The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-30
written for The Post.)

y.
When the evening breeze creeps in al
the open windows. and the music of the
waltz begins to sound, then will you see
tho summer girl of 30 drift into the ball
room, taller than any girl of your previous
acquaintance, a slender sinuous creature
clad In soft transparent, blow-away ia
brics, and trailing behind her misty clouds
of ruffes
Pink and white you will find her. like
Botticelll's Spring" roseate goddess
yelled in scarcely concealing gauze and
flowers.
No less strange than her height are her
other mysterious and gracious attributes.
Even her hair is no longer combed high
In the assertive pompadour. Dropping in
heavy waves low on her forhead IL lends
softer charm to her face, while preserv-
ing summer pquanoy by its dec,ings
OF blossoms and butterfly bows.
Her drooping shoulders are bare with
a certain emphasis OF white flesh flower
circled. and her arms, whether sleeved in
lace mitts or sleeveless seem like the
curves of her figure, long and beautiful.
Her bodice is so slight an affair as
scarcely to deserve that name. 1t Is a
scrap of lace or soft mousseline draped
ABOVE the waist belt, and slung from the
shoulders by flowers or strings of gems.
Her dress, II winding folds of cloudy
softness can be called IA dress might be
described as lace redlngote woven to fol-
low the lines OF the body with almost tho
oloseness and the pliancy of snake skin.
Al the feet II opens over bewildering tam
gle OF chiffon.
Words can not exaggerate the length of
limb and swaying height of the new sum
mer girl, or the alrness and thistle-do
lightness of her toilette, 80 delicate and
gay in color, so daring In It's revelations
OF hesh and figure. Twenty years ago we
mad the sad, sensuous English version of
tne aesthetic mode: today we have the
more chic and cheerful but essentially
similar French version.
The new summer girl wears for even
Ing no stuffs that are not fine and sheer,
calculated to lie in long folds or stealthy
curves with the ellnging embrace of a
lover. Tho new silks are called glove
skim" the new yeillngs are no more than
cobwehs; Of the new lacos dresses are
made woven in one piece with nothing
from throat to feet TO break the natural
curves OF the figure.
Yet all the summer girls adornments,
from falling hair and low, scarcely fast
ened bodice to meshing rufhes that hem
her footsteps seem slipping oil her. Her
sleeves, when evening dress allows them
are open the length of the arm and caught
across with clasps or ribbons; at the top
they droop away from the shoulder. Her
Empire sash ID tied in half-m knot
instead OF in smart bows. The flower
sprays that trim skirt or bodice are never
punched but cling and trail like wandering
vines.
This looseness is not carried, however
10 the soppiness and dishabille OF the old
aesthetic; rather 1t works with the soft
ness and transparency OF fabrics, with the
placing OF tissue over tissue in varying
lLusive colors TO produce in spite of cer-
tain frank dwellings curious effect of
vague charm and mystery
Towards the evolution OF the new sum
mer girl three conspicuous Americans have
materially contributed. Probably the an
est outfits made in Paris this season have
been provided Tor Lady Curzon, Vice.
Refine OF India, to wear at the summer re-
sort Of simla, and for Miss sloan and Miss
Fair, the two Vanderbilt brides. The per-
sonal tastes OF all three of these women
run to extremely slender effects, and their
wardrobes. exemplfying great length Of
skirt and, in the case of two, the daringly
decollette. have done much to establish and
confirm the present modes.
Chicago woman now married abroad,
VINO left Paris to accompany Mary Letter
10 India, has written to American friends
descriptions of several OF the Vice Reines
Simla dresses, all with clinging overskirts,
transparent pettlcoats and, In case of the
evening dresses, bodices which are nothing
but broad Wristbands with a wlsp OF lace
draped over tho corsage.
One of the most remarkable OF these
dresses Is ball costume of white india
gauze. The foundation of this dress is
pink silk, showing dellcately through the
trailing clouds or the lighter material. The
gauze skirt is made With series of
founces powdered with gold and caught in
places by pink gauze rosettes. Over this
comes long redingote of Venetian point
lace, which fits the figure more smoothly
than glove, the seams being held HAT and
without wrinkles by some material like
featherbone. The corsage Is cut very low
and round. leaving the shoulders entirely
bare, and being kept up only by strings
OF large pearls The decolletago is edged
by 1ounce of gold-Powdered gau2e, which
Is continued in litts fan-like frills crossing
the arms some six inches below the shout
ders. Nobody alludes to these frills as
sleeves.
Following such high example. the sum
mer girl will wear trailing skirt without
a seam in the back: and. next its peculiar
outline, one of the most notable things
about her toilette will be its lavish use of
exauisitely light and subtle wreaths and
flower sprays.
A graceful evening dress for young
girl is carried out in white embroidered
yauze hung over an underskirt of pink
chiffon falling in many small. soft frills
The whole effect of the toilette is of great
sellcacy with gauze corsage falling quaint
ly away from the pink chiffon ruches
which frame the shoulders. The gauze
ileeves drop on the shoulders. leaving the
ask of supporting the bodice to trails OF
Wild roses which are thrown over the
houlders. Al the back of the bodice starts
mother rose spray winding about the left
tde OF the skirt 10 the front and thence
ropping TO the edge OF the tunic, which
| nearly encircles.
Another flower gown is OF ivory
BRUSSELS net embroidered with light run
ing pattern Of silver thread. sequins and
my diamond dew drops. The hem OF The |
lkirt has an application of Brussels lace,
- .