeves /
small. Instead of a ruffie about the neck, |
there is usually a handkerchief effect or a |
1ichu finish. Many of them have insertions 1
of embroidery or lace, and usually there
are shaped fieunces about the bottom of the |
skirts :
One of the least trimmed and the dain- |
test gowns recently finished made at 4
home with the help of sewing woman. 4
The material was black dimity. A pattern |
was used, and there was little possibility of |
a botch on that account. The waist was a |
baby round waist, shirred front and |
back at the waist line There were three |
ruffies of the goods, which began at tile /
left side under a bow of cerise ribbon.
They were narrow there but gradually |
grew wider. until under the right arm they 4
were about four inches wide. Save the lit /
tie narrow shirred ruching of organdie, /
which went about the edge of the ruflles, 4
and also defined the low, square-cut neck, /
there was no trimming save this one bow
of ribbon on the bodice. The sleeves were
small and edged in ruffe at the elbow.
The skirt was plain, except the three wide Il
fiounees, exactly like those on the waist l
which were higher on the sides than in the /
middle of the front and in the back.
Good styles Easily Copied.
The gowns illustrated give very good \
idea of the general way of making summer 1
evening frocks. On the left of the picture
Is pale blue muslin. with a tiny pink fig
ure in it. There are three shaped ruffies
on the otherwise plain skirt. A pink bow
at the top of the bodice and pink belt of |
soft ribbon make the note of contra sting !
color. insertions of the popular Russian |
lace Limitation In this instance) trim the
baby waist. and a scant ruffie of the lace
defines the bodice and goes about the
edges of the elbow sleeve.
The figure on the right is one of the COM
binations of black and white which are /
beautiful when properly managed and very /
staring and loud If the black effect is over /
done. Narrow pipings of black are put 4
around the waist and sleeves and three 1
narrow rufiies of net finish the long skirt |
These ruffies are of net with a coarse mesh,
70 that the white shows through plainly,