Social Life Part 69

This should be plain--tailor-made is the best--walking length, and of good material. "Fussy" styles should not be chosen for street wear, and the hat or bonnet should be rather plain and harmonize with the gown.

Carriage Dress.

There is much more lat.i.tude for display permitted by the carriage dress. Rich materials, elegant wraps, costly furs, are all allowable here.

Coaching parties, too, have grown to be occasions for most gorgeous costuming. Every hue of the rainbow is to be seen as the lofty tally-ho rolls past, until, so great has become the license of color and richness of material, that the "four hundred" are calling a halt, and soberer tints are beginning to mark this amus.e.m.e.nt.

Do not wear too many fluttering ribbons, especially if occupying that coveted position--the box seat. It does not add to the skill and accuracy of the driver at a critical moment to have a fluttering ribbon cut like a whip-lash across his eyes.

Dress for Lent.

This should be the sort of gown most appropriate and becoming to the att.i.tude of repentance. The gowns, of course, are simple, quiet affairs. Symphonies in gray, poems in black and white, must, says one writer, "reflect in their construction as well as color the soberness of the event which they will grace. A train is always admissible for the Lenten robe--that is, if it is for house wear. Otherwise the skirt must be short--quite short enough, indeed, to give one's churchwomen a glimpse of a dainty gray or black walking boot."

Any of the heliotrope, mauve or pansy shades, also, are appropriate expressions of the sorrow of the fashionable woman, thus giving a color scheme capable of the most exquisite effects. White cashmere is well suited for the house; and very little draperies, but long, straight lines, give the sought-after effect, and thus the dainty chrysalis rests during the forty days that precede the unfolding of the gorgeous wings of the Easter b.u.t.terfly.

Dress for Riding.

The riding-habit should be made of broadcloth or some other suitable cloth. The skirt should be weighted by sewing shot in the lower edge of the left-hand breadths. Equestrian tights should be worn. The habit is sometimes worn over another dress-skirt, when, in case of dismounting or accident, the habit-skirt can be slipped off and the rider still left properly attired.

Very long skirts are not worn. The habit should fit perfectly and b.u.t.ton to the throat. Linen collar, a pretty tie and linen cuffs are worn, and a leather glove with gauntlet. The hat should be plain, and of the prevailing fashion.

Lawn Parties.

The dress for these occasions has been already described; sufficient here to say it should be light and graceful, and the bonnet or hat ornamental and effective.

Picnics and Excursions.

Light-weight wool goods, or heavy cotton or linen material that will wash and not tear easily, is most suitable for these occasions. Linen or cotton duck is very serviceable.

Croquet, Archery, Skating, Etc.

All of these semi-athletic games call for bright, pretty costumes, short enough to give the freedom of movement necessary to excel in the game. For summer out-of-door games, pliable gloves should be worn, and a hat to protect the eyes from the sun. For skating, rich, warm materials, fur tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, fur caps, and warm, furred gauntlets should be worn.

Bathing Dress.

Bathing calls for a costume of some material that will not cling to the form when wet. Flannel is appropriate, and a heavy quant.i.ty of mohair also makes a successful dress, as it resists water and has no clinging qualities. An oil-silk cap should be worn over the hair. The cut of the dress should be modest; the costume loose and full, and it should be made with a skirt. The neck should be cut quite high.

Yachting Dress.

This is a pretty, nautically devised and ornamented suit, made of warm materials and those that will stand sea water.

Dress for Gentlemen.

The subject of dress, while not so complex for a man as for a woman, must still receive a certain amount of care at his hands, for no gentleman can possess complete disregard of reigning styles without thereby sacrificing a certain amount of dignity in the estimation of his a.s.sociates.

As far as the cardinal points of the toilet extend, a man is bound by the same laws of exquisite neatness that are inc.u.mbent upon a woman.

The same care of teeth, finger-nails, hands and hair is necessary.

Don't neglect the small hairs that sometimes project from the nostrils and the apertures of the ears. Use a small pair of scissors.

A gentleman will have spotless collars, cuffs and handkerchiefs, irreproachable gloves, nicely blackened shoes and thoroughly brushed clothes. Hair oil must never be used; it is ill-bred.

Clothes of plain colors are always in good taste, and so is pure white linen. The fancy dotted and striped collars, cuffs and bosoms, so often worn, are not as good taste.

Jewelry should be used very sparingly. Utility should be apparent in the articles worn. Watch chain, sleeve b.u.t.tons and studs (one or three, as liked) are necessary. Where one stud is used, the stone, though not conspicuous for size, should be a very fine one. A scarf pin is sometimes worn, and one ring is allowable, but not too large or showy. Don't use quant.i.ties of perfumery, it is very bad taste.

Keep a dressing-gown for use in the dressing-room or the sick-room. It is not a proper garment for the table or the sitting-room.

Wear the hat properly and squarely upon the head. Wear a coat at all proper times--in the sitting-room, drawing-room, and at table.

Lastly, a gentleman avoids all conspicuous styles of dress, and confines himself to quiet colors and well-fitting, well-cared-for garments.

Evening Dress for Gentlemen.

The evening dress for gentlemen varies very little from year to year, and the time of wearing it varies not at all. From "dusk to dawn," in other words, a gentleman wears a dress suit during the same hours that a lady wears an evening dress.

Gentlemen's evening dress consists of black trousers, a low-cut black or white vest, dress or "swallow-tail" coat, and white necktie. The linen must be immaculate. A young man wears a standing collar; an elderly man, if he choose, may wear his favorite style, with due deference to the reigning style. One or three studs adorn the bosom.

Properly speaking, white or very light kid gloves are a part of evening dress, but to say whether or not they shall be worn always at a formal dinner is hardly safe. If worn, remove them at the table; but at a ball they are indispensable. On all doubtful occasions it is well to be provided with a pair, to use if wished.

Evening dress is to be worn at b.a.l.l.s, large dinners, parties and the opera. It is never worn at church, save in case of an evening wedding. It is never worn anywhere on Sunday. In a small town a dress suit on any occasion is apt to seem an affectation. Never wear a dress suit anywhere before six o'clock in the evening.

"A gentleman never looks more thoroughly a gentleman than in an evening dress," says one writer on etiquette, and it is well for those to whom the occasion is liable to come to learn to wear one gracefully and easily.

In France a dress suit is worn upon nearly all festive occasions. In England the same customs prevail for its use as in our own country.

Morning Dress for Gentlemen.

Black cutaway, or Prince Albert coat (frock coat), black vest, white in summer, light-colored trousers, silk or some other style of stiff hat, and a black necktie. A light coat is never worn with black trousers. This morning dress is worn at church, morning receptions, informal parties, garden parties, when making calls, and at places of amus.e.m.e.nt.

Wedding Dress for Gentlemen.

At morning weddings, that is, all weddings before six o'clock, the gentlemen, bridegroom, best man, and all, wear morning dress with light-colored ties. If gloves are worn, light-colored ones must be selected. If there is a formal reception held in the evening, evening dress and white or very pale gloves may then be worn. At an evening wedding, evening dress is expected.

Gloves for Gentlemen.

Gentlemen wear gloves when walking, riding, or driving, at church and all places of amus.e.m.e.nt, when making calls, and at receptions, b.a.l.l.s and evening parties. White or very pale tints for b.a.l.l.s and weddings; delicate tints for evening parties; any shade preferred for the other occasions.