The San Francisco call. [volume], February 24, 1907, Page 14, Image 14

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
MYSTERY OF THE NEW DECOLLETE
WIIEX the opera season firrlves
in Xew YorJt smart society Is
decidedly decollete. This fact
is the first tjhlng to strike you
as you let your eyes travel around the
glittering horseshoe fcf boxes and pause
here and there to «Swell on a particu
larly beautiful pair of shoulders that
stand out from all the rest like a su
perb gem surroundted by_inferlor ones.
Too are- impressed by their beauty
and Ifie amount of gleaming flesh
visible to your eyes. Then, whether
you are man or woman, you will prob
ably make mental comment of the won
derfulness of the fashionable decollete;
it displays feminize charms in a truly
marvelous manner, yet withal it Is
quite modest. Tou will end your men
tal comment by asking yourself or any
body handy. **Hbw do these women*
manage ltr* A perfectly natural ques
•'tlon. too. and one that has puzzled
many, but It proclaims an ignoranoe of
the mysteries concealed to the in
" finlteslmal folds of the society woman's
• newest opera bodice.
To the uninitiated this latest wrin
kle is something: to inspire wonder, to
say the least. Its extreme out marks it
at once an example of the exotlo art
of the Parisian modiste.- To be worn
properly It should be worn with the
.foreign chic and Intelligence of these
\u25a0 fashion leaders. In all the world there
Is probably no society woman so re
nowned — and envied, too, to some ex
tent — as la belle Parisienne for the way
in which she wears her evening gown.
It is a fad of hers to suggest a certain
carelessness and disregard of bodlcf
moorings. The more unattached It looka
the better It seems to suit the ravish
ing' woman. And the height of her de
sire In this realm of dress is to err*
the observer the impression that Its
staying in place Is not an affair for har
to worry over. .
Fastidious women confine • this tra
concern to the suggestion. The wls«
one knows that It heightens her charm
to let her bodice appear to be en the
point of slipping from the shoulders
Just a wee bit and ot showing mere
of the exquisite curve of her arm. It
Is far more seductive than a bodloe
possessing every risible erldenoe of a
fins and safe anchorage. And It has
long been a punle to know how to ar
rive at the most fascinating point of
suggestion and yet have absolute se
curity.
The sew bodice suggests the slipping
perfectly, and it is cut as low as in
dividuals can bear It. If It is provided
with any sleeve or shoulder support
this carries out the main euggestlon'of
carelessness and crosses the arm. no
low that th* entire curve of the shoul
der Is exposed, together with five or
six Inches of the gleaming upper arm.
When the fashionable morsel of a bod
ice has neither an excuse for. a sleeve
nor a band of almost Invisible trim
ming In lieu of one, then. . Indeed, is
the lay mind puzxled. How is it pos-,
dble, it asks,- for' mortal to wear the
bodice where It really belongs without
courting a catastrophe? The fact that
women do wear decollete gowns of this
perilous fashion and are quite serene
In their ability to. avoid too great an
exposure of statuesque shoulders is one
of the secrets of the modish decollete.
How this is managed has been revealed
by a dressmaker who learned a few of
the clever arts and ; tricks of the : fair
Pftrlslenne from mademoiselle herself.
"A rejoicing in a beautiful
throat, sheulders and bust is extremely.
- 1 li iiiMiiniMasirinnisfirii— bi jwrmirtitifrMrrrT#>iWi *~"~ - .
hard to suit Jn the arrangement of her
decollate," said this. well-known dress
maker. "Such feminine charms are too
rare and precious to hide entirely, and
yet they must be displayed In the daint
iest and most womanly fashion, pos
sible. "Well-bred^ women never offend
by their dress, and yet sometimes they
like to follow the .fashions set by. the
smartest actresses of this and foreign
countries. Just at, present the extreme
decollete is the thins; the one in which
Mademoiselle Lina Cavallcri is usually
seen is the favorite. To a slim figure
like Mademoiselle Cavalieri's It is ex
tremely becoming. At the same' time
this very slimness presents difficulties
to t the dressmaker which must be
overcome by us in some way. i .We
must make the bodice low; frequently
w© must trim Its^upper .part" : with
heavy lace or passementerie;' yet we
must manage to have it . stay in place
without any . apparent assistance. Only
ELECTRICITY
USED IN
HOME
UTENSILS
I IT no Asoorerr of the last few year*
has public interest been so centered '
and retained asAn the application of
electricity for domestic purposes. A
year ago. the first electrical * house . in
Schenectady ' . was the \u25a0 wonder of the
world. Today \u25a0 there are several homes
In the great electrical : city, and ? else- \u25a0
where wherein \ all ? the , heating, cook
ing, lighting ' and power , is supplied : by
electricity,' and there are •; thousands ; 'of
houses partly equipped' with -the elec
trical devices. "^ .; ; ; : .
