Evening star., 1901-02-02
SEASONS NEW COLORs.
Sometimes the Tints Are New, hut
Often Only Their Names.

Often Only Their Names.
From the LONDON Mall
There are several ways Of describing the
new colors. One way, perhaps. would be
to say that many are merely old colors re-
vived. Ancienne Is as up to date as any,
and is used when mellow tint is described.
and In particular those borrowed from the
Vatican period. aged and softened by time.
If you take out of an old chest a piece of
antique brocade and examine the colors
one by one you will get precisely the new
dyes generically termed ancienne.
Bonbon and fondant coiors are also we'll
named. 1 see no reason why they are not
still given the adjective pastel. however.
for of a truth the tints that are going to
be used this winter are of that peculiar
brand, though they have not over them the
white bloom that used to distinguish the
pastel coorS of year or two ago.
A tint that is being much used again is
pastel rose. and for an afternoon toilet
at a wedding or smart reception nothing
can be preltier than this color In crepe
such beautiful folds. There are certain
sartoral traditions that have fixed them
selves firmly in the minds Of those con-
cerned as absolute truths that are not to
be gaInsaid. One of these is the unwritten
law that certain colors suit certain COM
plexions and that certain other colors do
not
Like so many truths in other depart
ments of existence, there is a substratum
of verify in these, but in the main they are
utterly wrong. 1t is not easy to under
stand for instance, why the neutral tints,
especially the browns, should in oiden days
have been recommended to girls with mud
dy compilations of nondescript kind. Such
skins require color; they ought not to be
ma tched by the dyes of the fabrics worn
near them. Besides that. brown is one of
I, irwin pf hfIa hat pIyhn
possibly choose, and yet 1t Is decidedly a
fashionable color this season for street
toilet, and is Being made to look very
pretty with the admxtures Of touches Of
Old pink, filmy cream lace, and as much
sable as can be acquired. Gold, too, is also
charming on brown cloth, provided the two
are managed with artistic discretion. Then,
again. brown and black, if daring, are quite
successfully worn by a woman with fair
skin much touched with bright red color
ing.
Though to the fair in olden days only
blues and pinks were allowed, there Is no
color more effective than amber for a
blonde. The grays. as rule, are also the
prerogative of fair-haired gir.s, and here.
again. 1t Is our duty to contradict our an
cestors, who would think the combination
far too fnsIpld to be pleasant. 1t is also a
charming hue with hair of russet gold and
even of Titan red, provided the complexion
be of pale and fair caliber rather than Of
a pink one.
tions that used to relegate to midde-aged
danes silver grays, dun browns, and the
purple shades. also the blacks to which
they were particularly prone. Indeed, black
is dye that should never be put on ex-
cept under stress of sad circumstances.
save by those with a Gear complexion
tinted with color. or an absolutely white
one like marble. AS for the grayS they are
most becaming because they Increase the
apparent bulk Of a person.
The evening tint that middle-aged
woman inclined to embonpont should
choose is primrose. The purples are kind.
especially in the daytime. but they should
be of the dark-prune persuasion rather
than Of the heliotrope kinds. To glance
from colors to materials, 1t Is difficult to
judge why satins should always have been
supposed to suit dowagers. 1t does not
Anybody with round figure. hips that are
prominent, and genera! aspect of shape
lessness. who puts herself into satin
gown is behaving In the most cruel way
possible to her own appearance and to the
feelings Of those who behold her.