Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-23
Dress Allowances

seems to me-" said one of the group Of girls
that dress allowance is about as useful
as a set Of New Year resolutions. 1 mean
an allowance that keeps within its limits
or, rather, keep you within its limits" The
speaker had made reckless plunge in the
direction of a new spring frock, and limits
of any sort didn't particularly appeal to
her. Its just this way. You plan to spend
Just so much on clothes. 1t looks lovely on
paper Hats SO much. gowns SO much and
silk petticoats, and all those little items bal
ance with your ready cash until you begin
to think you're a genius at bookkeeping.
Then start out to spend your allowance and
see what good figures do you. Your hat
takes a large block out of the new dress.
which, in turn. absorbs the silk petticoat en-
tirely You are as likely as not to have
three new pairs of shoes and no stockings
to wear with them, and If you have good
supply of underclothes and gloves at the
me time It's because you're lucky and not
practical. Yes, 1t seems to me the results
are just the same whether you have an al
lowance or not. You are always short on
what you need, so you might as we'll go
ahead and buy what you want and not
bother your head about figures" Talking of
clothes, an English girl over here In Amer
ica writing home, admits the American
woman dresses we'll, but complains that she
has no national originality. When she is
tailor built she is Bond street; when she is
fluffy and frilly she is Rue de la Paix. and
a translation never has the verve and force
of the original; when Miss Columbia is
pretty she is all right with the exception Of
her voice, but she isn't prettier any oftener
than girls of other countries, and it is all
brag to say she is. And, pretty or plain,
there is an air about her of Il am the cor
rect thing in girlhood' that makes the
European smile. Don't you think Miss John
Bull would find some originality in the
group of spring hats illustrated herewith
The Hourglass Figure.
One thing is certain. women who have
hips are now showing them, and those who
haven't-well, some Of them are showing
them, too. The advent Of the so-called hour
glass figure means chiefly the difference be-
tween the hipless. bustless, waistless figure
which obtained for several years. and
which, when not a misfortune. was a libel
Of the womanly figure, and figure defined
sharply by corsets and gowning. 1t is GER
tainly great improvement on the figure of
a year or two ago, and 1t is delightful to
discover that some women one never sus-
pected of even waist line appear decidedly
feminine in the newer fashion. Drapery has
a great deal to do with ones apparent fig
ure. The arrangement of few plaits or
gathers makes all the difference in the
world. The woman with the fiat figure and
no hips need not despair in these latter
days, for a few plaits or shirrings, properly
drawn, will give width and fullness to the
hips, and with the drawing in of the waist
line more prominence and fullness are given
to the drapery Of whatever sort forms the
upper part of the bodice. 1t is by no means
| necessary that women should resort, as
they have from the time of their first inven-
ton down to the present moment, to the
use of all sorts Of made articles to remedy
defects of the figure, for the skillful modiste
can evolve methods of making or trimming
that will conceal even quite serious defects.
provided a woman Is not positively de-
formed.
Plated skirts. held fiat for a few inches
below the waist line and then allowed to
flare suddenly, give width and fullness at
the hips, and where the well-developed
woman carefully trims out the under part
of the plaits at the top of her gown. If it
has not already been done for her, the thin
one will leave them in. and so on. A little
thought on clothing and a frank admission,
to ones self at least. of ones de-
fects will enable any woman of taste
and sense to appear to advantage,
IL she makes the most of her strong
as possible 1t Is only the well-made woman
who can put on any costume and yet look
we'll.
The Tailor-Made Waist.
BY almost imperceptible degrees the tai
tornado waist has regained its place in
madams spring wardrobe, from which it
had been eliminated for several seasons.
AS Of yore, Its favorite form Is in white
materials. ranging from fine linen to that
soft ottoman silk which has quickly es-
tablshed itself in feminine affections. Then
there are the various grades Of faille soft
gros grain silk and liberty satin, as well as
the washable brocade stuffs especially made
for shirt waists. These, however, are less
used than formerly.
Colored waists are also fashionable-in-
deed, being much more practical, they
rule in point OF numbers. They are pre-
cisely like the white waists in form and
demonstrating the linen ones. The latter
by the way, have their own models, differing
slightly from the others.
AS for the making. when we say 'sbox
plaits without yokes" the story Is told for
the heavier materials. There are various
ways, however. of arranging the plaits
xuhich are naYar mora than an inch xrida