The San Francisco call., 1899-03-12


MNM me-" said a friend the other
II W Y day. What perplexes me is
4 ~ what to do with the bargains
l have already invested IN.
It is not given to every
woman to shop both wisely and We'll Anu
the things which under the hands Oh an
overplausibIe salesman seem too tempt
ing to resist prove on closer inspection
hut g snare and delusion. A pair of gloves
she discovers are rather more than shop
sOiled OH those two petticoats OF rust
ling silk what shall we do with them
How could she ever forget that hckle
Fashion has decreed that our garments
for the nonce shall be innocent OF rustic
And so on and so on.
Now, I confess that I have advised buy
ing bargains. But unless you are per
fectly sure that you can tell genuine
bargain shun sales as you would shun
the plague. Make up your mind before you
go exactly how much you can afford
to spend and what you want to spend 1t
on, and do not, under any circumstances,
be persuaded into purchasing things for
which YOU can see no immediate need.
The latter course is the way modistic
madness lies. Things that are bought
because they are so cheap" or so
pretty" or II am sure 1 can find a use for
them by and by" have an unpleasant
knack of not living up to your expecta-
tons.
STAPLE articles" as the grocers put it,
are the only safe bargain investments.
have listened to words Of wisdom from
a modiste on the subject of new skirts,
and / have taken copious notes, which
you shall have the benefit of. But first l
must tell you a little secret. One or two
of the ultra-fashionable modistes who
have just returned from Paris have
brought with them the latest Partisan
E,,II, 1nf11
of silk or satin, to be worn instead of
petticoats There was a hue and cry
some time ago about tights, but it proved
a false alarm. The modistes say, how
ever, that the knee breeches are very
popular in Paris, and they are offering
all sorts of plausible inducements to make
them popular here 1t S the only way to
make the overskirt fit properly" they
affirm. Now, we all want the sheathlike
skirt, but at the cost of wearing knee
breeches? That's the question.
These silk and satin affairs are called
knee breeches advisedly, for the knicker-
booker as q rule, such as we are used
to wearing for cycling and golf, has
a small amount of fullnesS at the back
and knees. But the knee breeches worn
in conjunction with these latter-day
gowns cannot be admitted any extra IL
Cense of this kind so, although they are
made to fit comfortably. there is an ao-
sence of wrinkle and crease about them
that calls eloquently for the perfection of
cut that comes only from a master hand.
Perhaps these knee DreeCneS Will SOlVe
the problem that confronts the ultra well
dressed woman; For how is she to live
and move in skirts that are made with
such extraordinary tightness and preci-
sion of outline that the ordinary move
ments necessary for a mild stroll or a
gentle waltz seem almost out Of the ques-
tion?
Certain it is, if the present fashion is to
hold good any length of time, the athletic
girl must sacrifice the joys of swift and md
Unconventional motion to most careful
and decorous use of her neither limbs.
In spite of this excessive shrinkage 1a4 IN
skirt, she still c1ings lovingly to the vol
luminous outline that drags and billows
about her feet. In order to make up for
the knee breeches some of the dressmak-
ers are utilizing rather curious method
for obtaining the billowy effect. A knee
deep founce Cor many f1ounces) is sewn
upon a broad band and then lightly
stitched inside the lining just below the
knees The fiounce is made either OF very
fine cambria or silk, and gives all the
effective fussiness and fluff1ness of an
elaborate petticoat while doing away with
any unnecessary bulkiness about the hips.