The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 2, 1902, Page 2

ANTON is the Paris of the Orient, the fashion center of that far East country of lilles and tea, and from thet center all the aristocratic Ce- lestials in whatever part of the world they may be still watch with eager interest the decrees put forth by Madame La Mode, that capricious, fastidious au- thority of Southern China The ner of dress in the Orient is & t one, for it at once deter- , the officlal standing, the h and the artistic taste of re in all the world has ture been combined in the as it is in the native ¢ The four distinct autu and divisions of the day, light and night, all nt part in the fash- of the aristocratic Chinese, mbolized & summer, ew gown she will dip the 1 the black, pasty ink Chinese hieroglyphics a nder. 11 um to the the manufacturer who re- and perfectly—he a morning dres that the sun is he that he must m all over again to weave a full-blown flower every well- nges her gown or twi- ave the violet half gownwill bf course osed flower. suffice for the s and the flower is woven in eame shade, so the ivory skinned, footed wearer will appear all one day the same shade of blue, yet her dress will be in perfect taste, for she keeps tab of the hour and wears the proper weave rnoon w at the proper time, the detying criticism of even the most exacting fol- lower of fashion. THE SUNDAY CALL. The most serious breach of etiquette a Chinese lady can commit in dress is to wear the wrong flower at the wrong time of the day or season—for instance, a full-blown flower at night or a spring primrose in winter. For the spring gowns there is a choice of all the flow- ers in season—the primrose, the violet, the rose and the young bamboo is often chosen In its varying developments. In summer the fashions change; the spring flower dresses must be laid aside and their place is taken Ly summer flower de- signs. The cutumn is generally symbol- ized by leaves or chrysanthemums For winter the fastidious dresser of either sex may order gowns all woven with ape designs; a solid col- or of y buff, pitk or blue may hs oral woven in, and here, too seasons play thelr part. A spring scene appears in the morning gown, summer for m autumn for twilight and winter for The seasons do not, however, te the colors. The gayest or the delicate may be used for any son—that part is dependent upon of the wearer ordinarily well dressed Chinese woman will have in her wardrobe at least fifty gowns and about ten pairs of shoes, although these may be all in one design. Sometimes they are in color to match the gown, but seldom. They are generally light pink or dainty blue in color, exquisitely embroidered by hand, in flower, bird, butterfly or con- ventional designs; any color or harmony of colors may be used in any part of the costume except a solid yellow, that sunny shade being reserved for the robes of royalty. White enters not at ali into the wardrobe, for it is the Chi- nese mourning. Another divergence in the Oriental custom from the American is the wearing of jewels and the dressing of the hair. The Chinese lady may dress her hair in the most elaborate colffure with all the strings and pearls and riches of dia- monds early in the morning if the fancy s her; she may with perfect pro- ty don all her bracelets and jade charms or rings whenever she pleases, and it will still be called in good taste. Fans play a large part in the Oriental dress, but they are generally fanciful ac- cording to personal taste, and are not, like the silks, regulated by the season, although the poetical idea is sometimes carried to that extent by the very fas- - tidious. Each Chinese lady counts among her possessions at least three fans for various occasions. The Chinese New Year, commencing the first week in February, will be ushered in not only by the boom of a miilion fire- crackers, the clang of cymbals and punk- burning in houses of worship, butiit wil be welcomed by the gayest of gay attire The belles and matrons of San Francisco's diminutive China will assume their daint- fest silks and richegt jewels: their hair will be dressed in the most elaborate man- ner, for New Year to the Chinese lady RECEP TION Gownrs offers much the same opportunity that the dawn of Easter does to the American. The local tallors, wise in the art of laying on curls and furbelows of cording, of concelving attractive designs and of harmonizing shades, are more than busy. Sharp scissors gleam as they snip into vards and yards of shimmering silk. Ma- chines hum ~and sing ag the energetic operator finishes gussets and seams, lays in the padding and sews on a band of embroidered lace. But these gowns of the local dressmaker shops are to please the fancy of the merchants’ wives only and of the lesser lights who can hfford them, for the robes of the aristocracy or of the WALRING Deees . ladies of rank are all imported direct from China. The last steamer from across the Pacific brought a consignment of gowns for some of the local four hundred. The daintiest of dainty silks, all folded in soft mulberry paper, that smells deliciously of sandal wood; sky blues, lavenders, pinks, sea greens and all the beautiful intermediate shades no one but the Chi- nese seem to have grasped the secret of dyeing. A number of official gowns, or frocks, as they call them, arrived for that charm- Tea Sown l bit of Oriental femininfty, the wife of Consul Yo How. Although the little lady adheres strictly to the edicts of her coun- try, neither calling or recelving, sending invitations