Gloucester County Democrat., 1902-05-08

should be against the law for woman
to have more than one dress, except for
her working rigs, and they to be the old
ones when they got faded. / tell you
women can't give SO much time to fix
ings and tend to their housekeeping
proper"
wondered what the wife would have
said on the subject had she been there
to make a few remarks, and also it
came into my mind that some of the
very women whose extravagant dress
he was so opposed to were among the
best housekeepers in the country.
Satin has certainly had the seal Of
fashion set upon it, for some of the
most beautiful of all the gowns are
made of this rich and lustrous material.
At recent ball in New York Mrs. Will
liam Astor wore black and white satin,
with the necessary trimmings. Mrs.
John Jacob Astor wore pale blue satin,
Mrs. Chauncey Depew had salmon
pink satin, Mrs. Richard Gambrill
cream white satin, Mrs. Charles B. AL
eXander white satin, Mrs. Cornelius
Vanderbilt pale pink satin, Mrs. Will
liam D. Sloane pale blue satin, Mrs.
James Burden, Jr., cream satin, Mrs.
Fl. Mckay Twombly rose colored satin
and Mrs. Richard Trimble pearl gray
satin, and there were many other la
dies attired in satin. A few wore vel
cade, but every other one had satin.
This is significant.
Satin is so easy to trim and wears so
well and looks so dressy that it is no
wonder that it has sprung SO suddenly
into favor. 1t will also be worn in the
street, though we need not expect to
see as concomitants diamonds and
point lace, such as were worn at this
grand ball.
A superb gown for almost any even
ing function was made of the richest
black Lyons velvet. The skirt was the
usual fitted shape, but it flowed widely
at the bottom and had one deep founce
of magnificent white lace, if not real,
at least perfect imitation. The rea-
son l qualify this is because a founce
of real point would cost fortune, and
few women would dare to trust such
lace to the tender mercies of awkward
feet. This flounce is headed by row
of fine jet trimming done in open net
ted design. The waist is prettily drap-
ed at the waist line and finished at the
corsage, with a row OF roses. The
sleeves are of black net, with chiffon
ruchings and a row of crush roses
around the elbow. A large black chif-
fon boa is carried. These are appar-
emily to be better liked than before. if
one may judge by the enormous num-
bers of them now in the hands of the
manufacturers. They are of every
shade of color and style of make, but
those in black or white or mixture Of
the two will surely be the most popu-
lar because the most becoming.
The summer dress goods are coming
in fast, and some of them are too
dainty and pretty to wear. They ought
to be framed as calendar pictures. The
lawns and printed batistes are literally
works of art, for the tiny blossoms rep
resented on them are almost nature, in
appearance at least. l saw one batiste
with design of swamp azalias thrown
over the surface with a liberal hand.
How dainty it was no one can imagine
without seeing it. All through the list
of thin goods it would seem that the
makers of them have tried to surpass
everything ever made before in point
Of flnenesS of texture as well as the
beauty of the designs printed on them.
The merceriZation of cottons had added
to them a richness and luster never be-
fore known. The mercerized cham
brays and lawns are simply exquisite
and made up beautifully. They do not
lose their richness in washing. Cling
hams and zephyrs are also treated to
this process, which makes them look
like silk. and therefore especially
well adapted to shirt waists and, above
all, to children's attire.
HENRIETTE ROUSSEAU.