. Invention and research have been"
constantly at work perfecting : new \u25a0. de- J
vices to be Installed in the '<\u25a0_ electrical
homes. . The .three •very latest utensils j
are the electric corn popper,' the electric
milk~ warmer and " the shavins; >
mug. ; These devices will be : put on the
market in- a- few^.weeks, -and it Is
prophesied^ that they • will (fill { a - long-^
felt want^ ' Other Important "discoveries ;
are the* new tantalum ;f and. :•^ tungsten;
lamps. '.-. .
. ; The new . tantalum lamp . has been j In
. troduced and \u25a0 perfected in ' this country
by }the ; General Electric . Company, al- .
though It is a very recent German Un- :
vention. The new ;lamp has -a filament
composed "of a : rare , metal ; (tantalum),
. capable ~ of . {withstanding l very • i high r
temperatures out : of ; contact ; with air
and glvinga very brilliant white light
In > construction- and % appearance -'. the
lamp differs. but slightly '"from" ;the com-;
mon : Incandescent ."lamp, vf The" .cost riot '.';
the new', lamp^ will be i higher; than that '
of the ordinary /carbon] fUamenjt^iamiu^
dressmakers unaerstand the real tJiffl-
.but ? this additional . cost will ; be saved
'several times ov*» by the consumer who
pays, the meter : bills; ; The "tantalum
lamp has the' highest efficiency \u25a0 of any
, form of I Incandescent : lamp, 'with one
* exception. J It ; has an average life of
769 hours on direct current, lights and
extinguishes Instantly, which the com
mon lamp does noC and reduces cost of
lighting to a minimum.
Still later \ comes ' the - new tungsten
lamp'v which '_ls . said J.o * be^ evea ..' more
efficient \ and economical . than the tan
talum, the : filament 'being : a little bet
ter, ".but harder to .secure. *"' '
Of the hart 4of F electrical •; household
-.utensils ?.the I new "'\u25a0\u25a0 popper^ is I. the
daintiest \ of , them ,aIL 71 Attach ; the ; con
.' nectlon \ with'. the \ electric light ; socket, \
; end s'the f children :• can i pop ' co rn\ on? the !
parlor table all day without the slight- ,
' estr danger £of -iharnu'S In>a^very : few 1
minutes > after ithe] switch \ Is ' turned .the
pan ! Is hot enough f or the oorn.^ r"A wire 1
cover ! keeps! the I rapidly f popping } ker-t
I nels I from j flying out ; oa' the : floor.f j The '>
popper/i Is ':? mounted V "on two > s:'"smali ;
rubber-tired y, wheels, " raaklng liit easily^
; shaken. The .whole is \ vibrated ' with (a \u25a0
j short \w©oden v hahdle-T • Notblng^ easier •
or simpler caii •be \u25a0 lmaglned"ini the -line
«ulty of arriving at a happy solution,
and .the -schemes we have' hit upon
jough theald of our clients are ef
•ctlve at least. First we try whale
bones. * In /itnacy instances these an
. swer ; requirements perfectly. The point
\u25a0i'o?the bodice between the arm and the.
'Vust is'; boned in a triangular form.
There must be no stiffness directly
over .the bust, aa th.3 is uncomfortable
; and is ; ant to look :« awkward. :.";'~ :
"Tho'froat of the .bodice .is usually
'; cut^ heart shaped across the top in vor
. <ler to increase the decollete -effect," and-
Jthe parts curving "upward- have to .be
made; to retain their, outline. _This-is;
not st|(dlfflcuJtito;.manage as the sleeve*
part, which is apt to bind the arm and
of a corn ; popper. ,. The sresults.5 results . are ; far;
" ? better -;. than ' the J old ? ,way i'of ', building ;
.a* red hot I fire In*; the ; kltchenl range' and
{suffering., fronU the j heattwhilejpopplng 1
ithe s corars.'VWith7;the ; uelectrlo>oorn^
J popper ithere^can be 'no poor.; results' If '.\u25a0
.'the cornUs'srood.'^^ ' / •..•"'/ : - "-'''\u25a0' V ,-; \u25a0 '
\u25a0t % The i new ?electrlo J shaving muc * will ;,
\ be: welcomed iWlth' delight by,' traveling;/
I men."*- £ It ; la i small 7 enough ' to ibe > readily i
r andkwhare the hotel 'ls equipped >
vWithtelectrlclUKhts'Vlt^wUlfßupply.galll
, the .[ hot'fsuds * and 'i hoY waters a T xnaa
draw the bodice if It Is tight, and yet
if it does not.stay in place it spoils th^
entire beauty of the grown.*
: "I have found.it practically impossi
ble to bone both bodice and sleeve, es
pecially when using:. chiffon or lace, and
my : only salvation, has b^en in adopt
ing a scheme I learned from a French
woman whose costiimes were always
the' marvel and, the envy. of, her sex. It
was -to use a bit of plaster, to be put
- on fresh each time the gown was worn.
