The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-09

In no way does the luxury of life and ihr extrayagance of modern dress show mo'r prominently than in the dress that Is re- squired at the fashionable watering place ci today. The morning gowns none are every bit as costly and made on much the same lines as the ball gowns, and even the exceed ingly plain and ineffective costumes cost more dollars than was formerly considered necessary to pay for a wedding dress. The trouble Is that at most of the watering places. that is, the very fashionable ones, the season Is short, people go there Tor holiday making even those whose life Is one long holiday and the expenses are too great to be met by any one who has noeA loe or money to spend, and ln order to participate in any of the pleasures, whether outdoor sports or indoor entertainments, grade or costume is requisite that in itself cannot fail to cost a lot of.money. Then, In these days 1t ia always pronounced imperative that woman should always be neat ana trim, what the French call bien seignee. This Is always expensive, for It means that there must be number of smart accessories of dress and plenty of changes of dress, and above all, capable maid to keep ail' these different gowns in order, TOT the woman who can keep herself and her elo.nes in good trim through watering place sea son without the aid of maid Is most re- markable among her Kind.
 rather tailor made appearance-coats and skirts, long coats and short skirts of linen and, as a rule, of white-is preferaDie' They are in every possible grade of material, made with insertions of lace and hand em. btoidery on the linen severely plain, ana worn with most elaborate batiste, lawn or silk waists they are the smartest garments imaginable. Very expensive are the waists, as we'll as these apparently simple gowns for the lace Is real, only hand work should De used and everything about them Is on the most expensive order. 1t would be impos- sible for most laundresses to launder sueh waist satisfactorily, and to have II cieaheu so as to retain it's pristine freshness IS py no means a cheap matter, so that II can easiy be seen that a sufficient number Of sucn cos tunes with all the accessories rhereoi, must needs cost money. The white pongee gowns made with the plain coat and plain skirt, are very smart do not require to be iaunoereu .o often and are in the end less expensive although they have the disagreeable quality of soon getting mussed and tumDied- the rather heavier pongee Is better Tor such gown. but, of course, 1t is warmer, just as fine heavier linens are much warmer than the light weight
 0f All the gowns that women wear the r.oet hecomina and effective are those elab- crate creations of batiste and lace or or me dawn and lace These are made this year on very much the same lines as they were last season, the sleeves showing more dinerehce E than anvthina else. The tucked skirts-that Is. those with the horizontal tucks at the hack and side-are tucked very fne almost like cords, and have an entre deux Of lace. The fiounces are edged with lace, with entre deux of lace. and the lace put on In loops and E Irregular lines or bows, just as was last 's years fad, Is stil In favor. The waists nave 2 the lace yoke or lines of lace entre deux, all teruating with tucks; the upper part Of the sleeves Ats close to the arm, and then fuii nun falls nearly to the wrist, where It Is mn ished with a band.
 Among the newest gowns are noticed great many that have touch Of black ID the trimming. Narrow black velvet ribbon or black tulie bows or ( black satin bodice and sash or a belt and sash ends fastened with A rhinestone buckle are extremely nretty with white or light colored batiste ! frocks. This is in contrast to the all white costume that has been fashionable for 90 long a time. Only an artists fingers could nossIblv have regulated the manner In which inc black is put on with these light mate. rials- It is not the old-fashioned style of running the black velvet ribbon through any beadIus of lace or embroidery, but the rlb- hon itself Is sewed on-a narrow velvet rib- hon and put on rather full. This on nchu and nounees Is exceedingly effective. When usel in q bodice there is often not another touch of color or contrast In the eostnuA