H Npdr-Spriiia ;,: W®fe JMIFIF .JaareMh>..>'- -<1 M T AMI LJU v w Wl F WH M = «t w» The “Blue Bird” Costume, De veloped in Blue Velours de Laine. The Straight Front Waistcoat and Cutaway Jacket Are Most Chic. Lady duff-gordon, the famous “Lucile of London, and foremost creator of fa dlions in the world, writes each week the fashion article for this newspaper, presenting all that is newest and best in styles for well-dressed women. Lady Duff-Gordon’s new Pans establishment brings her into close touch with that centre of fashion. Lady Duff-Gordon’s American establishment is al Nos. 37 and V) West Fifty-seventh street. New York By Lady Duff-Gordon (“Lucile”) rt ST how far and fast the fur fad j will last Is an open question. J 1 am inclined to think that fur i 1 disappear with great sudden less as soon as the Riviera season opens. This fad started last August and it "took” so violently that, of a verity, it must be shortened. The minute a fad becomes popu larized, its death Knell sounds. Fur Is not only used in gowns and hats, but in lingerie and night gowns! Hut of ihis, I will tell you later in my letter. Bearing in mind the thought that fur will go with the Winter winds. I am sending you some first Spring designs, and as you will see. there is less evidence of fur than in the Winter costumes. Hut the mull re mains, of course. The Blue Bird costume is a favor ite of mine. It is created in a dark blue velours de laine. The skirt is one of the few plain models on which Fashion deigns to smile. It is the coal which brings happiness, is it not delightful? And withal, so simple. It buttons snugly to the. collar, across the chest. The croAs piece fastens with two buttons over a waistcoat of bright sulphur woolen cloth. The whole effect is severe but most smart. Rattier a contrast is the "Dinard" afternoon wrap, of mustard colored cloth and brown skunk fur. which is an excellent model for early Spring. The muff, of the fur, may be a bit oppressive in appearance, but it is necessary to complete the costume. In the next picture there is a muff which is more suggestive of Spring It is made of brown and green plaid silk, edged with dyed fox. The cos tume with which it is worn is a simple little affair, designed for a very pretty debutante. The fabric is the serviceable charmeuse and ihe shade is apple green. The bodice, so girlish in its design, has a novel neck decoration and a new button arrangement. These buttons extend down the skirt several inches The fold on the left sido is an offset Io the fur edged silt. The bell shaped hat. edged with ■or. is suggestively demure and girlish. More pretentious in fabric, if not n design, is the purple plush cos irme with its white turn back col ir. and stunning waistcoat of white . elvel file whole costume is lined itb violet satin. The hem is turneu ip at tin back and sides so as to show this lining Os course, my lad' wears a pur •de liat with an osprey fantasie and. of course, she carries an ermine nuff. Mot, than a hint of the Spring addon is given in the blue-gray siTetu costume which 1 have named Woods in Spring.'' The short, ■e itided coat is excellent: the skirt. Iruped in the back and gathered at he feet is equally excellent The belt or girdle outlining the waist s decorated with a queer gold and silver ornament Taffetas are to be very chic, in fat t a taffeta season is immediately ahead of us And now to tell you of the near nothing lingerie! Never again, will women wear the serviceable muslins and cambrics of the past' And f 10 lilll < ■fl-ni I.■ J Dinard Wrap of Mustard Colored Cloth. Trimmed with Brown Skunk Fur. The Open Neck Effect Is Becom ing and Will Remain Chic for Many Months. naturally enough, the very shapes of our undergarments are changing to conform with the shapes of our outer clothes. The very newest nightdress is slit up the left side from the hem —almost —to the knee, the open ing being edged or softened by a little frilling of the lace which figures : gain on the very low-cut neck and the short sleeves. ’ But really the said slit is not as noticeable as you might imagine, for the reason that the nightdress itself is made of the faintest flesh-pink ninon and is of such a flimsy trans pareney that it is hardly visible to the naki'd eye! However, the fact remains that the fashion for the slit skint Ims now and in tin' fullest and most literal sense of the word reached its limit-! Then there is another new style and sensation in the way of flu' robe de nuit—really the merely ordinary term of "nightdress" is hardly ap plicable to such an exquisite and ethereal affair! Some Points Concerning Invitations and Answers THE Winter season brings a host of social duties which must be fulfilled if one would keep up one's reputation for polite ness and keep in touch with friends and acquaintances. It may be a duty to entertain a little in return for hospitalities, it is always a duty to lie prompt in Replying to imita tions. The recognition of the civili ties of others is one of the funda mentals of good manners. Invitations need to be sent out well in advance in order to secure guests in the whirl of the season; three or four weeks in advance for formal dinners and at least two weeks ahead even for very informal luncheons. The formal card of invitation is used by persons who entertain fre quently. It is engraved in script, with open spaces where the name of a guest, the date, horn- and tho words "at dinner" are written For a dinner or any evening en tertainment the names of host and hostess appear on an invitation. For day occasions, except weddings, the name of the hostess alone is