Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-05-11
PORTALS NEW YORK LETTER.

New York, May 5.-What living
panorama it is-this Waldorf-Astoria.
After dining in the great Sale
Manger. Alice and strolled out to
watch the passing show in the cor
ridors and palm room. All sorts and
conditions of men-but then one
hardly notices the men--at least Alice
and / did not, for we were there to
watch tine feminine modes.
| After the Horse Show and the opera
season, this is probably the time Of
wear 10 see New York at its best.
yiolets are peeping forth from the
newly sprung grass Of the parks. The
willows are enyeloped in the gauzy
buds Of what we used to call pussy
| willows, when we were children.
| Never is New York more lovely than
| it is now, when the year is young.
| Some how or other the April blossoms
and April breezes always associate in
ny mind New York, for they are in
keeping with the gayety, the joyful
Alice and | are not New Workers, we
can be permitted to talk this way
without beiug accused of being too
proud of our city.
As we sat there in the brilliant
lights everybody who is anybody, and
everybody who is not, seemed to pass
by. Here came two women, their
manner and air showing that they he
lonped to that exclusive set which fits
from New York at the first breath OF
spring to their country homes or to
Europe. These two, evidently mother
and daughter, are probably just in for
, the day, shopping or paying lying
visit to their tailor. And who is that
3 gay looking woman and two daughters
sitting in wretched loneliness there on
! tho diyau: Some struggling nouveaux
, richie from the West. When | looked
. at her Jewel bedecked avoirdupois
thought Of Max O'Rell's clever saying,
D 1.-The sweat of the American husband
Q crystalizes into diamonds for the
, American woman.
Sitting at little table at our left
9 were two women whose gowns breatbed
an air of the Rue de la Paix. ut is
S the little things that tell, whispered
!, Alice as she looked at the thoroughly
# correct gray princess gown of the
i younger woman. What is Of most value
r to any woman with pretentions OF
dressing we'll is that she gives the chic
line from the tip of her neck band to the
foot of her skirt. That is the line of
artistic merit, the line that a good
= dressmaker conceives after her own
Interpretation and for that very reason
= every one cannot hit upon 1t. 1t is the
Y, limo that is essential in a princess
:. gown. We see them on all sides but
:. the princess gown needs good figure
70 to hang itself on.
y The halls are crowded, milahy Of
= = fashion is out on parade and Alice,
+ |; who is observing if nothing else, says,
e. my dear, do you notice that not one
: woman has her bodice fastened with
., ar visible fastening For years it has
Z been disappearing, and we lind that
,h fastenings TO the left and to the back
al are SO much the rule tnat everything
ba else is demode.
There is il whirlwind of eccentricity
an afoot in fashions; 'tis the proper thing
ii to have soniE mad touch in gown.
l., No longer must the material belong to
&c the same clan; everything is mixed
az and thrown together and the result is
= something marvellous. 1t is like a
ii canvas started in oil, touched up with
'~' pastel, washed over with water colors
and strengthened with mineral. Surely
we are leaving trail at the end of tho
I'D century that will mark vivid page in
ar fashions history.
ir' As watch some of these women pass
of by in this ever-changing scene,
,lta WbHucE Nuhb bit1 Nthi bhtci thSi'
:, skirts. Petticoats are obsolete long
\ ago. In some of the shops have seer
v,s tight satin brooches that buckle at the
af knee and are wonderfully smart to looh
,ed at. Everything is draped and tht
IL newest idea is to have the draper.
90 caught up at one side. These draperie
!, are very scant as is the entire skirt
ith except around the bottom. In fact i
hv seems that the style is only meant fo
slender women. A fat woman is reall.
not in it,
!. Real lace is used on everything from
the hats and bonnets to the bottom of tn
ade skirts. 1t is a positive fad and un
the fortunately very expensive one, al
oh item, however, of no Importance +
re' most of the women | have seen her
arv tonight.
the The clocks struck u, and like Gin
On derela at the ball, Alice and starte
,rd to our room, though the music ha
a,y commenced u now aud liyeier air an
, II the moving scene Of beauty, fasliio
Inc and wealth was waxing gayer an
ala Bacchus, Lucullus and Orpheus wer
old vowing to outdo each other.
,th. Every few minutes Alice would say
Are you asleep, Portia" and then rt
mind mo of some little cache that sh
, II had noticed. Il Just wanted to as
ash loh IL tDu Ittd uublctl bu6
four looking girl who came in from ridin
for tonight. Did you notice that she VOL
sil her boutonniere pinned to the los'
lam edge of her left sleeve;?" Yes, that
de. quite fad now and gives pleasir
rik- finish to the severe riding habit.
Mt. At last we fell asleep, dreaming {
ling wine, Women and Song" laces, satil
nj and the frou frou of silk, and then
the wakened up with that sad feeling th'
red. comes to one after yer-indulgence
cord things that are good-the feeling TIN
comes to one, from dining mot wise
but too WE'LL" l looked out my wi
dow on Fifth avenue, and New fo
s. was making it's toilet. The stree
and were taking bath, liveriod attendan
ap- backing the boots Of the electric lig
rt to poles; the shop windows being shaw
ford and putting on clean shirts, and by Z
hem time the world was up and about. Il
4 re- whole city WAS smiling and fresh fro
the its morning bath, and ready to gre
this them, and the merry go around
ssets fashion began another day of Joy al
gate pleasure. Portia.