The San Francisco call., 1903-12-27
ffTT shall be q geraniurn colored
crepe embroidered, with large

Crepe embroidered Win ldISo
4 silk sunbursts." said the mo-
distc. surveying her customer
critically. that is the most
effective gown for New Years day"
Impossible. I am too blonde to
wear bright red" said the customer.
a blonde OF reddish intonation.
Madame is mistaken" insisted the
modiste. Red is OF all colors the
one for a blonde. and madame is mis-
taken in thinking she cannot wear
geraniun. on the contrary, it is the
shade OF all shades. Why, Madame
X" mentioning a very well known So
ciety woman Of the inner circle, who
is the fairest blonde in society, will
wear geranium and I am building a
gown Of the same tone for Mrs. Y,
young rnatron Of the silver type"
Madame acquiesced. and among the
New York hostesses there will be still
another gowned in the soft red color
Of "the flower of the people"
Geranium promises to be the color
Of the new year. Geranium colored
gowns, all one clear. beautiful tone.
are being made, and flowers Of bril-
liant geranium tints are being en-
broidered upon bodices and skirt
panels.
And could anything be prettier for
evening wear? Under the glare Of the
electric lights, or in the more shaded
glow Of gas or candle, the bright red
comes out IN brilliant beauty, bring
ing out the charms Of the wearer and
The softness of her surroundings with
equal attractiveness-
There is a something about geran-
ium color which appeals TO one. 1t is,
as a French modiste said, a synpa-
thetic color It agrees with ones
moods; and what is more to the point
il is becoming TO nearly every one
from the ash blonde to the deep brun-
cite. 1t is a universal tone and few
women can afford 10 be without at
least one gown of this kind in her
wardrobe.
A certain hostess who receives in
formally viii wear gown Of geran-
ium red panne. very thin and Of the
variety known as chiffon velvet The
waist is plain except for great sun
burst Of pin tucks upon the front
The sleeve caps are trimmed with
sunburst Of tucks and the hips are
also tucked The sleeves are. cut wide,
in wing shape. and are filled with
graduated chiffon ruf1es. A gown of
this sort. while expensive as far as the
material is concerned, is cheap in the
long run. for il requires little or no
trimming. and it wears indefinitely
and can be made over later. In its
second season it can be trimmed with
embroidery. and. in fits third season,
II can be draped with lace or covered
with flmy stuff.
THE LADY OF THE PANSIES.
There is woman in society who has
chosen the pansy colors for her own.
She invariably wears them and, since
all the pansy shades blend charmingly,
she is always exquisitely dressed. Her
favorite tone is a lovely purple, but
she sometimes chooses the deep gold
OF the outdoor pansies: and then her
gowns come out in their full gorgeous
ness
Her gown for New Years day is
pansy yellow crepe de chine, with the
skirt made with plain panel front. The
hips and tucked and the skirt is ex-
tremely full, one Of those new enor-
mcusly fun skirts which hang in many
folds around the figure, loose yet cling
ing, voluminous yet in no way bouf-
fant.
The trimming Of this gown consists
OF folded girdle OF pansy purple vel
vet which is laid around the waist in
very deep crush of velvet. The stock
IS a silk band with purple pansies en-
broidered upon a cream ground Ex-
tending around the skirt are double
rows OF embroidered silk pansies.
The waist, by the way-and here is
one very remarkable feature of the
gowns a cape shaped affair, short
on the shoulders, very deep in the front
and waist deep in the back. It fas-
tens in the middle OF the back. It
hangs loose and is worn over an un-
derwaist OF soft organdie.
In preparing her gown for a New
Years reception, or, in fact, for any
nice occasion, one must remember that