The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-22

~
 "A Christmas gifts. negligees are
 the most luxurious-or may be " the most luxurious if one chooses to make ones gift an expres- sion of substantial expenditure. A hundred dollars, or even two hundred can be paid for a Paris boudoir gown in the twinkling of an eye. yet giver and recipient will feel the comforting assurance that the Christmas present is an eminently practical one-for a negligee is something to wear, is it not? And things to wear are always more or less practical.
 The negligees pictured on today's page have been selected from the models offered for holiday choice. Any one of them would constitute a "prac- tical gift. sure to bring pleasure to it's recipient; though whether she would regard the acquisition calmly as simply an addition to her wardrobe needs, or go into raptures over an unwonted luxury in the way of clothes, would depend on her degree of pros perity and how well she was supplied with beautiful things. Some women would regard a silk and chiffon peig- noir as an event of a lifetime still other women never expect in their widest dreams to wrap themselves in silk and lace for the ten minutes cat nap which helps to get them through a strenuous day. As a rule, however any woman is delighted to receive a beautiful negligee-and will find use for it somehow even if she has to feign indisposition and receive her women friends in her bed room, as an excuse to wear the lovely garment. And there are always bona fide illnesses and con- valescence to consider.
 Corduroy Robes Most Practical Gifts
 The warm comfortable corduroy bathrobes are perhaps the most prac- tical garments in the Christmas-gift class of negligees. Sometimes very graceful models can be picked up for around five dollars and, of course, one may pay considerably more for spe- cial style and quality of corduroy Old blue and old rose seem to be the fav- ored shades in these negligees, and there is a coral shade that is very rich. Cerise is we'll liked also. but for a cerise corduroy robe one must pay more than the five dollars which will buy simple blue or rose-colored robe. Warm and comfy also, and more distinguished in style, are the quilted silk Japanese robes which come in several colors and in white some of them with handsome shaded silk embroideries on the quilted sur face. These quilted bathgowns used to be austerely plain affairs. high col. Jared and long-sleeved, fastening prim- ly down the front, but they are now to be had in more graceful styles, with oblique front fastening, bell sleeves and fiaring cut at the edge.
 Chinese Teagowns The Rage
 One receives afternoon tea-drinkers now, not in pastel pink or mais chiffon but in a Chinese jacket of glorious yet subdued color-or rather, colors for these Chinese teagowns are a fas cinating maze of color produced by chiffons cleverly blended, and, oi course, by the special feature of tho garment-a genuine old Chinese Man darin coat. A shop on Fifth Avenue has shown the most interesting oi these teagowns; some money and some ability have been used to procure the beautiful jackets which in many case. are very valuable One of the tea gowns has a coat made of length oi golden brocade from the Imperia E Palace, over slip of Chinese blue ant Imperial yellow chiffons. Another stunning model shows a Mandarin jacket of black satin embroidered 1T white over a slip of deep, deep blue chiffon. Gray green, black, turquoise blue and soft old rose are combined in another exquisite teagown of tn, Chinese type.
 Another New York shop last weel showed a collection of these gorgeou teagowns and in each instance a strini of deep-colored beads emphasized tn rich. Oriental hues of the garment With a gown of peacock blue an, green brocaded chiffon over a slip o
 W1zr<6&