Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-18

"a, to I.
IN THE STORES
| A glimpse at Washngton's shopping dis
| trict tomorrow will give the impression
! that the ground hog Is a false prophet,
| and that natures spring opening IS at hand
| Every up-to-date store in the city put WIN
| ter behind it on stock-taking day, and now
| stands ready for the warm weather cam
| paign. Revolving racks in enlargement
| departments are hung with spring suits,
| and shelves and counters heretofore de-
| voted to heavy. dark fabrics are now gay
| with summary goods that vary in quality
| from the thousand ana one new conceits
| in crepes, voiles and shimmerlng silks,
| to the old-fashioned, yet ever new lawns
! and prints that crop up every spring ike
| hardy ANIMALS in a country garden. 1t
! has been announced that this is to be a
| light color season, with pastel gray and a
new and delicate blue in the lead. These
colors are shown at all the stores here,
but they do not seem to dominate the
situation The buyer for one OF our
leading houses who has just returned
! from New York brought back with him
| line of suits indicative of fashions present
| within.
Every garment is made with a short coat
| of some kind; eton. boero, or the Lew pony
! box jacket, and the sleeves are lnYarlably
| OF the tnree-qu3rteF o. eihoW ie"s u,
which is a prevailing feature o. spring
STYLES These sleeves have lost, % some
extent, the bulge of the late winter ana
are now of rather subdued dimensions
finished with the turn-back cavalier cum,
to which is added. on very dressy suits,
a colonial fall of lace. America mas
taken a stand in the matter OF collars
From the studios OF such farIsiIn Dress
makers as Paquin Drecon, La F'rere, etc.
come the high military collar that fits the
throat under the ears. 1t Is picturesque,
but not comfortable for warm weather
wear and for that reason our nome mod-
istes are copying only those models that
show the coliarless coat. For Immediate
southern wear this house EXHIBITS Whtte
serge suits of the sack and box types, most
of them trimmed with stitched bands of
white glace silk and all of them hnlshed
with pearl buttons. On one dress the but
tons were SO many jewels, the stones being
oval canoes eXquisitely cut to represent
the head and throat of a goddess, and the
settings 14-carat gold. Another house
shows an equally attractive line of dresses
for southern resort wear. one Is OF cream
cashmere. the skirt a circular gored model
with tuck folds about the bottom. The
Jacket is Elton, with the internal laid n
folds that start at the shoulders and termi-
nate in rounded effect below the bust.
There is coquettish attempt at vest
just peep of light blue cloth braided in
white. The sleeves are elbow length and
edged with frills of lace. The high belt is
formed of the folds of cashmere.
Another pretty gown is of coral Panama,
with a full plated skirt and Elton jacket.
There are small revers of white Powered
silk, edged with white silk braid and small
ripples of lace, and the sleeves consist Of
three rather bouffant puffS finished with
deep lace The hat made to go with this
model is of coral straw and white plumes,
the one touch of contrast to the coral and
white of the entire costume being huge
rosette of narrow black velvet that holds
the plume in place.
a black Panama, made with demi-train
and many small black silk ruffies, shows
the high belt which fashion ordains for
general use just now, and which is abso
lutey imperative, so far as Etons are con-
cerned.
For ordinary wear it is noticeable that
the majority of walking suits are made of
serge Panama and mohair, and that the
predomnating color is gray; generally
mixed, in a half dozen tones; sometimes
broken into irregular plaids, and frequently
the solid color. with a preference for gun
metal-the shade We used to know as
steel"
Just as the shirt waist had made sue
cessfu attempt at breaking away from
ove.decoration and had returned to its
early simplicity of plaits and plain cuffs
along comes the new sleeve. This frivolous
adjunct to the seasons fashion has invaded
works will now wear shirt waist with
elbow sleeves and a We neck-unless she Is
strong minded enough to insist upon the
regulation pattern that has been her stand
by FOR SO many years. 1t is bee iuse or the
new sleeve, with it's radical change of fash
ion, that fine white waists have been sold
at such bargain prices during the last few
weeks.
Tie separate skirt will accent it's suprem-
acy the coming season. Our merchants
have, accordingly, provided their suit rooms
with seemingly inexhaustless stocks of
every fabric and pattern noWt Endorsed by
the grand arbiters of style. The walking
length will prevail, and there will be an
unusual amount of trimming, though as
formerly the tailored skirt will maintain
its popularity. Four and a half yards is
the correct width for the circular skirt
not wide enough to burden the wearer, and
yet full enough to avoid sagging in at the
ankles. Silk skirts especially those of
black taffeta, are shown for early spring
wear These accord we'll with the fashion
tendency for natty short coats of black or
coiored silk. One of the most sensatonaliy
new garments to be seen in Washington
stores tomorrow will be jaunty little coat
of plaid silk-green. blue, yellow and bright
red-to be worn with black silk skirt, or
later over white lingerie dresses.
III the millinery department of one of our
popular houses there has been placed on ex-
hibition a yellowish leghorn fiat wreathed
with blush roses. From the center of the
wreath in front streams a long, narrow
blush ribbon, which the wearer will use to
pull the brim Of the fiat forward when she
wishes to shade her eyes from the sun. 1t
is captivating revival of fashion OF
.bt.fore the war" days, and, it is said, was
made for the young bride of the White
House.
Another resurrection of by-gone styles is
,irab straw fiat finished around the edge
with dangling fringe of drab straw
"bugles." 1t is trimmed with gay plaid
ribbon. AS 1t shares the honor of the glass
| ca,se with the leghorn. the inference is that