nor accepting them, like all the Chinese ladles of aristocratic birth, and she remains closely within the pre- cincts of her-own home, yet in her ward- robe there are dozens of the most charm- ing reception gowns imaginable, elabor- ate court dresses or full dress costumes, walking dresses, gowns for morning, noon and night, all colors and designs. Although the cut of the Chinese gar- ments worn by either sex differs but little from one decade to another, the authori- tles have declared a slight change for this new century. The beautiful long-flowing sleeves of the top garment, or walst part, are this year much narrower at the wrist, where formerly an opening of twenty-four inches flopped over the hand. The width is now diminished to about fifteen. The body part, or waist, has also undergone a slight—a very slight—change, that of taking the under arm seams a trifle more deep, and this brings the garment a bit more snug across the chest and through the walst, although to the uninitiated eye the change is unnoticeable. The officlal court dress for Lady Ho Yow is one of the most beautiful of this year's gowns, a wonderful harmony of color and Intricate design In hand em- broidery and gold passementerie. The " body of the waist is the richest of dark plum, shading to mauve; a lavender yoke about eight inches in depth is edged with a border of gold passementerie, on elther side of which is a tiny cording of black. On the front and back of the official gown is the significance of rank—a large squars or “royal patch,” it is called. The insig- nia for rank is placed in the center of this pateh. For first rank it is a pheasant; the second and third are also pheasants, less elaborated; the fourth rank s a pea- cock; the fifth is a stork. The pheasant, or third rank to the highest, is upon the court dress of Lady Ho. The “royal patch” is a solid block of intricately de- signed embroidery, with varying colors— purple, green, blue, lavender, a dash of red and a great deal of gold; a band of gold passementerie trims the edge. In the very center of the square, resting upon a solid embroidery of gold, rests the insignia. The bottom of-the frock matches the yoke of lavender. The sleeves are of light pink, with & broad band of embroidered mauve the color of the waist; the cording at the bottom of the sleeve is of black. The waist is softly padded throughout and 13 lined in a royal purple silk. The skirt to be worn with this is a light buft in color. A Chinese skirt is an apronlike affair of two parts—one apron’ in front, one in the back; the sides are opened, although the voluminous pleats give an appear- ance of a full, round skirt. A full dress is' always made with one hundred tiny pleats; an ordinary costume is by the laws of dress etiquette regulated to only thirty. The official skirt has a panel of solld embroidery, a sort of landscape, in which two deer and some flying birds ap- pear; the bottom is embroidered with roses, with green and yellow leaves; the pleats come full on the side. Altogether the gown is one of the most elaborate ever shown In’this city. Of the reception gowns one of the very prettiest is In chrysanthemum design. The body of the waist i3 of lavender; broad slesves of light pink trimmed with alternate stripes of silvery gray, sm- broidered with whits. The body of the frock is trimmed with narrow gray em- brofdery and Chinese lace to match. Most of the gowns are made with yokes; th one in this is light blus edged with = cording of pink. The button design on this artistic creation is three chrysanthe- mums on one side, a tiny butterfly on the other; jeweled buttons of pink, lavender and gray match the gown. A skirt with panels of embroidered chrysanthemums, pleats of plain silk, goes with this frock. Another is of dark purple, with body upon which large tulips in black velvet are appliqued; sleeves of buff, with bands of indescribable green, corded with tulip design In black. Green jade stone (lucky stone) .buttons are on this garment. The set of reception gowns in whits, pink and blue, with pomegrante design. is one of the daintiest; the body of the waist in each of the four gowns is of the faintest seashell pink—a yoke of the light- est blue, edged with silver embroidery and a white cording. Each design for the clasp of a button has distinct meanings, readily interpreted by the Chinese eye— & black spiral in a faneciful half flower means prosperity, another of different color happiness. and so on. Superstition and poetry are so closely woven that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other, but in this instance both are attractive and beautiful. Another pretty gown which eould be used for either a reception or a walking gown is of dark green, with rows of black satin bands; designs of black -atin ornament the waist: the sleeves are of a purplish shade with a broad border of buff silk; the edging is of green, the skirt has a panel embroldered with a landscape, a rice fleld with several flying storks: an- other has embroidered cn the skirt basket of fruits, on either side of which sits a ducks. 2 Butterflies and chrysanthemums are fa- vorite designs for embroldery, although an occasional pagoda or teahouse appear in the walking gowns. The Chinese dresc for men almost never changes, although the same rules in regard to observing the seasons and times of day are carried out in the woven patterns. of their gowns. The dresses for ladies of degree are al- ways with skirts; those of the middle classes or servants are made with the broad trousera