Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-03-16
NEWS AND MISCELLANY.
THE SPRING FASHIONS.
Changes Since Last Autumn

q We publish, Tor the dement, OF on
e fair readers, the following useful com
pend of the prevalent modes which
V will be in vogue the current spring, al
promulgated by the most fashionabl,
: ''artistes" of New York, Philadelphia
: and Boston:
Z The new short dresses for spring
wear, are made in two colors-the dress
9 of one the petticoat and sac paletot,
of another. A black dress, with pur.
! pie petticoat and paletot, is a good
J combination also black and dark
: bright blue.
A green poplin dress and black silk
underskirt and paletot are In good
! style, or fine striped dress with jack
ct and petticoat in contrasting color
Care should be taken not TO make the
upper skirt too short. Six inches is
sufficient difference between the length
OF the upper skirt and lower, meas
Turing, OF course, from the points of
the dents, if il is cut out in the usual
way.
The handsomest short dresses are
black. and trimmed with jet, with
pleating below but they are less fresh
and spring like in their appearance
than the contrasting styles mentioned
above.
SPRING BoNNETs.
Among the advanced styles that we
| have seen, the ''Sectque" is the most
decided novelty. The brim turns up In
front, like the rim of turban, with
the difference that it ascends instead
of lying fiat to the crown, and forms
tiara over the forehead. A narrow
cape at the back surmounts the chignon
and forms comb. This is quite new,
and rather diStingue, but it can be be-
coming to very few women.
Other styles iii fancy straw approach
more nearly to the Lonnets of several
years ago, The brim is narrow, but |
somewhat pointed and elevated in front; |
the cape small and surmounts the CHG |
non. The crown is the most important |
part of the bonnet, and fits to the top |
of the head, instead of at the back,
leaving the cape and brim to serve as |
ornamental appendages, rather than |
indispensable parts of the main struc- |
ture.
A new and pretty toquet has an elevat-
ed brim, like the "Sevique." This Ia
pers off at the back, where the crown |
descends in a point.
Some beautiful Sevique" straws |
had the standing brim aud cape faced |
with blue or green satin, and finished |
ON the upper edge with jet or crystal |
fringe. The outside trimming was SIM |
pie and correspond in color with the |
facing.
Easter comes late this year, and as |
Easter Sunday is the first occasion up
on which it is to display new spring |
bonnets, the appearances of the best |
styles will be displayed somewhat later
than usual.
Very quaint bonnets are make in
satin, with low round crowns, and brim |
extending all the way round. They
are made in satin, aud have been
named, properly, on account of their
rocco style, the Versailles. We
have seen one made in green satin, the
brim edged with jet beads, the crown
surrounded by small crimson roses
mixed with black lace.
Another was of blue satin, and this
was ornamented with wreath of small
feather tips and an edging of crystal
fringe. small feather flowers are used
for decorating the earlier spring bon
nets, and Jet is still largely employed
upon black or green silk bonnets.
Birds made OF satin or silk embroi-
dered or fringed with beads, are a
novelty in ornaments for bonnets or
head-dresses.
NEW SPRING DRESS GOODS.
There is not much that is new as
yet to announce in dress goods. A
great display is already made in the
windows of orr large establishments,
| but it generally consists of last sea-
sons poplins and snowy cambrics
Everybody has a pet weakness, per-
haps more, but certainly one. One of
ours was for the pretty, delicate, fine
striped and small-fgured cambrics and
persales, which always made their APP
| pearance like the cuckoo, as the herald
of spring. We never tired of them
any more than of the green freshness
of the grass, or the welcome song of
the birds But, alas, we see them no
more. There are cambrics, but they
are gaudy, Haunting things, printed in
large patterns and dreadful borders,
with, perhaps, body of different color
from the skirt-bold, shameful, tawdy
fabrics, which desecrate their name,
and are no more like our modest cam
brics of years ago, than the dandelion
| is like the crocus or the violet.
Much better than these are the plain
cambrics, which can be tastefully trim
med with bands in a contrasting color,
stitched on with the sewing machine,
white upon blue, for instance, green
upon grey, and blue upon pale bluff -
For those who can afford it, however,
white makes the prettiest morning
dress fine white corded muslin. or
lain India, and we recommend all la
dies to count two of this description as
indispensable to their preparation for
the summer season. Our own choice
in color would be white or black all the
year round, but always white muslin,
with the addition In cold weather of
blue or scarlet sac or jacket for morn
ing wear.
casper" cloths and casper" silks
are offered as spring novelties, although
there is nothing particularly novel
about them. They are simply fine
chene goods in dark colors, with little
bright intermixture. They make up
into handsome spring suits-the silk
trimmed With cross-cut bands of satin,
with Jet heading running through the
] centre; the cloths-pcplins they are
| sometimes called-ornamented with Jet
gimp or braid.
"Poplins" contribute now the gen
/ Aa... l. 1. a. N 4