The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-08-19
PRETTY GOWNS FOR GIRLS.
For the First Time in Her History the French
Maiden Is Wearing Fashionable Dresses.

Trouville, August s.--tSpeclal Corre-
spondence OF The Post)--The French girl
Is emerging from the severely prosaic con-
dition in which her mother has always
kept her into one that Is more agreeable
Tor the girl and certainly more attractive
To the outside world.
1t Is e wonder that the French girl
has ever married. kent In the nursery
and tho school room. denied the pleas
ures OF the world. seldom or never visit-
Ing the theater or opera, going nowhere
and seeing no one. she mas grown up
big eyed. innocent creature. as unlike the
American girl as II Is possible 10 picture
her.
After her marriage which was always
arranged by her parents. the shrinking
girl energies into the society woman, no
longer timid, nor retiring. but with her
whole life bent, apparently in making up
for the time she lost in her girlhood.
Tho Misses Van Allen, daughters OF j.
j. Van Allen. the wealthy American who
was appointed to the court Of Italy by
President Cleveland. but who resigned
from diplomatic reasons, were educated
In France. after their mothers death,
which occurred when they were tiny chill
dren. To their horror they were allowed
no pleasures beyond few most simple
ones, such as were given to a child of .,
and when they sought to gain the Intel
ieetual freedom OF grown women they
were restrained So. with Miss Pauline
Astor. but. In both cases. the fathers or
the girls rescued them and gave them
such freedom as Is allowed In America
~
The French girl is being seen now, al
never In her life before. At Trouville tho
other day the writer counted half a dozen
young women OF is walking upon the
piazza or one OF the hotels. They were
we'll dressed in all the pretty little be-
longinEs that seem part OF glrlhood.
By their side trotted a pink iannel young
man bent upon pleasing hem. They were
French summer girls--types that were
strangers TO France before this year.
A French girl who formerly wore any
old thing" Is now very modishly attired
in fine little gowns that are designed for
her and built specially TO Al her 1gure.
In response to the demand for gowns
for growing girls one OF the tradesmer
upon the Rue de la Paix advertlses de-
signs for half grown girls. and very be.
coming they are, with their broad waiste'
effects and their skirts that are made tc
escape the grounu.
So very pretty are some OF these gowns
that you see young women who have beer
out several seasons copying them and
dressing like the girl OF It, even to the
wearing OF the hair in a big loose coil Al
the very nape Of the neck. where a bis
ribbon bow secures II.
While the figure OF the growing CIR
should not be confined In corsels. yet Il
is true that. il the woman is going tC
wear the corset, she had better get uset
TO It as girl. The girls corset, as now
made. is straight In front and Is worr
merely as a support for the skirts, and 4
must he confessed that 1t is more com
Portable to wear such garment thar
TO 20 without &C. as the skirt bands d.
not cut so cruelty nor do the garment
sag In all directions, Until the empir
styles are revived to stay vivIhed. AM
oorsets are abolished, there is nothln
that will meet the demands OF comtor
like the corset with the straight front an
the slightly curved back Upon thes
lines are all the gowns for girls nol
built.
model sketched at Trouville was !
blue albatross. with the skirt laid in bo
plaits all the way around except rigl
in the middle OF the front where II WA
plain. The waist was made with a shire
front and plain back. Such delightful
sleeves were made with the bell shap
elbow faring we'll: and inside this bel