The New York herald., 1868-03-29
new YORK AND PARIS FASHIONS.

The sensation Of "openng day" has passed away,
but its delights. and pleasures will linger with US
until the close OF summer. Spring, 1t cannot be de-
MED, has brought US many pleasing and attractive
styles; but It failed to bring anything that could
be termed either new or novel. Old ideas have
thousand times before been done up and altered,
and exaggerated and burlesqued, until they were
worn threadbare; but this season the rehashing OF
old modes has been carried farther than ever before
Not one original fancy, either In the way OF cloaks
bonnets, or Of dresses, can now be met with
The wholesale slashng and daring liberties that
from time to time have been taken Win the
styles Of other days eliminated this year In q
grand raid upon all the fashionable f0lies
and vagares that are supposed to have made our
great great grandmothers irresstibly charming and
fascinating. The toilet OF a fashionable lady OF the
present day resembles In almost every particular the
toilet OF grande dame OF the time OF Louis XIV. OF
France. Coiffures are powdered and curled and
twisted and tortured into every conceivable shape
and sze dresses very nearly as d5coletses as at
that PERIOD skirts are almost as narrow and trains
long. and, in fact from head to foot the women Of
to-day but animated copies Of the fashion plates
OF hundred years ago. We have all laughed i'm
moderately at the ludicrous s'fxens' tnat adorned
these fair DANES as represented In the pictures
Of their times, and we should be unjust to
them and to posterity did we now refrain
from laughing at ourselves Then by all
means let laugh at our own foes, foibes
and extravagances as we laughed at thers but let
trust that there Is a better time coming. We
would like to see come soon or be told at once that
there Is no hope. We are not only anxious for re-
form in Dress but also that the women ofthe pres
ent age should show some little originality and nde
pendence in matters pertaining to their toilets.
The manner in which these delicate affairs are now
managed is abominable and reflects anything but
credit upon American women. few of our m0dfstes
import what they call s'sampes' from Paris OF Lon
don or Berlin; and from these samples they copy
perhaps modify, the shape or trimmings little,
and then dignity them with the Sob,TQuet Of
the ''latest styles,n for which they never
fail to ask the most exorbitant prices
and always get whatever they ask for 1t is well
kno fact our women labor under the impression
that when thing is to be had somewhat cheap it
must OF necessity be no good Is 1t not easy for
modiStes to copy from the old fashioned plates
as for those Of Eur0pef But they should not do
that were they disposed. Our country Is
large, well populated with preponderance in favor
OF the females and surely our women neither lack
brains nor taste. Why not, then, invent 'stylcs"
OF our own and cast these foreign abominatons
asides The whole OF this vast continent could
then be happy, and could also furnish the
world with ,n better purer @ and more heatnfa
ing upon Europe long enough for these things, and
II has long since ceased sending us anything new.
cannot do better without help BY all means, ladies,
let us have a mode Anle71cufne.
readers a description OF two petticoats that will
doubtless interest them. The under pettcoat, since
tho introduction OF short costumes has formed
very important and useful portion OF the toilet.
They are generally bordered with one or
two bexplaited nonnces, and are certainly
articles that were formerly worn. Our first
IL gray camlet petticoat, bordered with band OF
silk three inches deep and OF somewhat darker
silk Is vandyked and Ornamented with BRAID and
above the SILK there are also two rows OF braid
which follow the lines OF the vandykes. The silk
band should be lined with muslin before being sewed
on to the petticoat. The next is Of white serge,
trimmed with black ribbon velvet, black and white
mohar braid and Jet buttons. The edge OF the petit
coat Is cut out In vandyke, and bound with fine
OF unequal lengths scwed In perpendicular lines TO
form o border; the longer straps fall In the
centre and the short ones at the commencement OF
each vandyke, and every strap terminates with jet
button. Two rows OF vevef-thc lower one measur-
ing one inch and half and the upper row one inch
in breadth-are sewn above these perpendicular
straps. Narrow black and white braid Is then sewn
upon the rbbon-vevet so as to form an ornamental
scroll over IT,
To show the rapidity with which we are now retro
pading we Will describe the latest spring novelty that
has made It's appearance and which Is designated
toilet or the time Of Henri lII.:-Rich SILK or mile
skirt, pearl gray in color, bordered with crosscut
band Of the same which band is corded at both
edges with white satin. This skirt is looped up
very high at the side where II opens and discovers
an underssirt OF the same rich material. wide
cross band arranged az an dgoge, joins the two side
breadths. The somewhat full sleeve is confined at
the wrist with cross band riped with white satin.
Al the top Of the sleeve there is second band
edged with white and crossed ut intervals with small
bars OF white satin. Two long ends fringed with
white fall from the top OF the sleeve The bodice Is
open IN front, the edge cut In scollops, which are
Having already devoted several columns this week
70 the latest styles In bonnets paletos, sacks and
A. nj altf.ln hta rfkaln kx,