The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-12-11
Chitchat on Fashions for January.

Dinner and evening dresses are imported
in soft thick silk of rare lustre, called
drap Imperial, and the corresponding shades
are shown in satins of fine quality, designed
for the toilettes of the present gay season.
First is Gle. blue, the palest sky tint with
changeful silver simmer. Artists in colors
have experimental for years to obtain this
pure shade without the leaden hue or the
greenish tinge that gas-light develops in
many evening blues. Foamy pillows of
lace and ornaments of pearl should accom-
pany this admirable color. Next to this
are darker blues-royal, Mexique, and ul-
tramarine, the shades deepening in the
order mentioned. Four coral shades are
shown; the first is white-coral, warmed
with the merest blush of pink, scarcely
deeper than flesh tint; pink coral like the
pale Neapoltan ornaments; the darker
rose-coral; and the deepest red shade, SO
becoming to brunettes. Beyond this is the
new gas-light green, Uerd Nile, a favorite
hue with blondes; Pomona and emerald
green complete the list. We also see bro
promise made by the Empress Eugene, as
she passed through Lyons that these bro
cades should be restored to favor, if it lay
in her power. Plain faille and gros-grdip
silk have for some years been exclusively
fashionable, much to the prejudice of the
Lyons manufactures, whose special glory
lay in the fabrication of the handsome sores
faconnees, for the patterns of which artists
of really great talents were employed. 1t
is incalcuable what an influence such or
such fashion may exercise upon whole
city of employers and workmen.
At Lyons the greater part of the town is
occupied by the workmen, called canuts
whose silk machines are heard from MORN
ing till night without pause or rest Now
all these work-people's gains are remarka-
bly, reduced, when, instead of figured, they
have only plain or even shot silk to manu-
facture. The great difference between
Lyons and the great manufacturing towns
in England is, that instead of being all
huddled together in large manufactures,
the workmen all remain in their own houses,
where each has his own loom and machine.
But we cannot enter here into farther de-
tails Of the manufacture of silk. We fancy
our lady readers will prefer reading de-
scription of some of the twelve beautiful
dresses, presented by the wives of the prin-
ciple manufactures to the Empress on the
occasion of her brief flying visit to Lyons,
where she only remained one whole day
and night. The most magnificent of these
dresses, that destined to clothe the Empress
in circumstances of great ceremony, is a
pouh de sole, with white ground, brocad-
ed with bouquets of varied flowers, in the
Pompadour style. These bouquets are of an
exquisite, aerial lightness, and seem to trem-
BILE in the air at every movement or rustic of
the rich folds of the material. There are
no less than sixty different shades in the
bouquets but so softly blended are these
shades of color, that there is nothing gaudy
or glaring in the tout ensemble The second
dress is n damasked satin, cerise-colored,
with brocaded bouquets of white silk,
shaded with cerise. Then comes white
gros-grain, with white brocaded pattern,
extremely distingue. This excellent recep-
ton toilette dress seemed to please her
Majesty particularly. But our limits will
not permit us to describe tho remaining
dresses.
Silks of striped velvet and satin are verv
elegant; in some instances both kinds of
stripes are of the same color; in others,
the stripes are alternately black and color
ed. For understands the stripes are very
wide, for dresses they are much narrower.
Figured silks are very beautiful upon white
or light grounds for the evening, upon
black for walking or visiting dresses. The
silk droguets have colored patterns which
look exactly like designs in raised silk en-
broidery.-G0dey.