AN AMERICAN LADY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1630, 8 August 1887, Page 3

AN AMERICAN LADY.

... », ; la the New World maturity is reaohed much earlier than ia the Old. A girl of fourteen captivates the hearts of men, and Is as fascinating to them as one of twenty here ; and fascination there is a fine art, not 'merely an occasional tribute. At seventeen she is a finished coquette. The New York lady of fashion commences the day mauh like the Parleienne, only instead of chocolate she has coffee and "crackers" (hiicalts; m bed. She does not take much interest m the newspapers, but languidly tarns over the piles of correspondence of ■11 descriptions whloh await her perusal, and selects the most interesting. A piobure of her at this moment would be most charming ; a> small, oval, spiiituelle face, large luminous eyes, and well-marked eyebrows, clear complexion, and intelligent, mobile mouth, giving at once the Idea that there Is a being capable of understanding most things, and of taking her part m the world's work. Her hair, too, coiffe a la Directoire, hardly tossed or tumbled, and her pretty pink Bilk night wrapper are as carefully considered by her at it she were going to receive hor friends In that gufse. The American lady loveß to have all her surroundings beautiful, and •ha takes great pride m weariDg elegant underolothing of all descriptions, some times of pink, pale blue, or maize-colored silk, ttimmed with Valenciennes or fine torchon -lace, and sometimes of the finest and. softest linen, merely tuoked and gathered, bat always elegant, and always Of the newest design. la no city of the world Is the subject of the toilet studied to such an extent as m New York. The . Ameiicau society lady, as a rule, is not an early riser, and appears at a rather late breakfast m a pretty and elaborately trimmed morning gown. This is a more varied repast than with us, one of its chief constituents m all seasons being fruit In profusion. She then prepares herself for the promenade, or foe an unwearied . found of shopping, speeding as touch time and energy on the latter as if it were the chief object of her life. Up to about four o'o'ock the upper part of Broadway end Fifth Avenue are crowded with elegantly dressed ladies. A notable fact about these morning costumes is that they are composed of silk, satin, or velvet, or a mixture thereof, elabora'e'y trimmed, and, m fact, •.- equivalent . t > the afternoon costumes of British ladies "The Lady's World" for April, «