The times., 1899-02-05
STOUT WOMEN WEAR
THE BEETLE COAT
Stylish Bob-Tailed Jackets
for Slender Girls.
TUNES to Appear on Nobby Spring
Costumes.
Pnris Modistcs Are Lacinr skirts Up
the Front Ia Add 10 statuesque
ETccts-sprinG Hats.

guides and beacon lights to their sisters
are setting out for the South just now, and
the light coats they take with them serve
as perfect models for the stay-at-homes.
Ali the youthful and slender women such
as Mrs Clarence Mackey, Mrs. John r.
Liyermore and Mrs Almeric Paget, will
wear in North Carolina, Florida, and Ber-
muda either very short or wonderfully long
jackets over their flannel and silk shirt
waists. The short coats are quite bewitch-
ing for they are cut off at the waist line,
but do not close in for tight fit. Instead
they hang out rather freely, and are slop-
ed open and gusseted in three places on
the bottom On the front they close up,
with fly finish so high that a necktie
just peeps out at the top. The sleeves
are severe and narrow notched collar,
faced with corded silk, folds away about
the neck.
With soft slazy silk in dull pink. blue,
green. or red these coats are lined, and the
one pocket in such garments is set on the
outside and rather high on the left breast
Now no woman with full hips and bust
should presume TO assume one of these lit
tie garments. for manifestly the jaunty cut
of il will only display her rotund propor-
tions TO the most ludicrous disadvantage
The plump short person can in all safe
ty, though, claim as her own the coat with
the beetle tails; the coat that is swift
cutaway over the hips and drops its rear
skirts to the wearer's knee or even TO her
heels There is only one great drawback
TO this wrap; II does not lend itself to sue
cessful make in the hands of any but an
expert tailor Still the beetle backs are
bound TO have a season of great popular
exaltat;cn, though il requires no great
acur,cn TO decide that one season will
round out their existence. The style OF the
garment, like the prevailing cut of skirts
is too exaggerated 10 hold feminine favor
over long.
Dandyish short wraps are piped with
silk instead of strapped in their seams
The silk matches the color of the coats
cloth and the select coatings for this year
are gray covering instead or brown ink
blue and iron rust brown military melton
and later We are going to have silk and
poplin wool grenadine coats made over COL
ored silk Innings
Women who know how TO buy at the
remnant counters have excelled their
shrewd genius by purchasing reduced
lengths of crushed velvet, velours, antique,
embossed satin. etc, and making them up
into coats bodies with cutaway tails and
hung with huge lace iabots in front. A
gorgeous looking body is ineXpensiyely
compiled by the sewing woman who comes
to the house, and all sorts of old skirts,
silk. satin or wool, are worn out in the
now waning season by aid of the coat de-
vice.
The one message, warning, or advice on
the tongue of every dressmaker is the
overskirt Not to wear an overskirt is TO
argue yourself hopeless Philistine OF
fashion. The light weight, light toned
Henriettas Amazon cloths, wool armures,
the lovely white drep du Sudan and the
countless cotton weayes, are being rapid
ly converted into costumes with Greek
pepIums, round apron effects, or tunic
draperies. We may disproye on the score
OF comfort, but We can't help relishing the
novelty that has been SO sorely needed
for some time in the lower half Of the
modish toilet.
After all, so excessively airy are the
spring goods without exception, and SO
skillfuliy has all superluous width been
eliminated from our draperies that We will
not carry In the overskirts an inch of actu-
al extra material.
The placket hole is still a mystery and
only the maker of a skirt and its wearer
know how il is got into. No riding habits
were ever made to fit with more of a we'll
put-cn- wallpaper effect than the skirt of
the moment, and II is neither untruthful
nor ill-natured TO say that women who
are broad in the beam, heavy in hip and
show great abdominal fullness commit
hari-kaf, so far as their own grace and
good looks go, by adopting this excessive
ly Partisan fashion.
The latest extremity TO which this fash
ion has gone is that of lacing the skirt up
in front. The skirt Is Slit open about ten
or twelve inches down from the waist line
and this opening, when the garment is in
place, Is closed by silk lacings that run up
60 the waist and there form bowknot
with gilt-tipped ends.
Taking the signals of spring as they ap-
pear day by day one finds the foulards in
evidence with very few changes, in their
spots and dots and strippings over last
summer. Silkalisse is a charming novelty
goods. half cotton, half silk. very soft
washable and in changeable blues, cerese
yel!oWs, and star greens. Don't be in the
least afraid of Bayadere strips. They are
fashionable TO force reckon with still in
grenadines wool goods, etamines, and
ginEhams.
II elaborate preparations for heavy sales
are significant then white cotton gowns
especially embroidered ones, are sure "a
be dominant feature next summer. Few OF
such toilets, bear IL in mind will be made
of plain white nainsook, muslin, or piquc
more or less conservatively trimmed. TIE
truly pretty and admirable white dress will
instead be a maze Of embroidery and tucks
Some years ago a costume of that tyne
represented enormous hand labor and Z
huge dressmaker's bill.
This spring bolts of white stuff manu-.
factured in alternate stripngs of embroid
cry Insertion, fittings OF lace and cluster,
of the delicstest little tucks will lie OF
counters at price any purse will be abb.
to compass. and 1t will require no grea
amount Of skill TO put such q gown il
wearing
ed and gathered fills are also sold, read!
fsr application in the shops.
The first fashion swallow. so 10 speak
always appears as 2 harbingeT of sprini
in women's hats in the attractive form o
flowers Feathers at this moment are de
cidedly twisted by long battle with mid
winter dust and gales. and women are gla,
enough TO prolong the useful beauty OF
felt or velvet toque by replacing bedrag
gled plumes with knots of fresh posies.
a stalk of flowers is the momentary pref
erence. II stands up as high as six inche
where the plumes lately waved. and II
body is wire, wrapped with ribbon. an
onto this small roses. vlolets, primroses
pansies, etc. climb In close-set company
quite like holyhocks round their garde
stakes The wire framework is then 6
fastened TO the hat that at every nod @
the wearer's head and every passing breez
the stalk sways this way and that. Anoth
er springish idea In millinery is that @
having ornamental hat pin heads unite
by pretty chain punctuated with sma
jewels or tiny enameled flower faces.
One Womnn's Way.
young woman who was compelled o
account of Ill health to give up her posi-
tion as stenographer is doing mending O
all sorts for girls who are clerkng