Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18


guest Just two or three
others. -Four o'clock. What
shall you wear?
There are cards in this morning s
mail from the outgoing president OF
YOUR club TO meet her successor. Half
past four 10 half-past six is the time.
Hundreds have been invited. What
shall you wear then?
Your cousin has asked YOU to pour
al large tea she is giving for hei
debutante daughter, a bachelor friend
of your husband has asked you anG
your husband and some other married
people YOU know to be his guests at
tea at the very desirable club of which
he is a member and friend of yours
who finds it tiresome to receive hen
guests at home has asked you to meet
her for tea at the SmarteSt hotel IN
town-What shall you wear?
The most satisfactory way for any
woman to assemble her wardrobe is
to build it up around various activities
and social engagements of the season
to come. Each pair of shoes. each hat
or frock or wrap or bit of JeWelry.
should be considered as part of an en-
semble to bo worn on some probable
engagement.
Among the occa sions which almost
every woman must consider are va.
rious sort of tea parties" The tea
ensemble need not be at all expensive.
A costume that would answer the pur-
pose for all of the occa sions suggested
above may in fact be extremely sim
pie, but it must be well thought out,
carefully conceived.
And remember this: That the less
<-ou have to spend on your afternoon
uea ensemble the more inconspicuous
it should be. 1t is only when you have
money 10 spend lavishly that you car
afford to dress i'm any way conspic-
uously Even then you cannot 60
wrong in choosing clothes that are
anything but striking. You may go
with your friends to tea at the ex
elusive club or mingle with the fash
iopabe women at the smart hotel
wearing a frock that has cost les.
than $40 and a hat that cost but So
but they must be chosen with extreme
care and above all must be incon-
spicnous, both as to cut and color.
Sports clothes even of the semi
spirits variety are no longer considered
gvaod form for tea enga gements. You
yruSt not Look as if you had breezed
IN from a round of golf or from q
crnss-cnuntry hike. even if you hap
ISA1 10 be a golf champion or a dis.
f!rE uished hiker. Your stockings
must be faultless. blending perfectly
with the color of your shoes and con
sidered with regard to your frock and
other accessories. Wool stockings are
a Earring note that YOU should avoid
for such occasions and unless for any
reason YOU never wear them your
shoes should be fairly high heeled
and in perfect form. 1t is surprising
how very conspicuous a womans
shoes and stockings are on all oc.
casions nowadays.
The sports type of frock is decidedly
out of favor for the tea hour at pres
ent-saVe, of course, when afternoon
tea comes as an interlude at the coun-
try club. But the separate blouse and
skirt, once seldom encountered save in
sports apparel, makes a charming tea
costume. There are blouses of trans
parent velvet or metal cloth worn with
shorter fairly short-pleated satin
skirts, and a draped or circular velvet
skirt may be effectively combined with
a lace blouse of matching or harmoniz-
iBg shade
Two-piece effects of this sort may or
may not be part of three-piece after
noon costumes. The luxurious fur
coat is usually laid aside for the tea
hour though the fur scarf worn with
A cloth coat may be retained while the
coat is left in the dressing room.
There should still be something
rather casual in the effect of the cos
tune that you wear for afternoon tea
casual but carefully worn. AT any
place where sIlartly dressed women
gather for their afternoon tea there
are usually some women to be seen
who wear their clothes with an air
of being in their best bib ana tucker.
The tone of casualness is sadly lacking.
remember that / took a little
American friend fof mine to tea at
place in Paris where the worlds best
dressed women were known TO as
semble. We proceeded with our tea
while my little friend cast sidelong
chances about her. Obviously, she was
disappointed.
but there are no smart women
here today" she suggested. That
is, no really smart women
happened TO know that the women
sitting at a table near to ours were
very fashionable Parisians. Here and
there you might have recognized an
American woman of taste and distinc
tion-yet they were for the most part
unohstrusively dressed and they wore
their clothes with tone of casualness
that had given my inexperienced little
friend an idea that none Of the clothes
worn were worth noticing.
If some generous friend has given
YOU money for Christmas with the
request that you spend it for some
thing that you really want, it isn't
cutie fair-now, is ito use it to
pay the gas bin or TO go put it in the
bank. There are times and occasions.
of course. when that may be the only
sensible thing to do, but if you are
ordinarily well off and the giyer really
wants you 10 spend il for yourself,
then the only .considerate thing for
YOU to do is 70 go and get something
YOU really want-books. maybe. or
pet dog or some one Of the new ac-
cessories of dress that really appeal
TO you.
shoe buckles and jeweled ornaments
foIsslipper straps are much favored by
wen dressed women. For street wear
buckles of fine cut steel beads are
most appropriate. while for evening
rhinestone buckles are always correct
Just at present strap ornaments con-
sfsting Of large imitation emeralds sur
rounded by rhinestones are most pop.
ufar in Paris. Or you may choose real
emeralds set with diamonds!
"A matching set of necklace and
bnacelet in the new flexible gold WORK
would be a good choice. They are
made of barbaric looking links and are
appropriate foh' wear with tailored or
sports ensembles.
If you travel or intend 10 travel
yeur Christmas money cannot be bet
tel. spent than for one Of the new fitted
csses-large enough to contain all the
NECESSARY toilet accessories with space
-