used. \n engraved card for evening bears the words: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hall request the pleasure of company on at o'clock. The engraved address follows. There may be a line written in a lower corner. To go afterward to the Assembly." or "to the play " The various dances, hitherto called "Cotillons." are now to be And this, you must know, is made with a fish-tail train, whose long point is edged with the lace, which is then continued in curved inser tion form rigt up the sides of the closely clinging semi transparency of palest pink nintin to be joined together eventually in the centre of the rerp decollete corsage iu the bonds of a beautifully embroidered true lover's knot. So, altogether, the answer io the riddle of "When is a nightdress not a night dress?" will emphatically and truly be "When it is ninon—for then ii is nothing!" And there are times when 1 it is made of chiffon! Thtise other flowered ninon trans parencies, of which you had early news, are having the most extraor dinary success, s<> much so that a now model is being introduced to enter into friendly rivalry with those first and absolutely plain creations which banished all trimming save By Mrs. Frank Learned, Author of "The Etiquette of New York To-day.” <1 nx i x H fOill. ' JSMS ■E ,■ f Debutante Costume of Apple Green Charmeuse, Showing the New Buttoned Effect on Bodice and the Looped Display on the Left Side. just the little flat ribbon which was used —and necessary—to catch to gether. in the centre, the slight ful ness of the folds which took becom ing and comfortable curves over the bust. This later —and. some may tliiuk. lovelier—.shape is still made in ninon, with a floral device patterned on the filmy white or flesh pink ground. But its rather deep round at the neck is tess is given byway of a distinc tive understanding, the full name of a guest is not written unless there may be some reason for making a clear indication for whom the invi tation is intended. The envelope containing an invitation should have the frill name and street ad dress. j Informal invitations are notes in the first person and are briefly ex pressed. i Dear Mrs. Blank: Will you and Mr. Blank dine with us informally on Friday evening. January the second, and go to the play? Yours sincerely. MARY HALL. Care in observing the form of an invitation should enable the recipient to reply correctly, yet many persons are in doubt what to do. It must be borne in mind that the same for mula is used sos an answer as that which is embodied in the invitation. If in the third person, it is answered in that form: if tn the first- person, that formula is required. While the rules of etiquette govern the form and may be learned, it must be always remembered that courtesy and consideration for others are principles which underlie social cus toms. There should be no delay in replvlng to an invitation which re quests the pleasure of one's com pany. To wait to send an answer on the chance of receiving a more de sirable invitation in the interval is extremely discourteous and is a selfish disregard of the convenience 4. by the Star Company. Great r/ tain X The “Bota” " » Costume of s t - i Purple Brocaded Plush, with Stunning New “Belted in” Waistcoat. Transparent Collar andC’uffs Are the Very Latest Fad in Paris. so 11 we d and formed by a nar row edging and a rather broadly scalloped yoke of fine Valenciennes, the same dainty finish being given to the sleeves, which end their brief and beauti ful career just above the elbow. And then, finally, a narrow inser tion of lace pur sues its curved career some few inches above the ninon at the hem, and where the filmy flowered fabric is slit up the right side (for only a mod est • nine or ten inches in ICU HIVUVO 444 this case!) the lace is carried to i the edge, so that its shadowy curves j show up prettily against the ankle. And as to undergarments—they also are arriving at the vanishing point! For they start late and end ; early, and the newest and most elu- i sive fabric for their working is fine net! I A typical pair of combinations in this particular fabric is such a light of the hostess, who wishes to know whom she may expect. Although the social world takes refusals as a mat ter of course and fills up the gaps, a hostess wishes to have time to find eligible, substitutes and not be com pelled to have an ill-assorted collec tion of guests. Acceptances or re grets. therefore, should be sent with in twenty-four hours after receiving invitations to dinners, luncheons or card parties. An ‘invitation to a dinner suggests a greater compliment than is con veyed by an invitation to any other - I 'hh L- Ml i Tt L 1 social affair. A n accept ance of a din ner invitation makes it obliga tory not to al low any but the most serious cause to inter fere with being present. Illness or very unex pected reasons may arise, it is true, and in a case of the sort a note of expla nation or a tele gram must be sent immediate ly to the hos tess. It is never al lowable to en ter into any dis cussion or pro vision with an invitation to dim invitation may be Rights Reserved. •‘lf® not llernilH xinle for n wife to accept nml n hu»- linnil to regret." ner. even when the e semi-formal. It is burden that only two long and nar row shoulder-straps of satin ribbon are needed for its upholding. In fact, anything else is rarely used now. as chemises or combinations, whose fab ric was continued over the shoulders and there finished off in the once or dinary and ’universal way with lace edgings and ribbon threadings, would be unsightly and impossible as worn with