Court plaster: will answer the purpose
in cases where [ only 'the smallest- sup- •
port;ls needed across the bust, at the
\u25a0 point of the arm or'over the upper arm.
It Is if a flesh tint is lised
and does not hurt the'skin.-The Idea Is ;
an, old one with-chorusg-irlsWho wear
'' diamond brooches and pendants fas«;
; tcned to their necks without any visible '
wants * tot shave iwlth. v.The \u25a0dap"; disk
*is Teasilyj removed,' which \ turn* '. the ~vea
;; sell Immediately; trito J a I half -pint ..water
% he&ter to j put I the " flntshlng ' touches 'on
shave. ;:/.;" .tu7.-.V^ -^K--. .-,"< :'"" >'.:'\u25a0 \u25a0'
- .Another Invention l,whlch. s ts" ; destined
Jto ;,becom« ; a I necessity : in ? almost i every
I household wh«re there lls '041*4 orl more
* youngsters \u25a0 is . the electric ] mllklwarmer. \u25a0
;lf the baby .wants, something, to Veat In
? the] night, ; and < he] or j she] usually/does,'
"Jsome j on e|must \ get i up.' and ., warm* milk •
>a the *stov a/«lse there .will be. no rest :
means, ntaKtng thsu ' took as 't**»*\V
they were cacj^t . tRt» tho" fair C«»s*i.
Society women, of course. would «^«r-j
any Buch adornment, but they l*ril
themselves admirably to the «tick!r.;r
scheme when It.comes to a question oZ
showing their handsome necks and
shoulders.
"One filmy lace bodice I made re
cently had no sleeves at all, only a tiny
puff of chiffon crossing the upper arm,
which I thought would be sufficient to
hide any little rubber stay that I need
ed to keep the sleeve in position and to
assist. In holding up the front of the
bodice. It would' not do. however, and
as the woman- insisted on my keepiag
the' arm band very thin and delicate I
was moved to suggest her using a bit
of adhesive piaster. It worked like a
charm, and since then she has made
use of it on man^ occasions. You buy
it by the roll at the druggist's, and can
get it almost any -width. A quarter of
an inch is wide enough for the majority
of bodices) and then only a bit of it is
required to hold the bodice, in » place
either side, of the shoulder, front and
back. A tiny strip i 3 cut. and after the
gown; is put on ready for theflnal ad
justment; the plaster is caught just
Inside the : top .wherever .it needs. sup-
port.. The other'^end, of the plaster Is
pressed against, the flesh. Vb ""'which It
adheres : firmly.'- As there Is 'compafa
liithe .house that nlgnt. Now all this
is changed. A turn of a switch^ at* the
\u25a0\u25a0 head of the bed. and * the *; milk. * mn.de
ready before retiring, is instantly heat-
Ing, and by the time papa has his feet*
in his slippers It ils.ws.rm enough jto be
glvjn to -the child, v: y , \u25a0 „ ' .
» The electric chafing ;dlsn. has been
t wonderfully V improved, and - the new
; utensil sls 4 the ,\u25a0 of careful \ study
; and experiment. ;Welsh rarebits a la elec
'\u25a0'_ trie! ty, are now easy: enough. ! The i new
;dlsh- is of .handsome design, 'and /once
connected with: the electric light socket
, the simple. throwing iot a switch,- pre
jpares; iti;for. i immediate;'use.r. J There Is
no ; flame, soot, ? useless ; heat,T danger or
giving out 'of ; "alcohol" i at the "Critical
moment." •, ;\u25a0:. \u25a0.:".\. .-. \u25a0- \u25a0 t'l-i. " ~'t \u25a0\u25a0':\u25a0"\u25a0
\i Among all v i the electricalj. utensils
which * the ; General • .Electric. : Company
lias perfected the electric coffee per
colator is by far the best.- Coffee drink
sing -is v universal, j and ;in * every. Viand
it is made differently. Men who have
traveled 'in 1 this v country j are- ready - to
i take - oath I it , is mad« differ
lently; in f every ..hotel .and, eating place
;on ithis T continent.* ']! the electric
percolator it can be made but, r one way,'
i and > that < U : the best way.V.The \u25a0 device
1 la ; very , simple. , The" steam -generated^
belli valve 'forces ithe swater
\u25a0. and j steam up V through - the .' tube •\u25a0 into
> thY glass : glbbe.% where 1 1 fhlla in . the 1
jf orm./ of , a fine ; ho t i spray, on the ground
- coffee^"andj percolates, back jlnto^ the
Y reservoir. V?iTbe/, main. ) features .' are' its
; ; simplicity,' in ; operation and, s ithe perfect
-control of the heat. The'ooftea cannot
•ißße^-Ew^cojfe^aJffi
i% **iT ••\u25a0• Te:ff.< «t «li».e a HtaSo» •*
Mils »t^»<». r.z'ywri&xl? to the upper part.
