Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-04
Interesting Dress Accessories of Ancient
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

NEW YORK, July 3. 1915.
UR grandmothers, who were
m W rather sticklers for the pro-
II ~ prieties. used to say that
W lady is known by her shoes
and her gloves. OF course, that was
just another way of emphasizing the
Importance of the accessories of dress
The ensemble is made up of details.
and If these are not right the whole
effect will be spoiled. All parts of
dress. hat. gown, shoes and stockings.
gloves. etc, should be on the same
scale to produce harmonious whole.
A cheap hat on top of an expensive
gown fares as badly as the reversal
creation of millinery luxury with sim
pie frock. Heavy walking shoes with
thin gown detracts from the charm
which lies in the idea of fragility it is
meant to convey.
Fashions change in accessories. as
In every other part of feminine attire.
and thin slippers with street gown
are no longer surprising to any one.
because custom has sanctioned their
use. 1t was not so very long ago that
we used to laugh a Englishwomen for
wearing slippers in the street. little
thinking that we should come to it
ourselves.
The smartest foot dressing for the
street in this season of extravagant
styles in footwear consists of plain
black silk stockings and still palmer
patent leather slippers which de-
pend upon good cut and fine workman
ship. and not on elaboration of trim
ming. for their beauty. In like man
ner cotton gloves used to be a sort of
symbol of the reduction of personal ex
penses to the vanishing point. until
recently, when. under the name of fab
ric gloves" they became too conven
lent to be ignored. and were adopted
for shopping even by women who had
never stopped TO consider their pennies.
In this country we have made great
strides in this matter of keeping the
details of our costumes in harmony
since the days when American women
used to wear their diamond earrings
Kipling commented upon this sole
cism among his rather stringent
criticisms of some of orr manners and
customs. He would find us greatly
changed for the better In many re-
spects today. We learn quickly and
we do not need, as a rule, to be told
a thing twice
MY own opinion is that care in
choosing the accessories of dress so
that they will agree with one another
extends farther down the social scale
In this country than in any other |
Some innate sense of the harmonious
Is being developed in US in matters
of formal attire, as in house-furnish- |
ing. The ordinary, everyday family
home is better and more appropriately |
furnished in America nowadays than |
anywhere else.
Perhaps good taste Is the reason of
DerhaDS tai 10
ness and tellableness of the American
woman of the middle class, who is
above all things. anxious to learn the
best usage in such matters At any
rate, there is no other land where the
comforts and conveniences which used
10 be found only in the homes of the
wealthy are extended SO widely to |
those of the less well provided with
worldly goods workmen's homes here
have luxuries of appointment which |
only the RICH can boast in Europe
Furnace heating and bathrooms, for
example. are commonplace with US in
circles which hardly know of the ex-
fstence of such things abroad Even
In England, which led the world in the
conveniences of life for years until
America distanced her. / have stayed
at an elaborate Georgian place In the
country, which required nineteen men
and maid servants to keep it In order,
but which did not boast a single bath
room for all it's eighteen masters bed
rooms"
To be sure. IL was built before the
days of plumbing and had walls and
floors of enormous thickness, but IL |
would certainly have been impossible |
10 find a tenant in this country for a |
house illprovided.
The greater fuidity of our social re-
lationships. the rapid, not to say star
Ting changes in our social fabric, are |
perhaps RESPONSE BILE for the greater uni |
formity of customs among us. The |