Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-02-15
PORTALS new YORK LETTER

York to ''see things and she would
not bury herself where it was tool
suggested the word respectable, but she
looked indignant and said "too quiet. "
] let 1t 60 at that, as it is no use to
argue with Beth. All the world drives
up to the Waldorf in cabs, automobiles.
hRnsoms, fine broughams with high
shoppers ard victorias, and we sit in
the hall or palm garden and watch the
gay throng.
A very stunning girl passed by this
evening. She was tail and willowy ard
dark, and was dressed in automobile
red cloth, made la Princess. and wore
a big black hat and walked with an air
that made her most distinguished.
They told me it was Mrs. Duncan
Elliott, Sallie Hargous, that was, of
whom the New York papers used to
write i'll defision that she was as hand
some as painted picture on painted
wall. I'll admit she must make up
bit, for her cheeks were awfully rosy,
but she has been matron some years,
and as the world knows had troubles OF
her own with the lively Duncan, and
yet she retains the slenderness of girl
hood and that distinguished walk.
Another beautifully dressed woman
that flashes about here in the palm
room is from Chicago. The gossips
whisper there is divorce in the back
ground and many time millionaire
uncle in the foreground. Each evening
sees her in gowns extremely decolette,
with wrap to match, and she sits in
the palm garden with shoulders un-
covered, unconscious that it is not All
fait. But still she is forgiven for for
getting the unwritten Law when one
sees the quality of shoulders she ex-
poses.
Olga Nethersole came in yesterday
afternoon, SO enveloped in furs that
you could scarcely see her face. could
only think of her as l saw her the
night before as "Sapho,' when she
hung around Jean's neck, threw herself
at his feet, pulled and hauled at his
hair like clumsy tonsorial artist, and
in every way imperiled the mans life
every time he moved, by threatening to
trip him up in the way she wound her
body about his person.
From the maelstrom Of gaiety here
Dame Fashion has reiterated and locked
herself in her apartments to concoct
new and startling things for spring, and
in few weeks she will come out and
you will wonder why every thing looks
SO old-fashioned and out of date beside
hei. She long ago banished the habit
back skirt and no doubt is busy arrang-
ing founces and ruifles, for such they
say are to be the proper things for
spring and summer. ] hope she will pay
some little attention to the bellies and
matrons who are wearing garments of
woe.
] saw at Sherry's we'll known
rrp ~, inc for hat lnanhfo
She was dressed in light gray broad
cloth, deliberately braided in silver.
Around her left arm she wore band
of black. This may be considered
quite the thing, but to me it looked
entirely out OF keeping. Tt is an En-
glish and Scotch fashion, adopted by
us in that reckless way we are SO noted
for. What are we coming to in the
matter of mourning etiquette? Once
upon a time ccnyentionality with an
iron band held us to certain textile ex-
pressions of woe. Grape was once con-
sidered as exclusive in its associates as
the orange blossom, but we now seem
to have lost, SC to speak, our anchorage
in mourning ethics. Along the country
highways walks woman who, however
far from the metropolitan streets, has
read in the local papers the changes in
fashion, Appropriate to the time of
year, summer, she is dressed in pink
muslin with green stripes. She has on
close black bonnet with crepe veil
floating down to the very hem of the
pink muslin. "Why, Bridget, you are
in mourning; is your husband dead?"
"No, man, Pat is as well as liver
your are, but this is how it IS: Years
ago, when me first husband died, / was
that poor l could not wear black for
i'm, but Pat is we'll off and he can
we'll afford to let me wear mourning
for me fret husband. There is Just as
much feeling in great deal of the
mourning affected by the bellies in
the smart set. In fact, it has become
SO much farce that one questions the
observance Fashions orders now that
thin wells should be worn bordered
hat (the bonnets of old are discarded)
and the ends, half yard wide, hang
from the back of the hat to the waist.
l saw an article the other day headed
1.-THE Shit Waist Girl is With us
Again. Why the dear creature has
never left US She has been with us all
winter and in all kinds of pretty
French fannels, challies, silks and
piques. So much has been said about
the shirt waist that there is hardly
anything loft to talk about on the sub
ject. There is little change in the
spring styles, few yokes are seen, the
shirts are scanter than ever, the seams
of many are strapped and buttons seem
to be much in evidence. But far more
important than the shirt is the girl
who wears it, and she must know how
to wear shirt or class herself among
the mot noticed" 1t must be we'll
pulled down in front, smooth in the
back and graceful dip must be given
to the belt
Trains have come to stay, and next
month, when we don our spring cos
tunes and Jack Frost has been melted
to tears by the SUMS rays and is oozing
out of every crevice in the sidewalk,
we must know how to manage these
arrangements. If you are a woman
of fashion you already know how to
hold your skirt. If you are not you
must learn. Any morning that you
walk along Fifth avenue you can get
glimpse Of the proper way. The present
mode has smack OF Paris. 1t has
hold of her skirts from the very centre
of the back, but stretching back the
arm is not graceful and the rear view
revealed clumsy punching of skirts.
Another way is to grasp the back
breadth of the dress and drag it to the
front. This swathed half the figure
and was anything hut graceful. But
the smart girl of today droIs her arms
to her sides and takes the skirt in her
hand at either side. She pulls it up
H., LH, h.. NNf.