INDOOR GOWNS.

Types of indoor gowns outnumber those for out of door wear when a complete list is compiled. There is the slip-on, tho bed jacket, bathrobe, matinee, lounging gown, house gown, tea coat, mandarin coat, kimono, semi-negli-gee, bridge or tea gown, and the gown that is elaborate enough to bo worn for , dinner, or ovon to bo slipped on under the evening, or opera wrap that is to be thrown back but not removed, and for which it acts as a sort of foundation. Evening dance frocks, opera and dinner gowns are of coarse to be included in indoor gowns, but they are not of the negligee type. In spite of tho war there are some very new ideas copied from the recently imported or adapted from the latest. French .models. One of the peculiarities in present negligees is tho very slender Hue drawn between the elaborate negligee and the evening gown. Tho tea gown or fanciful negligee has always been supposed to open in front, as it could be donned more quickly "that way, and to bo vague in form. But as the evening gown that is up-to-date is quite as likely to be vague of form, and the elaborate negligee, often fastens in the back, the lino of demarcation is hardly discernible. The indoor negligee is a trifle more picturesque, given to deep lace pelerines and little overeoatoes, 'and with an uneven foot line, cut high in front to show the ankles perhaps, and trailing off into a little serpentine point. The evening gown is either a very short dancing frock with deep godets in the skirt, or a dinner or ball gown much more fitted that the bridge or tea gown or even the intimate dinner frock. A very girlish afternou negligee is of pale blue chiffon. It is gathered slightly over a straight slip foundation of the same chiffon. It is sleeveless and gathered in at the low round neck and again at the knees in a downward movement. There are three overlapping flounces below this, one of the chiffon, ono of lace, and an under cue of chiffon. A high one-sided sash of pink satin marks an Empire waist line and is all but covered by a little sleeveless cutaway coatee of a doe]) shade of blue velvet. Another afternoon neglige is of orchid chiffon. The foundation dress is laid in half-inch pressed pleats and caught in with a silver passementerie girdle. The sleeves have a shoulder puff; from there a pointed ruffle of the chiffon, pieot edged, falls to below the elbow. Tho cutaway sleeveless coatee is of pale blue panne, outlined by a slender silver hand embroidery. A charming gown for a matron that bridges the distance from afternoon or evening negligee, and at the same time would serve as a dinner gown, is of black taffeta with black lace flounces. The top is of taffeta and has a surplice front, tho edges embroidered with gold and a deep pelerine dropping at the back. The skirt is covered with three flounces of black lace. Tn one peach coloured satin gown of the more lounging type, what would be a three-quarter pelerine top becomes a sort of coatee; the lower edge of the cape is gathered under aud caught to the foundation. There are no sleeves,

a slash like such as would be made in a cape is overbound with a darker shade of amethyst satin for the hands to pass through. The back is shaped in by an amethyst sash' that appears through slashes aud ties in the conventional bow and ends. The neck has collars and, rovers of amethyst.

Sleeveless coatees to slip over a simple negligee often turn it into one that smepars more elaborate. A tea coat of this kind is made of rose velvet striped chiffon. It has no arm holes, the arm

extending to the hem. The coatee is outlined with a full ruffle of pink taffeta with a scalloped embroidered ("!■ ■<•. Kui'li :i jacket will turn a simplenegligee of crepe de chine into one that can be worn either afternoon or evening. While evening gowns are more or less clinging, like the negligee, tho dance frocks are very full at the hem, at least live yards around. They are cut so they fall in d"op godet folds, besides having a. goodly dare. This is done by gathering a circular skirt into the waist, it may be n.r-de also by cutting a skir r with very f.;..;-ing gor s s. Another way is to add one circulat flounce to another. In this fashion the skirt needs little or no gathering about the waist. Materials are becoming more firm, tho tinsel brocades, the failles and Ottoman silks replacing slowly but surely the more filmy weaves. The evening gowns are tinsel brocades almost covered with tinsel embroidered or pailletted laces. Sleeves are omitted more than half tho. time, a shoulder strap is the usual outline to a decollete, and real lace again appears at the gown tops. Velvet dinner gowns are filmy above the high girdle. They often have a pelerine or little court mantle hanging from tho shoulders or winglike net or chiffon draperies. The lower skirt edge is cut into suave curves and a filmy lace petticoat shows below. Panne velvet in tho magenta, old gold, orchid or old blue tones is mostly used, though there is a great deal of chiffon velvet seen in tho conservative models.