Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-12-24
The Winter Fashions.
From the Philadelphia North American.


I. Ladies complain that this winter fash
ION Is mercilessly exacting. By the freak
OF the Empress Eugene all Christendon
Is affected. Eugenie wears nothing hu
4 Russian sables. Mink fur is Just rs warm
So Is Hudson's Bay sahle. Eugenie, hav
ing an unllmitedly large tnnk book, sport
! Russian sables,. For this reason ever,
iashi on-plate showed series OF rabbit
chinned women, with mouths two size
smaller than their eyes. all clad in In,
same costly mutfs, victOrines and talmHs
While no two are habited in tho sam,
style of garment, the coincidence in fur
is perfect. This bothers the entire re
naming portion oi the civilized world
and gives the heartache TO moderate sizeu
,uket books. ..... .E d. ....
Eugenie gives lift to Lyons. 10y wear
ing cloaks of Lyons velvet Last winter
she sported q costly plush. Oar ladies
followed copy, according to the length Oi
their purses, and those who couldn't at
ford the more expensive kinds, sported
the frosted beaver and the limitations.
Eugenie is elJaked in velvet TO her very
heels. For this reason the revolving Ia
dies with wax busIs, in the windows of
the cloakeries, are patterned after her.
The ladies pattern from the effigies, and
with the price of velvet enormously in
creased, ladies who must be the iOn, must
make extravagant demands upon any or
.dinary finances. THIS however. is not all.
1t is bad enough, but the song carries a
chorus in the shape of trimming. The
mode indicates rich lace. Nothing like
sham will answer. The gracefully round
ed shoulders that support the velvet
cloak must be bordered with guipure to
correspond. A yard of this article, four
inches wide, leaves the change from a ten
dollar note scarce worth consideration
Rich silk must line the garment, and al
together its cost is at least twice that of
the handsomest overcoat seen in Chestnut
street. We looked at them yesterday
Nothing at all presentable was shown US
at less than sos. for the best furnished
the price was s;i.,5 TO SF5, according to
trimming. .-...
SO much for this part of the female
wardrobe. Gentlemen who have millin-
ers' bills to pay next spring will learn an
other wrinkle. Eugenie is getting en-
bonpoint. Her chin is coming forward
She sees her feet less easily than she did
four years ago. To give the proper equi-
poise to her head she affects the longest
and richest ostrich plumes, falling back
to the rearward of her velvet bonnet.
Read up lie Follet, as we did yesterday,
and Euyenie's head-gear appears to be
inevitably these white flowing plumes, in
bonnets of black, garnet and SOlierino
velvet. The lady reader viii pleace note
that three bonnets are the maximum even
for an Empress-how many are worn by
Mrs. Lincoln is more than we have the
meaRs of ascertaining.
Ladies of liberal expenditure, too, used
to regard ten dollars as the full equivalent
for handsome bonnet. Looking round
among our artists in female head-gear,
yesterday afternoon, we found nothing at
that figure that could be characterized as
anything like duck" of an article. A
first class feather, such as appears fire.
quently on the promenade, costs eight
dollars to begin with-we saw them worth
ten dollars, and even more-the velvet to
fashion bonnet costs at least six dollars,
a French frame 81 cents, the ribbon 90
cents yard, the flowers and INSIDE trim
ming" dollar more, This is at wholesale
price. and brings a lady's bonnet at a
high figure. s .. ..
4 The prices asked for ladies shoes IS Just
about double what they were two years
ago. We are glad to see followed an ex-
ample set by Eugenie, and that is the
wearing of honest, double-sole boots. The /
story is told at once by the display in the |
windows of the shoemakers' stores. |
Ladies' now wear as thick boots as gen.
tlemen formerly wore. Such boots two
years ago could be bought for three dol |
ars. This was the outside figure. Fam
lies were supplied at this rate, and their
bills sent in twice year. The price is
low FIVE dollars, payable on delivery.
ready made shoes, Eastern work,
hat formerly could be sold only to the
poorer or undiscriminating class of peo-
ole in the cities, now brings the former
price of customer work. The newly in !
thick-soled boots for ladies,
however, are cheaper in proportion than
he others. A single pair of them viii do
winters service.
So much for some of the points nn the
winter fashions. Old bachelors will prob
.bly pooh-pooh the entire subject, and
,less their stars that it has no bearing
Ipon their finances or cogitaliops. TO /
thers. however, the case is very differ
mt.