Glass Of Fashion

p EET FEW OF last season's fancy capes will be eligible for wear this spring. Little lapseam, tailormade melton affairs for street and promenade are all right, white for reception, calling, and "dress" the only correct thing .s a cape of changeable silk, reaching barely to the elbows, and flnished at the edge with á close ruífle or ruche of the silk. Over tliis is set a cape of lace or perforated cloth. Sonvtimes the lace is attached to the silk foundation, but more often it is free. About the neck comes a high, soft ruche of lace, or a feather collar. Such capes are new, very dressy, warmer than they look, and they have the advantage of "going" with almost any shade of dress. Among the new models was a dainty one embroidered with sequins and similar )eads on black velvet. It was quite short, very full around the edge, and was lined with shot silk that toned with the sequins. The design of the embroidery was conventional, and here and there little scrolls carne out of the design and ran up toward the neck. A full chiffon ruche and two blue silk poppies trimmed the neck. The poppies were lmpossible flowers, but that does not matter nowadays, and some Buch bit of brightness is essential. The prize trick of making over was done by a girl who, having cut out the central medallion of her parasol cover, that she might makt a place for her head to go through, utilized the removed central medallion for the crown of a hat and drove all her friends nearly crazy with envy. Advice About a Gown. For the bodice of the dress shown in lllustration there is a fitted blue lining covered wlth spangled tulle, and the bouffant front is further enriched by several rows of white velvet ribbon smbroidered with jet and steel. A tiny yoke of white velvet, also embroidered, almost filis in the cut-out, and a blue velvet belt comes around the waist. Blue velvet also gives the sleeves and bows of the same ribbon dot the skirt and bodice. All this is beautiful and ?legant, and is all right for the lucky few who can afford such richness, but Lor the others, the whooping big maiority as electioneers put it, it gives a chance for a timely bit of advice. It is that, now fashions change so rapIdly, it is not necessary to buy the best materials for a party gown. All sorta of silks come with a big rep "cotton filled" in them; these silks look well, they are stiff enough to stand out y in sleeves, and they are almost as rheap as good cotton. Whlle thé pur:haseofcotton-and-woolgoods for street wear, or of cotton velvets or cheap 5atins and silks for dresses that are to :onstitute a stand-by part of the wardrobe is unwise, the party gown that at best can be worn only two or three times may as wtll be of some inexpen5ive material that need not be kept to make over when the gown is worn. A little party gown for a brunette of elender figure made of straw-colored sük of the suggested sort, with a little 'ront of white tulle, is as pretty as :an be, with just a plain, wide skirt umi a wide-belted bodice fitted simply io that too much strain need not come Dn the material. Such a dress can, perhaps, be consldered possible in a noney way, when real good material (vould make the gown out of the question. Time was when it was worth ivhile to buy rlch goods and have them tleansed for several wears, but It is as ïheap and a lot more fun to get new stuff these days. For Fashlcm'9 Critica. If the 3ay ever comes when crltlcs ivill abandon the silly twaddle about faphlon in which they have so long in9ulged, the world will be much the rainer by the change. For a good many i-ears fashion, lts frivolity, its senseessness, its absurdity and its uselessaess, has been the subject of screeds vithout number, each crltic apparently .rying to hold it up to keener ridicule than his predecessor. As a matter of ;act, on fashion and its changes rest :he foundations of commercial prosper■ty. If the old were as pleasing as the aew, many of the factories would go ut of business, the importers would aever go to the trouble and expense of mporting goods for which there was no mperative demand, and, one by one, ndustries that employ thousands upon housands of persons would languish ind die. If a five-year-old dress was as Measing as a new one, women would not take the trouble and worry that 'hey now do to provide fresh costumes Jor all seasons; but this thing which pe cali fashion demands novelty and rn-iety, and to meet its requirements manufactures and trade are ever kept llive. Within reasonable limits, there[ore. fashion, as we now use the term, (neans business prosperity and gainful tccupations to the many. It would be a rood idea to elévate the literature of ashion to its proper plane and do away vith much of the silliness and fripery that characterize it. Women on Paris Streets. Women as -well as men are employed o remove the dirt from the streets of Paris. Gr DOth sexes, armed wlth br er at certain potnts all over i specially about the Opera and the Piare de la Bastille, Employes of the prefecture promptly appear and ' ;n into brigades, assigrnins t -rtain section frem which the snow, ice or dirt is to be removed 01 I of its dansers to the pedestrain, for it is the duty ot the "dlreetiou , ays," as the streetcleaning di it is callcd, to clean off the si'! well as the atreets, and to sprinkle einders in sltppery places. The coming of the snow means much to the Parlsian poor, and elouJy skies are anxli usly watohed and a heavy snowstorm "nailed with delight. In win lei,at is short, sd the sweej and ends in darkness. The ■ of ten hour's labor is live francs, or about il in Ainerlcan money. In .Munich, too, íhe women street-swei ::!iar spectticle. They have not oni brooms but shovel?, and they wear men': boots, feit bats and wadded woolen jackets. The stranger at first does not distinguish them from the men. Styligh anti Dressy. There are hardly as many new jackets offered as is customary at this season, but the artist contributes a stylish and dressy one in the accompanying sketch. Made of a brown silk and wool texture, it is cut with a moderately long and deeply plaited basque. lts fronts turn back in revers covered with guipure, and four buttons are placed in the waist. The garment Rooks in front and has a gathered vest of while silk partly covered with guipure in addition to a abot of the white silk. A folded collar of the latter finlshes the neck, but the full sleeves are of the mixed goods. With Fancy Walsts. Black satin and brocade, crepon and woolen goods are being made up into skirts, to be worn with fancy waists. These skirts are flaring at the hem and iré quite long, rather too long-, indeed, 'or comfortable walking, but this obection is made light of by ladies who declare that even though the skirts are ordinary length, it is necessary to raise them a little to avoid the continual striking on the pavements, which discolors and wears them off in ess time than it takes to talk about it. ndeed, a single promenade of any ength takes the flrst freshness from any skirt if it is allowed to hang, scrapng the walks at every step. If it is hort enough entirely to clear, it is not considered good form, and therefore women have compromised by slightly it and wearing it comfortably ong.