Omaha daily bee., January 02, 1910, HOUSEHOLD, Image 23

About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922

Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE

                
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t HE iiliort frock has a wider ranee than
usual this season. For the woman who
ffoes In the street car to the theater, res
taurant, dinner, and other afTalrs and
her name Is legion the possibility of a
little frock elaborate enough to produce a
favorable Impression In the theater and
at the restaurant table and vet short
enough for comfortable walking has Its appeal.
But, after all. these delicate frocks are rarely short
enough to be left to their own devices, and If one has
to hold up a skirt one may as well hold up a long one
aa a short one. And most potent argument nine
women out of ten know that long skirts are more be
coming to them than short skirts. There Is something
nJout the swirl and flow of a long petticoat that lends
poise and self-assurance, and the woman who Is not
slender (gains many Inches In apparent height when
she changes her short walking skirt for the long one.
There has, however, beem a general shortening of the
long skirt, the narrow train lias lost caste, and the
rounder lines seem to prevail. The exceeding limpness
of the modish skirt around the feet and the vogue of
draperies drawn In closely about the ankles have proved
distinctly puzallng problems In the matter of locomo
tion. While generally one has to shuffle warily along in
these new skirts one may with practice achieve a gllle,
but there Is no denying that the present fashionable
type of skirt, draped or tied 1ii somewhere between the
knee and the floor and quite limp and full below, Is a
trying thing In which to walk gracefully;
As there seems to he much confusion In regard to a
skirt's length this season the well drt-sseri women
should bear Jn mind these facts. The strict decree of
fashion Is this: Skirts hve or six Indies from the
ground for strictly street wear, skirts that sweep over
the floor In a round trhln for the afternoon, and skirts
five Inches from the floor for dancing. That Is the
decree. Every one- Joes not have to ubtde by It. but
numbers of women will accept It In part. If not In
whole. They may not have every evening gown made
ahort or every afternoon frock made long, but they
will assuredly have one of each kind to show that they
know what Is being done in the World of fashion.
It Is quite true that the early autumn gowns for
evening wear were long, and tills gave rise to the im
pression that the short frock of l'arls would not be
acceptable, but winter styles show the short skirt
everywhere. These frocks five or six Inches off the
floor are not restricted to young girls. Women of fifty
wear them with as much placidity as did their ancestors.
This Is not a graefful evening fashion. There is
nothing In It to recommend It to any one over ID yeurs
old, but fashion designers have not been oversealoua in
fashioning graceful designs for the last two or three
years.
Still the present modes have this advantage when
dinner or luncheon is served women can trull clouds of
glory after them In lines of silk, lace, or chiffon, while
lor dancing they are now able to take very movement
to unhampered enjoyment
it might be said that any costume which Is draped
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1 In fashion. So common Is this belief that a, few
carfs have been attached to an old frock, and it Is
rejuvenated Into a thing of this year. This sounds
easy, and It really Is If one has skill.
These draperies, however, should be arranged by an
artist, and every woman is not one. It Is usually the
case that these touches must ho sought for among
tho high priced drcsHmukers. It Is they who are able
to give the entrancing twirl to the yards of flimsy
fabrics.
Women will cheerfully tell you how they made a
last year's satin slip into tin artistic dinner gown by
swirling over It a few sashes and loose ends. The fash
ion of using one color over another, or several tones of
color In one gown, makes this kind of alteration simpler
than if nie had to keep to a distinct color scheme.
It might be sweeplngly said that gowns are draped
from shoulder to hem. And one might add in detail
that It Is of small matter whether r not the drapery
goes the same way. In some gowns It wraps the figure
ending at the knees; in others it drops from right to
left on the bodice, and from left to right on the skirt.
It may be said with pathetic truth tliut the fashion
for drapery will have a tendency to make the average
woman look sloppy. And It certainly gives splendid
opportunities to look disheveled.
The new empire chiffon shoulder scarf this season
has given the old and well established feather and
tulle ruche and boa a close race for popular favnr.
They are particularly well liked for theater wear.
There is no question that they are graceful, gra
cious things to wear, anj as an accessory of dress
they are among the prettiest and most effective. Hut
there are well defined ways of wearing them. Th
scarf must be absolutely In keeping with the gown. It
must fall well off of the shoulders In soft folds, and
bo draped carelessly over the arm as Illustrated on
the page.
Tho bl-vk; scarfs deserve a word by themselves.
Many women choose theso In preference to anything else
that Is offered them. They find that with the majority
or gowns the touch of black is what Is needed to give
character to a gown, and that nothing will do this so
mail as the thin waving line of chiffon that Is so
Illusive and at the same time so pronounoeJ. These
new scarfs are quite a bit wider than those first
brought out. They have also Increased in length. The
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shorter ones lack grace, and do not sdd to the height
of the figure, as do the long, clinging ones. ,
In furs one of the newest scarf effects Is the simple
natural animal, fox or lynx, suspended from the shoul
der. The skin is uncut and allowed to remain In Its
natural shape. This brings the head to one side and the
tall at the other, there being no effort to arrange the
scarf in any other than the simple barbarlo fashion of
suspending the unfinished animal skin from the shoul
der The newest muffs to go with these scarfs are made
In such a style as to simulate exactly a live dog carried
under the arm. The muffs have four pendent paws,
bushy tall, and a lifelike head and neck, around which
there Is a sterling sliver or solid gold trimmed leather
collar, the collar having a name plate and a tiny bell.
Another note of the winter season Is the popularity
of the artificial oprsage bouquet for afternoon and even
ing wear. Orchids, lilies of the valley,, gardenias, and
vlolets are worn In profusion, combined with ferns
which iave been cuTeJ by a process which leaves the
living natural leaf In a way to perpetuate 'Its green,
delicate and lovely. These artificial muff and corsage
bouquet, while more expensive In the beginning, are
really more economical and satisfactory In the end than
the natural flowers.
Artificial flower sots are also popular, the flowers on
the hat, muff, and coat matching each other. Tiles'
bouquets are particularly satisfactory for evening an.
theater wear, as one does not run the risk of ruining
one's gown as she would do from the heavy damp
bouquet of natural blossoms. Quite the newest fancy
In these artificial blossoms Is a piece of white lilac
with a purple orchid center,
We are facing an epidemic of velvet, and the little
costume of black velvet promises to be the furore. On
the advance models shown the skirts are sufficiently full
for comfort and are round and short. Half long the
coats are usually half fitted. A little silk braid is
used in the trimming of the collar, revere, and cuffs,
but the more expensive models are simply trimmed
with Just a touch of heavy silk cord. Bomber and
severe aa this costume Is, It Is nevertheless exceed
ingly ohlo when are added to it the correct accessories
of gloves, shoes, blouse, hat, and neck dressing.
The fronts of the coats of these costumes are filled
with ctreetolre stocks and plaited Jabots of white mull
merely hemmed or trimmed with narrow cluny lare.
Between the edges of the gloves and the coatsleeves
there peeps out an Inch frill of white. The hat worn Is
usually large, all In black velvet, or a huge turban made
bf soft velvet folds, with not a touch of' color on It.
On the black velvet marten trimmed mult Is pinned a
muff bouquet of artificial flowers. Willi such a cos
tume one is well equippej for the ordinary day time
functions of city life.
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