The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-03

off and purchased very freely carpets
and curtains and dresses and flowers IN
violent Bulgarian colors. OF course the
result was nightmare. Then Paris
recognized that the Bulgarian color
rage was utterly inartistic and immedi-
ately the capricious City Of Light turned
completely round and declared in loud
voice that nothing was possible except
black and white. And 50 we have en-
joyed a second, even a third. black and
white season.
But capricious Paris overlooked the |
fact that Whistler coior schemes are
only successful when carried out with |
knowledge. Black and white as al
| scheme Is exquisite, but it spells the
word danger" when carried to excess.
And at the moment Parisians are carry
ing it to excess-and beyond. Charm
! ing women are talking about Mrs.
| Romano Breokss Whistler schemes"
| They are citing Henri Bernstein. whose
house is chiefly decorated in half tones.
Black velvet carpets are the rage, and
! the same may he said of black satin
| curtains embroidered with white Japan
csc storks and black Wedgwood. for
those who can procure it, In passing
I may say that Henri Bernstein is the
proud possessor Of a magnificent coll
lection OF black Wedgwood as well as of
black oak So strong a hold has this
new craze taken upon the Parisians that
a famous portrait painter said to me
yesterday afternoon:
Tomorrow morning we shall awake
and find Paris decorated with under
takers advertisements"
But seriously, II Is true that those
who contemplate Whistler color schemes
for their houses or for their persons
ought to pause and reflect a moment.
For black and white. with all the half
tones that follow In their train make
very great demands on those who adopt
them permanently, There are certain
women who naturally suggest au Au-
brey Beardsley silhouette. Princess G..
de Lucinge, for example, Is one of them.
and she goes in largely for black and
white decorations She Is tall and has
an exquisitely graceful figure, which is
so slender that 1t recalls dropping
!, lily At tie opera have often seen her
gowned entirely in cinging black with
long rope Of matchless pearls as her
sole ornament, and undoubtedly she
was the centre Of admiration, But then
this Is a very special Partisan type.
An ordinary woman would make no
effect In the Same gown. The same
thing holds good all down the line.
A few weeks ago / spoke OF a
Partisan who has black velvet carpets
and white bear rugs on her boudoir
and who frequently has q tall vase of
+, black Chinese porcelain filled with
white lilies standing on her writing
} table. Here again we have special
. type, n woman who understands how
best TO eXploit-herself.
/ have gone into this subject at some
length because very many persons have
been led to suppose that black and
: white Schemes ST decoration are In
finitely safer than Leon Bakst color
schemes, for example. and this is a
, mistake. Black and white gowns are
always safe and lovely, and the same
may be said Of black and white hats.
furs. laces, &c. But when 1t comes to
black and white house decorations the
, danger signal must go up.
r 1t seems very likely that we shall find
next winter an admirable compromise
in working order We shall have black
white and gray backgrounds for screens
and the result win be delightful
t Whether woman Is considering din
ner gown or a boudoir the fact remains
, the same that a bold touch of tomato
red or iiarningo pink thrown against a
broad background of halftones produces
a fine effect Against such background
| q clever combination Of tomato red and
J Chinese blue would also be IDEAL but
the same shades would shrek at each
other II seen In other surroundings
y This holds true of lettuce green and
2 purple or Of Egyptian blue and orange.
$ Everything depends on the background.
2 Women of to-day love to array them
! selves in fragile robes of white tulle
7 bordered with white fox and to load
, their necks with pearls. 1t Ia In way
a white season, and all the white
! things that are now most fashionable