The San Francisco call., 1904-12-18

season of the year when the very air
Is permeated with the spending spirit
and the windows show such tempting
fabrics and such dainty little acces-
sories Of all sorts and descriptions.
The absolutely essential thing for
the girl who spends much of her time
walking is a durable trotting suit. and,
while it should be serviceable in tex
ture, short in length and of a coldN
that will not show the dust and wear
and tear, it should always be pretty.
In fact, just as smart as it is possible
to get it. Fortunately for all of us,
the rainy day skirt is a thing of the
past, and a very dim and distant past,
at that But since cloudy weather
togs are as present as ever and will
continue to be as long as the winds
and clouds conspire against us, it be-
hooves every one to do a heap of
thinking and TO buy with cloudy
weather in mind.
Thanks to Dame Fashion, who
really is not quite as bad as she is
made out to be, there are an endless
variety of suits provided that may be
worn on rainy days without sacrif1c-
ing ones good looks in the slightest
and without sacrificing ones comfort.
either, but they must be constructed
just so or they do not bear the inn
press of style. And the beauty of
these gowns is that they are fashioned
in such a way that they can be worn
for many other occasions. They make
good shopping costumes; they are
splendid for a mornings promenade,
and they are quite good enough for
informal calls. Indeed, it is difficult
20 discover a dividing line between
calling and cloudy weather apparel
and that is the principal reason why
every girl should always have a hand
some two-piece suit hanging in her
closet ready to be donned at a min
ute's notice.
OF course, such a costume calls for
a nobby hat, and it goes without say
ing that it should be of the serviceable
kind. 1t should not be too large nor
yet too small, for one is not the best
Of taste and the other is a difficult
problem to keep from getting awry.
There is an English make of hat that
is just the very thing, for it manages
to look well whether it is tilted or
straight and even in the eagerness Of
a shopping tour it always looks digni-
fed and remarkably fit.
Almost any sort of a plain waist,
whether it be of cotton, linen or silk,
Is in good taste and nearly always
pretty, for there is such an abundance
of material and such a quantity Of
colors that one may close ones eyes
and grab blindly and get something
rn1w NJ &~f,~ afr,~
comes in with the neckwear and the
belts, for they form such an essential
part in the costume these days that
under no circumstances should they
be left out. Belts, let me say right
here. are divided into a number of
classes. And when one says a belt,
nine times out of ten a belt is the last
thing on earth that is meant More
often than not it Is a girdle or stom-
acher. or even a very wide back and a
narrow front. In fact, a belt is no
longer a belt, but anything that
chances to come from the nimbIe fin
gers of the ingenious.
Here is a belt that dresses up a plain
waist to such an extent that it scarce
ly knows itself:
Begin by buying three yards of satin
ribbon five inches wide. Pin one end
of the ribbon securely to the front of
your belt to keep it from slipping. Now
begin and wind the ribbon tightly
about your waist, gradually increasing
the width of the girdle. Finally pin
the loose end tightly and invisibly and
you will have as fashionable and as
girlish a girdle as you can desire. Or