The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-04-02
Eleanor Francis Household Letter.

The Importance of Leather in Fashionable
Attire: Accessories that make a Simple
Costume Modish: Bags, Belts and Shoes
in New Leather and New Shapes: Paris
ian Gloves for American Women: The
Whole World Under Tribute to Supply
the Demand for Leather.
Correspondence of The Journal
One of the most noticeable things
here is the rapidity with winch women
acquire the knack OF appearing tnor-
oughly modish and up-to date IN their
dress, The costume that Mrs. A. wears
with just the right air after soJourn
here may be exactly the. same IN which
she looked conspicuously SUBURBAN on
her arrival. In nine cases out of ten
the change in her appearance has been
wrought by means of what are called
the s'smali things" in her toilet. Her
boots, gloves and veil, her modlsh purse
and shopping bag, all the finishing
touches that make the difference be-
tween modishness and dowdiness. The
clever stranger within our gates has
been quick to recognize that much OF
the proverbial Smartness OF tne we'll
~
perfection of her accessories.
Better a simple tabernacle with hand
some gloves of just the right shade,
footwear that fits to perfection without
unnecessary tightness and harmonlzes
perfectly with the toilet, than the most
elaborate get up that lacks in these I'M
portant details.
THE DEMAND FOR LEATHER.
The whole world is under tribute to
supply leather for fashionable accoutre-
ments, and the tanners art has become
of greater Importance than ever. In
addition to the immense amount or
leather used for shoes, gloves, bags,
trunks, belts and innumerable small
trimmings. the automobile has I'M
mensely increased the demand. For the
the fittings of the car nothing else is so
satisfactory, while the man who "chaufs,
if not the only one who rides Is AL
clothed in leather with or without the
fur on it.
NEW FOOTWEAR.
Never was the dressing of Woman's
foot of more Importance than at this
season, when the universal use OF short
skirts for all walking purposes puts the
foot so much in evidence. Where for.
merly the "Foot beneath the petticoat'
"Peeped in and out, it is now on view all
the time, and Its dressing makes or mars
the effect of any costume. Fancy shoes
are the rule rather than the exception, IT
we include the useful and popular tan
shades 10 this category. Odd vamps and
uppers are a growing style. Even IN
low cut shoes one sees this wrinkle and
quite as often as not the colors vary as
we'll as the materials.
The most desirable Of the new leatll-
ers is Chrome tanned glazed kid, which
is glossy soft leather, nearly as bril-
liant as patent leather but with none
of the latter's tendency to split Ill cold
or to torture the foot in warm weather.
Made of goat skin, the toughest hide
known to the tanner, the Chrome tan
ned glazed kid is unusually durable as
we'll as attractive, and is made up In all
the best styles of the season at the same
price as other feathers.
MATCHING ACCESSORIES.
New York women are making quite
fad of matching accessories. Shoes,
belt, gloves and shopping bag are in the
same color, often all i'll exactly the
the same leather except the gloves,
which are of kid or dogshin. The cas-
lest and most expensive way to acquire
these is to give an order for the set, but
most women prefer to buy, say the
shoes and match up the other things at
various shops. Shoes by the way are
not quite as sharply pointed this spring
and glazed feathers are more in demand
than suede or dull finishes, though in
white shoes great use is to be made OF
canvas the coming season.
GLOVE WRINKLES.
Long gloves are as much use as ever
Maize, in lovely soft tones, a mauve Oh
lilac more pink than last season, Copen-
hagen blues in all standings and greens
from reseda to myrtle. Whites and
blacks are not as much worn i'll con
trast with costumes as formerly, though
of course yery much used with black OF
white toilets.
The woman who knows how to dress
better than her friends at smaller cost,
buys the best in gloves, knowing that in
the long run she not only appears to
greater advantage but saves money by
selecting her gloves with care. "fo be
we'll booted and we'll gloved is to be
we'll dressed" as the French say, and
they know what they are talking about
in this matter surely.
SHOPPING AND TRAVELLING BAGS.
Very flat and decidedly large are the
fashionable shopping bags with few ex-
ceptions, and travelling hand luggage is
built on similar plan. Strange to say
capacity is not sacrificed to this gen.
eral fiatness of effect, for bags great
and small, are built with ingeniously
contrived side cores that allow them to
expand to meet demands for extra
space. Glazed feathers are rather more
liked than those with "buffed" or dull
finishes and this choice is sensible one,
since the glazed surfaces shed soil and
wear better than the suede fnishings.
BELTS AND BUCKLES.
Belts of narrow leather that harmon
ize with prevailing color of the costume,
or with its trimmings, are mOdlsh and
very many of these have metal slides
or stationary ornaments of various
forms. Glove kid belts made in girdle
forms and elaborate with steel and gilt
studdings continue costly and fashion
able, though no longer novelty. Buck
les finished in white and in colored en-
amels are used both with leather and
fabric belts, and elastics and metallized
gimp continue popular. CretOnne belts
hats and parasols are to be a fad OF the
coming summer.
ELEANOR FRANCIS.