The Washington times., 1904-05-29

The round length. as generally ac-
cepted. is the skirt which just touches
the hoor. Maybe it a little more than
touches. It is precisely the same length
front and back and all the way around.
The round length usually lies upon the
floor an inch when one Is standing still.
But in walking 1t escapes prettily.
though it requires holding up in the
street.
There is of course, the pedestrian
skirt and the walking skirt. the trotting
skirt the instep length and the skirt
which escapes and discloses the feet.
But this skirt is of a different brand
and is bred Of a different fashion. 1t
has nothing TO do with the wartime
styles OF 1904. 1t is in every wardrobe,
but it is not the keynote to the fashion
by any means. The day has gone BY
when the trotting skirt ruled the fash
ions.
Trimming Wartime Skirt.
The trimming of the 1860 skirt is not
always the same. The skirts Of forty
years ago were ru11ied with two deep
ruffies. with a piping. or stirring or a
band Of lace above the ruifies. But in
these revival days a greater variety IS
allowed There is a strong resemblance
to these 1860 trimmings, yet there is a
difference. Rufies are not actually OBJ
ligatory. though it is a wise woman who
wears them if she can
RufTies are by far the most attractive
and the most effective trimming of the
summer They are light and floating,
and they give the gown an air of grace
which il can get in no other way. Ruffies
OF the same material, upon gown OF
sheer stuff, are enchanting, and they
set off gown OF any light material in
a most marvellous manner.
The Floating Variety.
Those who can recall the rufied bellies
Of 1850, and Of the years following, will
assure you that the woman OF those
days was all that grace and
beatty could make ner; and they
will tell you that her gowns.
instead Of being built to severely hug
her figure, were OF the floating variety,
the airy fairy Lillian type, the type
which enchanted, even though 1t did
not convince.
OF course, there is no need of trying
TO tell you that this airy floating crea-
ture OF 1904. this wartime girl, Is the
most admirable girl Of recent years, for
are far too long and far too thin TO
be admirable. and she IS not hygienic in
her style OF dress She wears too many
floating ribbons. she is too much be-
trimmd with garlands. she is far too
deeply founced and laced, to be strictly
admirable. But, oh, she is so pretty.
The nealthiest ard strongest and
most sensible girl OF all was the tailor
made girl Of 1890. But she was too Sc
we're. Nobody liked her. The world
could not stand her. Ard she died out
And now have come the reaction days.
The tailored gowns have lost every iota
Of their simplicity.
New Lace Trimmings.
The wartime girl Of 1894 II she does
not trim her skirt with rufies, is trim
ming them with lace. She IS placing
fat bands of very fine old fashioned
lace upon her skirt and is bordering
them top and bottom with narrow bands
OF black velvet.
This, by the way, Is a very popular
trimming The band OF lace running
around the skirt and the band OF black
velvet bordering IL top and bottom. is
very chic. Every old fashioned dress
maker viii tell you how 1t il done. You
sew the lace fiat TO the SKIRT, runnSzaS