Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-09-21
FACTS w
FEATURES 3
FA Nj 4 !
WOMEN

,
"a think of going without gloves
and hat as of appearing on
any OF the frequented boulevards with
out being attached to some wonderful
combination of embroidery, brocade
and gold and silver lace which the
american calls bag and the French
woman sac. Either word fails sadly
TO describe the marvellous concoc-
tons that are the last cry in matters
Of fashion.
The particular feature sought for in
the making of these handbags is that
they must not bulge. Capacious they
are and they may contain much, but
tney must seem to be empty Every
material has been used for these sacs
leather, snake skin, velvet, silk,
satin, tapestry, lace, insertions. The
bags vary in length from a quarter
to half yard and some are even
longer They hang from the shoulder
right or left. according to choice, and
they may fall below the knee.
-Four or five hundred francs are
asked unblushingly for some Of the
most elaborate of these, and examin-
Ing them closely you will find mono
grams, coats Of arms and various de-
signs worked in embroidery. Big but
tons, each work Of art in itself, hold
the nap loop; the cord is twisted and
lied and ornamented along it's length
with other buttons, and many tassels
OF gold or silver threads swing on the
outer edge. The shape is at your Sc
iectaon--octagonal square, round.
Studded With Turquoise.
At one Of the stops for the Passy
bus you note young person dressed
In middle class black. The gown Is
neat and trim, Of course, but it has a
sort of homemade look about it. 1t is
possibly worn by young milliner or
dressmaker returning from work, but
her sac might belong to duchess. 1t
Is OF oyster-cciored suede and hangs
from her narrow shoulders by a thick
cord of silver, twisted along it's two
yards of length into knots, in ,the GEN.
ter Of which blue stones are inset.
The surface of the bag is studded with
bits OF turquoise, and when she gets
Into the bus she has to lift it to pre-
vent its scraping the dusty steps
In the Latin quarter you have
stopped for breakfast Next your table
monsieur and madame sip their cognac
and cafe Madame raises her eve
glass and notes your bag. 1t is a
Broadway bag Of last years vintage.
With impassive face the lady demands
"votre sac" and you resign it into her
keeping.
Madame views the sac infinitely. It
Is patterned after one of the old-time
reticules. She returns it with suaye
gesture.
"C'est bien." she says.
Then she looks disappointed. Your
companion nudges you and you take
the cue.
"votre sac, madame" you say in
turn.
Madame looks pleased and explains
While she motions monsieur to reach
1t that 1t Is mere nothing.
The mere nothing has surface OF
kid, champagne tinted. 1t is large
enough to hold moderate sized wash
and is studded all over its surface
with pointed copper articles about
the size of thumb tacks with pyrami.
dal tops.
All Femininity Akin.
You become ecstatic, and when YOU
come to pay your bill monsieur DO.
litely takes the 50-centime piece with
which you had planned your escape
from the waiter, picks jauntily two
sous and explains that it is quite
enough and that foreigners spoil the
walters. The waiter glowers at him.
while madame twirls her bag with a
gesture of adieu, which seems to i'm.
ply that the possession of a bag in
Paris makes all femininity kin. There
might be less important bonds of in
ternational sisterhood.
Pursuing your way you meet a fig.
ure different from madame, but with
her too the sac is the most conspicu-
GUS object of the toilet. Her dress.
the usual pillow case, allows her to
make only short steps and in mo.
ment Of flight from an impending
fiacre she has to put her feet together
and jump back. When she does It
her bag flies forward and hits dap-
per Frenchman with a monoplane
mustache and you walk on while gmu---
tual explanations follow.
She presents the prettiest figure
you see on the rive gauche. Her dress
is of white, with crocheted buttons
and appliqued buttonholes on either
side from hem to corsage. One side
Is slit to the knee. Her hat sits taun-
tily over her head, covering the ears
and most of the forehead. It Is Of
white stray with panache of black
nlgrettes. Over the side of the short,
CLOSE fitting jacket is pinned tri-
angular frill, another style of the mo-
ment.
The black velvet bag, hung by silk
cords from her right shoulder, barely
escapes the ground. 1t has score of
tiny black and white tassels for gar
niture