The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-08
First Aids for
Bodice Builders
by HARRIET HAWLEY.

First aid to the worried home dress
maker comes this season in the form
of lace accessories. They come in all
sizes, makes and prices, the only limit
being the size of the shoppers purse.
The wise virgin will not waste the
oil of her nervous energy designing
intricate bodices and blouses, but will
counter, and lay up accessories
against the day on which she wishes
to transform a simple tucked or
shirred blouse into a smart afternoon
or evening creation.
Ready-to-wear lace garments or ac-
cessories include smart, pointed cir
dies, fitted and boned, which come as
low as $3.50; jabots and half-sleeves
starting at the same figure; vests and
stocks combined; boleros, with or
without girdles; stocks, Jokes and
berthas ready to adjust on a finished
garment, or to insert into one that
is under way; yokes and panels for
OVERLAPPING or inserting into skirts;
and for dinner and reception gowns,
the most intricate of long skirted jack
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lace or Irish point, the former very
light and transparent, the latter very
heavy and impressive-l looking.
Foundation Must BE Simple.
The foundation upon which these
graceful lace or mousseline combina-
tons rest must be a simple one. II
q gown is already trimmed with Swiss
embroidery and Valenciennes lace, 10
add a girdle, bclero or bertha of
heavy Arabian lace would be to over
trim and to weigh down u dress al
ready sufficiently trimmed.
The girl who really wishes to
economic and get the full value of
her investment in laces will have a
number of simply made gowns with
which to combine the accessories.
An organdy dress trimmed elabo-
rately with lace-edged ruffles and In
sets or medallions will cost as much,
if not more, than a silk costume. A
crepe de chine or wolfe will double its
cost if made up with lace medallions,
or a yoke and bertha of embroidered
mousseline or chiffon, combined with
lace. Yet each of these garments
stands as separate and exclusive ex-
pense item.
If the home DIRE ssmaker feels that
she can afford to spend a certain
amount in ornamenting summer
gowns. she can have several more
frocks by fashioning them simply
and having the trimming and acces-
series detachable, to be transferred
from one dress to another as occasion
demands.
A Matter of Money.
For $25 she can secure a supply of
dainty accessories sufficient to round
out six to eight simple costumes. She
should be careful in selecting these
articles, so that they will combine well
that the half sleeves will not be too
delicate to wear with the girdle, yoke
with a flounced edge, a bertha, two
pairs of half sleeves, or undersleeves,
and a small bolero.
If she can do dainty hand work, she
will pick up innumerable bargains In
lace or embroidered mousseline which
she can fashion into detachable yokas,
though as a rule, these ready-to-Wear
creations have an air quite their own.
Her purchases will work out innu-
merable combinations If she has a
dimity in the natural linen color, with
the blouse tucked from the neck to
the bust to simulate yoke, she can
enhance this effect with her lace ber-
tina in point de Venice or imitation
Irish point. and wear the girdle to
match. Or if her taste runs to Arabian
lace, she can use the same foundation
dress, covering the tucking with a deep
yoke of Ara bian lace, edged with a
double ruff1e of chiffon, matching it
with d girdle.
Swiss embroidery and Valenciennes
or Mechlin lace are frequently COM
bined. A Brussels net is used with
Irish point, and the Oriental lace edg
ings are used in combination with
point de Venice. White and ecru laces
are also combined, but either the light
or dark shade of lace must harmonic
perfectly with some tone in the dress.
For Crepe de Chine or silky Chif-
fOns.
For a crepe de chine or silky wolfe
dress, the blouse may be shirred, with
three quarter sleeves built on flowing
lines. With this she may wear half
sleeves of net-top lace, such as a good
imitation of Brussels net, and a bolero
and girdle of heavier lace, or she may
have a bertha and a half sleeves to
match. The same girdle and bolero
may be worn another day with an