The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-16

niicence, weird. dragon shaped inser-
lions of nousseline were used Then
sashess of every description had prom
inent place, and at the height of the
dancing the floating ribbon ends re-
minded one OF a confetti shower how
ering about the heads Of the dancers
The day after there was nothing do
ing" But the next. Dorothy and I be-
gan the pilgrimage along the avenues
and through Twenty third. We met
Mrs B. in a novelty shop where only
stocks and real frivolities of dress find
abiding place. She was putting on an
enormously weighty looking silver
chain which hung down to her knees,
and from which dangled a fish scale sill
yer bag. The chain was the latest Of
its kind since it was one-half pound
heavier than the original worn by
Bernhardt. Chain wearing in itself is
not so new. but upon the weight Of the
article Just now depends its claim for
fashionable distinction The craze for
antiques in this particular is as appar-
emit as in the chatelaine which one wo-
man, in order to Guido all others, wears
made Of copper.
We met in our rounds some friends
who gossiped a lot One told us she
had seen photograph of Chartran's
magnificent and costly portrait of the
Duchess of Marlborough which he had
according to account, is wearing her
hair low upon her neck, with a small
curl coming forward over the shoulder,
and more jewel clasps than have ever
before been seeh on any bodice This
augurs well for the gold slide fad
Dorothy bought an assortment of the
sweetest French ginghams in tiny shep-
herd plaid checks. amber, pink. blue
and black and white These she is
having made up into skirts and shirt
waists. heavily feather stitched in
wash silk. She will wear velvet ribbon
belts and an entirely new arrangement
Of stock. with a strip coming down the
front Of the shirt and tuclzing in at the
belt. Buttonholes are worked in the
ribbon velvet. and she wears studs of
garnet set in silver or OF turquoise set
in gold. with link buttons which join 3
strip of the velvet slipped over the
wrist and worn like bracelet
We wound up the end of the week at
a mans bonnet shop, so to speak. and
INDUCED in panama straws gayly bedeck-
ed in liberty Kerchiefs spotted or boquet-
ed in the bonbon shades Before we reach
ed the mans halter we had an interest
ing time looking over some old wood
cuts of corsets and stays of long ago,
which, from description. lacked pliabil-
ity, but otherwise were much the same
straight front affairs we wear today.
acteristic of our modern corset until
saw one of the Hampstead women who
don't wear one try on a coat with a
position back and compared her figure
to Dorothy's. who at the moment was
swa ggering around in a petunia cloth
strapped in striped panne-an exact du-
plicate in cut. Be warned, therefore,
by me not to try the basque coat unless
over a straight front corset. The diff
ference is there. and yet I am unable to
explain until I make a further study
what it really is.
7 am beginning to wonder what peo-
pie did il the country houses before
bridge was invented Nowadays the
moment tea IS over the tables are pro-
duced.s and directly after dinner the
game begins and goes on merrily until
the small hours. Music is looked upon
as nuisance, interfering with the
cards. theatricals are barely tolerated,
and the mere suggestion of drawing
room games is an outrage. If we except
parlor golf, which a fashionable young
dominic has introduced. And here am
finishing UP my chat hurried1y to be of
for bridge whist. though petulantly
criticising the hold It has upon our af-
fections-