The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-02-24

If you really want to ''catch on" to the very latest modes in lingerie the place to go is not to the big department stores, with their countless shelves and boxes full of machine made goods that are turned out by the hundred to be worn by the thousand, but rather is 1t to the establishment of the little French lingere, usually located upon some smart side street where the individual customer is the unit of style and where fittings are arranged for nnd accomplished as at the swellest tailor's in town.
 There is just such little shop in New York and a visit there is just like breath of old France. The little woman who keeps it is herself a Frenchwoman of education and taste, and If she will but condescend to talk to you there are ever so many delightful things that she can tell-if she only will.
 The other afternoon 1t was damp and rainy and generally disagreeable out of doors, when this scribe bethought her of the little lingere. The shop-only it is not like shop at all; it is rather more like library in a private house where the bookcases have all glass doors, with exquisite lace panels to hide the bindings of the books inside Only instead of books 1t is on those same shelves that Madame keeps the dainty garments that serve as models from which her customers give their orders, and each shelf has its large wadded sachet covered with the sheerest lace-frilled muslin, and breathing odors of Araby whenever the doors are opened.
 Into this delightful spot, with the old fashioned open grate fire and the copper kettle singing on the hob-yes! there are actually hobs to those oldtime brass grates-the seeker after fashions wan dered. The big, green willow chairs, with ni 1ali litrb ft11E oh tz looked inviting; and when Madame grace fully suggested a five o'clock'-only she called 1t a "feev-o' 'clock"-the acme of comfort and cordial hospitality seemed to be hers.
 And so you want to know what Is the latest fashion in the little intimate gar ments, ehy' queried Madame. "Eh, bien, ma chere, cela depend sur h femme"
 ",rherc are fashions and fashions, just IS there are women and women 10 wear them" Madame went on. You know, nowadays it is not as it was long ago, when the rousseau lingerie was planned to last half q dozen years at the very least, and liberal corbeille, or marriage chest, contained articles that were SUD- posed to last the bride for her entire lifetime Durability rather than style was what they aimed at onr mothers and grandmothe
 
 ma chere. The bride of today aoes not wish to wear the same things for years and years. Indeed, few years ago the quantity of lingerie that is ordered now would have been thought seant and even stingy. But this generation likes 10 change frequently, and prefers to keep uD with the very latest caprice that fashion can evolve"
 But what are the brides O. today or dering from you. dear madaneY' queried the scribe. Have YOU any lroufseaux ready. and. oh!'-with soulful sigh would you be perfect dear ana let me see some of them?''
 'Assuredly," graciously prrred Madame, with her sweetest smile. You know well what a pleasure it always is for an artiste tc display her work to vue W ho can ap- preciate it. Just today 1 aIl going to send Miss yanderbillions irousssau home. and you shall see 1t all. every piece.' And there was note of conscious triumph in the little Madames voice.
 You know that never repeat de-