ltvfTo^ nji cull th* f.cah and all It <t*M
is to k«ea th* sown In placau
"I have seen wociqc. however, who
resort to thlV scheme to keep heavy
paiUet«*d bodices where they belong,
and then I do wonder at their forti
tude. Jet . and paillettes are always a
source if trouble to us dressmakers
whan they are made up Into' •renlns
gowns, especially if the gowns are ta
have a. very decollete outline and ban
deau across the arm. Even whalebones
are not sufficiently strong to keep ta*
outline perfect in most eases, and Cf <ja
I dislike increasing the weight of th*
bodice even by so much as the few
added ounces of whalebone. A Tery
smart client of mine told me that th*
only way she could keep her paillette
; bodice In order was to fasten a narrow
strip of adhesive plaster around ih»'
shoulders and across her bust. This
she had provided "with eyelets, and
after, it was on she hooked the top
of the bodice in the eyelets. That seems
-like a rather heroic scheme, but she
•said it worked beautifully. *
"Doe* tt- hurt. to pull the plaster. off?
It does not get such a firm hold that
there is any danger of taking the skin
\u0084;w ith'.i t.- The.s mall pieces are no more .
"than so much'court plaster., in fact th«y -
sometimes come off more readily wh«n
treated properly. The advantage of th*
adhesive kind is that heat* does not
rob It of its virtue. One may dance and
"get quite .warm without any danger
s of^spoiling the adhesive properties of
the piaster.* While it is on it Is per
fectly pliarje and cannot possibly slip.
If 'It . we're .not pliable It would be a
most uncomfortable arrangement, but
"*s it. is there is really nothing against
it. only the less used is naturally th*
better. TTuere is a special pure whit*
paste v/e make — it is somethrng\jhk.»
the kind used In the stiffening bfsheer
frocks a:yl fabrics — which answers very
well for certain occasions in this stick
'lug fad. .Vor instance, if a little square
of adheive plaster is laid 00 the shouN
. ders a <Jab of the paste may be put
on ; the -inside of the bo«lice top and
then pressed to the unslued or upper
side of. the plaster so that it will hold
a frill' of lace or the corsaga top in
place!
"Only slender, svelte figures should
attempt- the new decollete. It is spe
cially adapted to their charms and can
be.cut very low without being iznmod-
Jit. Above all, it should not be tight
or. binding in the slightest across the
. top. for as soon as it appears to draw
or to confine the shoulders Aad bust its
. gracefulness Is : destroyed. It must
"look. as though' it Vaj being held fa
place by some magical art — that Is half
the beauty of thls'exquislt* style."
Mile." Cavalier! is looked upon as th*
hi^h priestess of this decollete cult All
of her gowns are cut extremely low;
some of them have no sleeves at all and
no apparent support for the upper part.
Her costumes are built upon.th* same
plan whenever it is feasible, and one of
them has filled the women of two con
tinents with, wonder. This is a gown
made la the fashion of a century or
more ago.
The neck is cut low, and from the
. point of the arms fall sleeves of no
small proportions, their upper J>4?t
forming a curve that crosses the aj'jn
» Just ;a .little* above the elbow. There
seems * to . be nothing holding them In
place and the entire upper part of th*
figure, as well "as the daintily rounded
. shoulder, is unhampered by so much
as a -Jeweled band. It is a style very
. becoming to her slim flrure. A woman
- of; larger proportions would look alto
gether too decollete, but the opera
. singer suggests a living statue draped
\u25a0to half reveal, half c*nc**l. her fairest
charms. v
boll or "cook." In no other way caa
It be made so good, retaining Its sweet
aroma, its strength and color, a* ta tHe
percolator. - A •
"Wonderful indeed are the prophecies
which the electrical Inventors in the
General- Electric laboratories are mak
ing. -Their statements sound like tht
dreams of Bellamy, but the learn«A
\u25a0 men insist '• that . their forecasts will
? come true in a very few years. Th#
\u25a0; speak . of fast electrical trains -/across
•: the electrical homt^i, Meef
<• trlcal ; air ships, new 'electrlcal-^a.e.Jicai
,-andj surgical Instruments, greater el-s«
; trlcal power, etc. ; /Above all." the In
ventors . are r experimenting to majw
electrical heating; lighting, cooking am
powvas cheap as possible and to bruw
these conveniences and netujlUu
within the 'reach .•fall. \u25a0