Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-07-14
THIN WHITE DRESSES.
By Mary Annable FantonN

| Wy mary Annable Fanton)
| inc thin white dress seems always as
soclateu win inc idea of summer. Tho
heroine VINO inspires love at first sight in
Variably makes her first appearance in IL
white muslin gown. These drnpcries Of
| filmy white suggest to the Imagination
youth, innocence garden parties leghorn
| hats and love stories.-yct they are becom-
| ing even to the gray-harod. Made as
| they are this season with full skirts many
rufcs and low shoulders they make the
| modern girl look like n picture of her own
| grandmother, so that IL her grandfather
were to see hcr suddenly on n summer day
| he might easily think that he looked upon
some bewitohing ghost out if his own
| youth.
Never were the thin white materials 10
he had in such a bcwildoring assortment
| or materials. in varying degrees Of white
ness, from the sample lawn Of Is cent null
to the costlicst of lace and chiffon.
To the ultra practical woman these
| Gowns may seem an unwise investment
| LOT anything save "A ball or dinner gown
as they become easily soiled. especially
when made with long skirts: something
or the first bloom disappears after the visit
10. the cleaners, and the process of wash
ing is either supposed to be impossi bic. or
Is thought of as reducing the gown to a
lower place ir 'ho social scale.
| This, hove is not the case. II the
washing is pcrly done. the material
need not SUI in the least. Then. the
short skirts, which arc now worn with all
save ball ana dinner gowns remove ono
potent cause of soil-every woman has dis
! covered the impossibiity of holding I'D all
Of a long full skirt at once. And even tho
! hoaVy lace gowns. which arc so rich in
| erect IN ecru and deep cream, will wash
| beautifully in boraX water with some good
white soap. Women who expect to have
| their gowns last over into the next sea-
son, will ind 1t an excellent idea to have
| tho lace ripped and washed at the end OF
tho season before putting it away or hav-
| ing 1t remodelod in the fall fashion, as the
case may be-
| This heavy lace should be washed in
| boiling water that contains four table
snoonfuls of bornx to n tub Of water Soap
should not be rubbed upon it. but used in
tho form Of suds Tho first rnsing water
should contain ono Tablespoonful Of borax
to one tub of warm water. The water
must not be wrung out from the thin ma
| torials or lace; thcy should be squeezed
and shaken. The heavy lace can either
| no pressed on the wrong side with hot
iron taking care not to pull or stretch It
out of shape) or it can be pinned down on
| top OF sheet and stretched upon tho
/ floor.
Almorst all the thin lawns. muslins and
! organizes II washed in this way without
! much rubbing. will not suffer from Iaun-
dering. indeed, they seem to come out with
an INDEED daintincss. Care must be taken
or course in the choice of the lace that ia
IN go on the washable dress. for some lace
IS very perishablo. II is not likely that
tho process need he gone through more
man once or ut most twice In n season.
but white dresses Of this description do
NOT readily 90 out Of style unless made in
| som" worry "phermeral fashion and thew
are capable of surviving many considerable
4 Washinss. Il is tho rubbing that wears
out and destroys delicate fabrics and a
! method of cleaning without friction will
, make tho wearing ~ nice white frocks a
moro unnived blessing
Even chiffon may he washed although
tho pressing Of il Is a delicate operation
If the material IL not scant and has hem
at tho bottom II is possible 70 turn chif-
fon dress into ono Of delicious creepy ma
torlal by washing it without pressing
/ TIL" woman who expects to wear her
gown more than one season will not
! choose to have her now white gown made
in too elaborate a manner or in one re-
quirinC her material TO be cut up in many
| small pieces but will be fairly conserva-
| tive in the style she selects remembering
| that for such n gown the simpler WAYS
arc invariably the most charming More.
over. the gown that is to be worn in the
summer and ont of doors does not want
10 be built upon such lines that a sudden
shower will destroy its usefulness for
ever.
The use of ecru yellow or cream colored
lace upon a thin white gown gives a
charming effect. more charming. as a
| general tnl0g, IMAM tho pure white lace
which must be really very beautiful in
order not TO appear common.
| Coorcd ribbons worn with white dresses
or used here and there as accents of color
arc more becoming to some women than
| all white effects. If these dresses are to
be worn with a picture hat Of leghorn
Panama or Tuscan straw, it Is we'll to
have the ribbons In the same color scheme
as the hat
! The most washable Of the fne thin ma
| tcrials are Persian lawn, GaUze nainsook
batisto, India null. post de esprit and
| French organdie.
The very cheap cotton fabrics nearly all
wash well. lawn. American organdie. dot
| tod Swiss and mercerizod muslin can be
| done up each wcck, ard with ordinary care
| and the latest possible rubbing will como
out looking Ike new.
The heavy laccs wash hottor than tho
scattered patterns on fine mesh, and tina
| heaviest lace is The most fashionable.
| Any girl with the least Cloverness with he!
| needle can make pretty white froCks for
| herself this summer. The most fHshion~
| able skirts plain. full short and orna-
| mented with Only few wide tucks. Tho
| waists are full hlouscs. high-necked for
| street. halt low-n"cked for house. and for
| evening the old fashioned low. round
| neck. one sces II centurv-old miniatures,
The sleeves arc large and usually end a,
| the elbow.
| a few dolars and few hours will
| make n gown that viii convert the moderI
! tion OF her grandmother.