The Washington herald., 1913-06-08
GLANCE AT FASHIONS I'm. CAPITAL
Expert Tells OF the WellsOwned Woman OF Smart Society What
She Wears and when.
By MARGARET WADE.

show their individual taste as well as
their commonsense in tie matter OF
dress
Every outgoing steamer takes some
prominent hostess and numerous youth
full bellies of the past winter to the
European capitals, yet Washington still
claims a large and interesting company
OF fashionable women remaining to solace
the hours of their law-msking husbands,
sons and brothers
So long as Congress remains in session,
and Mrs Wilson and her daughters re-
MAIN with the President in the White
House. just so long will Washington con-
tinue the most interesting spot on the
map for a large proportion of the femi-
nine population OF the country While
all formal and Official entertaining is at
an end until November. there is a sue
cession of pleasant occasions bringing to-
gether smart and well-dressed COM
panies every day in the week.
Many of the new gowns of which
Washington has a fleeing glimpse these
days, are destined to grace more formal
occasions at Bar Harbor, Narranganset
Pier. or Newport, later in the summer.
II the present colony Of maids and ma
irons to be met at the Country Club, at
Chevy Chase, or even on the streets of
the Capital had no idea of migrating
northward as soon as the weather
reached a less agreeable condition than
at present We would soon arrive at a
uniformly simple style of dress. For in
Washington no woman is really COM
Portable in any but white cloths from
June 10 September. There are, OF
course, white gowns, and white gowns.
The observation-disclosures kind,
is a skirt and blouse, just as simple or
as expensive as its wearer cares to make
it. The white gowns that are going to
appear at the Newport Casino or some
ambitious Northern resort are of a
totally different character.
Mrs Wilson, true to her declaration
Of principle in dress as in everything
else, has shown her good taste in re-
viving the skirt and blouse model in all
white for her daily wear. While the
relieved from all domestic care by rea-
son of the excellent system Of house.
keeping installed by her immediate pre-
decessor as mistress of the White House,
there are few days on which she does
not make a tour of the town in one Of
the White House motors
On these occasions whether to visit the
tenement district in company with other
social reformers. to attend a board meet
ing of her chosen charity or do her per-
sonsl shopping this modest First Lady
Of the land appears in a simply made
duck skirt with blouse of linen or en-
broidered batiste. Mrs. Wilson shows
marked preference for the skirt open in
front or at the left side. which allows
an inverted box pleat at the back, to give
the needed number OF inches at the hem.
There are no slit skirts in the White
House wardrobes, yet Mrs Wilson and
her daughters are never conspicuously
out of the picture, however fashionably
attired the company may be. Mrs. Will
sons white skirts are untrimmed, except
for the line of white pearl buttons from
belt to hem The one in which she made
a tour of the shopping district of H
Street one morning in the past week
was made with the high waist line, thus
demonstrating another principle Of simple
dressing. in as much as this fashion
eliminates the belt or girdle.
The blouse worn with this was of fine
batiste or handkerchief linen without
yoke, with long sleeves brought into
narrow cuff-ike band at the wrist, and a
round stock collar. The collar and the
wrists were finished with narrow lace,
and the front of the blouse decorated
in a delicate pattern Of French emoroid-
cry. The latter extended across the
shoulders from the back in a deep
plastron shaped motif almost to the
waist in front With this Mrs. Wilson
wore a new black hat. a soft hemp with
round brim of uniform depth and a
broad. low crown. The only trimming
was a cluster of soft white feathers rest
ing on the brim, and under the over
hanging crown, on the right side well
toward the back.
Mrs Wilson wore white gloves and low
black shoes. The one single item of this
costume to distinguish it from that OF any
other simply attired lady en- route TO
office, to market, or TO morning bridge
party. was the quaint necklace Of jade
r1n IN he a
Of her collar. This artistic ornament
gave the one touch of color to the white
and black toilet, which by its graceful,
modest lines. its inexpensive serviceaoie
material and absolute good taste might
serve as a model for any well bred wom-
an of the Capital regardless of her bank
account, or her position in the world OF
fashion.
with only a dozen wise women to fol- |
low Mrs. Wilson's good example there
would be no occasion TO- Legislatures
or ministerial conferences TO devote
time or speech on the evils OF dress.
That the elaborate and ultra modish |
white gown of the Casino variety can
meet all the demands of Dame Fashion |
at Newport or in Paris, and yet be a |
model of good taste Is shown In the eie-
CANT creation worn by Mrs. George
Lathrop Bradley at one OF the so-caned
informal luncheons of the past week. This
is not duck or eatiste, but liberty satin |
Of first quality. made on what Mrs
Bradley no doubt would describe as
simple lines
The simplicity was, however, OF the
very superior French kind, in as much /
as the entire skirt was laid in narrow
knife plaits held together at the hem,
thus preserving the narrow line about
The ankles The top of this gown was
something between a Russian blouse and
a short polanaise; this, too, showed
plated effect about the waist line. There
was a black satin girdle with tub-like
ends in front or to the side, also touches
of black about the draped reveres. which
gave the chic outdoor effect always in
favor with smart women paying due re-
gard to conventions.
The hat an unmistakable part OF the
costume was low crowned, broad brim-
med milk white braid trimmed in roses
and loops of black velvet or satin rib
bon. A black and white parasol in rather
broad stripes gave an added touch TO Il
this extremely smart costume.
Mrs. James Hamilton Lewis, one of the
recent additions to the list of Sena-
torial hostesses who has just Joined her
husband. is wearing a rnodish and be- Ii
coming tailored gown in white and black
checked cloth. a very small shepherds
plaid. This has sectional skirt that Is
not extremely narrow, but quite In the
picture of the present day. with French
-,It lacked trimmed in semi-military ,
fashion by black silk cord. Mrs. Lewis. Ii
\,