and clearly visible through the seamless, semi-transparent curves of the fashionable corsage. For tlie rest, this particular and pretty net garment is arranged with alternating groups of graduated tucks and tapering insertion of lace and hand embroidered sprays of Howers, the same decoratively combined de sign being repeated on the short and narrow legs, and the whole tiling be ing so lovely that it will certainly be worn over the corsets and an inner vest, and so do the duty of camisole and pettieoat or knickers as well. For three frarments—nnn nt ror uiree garments —one ot these being the corset —represent the maxi mum of underwear which the woman who wants to be fashionable and slender will consent to don this sea son. Wherefore the sale for chemise and knicker sets has come to a sud den and almost complete end, so far, at any rate, as the lawn and cambric garments are concerned. Fascinating frivolities in net and ninon and crepe de chine are eer- not courteous to say that one will come if in town, or if one has recov ered from illness; nor is it permis sible for a wife to accept and for a husband to regret, or vice versa. A reply to an invitation should be explicit and decisive. The custom is to repeat the date and hour when the occasion requires definite punctual ity, thus: Mr. and Mrs. accept with pleasure Mr. and Mrs. ’s invitation for dinner on Tuesday evening, January the Sixth at eight o’clock. When writing a regret it is cus tomary to say that “Mr. and Mrs. regret that a previous engagement prevents them from accepting Mr. and Mrs. N ’s kind inivtation.” The rule is to accept a first invita tion whenever it is possible to do so. Answers to invitations are written on note-paper, not on cards. It must be remembered that an ac ceptance or a regret is written in the present tense. It is not correct to write "will accept," or “will be un able to accept." or that “a previous engagement will prevent," etc. Answers to invitations are ad dressed invariably to the hostess alone. Friends or acquaintances who are in mourning are not invited to formal dinners or luncheons, but they should receive invitations for weddings, re ceptions, “coming-out" teas for de butantes and for all affairs of a gen eral nature when it is proper and courteous to notify them of any im portant social occurrence in a family. “Woods in Spring,” a Delight ful Morning Costume of Blue-Gray Taffeta Lightly Trimmed with Sealskin. taiuly secured sometimes for wear when corsetless and tea-gowned ease is to be enjoyed; but as the necessary completion for daytime and evening costumes, a very closely fitting and short chemise and outer knickers or calotte of milanese silk or crepe de chine are the invariable and really rather sensible wear. No attempt is being made to popu larize a new “jupon-culotte" of milan ese silk, which, by means of a cou ple of inner and simple fastenings, can either be worn as knickers or petticoat. It is very cleverly and closely shaped, and it is all bordered with a very slight and flat gauging, which follows its upward curve at the sides and its opening up the front. But, on the whole, I think the actual knickers are more practical as well as smarter. Some women, however, do not like the constriction of the elastic gath ering which finishes them off at the knees, and so a good many are now being made to hang loosely there and are edged with a tiny belting of lace or ribbon, their slight opening at either of the outer side seams being surmounted by a true lovers’ knot) bow or a wreath of wee flowers. Altogether, our every item of attire is so delightfully dainty this season that is a special joy—to say nothing of an expense! But in spite of —and in strange contrast to—the present vogue for essentially feminine and fascinating garments, this present season is also giving more than usual prominence to the pajamas which were once mo nopolized by the "mere man,” but which now, as designed for women's wear, are being made in white, pink, blue or black tricot—and made to measure, too, please note! Others are being modelled in crepe de chine, but, though a certain and very youthful type of girl can man age to look exceedingly piquant in such night attire, it is hopelessly unbecoming to the majority of women. And, really, even for travelling pur poses, there is no necessity for it to be adopted, as the very plain night dress of crepe de chine — modelled on pajama lines, as regards its fastening at the neck and its finishing with a breast, pocket—is just as practical and infinitely prettier and more suit able. And my final word, at the moment, on the subject of underwear and night dresses will be to proclaim crepe de chine as the ideal material and' the simplest style of making as the smartest. I have often previously drawn at tention to this particular mid perfect fabric, and so I take a certain amount of personal pride in being able to tell you now that It is ilie success of the season, it being already certain'that it will supersede all I lie ordinary and once universal white lawns and so forth. This fact is. indeed, being so fully realized by the buyers of all the lead ing outfitting departments thut they are. I hear, making their arrange ments and placing their orders ac cordingly. Ix>t me give you a "tip." however, which will insure some permanent satisfaction with every such newly acquired crepe de chine garment. Be sure to always choose them In pink shadings, as the pure white h apt to acq,._r a Vellowish tinge aftei a certain aiuoimt of washing, whereas the pink will in course of time only grow slightly and still attractively paler. , I