Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-06-06
The Spring Fashions.
Correspondence Of the New York Evening Post
DARIq Mov . n

7l'''NN'SS VI hi' AFtW fFtlnpg IOAt
PARIS, May 3, 1861.
Would your readers, who may moralizC
Tor the foible in question, care, meantime,
Tor word or two on the particular vanity
most in vogue here at this moment? If so.
let them learn that the era Of plain tissues
appears to be passing, and that Of patterns
to be coming in. Silks, for instance, arc
now covered with small ornaments or bunch
es OF flowers, initiating embroidery 80 well
That you can hardly believe them not to be
done with the needle. Tarlatans, Cham
berry gauzes and the other delicate tissues
showing themselves in anticipation of the
dog days are embroidered in the samo man
ner, but in smaller patterns. The question
OF crlnollne, for short time threatened with
the ban OF the mode, has now been settled
IN an affirmative sense. The tryant has, in
fact, established itself more firmly tban ever,
and bids fair to maintain its supremacy for a
long time to come. But instead of being
turned into bell, the aim of modern
beauty Is to expand outward and downward
from the waist, in the fashion of fan: not a
fiat ian,. OF course, dear lady readers, but a
pyramid that shall seem fan-like, from
whichever side 1t is contemplated by its ad-
mrers. so much has been said by the gem
tlemen against the rigidity of the steel de-
fenses now so popular with their wearers,
that the new crinoline is excessively elastic:
the cages being composed of forty, fifty or
seventy. hoops, each very small and elastic
and making. up, by their number, for their
extremely yielding disposition.
Crnollne having taken a new lease of ex-
lstence, tiOunces have also come back into
favor. One deep founce, edged with two or
three tiny ones, the latter edged with pi-
ping OF the color most conspicuous in the
embroidered pattern, is much in vogue or
the dress may be flounced half way up with
flowers OF about three inches in width. or to
the waist if preferred. Sometimes a dress
OF plain color-a gray taffctas, for instance
has band, three or four inches broad. of
rich mnirn. of some hrnadls g ~as.;ne :. .ala-
say green, violet or marine, the band being
edged with double r,tche, or small pulled
flounces, an inch deep, Of the same silk as
the dress. but edged with the color of the
band. The corsage of such dress, which
| saw the other day, was open, something
like Zouave, but fitting the figure, and
trimmed with the same bands and puffs as
were the sleeves. A full white underwaist
of clear muslin, trimmed with ruches, and
sleeves to match, completed this dress.
The bottom of the skirt is generally good
deal trimmed. For ball dresses, the skirt,
if of silk, is often covered with little orna
ments of Grape called creres, of the same
color or with fan-shaped fullings Of Grape,
about hand length in height, surmounted
with bows of ribbon. Flowers are largely
introduced into ball dresses.
For the street, short pelisses of silk, or
light cloth, are still the rage, especially for
young people. Mantles, very large and am
pie, are much in fashion, trimmed with
broad flounces of gnpue, and half-hand-
kerchief Of the same on the shoulders.
For bonnets, white and bluck tulle, trim
med with bright cOlored velvet and punches
of flowers on the top of the trout, are great
ly in vogue. They are worn decidedly lar
ger, so as to come well over the top of the
head. White horsehair, with black pipings
between the braid, and pdiUe de ris, with a
mass Of flowers across the forehead, are also
among the favorite styles. Gold ornaments
are not worn in the bonnets of well-dressed
people but ribbons embroidered with straw
and small plumes of feathers tipped and
sprinkled with specks of straw, are much
worn, and very pretty. This being dcmi-
saison, and the air still cold, the novelties of
the toilet are not yet fully displayed. In the
course Of another month the fashions for the
coming summer will be better defined