Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01
PASSION FOR APRONS
A Pinafore Boom is Raging Just at
Present.
SIX LOVELY MODELS WELL NAMED
Becoming Possibilities Of the New
Autumn Hat.
TIL E POPULAR BICORNE
special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

! Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| NEW YORK, August 81, 1900.
Every now and then a passion for apron
| wearing seizes upon womankind There is
| at this writing pinafore boom raging with
impetuously pretty frills and irresistibly
| coquettishly contagious force even to the
| uttermost confines of fashion.
| Speaking most conservatively every sec
| ond workbag is overlooking with materials
| for apron manufacture. Apron patterns
are exchanged. admired and copied on sum-
hotel verandas In place of dolly and tray
! cloth designs, and it is interesting and
amazing to see how charming and various
the methods of tablier making can be. One
pink and white debutante at Bar Harbor
confesses to the ownership of forty-seven
aprons, and no two alike. If any ones
curiosity is strong enough to lead to an In
vesugation OF the origin and object Of this
adjunct to the crisp summer toilet, 1t will
be found that this fashion owes it's re-
vival to the hospital ship Maine that went
out to shelter and bring home sick SOL
diers from South Africa, and to the I'M
quenchable coQuettishness of the lady who
was Lady Randolph Churchill.
Bell, book and candle and love and the
register have lately changed her name to
Corvallis West, but for all that, when the
Maine went to South Africa Lady Randolph
refused to wear the plain and to her no
ton unbecoming hospital nurses apron.
Before leaving London she had a set of
strange but very bewitchng little pima
fores made up for her own uses, and so
entirely attractive did all the wounded
heroes pronounce her appearance in the
aforesaid insignia Of a nursing garb that
the apron took a mighty hold on the in
terest of all the other would-be daughters
of mercy.
Aprons in the United States.
Over here. where we have no sick SOL
diers' brows to smooth, the apron has taken
root as a perfectly indispensable finish to
breakfast dress. Go visiting to country
houses and in the morning to the sound of
gong in troop the pinafored girls and young
matrons, some In French Bingham,
in foulard, some in the most filmy white
handkerchief batiste and some in Swiss
that Is as crisp white spun sugar
Every pretty light goods is pressed into
service, and the most exquisite are of hand
embroidered organdie, and of linen deco
rated with pattern of drawn work so
elaborate and fine that a spiders eyes
would bulge with envy to see it.
Nevertheless. nearly every apron one sees
is the work Of amateur fingers, and of the
six most popular modes of apron making
as shown in the sketched group every de-
sign has it's own name. The girl in the cor
ner wears a Marie Antoinette. made of the
palest yellow organdie, decorated with
double rows Of lace insertion and needle
worked fril while black taffeta shoulder
straps form bow knots on her shoulders
Next to her is an Ophelia, in palest laven-
der batiste, with violet ribbons running
through embroidered headings by way of
decoration. Near to this is a Marguerite, Of
white hand-woven linen, with wonderful
drawn-work border and pastel blue ribbon
belt and streamers. This Is perfect copy
of the apron that Calve wears in Faust"
The near neighbor Of this handful Of dainti
ness is the Colonial Dame, done in pink and
| white checked Bingham, with white taffeta
ribbon bands for ornamentation, and hang
! ing near by is a Powered organdie and
rosy China silk affair, known as Lady
Randolph and an American beauty.
There is one very pretty smart apron
model shown In a sketch to Itself 1t is
made of snow-white linen and embroidery
and worn today by weil-set up mattresses
| when serving in the dining room. The tiny
| white muslin bow is now worn well for
| ward, sort Of idealized cap.
High Heels Hold Sway. -.
1t was perfectly inevitable that the reign
| of short skirts and the influence of the.
| apron would encourage the growth Of high
| heels and slipper wearing, outside evea We
| randa precincts. Short Of the golf links
| women this season wear their slippers
everywhere. They very plausibly insist that
| In the dog days even the most delicate
| bronze ties are clog upon the wearer's en-
ergies, and therefore we have the Prince
| Charlie, or the Paul Jones, or whatever
to give a becoming nigh heeled, broad
Mapped, buckled walking slipper that Is all
the mode. One adaptable shoemaker has
| increased his earnings by contriving this
eighteenth century shoe In half patent
leather and half black box cloth. The cloth
back of the slipper runs up high at the rear
Of the ankle giving support. and 1t is quite
undeniabie that, though this special foot
gear Is quite as heavy covering as the
ties, both large and small feet are greatly
enhanced in dainty appearance by their
wearing.
This IL the shoe seen everywhere In the
shopping district. and impressive il the
hosiery that covArs the ankles Of Prince