Evening star., 1902-01-18
CHRYSANTHEM U M SKIRTS
THE FLOUNCED CARRIERS INTRO
DUCED BY PRIMA DONNA.
Up-tO-Date Society Bellies Are Said to
Be Wearing Them
Now.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Petticoats trimmed with thirty-five yards
of pleated and starched brussels net fiounc-
ing are none too wide at the foot for even
ing wear As these underskirts have
grown closer about the hips things have
extended in area at the foot until the
dressmakers and manufacturers have been
put to it to supply anything that is ample
enough for fashionable requirements. 1t
is the skirt prodigiously gored, and frilled
from the knee down, that has wrought
such changes in petticoat manufacture As
the new year advances the top skirt has
increased in fullness at the base and in
Vulnerable schemes have been put forth to
provide support from beneath.
Some women there are who affect only
white embroidered lawn skirts that are
made in one closely fitted piece down to
the crest of the knee. At this point as
many as seven equally long, equally full
and vandyck edged flounces are set on,
one layer of fullness upon another, so that
when the top skirt is lifted a billowing
mass Of diaphanous lawn swirls about the
feet. Each one of the fiounceS has its edge
cut and needle worked In points, but on
the top fiounce only embroidered motifs
run riot and lend an air of inexpressible
richness and hower-like daintiness to the
toilet.
When a petticoat is of silk, lace flounce,
superimpoSed upon lace founce, gives the
required width and fluff, and, if a light
evening dress is worn, white skirt only,
trimmed with yards and yards of wide
knife-pleated brussels net, will supply the
spring and foamy fullness an evening pet
ticoat should possess; these last net
trimmed skirts are adopted especially by
debutantes who affect net and chiffon and
liberty silk simplicity of frock.
Some Of the debutantes, by the way,
wear what are called chrysanthemum un-
derskirts Of white silk, trimmed at the
knee with a couple of killed white chiffon
flounces, upon which falls a perfect shower
Of white baby ribbon loops and ends Of
different lengths. To the tips of every
length silver spangle or a white muslin
blossom is sewed SO that when the dancer
whisks about ball room her occasionally
lifted dress reveals flashing cloud of sill
very fire or what looks, as one man de-
Scribed 1t, like a miniature rotary snow
storm. AS many as ten bolts of white
taffeta baby ribbon are employed In the
making Of these chrysanthemum skirts;
hardly less popular are the equally fragile
pagoda petticoats. with twelve hounces of
pleated liberty silk, each one a half of an
inch shorter than the others. and trimmed
with guaZy frilling of chiffon rose leaves.
Along the edge of each fiounce white lace
wire Is run and piched, at intervals of
three inches, into points that hold the deli
cate mass in a series Of crisp flutes.
Latest among the inventions for increas-
ing the vaperous abundance about slippered
feet and silk clad ankles is the founced
garter. This was first invented and worn
by comic opera prima donna. who does
skirt dancing to tunes of her own warbling,
and who saw possibilities of amplifying-
her already voluminous dancing petticoats
by hanging ankle long frills from her silk
garters. An enterprising society belle
found this novel device applicable to her
own needs and she gave the frilled garter
fashion such free advertisement among
her smart friends that founced elastic cir
clets, fastening below the knee with
charming Jewel-studded buckles, were
freely exchanged as Christmas gifts
among those who dance for pleasure only.
HARRIET LEE.