The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-26

could have done a thing like thati"
exclaimed his wife; Il did. though"
now settled, hope we can have our
bridge in eace."-New York Tribune.
Those new walking skirts, with fare
contrived in dozen ways, have
brought about a revolution in petit
coats. They have done more. for try
ing to hold out that voluminous fare
in its proper way has been too much
for the petticoats, until kinds have
been evolved especially for the work.
The circular fiounce has proved
most satisfactory-the more circular
it is, the better. And the deeper IL is,
the better, too, until, in some Of the
prettiest, 1t seems as though the petit
coat were cut in half-the upper part
(to the knees) plain and close-fitting.
and the other half, all frills and flare
Yet, in contrast, come others with only
an eight-inch dounce.
The usual way of getting at the
necessary flare is to make the fiounce
of a succession of tiny circular ruff1es
with the top one shaped to fit the
skirt, and each starting where the last
leaves off, until the last one is several
times the width of the first. Then the
flounce falls in ripples that hold the
skirt out well. But the shirred rufhes
that have found their way on so many
dresses are echoed by the petticoats,
too. A circular hounce Cone that
reaches to the knees) is made up of
two or three ruf1les-circular, too, but
full, and shirred on with headings to
each other and to the foundation. And
tie body to the ruf1e; and some
trimmed with little pinked ruchings
put in where the ruffies join.
Sometimes the ruffles are cut in
deep points, but that is not an espe-
cially satisfactory way of having them
made, for it is the very edge of the
skirt that needs the fullness most OF
all, and the points take away from II a
m fhn
points is to have the top of the flounee
pointed, or to trim above the flounce
with pointed rows of narrow velvet
ribbon.
Ruffies are treated and put on in all
sorts of ways, from the plain. old
fashioned way to styles where the
ruff1es are interrupted by bands that
run at intervals Oengthwise) from the
top of the hounce to the lowest ruffie.
One way of ending them that is dis
tinctly new this year is in the puff
fngs that are on everything.
Silk, of course, is the best material
to have them made of, for there Is
nothing like it to make a dress set"
well. And, If you watch your chance,
the sales for very little-probably no
more than it will cost for a mohair or
moreen skirt And, II you have to
'skimp'' 1t anywhere. do 1t in the
lining material Lots of women do
that, anyway, on the principle that the
foundation is the part that has all the
hard wear; and say that the lining
foundation '1engthens the life" of the
skirt. And some women go even
farther making their petticoats Of
mohair and setting a deep silk fiounce
on. For it is in the set of the fiounce
that silk counts most.
Blues and browns and green are
worn most-except, of course, black;
with, besides, an occasional skirt in a
good plaid. Changeable, chameleon
and plain colors are all used.
Opera bags are getting more like
old fashioned reticules than ever,
with their exquisitely lowered silks,
some of them even carrying out the
idea in quaint bead patterns But
sober reds and blues come, too-sober
by way of contrast to the gay bits of
frivolity the others are-for palmer
occasions and simpler clothes.
The Boy-Oh, hol know what's the
matter with you. You're seasick-
The Griffin not seasick at all, Bobby
Brown. I've felt like this on land lots
of times.-Puck.