The Washington herald., 1913-03-16
Expert Tells Of the
BY MARGARET WADE.

With Easter Sunday just one week OF
and the forsythia in bloom on Highland
Terrace. the thoughts of the average
woman naturally turn to spring millinery
Owing to the uncertainties of the weather,
however. as well as the fact that Easter
comes at an earlier date than for half a
century. few real spring fashions are on
view except at the modiste and milli-
ners.
Better wear a becoming velvet hat to
the last days Of March than an unbecom-
ing straw all summer seems to be the
wise conclusion of a great majority of
women, for at the smart gatherings of
the past week velvet hats. fur-trimmed
suits. and even furs have been strongly
In evidence.
The Misses Wilson are doing their
sightseeing in the simple corduroy and
vslveteen suits in which they travelled
from Princeton a little more than a week
ago. These costumes are dark blue as re-
cards the two younger daughters Of the
house. Miss Jessie and Miss Eleanor Will
son. with skirts escaping the ground by
three inches. and smart little French
coats quite of the kind we have seen in
Washington all winter. Their hats are
soft barret crowns, with medium wide
brims exactly alike. except that the sin
gle ostrich plume used as trimming on
Miss Jessie Wilson's hat is in shaded
green. but on her sisters in shaded pink
tones. The eldest daughter of the house.
who looks the youngest, being petite and
rather delicate in appearance, is wearing
a golden brown corduroy, also OF the
coat and jacket model, with a round,
dropping brown velvet hat.
In the matter of theater dresses Mrs
Wilson and her daughters have set an
example that all the polite world will do
well to notice. On each occasion when
they have occupied a box they have fol-
lowed the English tradition of wearing
evening gowns. At the National Theater
on Saturday night, when the President
made his first appearance in Washington,
Mrs. Wilson. who accompanied him, wore
gray satin, with pointed neck and half
length sleeves. a wellcut, well-made din
ner gown. extremely becoming to face and
ngure of the new first lady.
Her sister-in-law, Mrs. John A. Will
son, wore one of the handsomest gowns
ever seen at Washington play. A very
elaborate black velvet. obviously
trained and draped skirt. with top of
lace and silver embroidery. This was
made with a square decollete and half
length sleeves.
Miss Wilson. who accompanied her
parents, wore a well thought out gown
of white satin and embroidered net the
satin forming a high wasted skirt, the
net all in cream tones and girlish sur
plice bodice smart enough for a White
House dinner party. yet simple enough
for the occasion on which it first ap-
peared.
Miss Margaret Wilson, at the SYM
phony concert on Tuesday, wore one of
the apparently few spring suits of the
occasion. This was light brown diagonal
in coat and skirt model, showing the in
huence of the French fashions, as TO
its well cut coat. but without the ex-
aggerated sectional skirt. Except for
the two lines of buttons matching the
material. the skirt was entirely untrim-
med. The same buttons appeared on the
seams OF the coat, which had as its dis
tinctive feature smartly shaped collar
Of heavy cream lace, shallow at the
hack. with rather broad pointed front
extending in 4 narrow V line to the
waist
With this Miss Wilson wore a modish
little hat of brown hemp. trimmed with
one long tall skeleton feather rising from
the front. This feather shaded from
brown to pink. the latter tone was re-
peated in a line of small roses encir-
cling the base of the crown.
Even in these between season weeks
Mrs Wilson's example of theater dress
is having a beneficial effect on the ap-
pearance of all audiences. Mrs Charles
McCawley, always one of the best dress
ed women of any occa sion, wore to the
play at the National on Monday evening