Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-20
IN MOURNING CARB
Less Grape is Worn Now Than II
Years Past.
FEWER HEAVY CREPE Wells SEEN
DuII BIack I'm Every Material UssS
in First MourninE-Pure white
Accepted for Home ana ~
hummer Wear. TN

mourning garb when the SHOPS are ah b"F
with bright coiored and lowered muslins
and silks and Easter is approaching. but
there is need Of mourning attire at all sea-
sons OF the year: and since mourning wear
varies with the changing modes there Is
necessity for chroniciing its changes.
For years past there has been a decline
In the use of heavy Grape, and here indeed
is a change which should be welcomed by
all rational women since It means the re-
moval OF a menace to health.
OF course Grape is still much used, but
chiefly by way Of trimming, and not so
heavily even for this purpose as Il once
was. Occasionally one still sees welghty
and dismal trappings of Grape, and there
are women who feel that 1t is the only
material whose sombre elegance can eN-
press the depth OF their grief or who cling
to the idea of heavy Grape for traditions
sake; but fortunately the profusion Of ones
Grape Is no longer accepted as the measure,
Of ones sorrow. and deep mourning attire
does not of necessity mean Grape.
Dull black in any and every material is
acceptable for first mourning and thanks
to this change mourning frocks may be
made comfortable even in midsummer.
There are many pretty sheer black stuffs
VI Quii SuIldtG-NOlltSt tnllloilSt nelSi elCs-
and, moreover. pure white is being more
and more accepted as summer and house
mourning. provided always that it is white
of a suitable sort. soft, lGstreless, simple,
Exquisite white frocks of soft, cashmere,
wolfe, chiffon, dull finish crepe de chine.
etc, are worn for house frocks by many
women in first mourning, but they must
be Of the utmost simplicity, and the slight
st pretentiousness OF elaboration robs them
of the character desired. We saw the other
day several frocks ready to be sent home
TO a woman who is in first mourning, but
husband and children dislike seeing
her always In black. One. Of these models
was especially pretty, a little house frock
of sheerest white wool wolfe on a founda-
ton OF duh finish white crepe de chine and
with a trimming of narrow folds OF white
crepe. There was a tiny yoke OF the white
crepe, above which rose a transparent col
lar of fine white dotted net, and there
wear little undersleeves of the dotted net.
The dull finish silk yelling such as. in
black, is used for draping many mourning
bonnets is a desirable frock material for 4
mourning either in white or black. This
material, chiffon, dull crepe de chine and
net are all used for thin blouses to accom-
pany coat and skirt costumes, and attrac-
tive methods of this kind are to be found
ready made in all OF the better shops.
Usually the trimming is a matter of Grape
cords or bands, hand tucks, or perhaps
a little fine soutache braiding, and the
collars are close and high, for wear with
mourning bands or narrow line of white.
For mourning not of the deepest charac-
ter, however, and for the more youthful
women coilarless or Dutch neck effects
are sometimes used in the mourning
iblouses and frocks, and a transparent
black collar is permissible, though a trans
parent guimpe OF any considerable depth
is not considered in the best taste.
Embroidered net-both silks and net
without high luster in case Of deep mourn
ing-is a charming trimming for the mourn
ing frock and is much used on everything \
from cloth to chiffon. A dull crepe de
chine model, which is made. up also in
silk wolfe. was prettlly trimmed in a yoke
of heavily embroidered net which ran
from the base of the throat down to the
top of a very deep draped girdle, filling
in the space between the soft folds OF tho
crepe which ran from the shoulders to the
girdle. A tunic overskirt of the apron
type, plated at the sides and shortening
toward the back, fell over a plain skirt
of the crepe. Collar and undersleeves
were of transparent black net.
This model and two others excellent in
line and detail are illustrated on this
page and should offer acceptable sugges-
lions to anyone who wants a simple, yet
good looking frock for deep or light mourn
ing.
The materials employed will, of course,
vary with the degree of the mourning,
but the lines and details Of all three frocks
are excellent and they hail from an au-
thoritative source.
The Russian tunic idea is most success
felly carried out in some soft, light ma
terlal, though it gives good results even in
cashmere or serge IL well cut and ad-
justed and the skirts weighted. The
smart Russian tunic or coat today has
no awkward fullness over chest and shout
ders, but fits easily and smoothly there,
the fullness below being let into the waist
band or girdle I'm little plaits or gathers
carefully adjusted, and the slight fullness
which appears in the skirt Of the garment
is adjusted quite as carefully, with no -
hint of thickness or bouffancy over the J
hips. 2
A tunic like the one OF the cut, in some
sheer black material such as chiffon cloth
or etamime, worn over a clinging plain
frock of crepe de chine, is smart and
effective.
A dull finish black hopsacking trimmed
in crepe is the third frock OF the group
and is admirable in a severe, trim, tall
ored fashion. Where heavy crepe is too
deep mourning a heavy corded silk might
be used in this model with good results.
The list Of woolens, silks and wool mix
lures and silks which are available for
mourning uses Is a very long one, and this
year more than ever the fancy black
weaves in silk and wool or fine wool are
varied and lovely. Embroidered designs.
lace stripe designs, broche designs on sheer
ground or on heavy ground-scores OF beau
tifuI things in duh or ~lustrous black are
offered.
Brilliant jet and spangles are OF course
taboo, but beautiful dull jet and palette
trimming are put upon elaborate frocks
and we saw last week a wonderful French
dinner frock OF dull black silk gauze whose
flowing tunic drapery was weighted down
by superb embroidery in these duh black
paillettes, while the bodice was almost en-
tirely Of the embroidery save for the softly
draped sleeves and folds OF tulle inside the
demi-decolletage.
The heavy crepe veil has to a consider
able extent gone with the crepe gown,
though like the latter Il Is still worn by