The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-05
CHARLESTON S. c., March l, 1870.
THE FASHIONS.
Spring Styles and Novelties I'm Hats,
Bonnets, Trimmings, and Promenade
Dresses.


Dresses.
What Unsuitable creatures the ladies are in
anything and in everything that pertains to
fashion, or that can properly come under the
heading of dress. They have hardly finished
buying and trying their winter robes, when,
without stopping to take breath 4 tier their ex-
ertions, they face around and eXclaim: "Well,
what are We to have in the way of spring
fashions:" We answer their question promptly,
so that they may have plenty of time, in the
temporary lull Questionable dissipation during
Lent, to think over the important matter in all
its bearings, and to be prepared to~bme out
simultaneously with the violets, in the livery Of
spring, upon the first propitious day.
Hats and bonnets must first come in order.
Phc sprug hats are to have high, slOping
crown. and the most noticeable feature is that
all the trimming is perched upon the top OF
the hat. falling down in sprays and festoons at
the back, leaving the front almost bare, but
| for n scanty trimming of lace and satin folds
about the low brim. This gives the hat some
thing OF the appearance of The old-faslioned
rinsV bonnet of some twenty-five years ago.
an inclination to resuscitatc these old styles Is
still further shown in an odd-looking little bon-
net which Is nothing more nor less than the
cottage bonnet of the schoolgirl days OF our
mothers, only it has no curtain to 1t, fits close
toshe face, and Is without vesr'gH o, Irl,n- Ia.
ming inside, except plain edge of black lace
But how is it TO bc worn with the present enor-
nous pou1S and plaits with which ladies are
so fond Of loading their heads nowadays
That Is question to be resolved some weeks
hence. Aud mankind at large will be curious
to see the solution of the problem. Ihls Dol-
Eet is called the Puritan; and OF the same
oenre. is another called the Quaker, in soft
Sray silk, gros- grain, believe, the brim
| fitting close to the face, the silk drawn
plainly over the frame; and all the
clusters OF yellow locust flowers which adorn
| it are disposed so as to fall over the back Oh
the crown. The sight of this bonnet gives one
Quaker girl-wiih anple-blossom cheeks and
soft brown eyes, and shining hair OF the same
shade folded. Madonna fashion, over modest
| forehead. But Pompadour bodices and Marie
| Antoinettc trains will never "fall into line"
with Quaker bonnets. The reform in dress
will have to be somewhat more extensive TO
make up harmonious tout ensemble The
| flowers that are to be most worn on spring
hats and bonnets are clusters OF the elder
| flower, apple-bloSsoms, sprays OF the sweet
white locust blooms, and other early spring
flowers. Feathers will hardly be seen, but
white ostrich tips are allowed brief
respite. Being white, they are. are fresh res
and somewhat spring,like. Black ace
and tulle, both for bOnncts and round
hats. will be as stylish as ever There
is a novelty In black tulle, in which the net is
fine and close, and thickly beaded over with
little Jet dots not larger than small pin-head
IL also comes in colors; but then the dots are
in colors also, and not in Jet.
There Is new material in dress goods called
| br,p of A
glance it looks like silk alpaca, but five steps
away you can hardly tell it from gros grain
silk, cspccially if trimmed, as it should oflenest
be, with black velvet. 1t Is soft to the touch,
and falls in graceful folds which alpaca never
does, and therefore is to be preferred 1t
comes in different grades al 81, 81 and 81 %.
Black gros grain silk Is to retain its supremacy
for ELEGANT Street dresses, and the handsomest
trimming is black velvet cut on the bias, laid
ON trimmings of the material For young
persons, very pretty spring dresses will be
made of silk in minute stripes gray on q
white ground. The trimmings, nounces, and
ruf1les of the same. nearly plain, plped near
the heading, with minute bias banu OF red,
blue, or any other contrasting color, OF
silk The most marked novelty of the
season In dresses will be the general adop-
ton of two costumes in one. The
lower skirt is made plain, with the exception
OF the trimming about the bottom. Over This
is fastened removable train, over which is
worn the short basque skirt, in four pieces
Two of them come around to the front, and
meet under The glrdle-they are faced with u
rererS They are joined by the pointed back
pieces at the sides, where the fullness of the
| back is caught up with rosettes. The ftlness
is also gathered into sort of puff in the centre
behind. The idea Is TO have this short over
skirt plain in front and , very oou9ant behind
| Over it is worn Il sash all bows and putls. On
going out OF doors the train Is taken Of, and
the dress is then perfectly appropriate for the
street, without any alteration or addition.
There is no novelty in trimmings, unless it
be silk flounces, OF which the fringe is formed
by ravelIing the edge. This will be much in
use later. Bias folds of silk-founccs, puff
material, and black velvet cut on the bias, are
To be considered most stylish as trimmings.
In sleeves, the Hungarian, put in with the
coat sleeve and hanging loose from the shOul-
der, is the only novelty for indoor dresses. A
new style Of sleeve for half costume is q deep
but nearly plain fl9unee put on m the coat sleeve.
q little below the elbow, giving the appearance
of u tight sleeve within q flowing one. The
Sabot sleeve is 10 be closer than it was, and
looks ncater so.
In outer garments the Metternich is the
great novelty 1t is to be made in black silk,
trimmed with real lace or in the material OF
the dress. 1t has reUerS at the throat, and Is
adjusted perfectly to the figure, thus COM
bining the merits of u jacket and a mantle.
Perfect freedom is given to the arms. 1t is so
very convenient and at the same time so
drcssy that it is likely to largely supersede all
other outer wraps the coming season.
| 1t is useless to say much about evening
dresses al present. But their very names are
expressive. The La Valliere and the MOntespan
take us back to the romantic days of Louis the
| Fourteenth. And to think Of the Quakers, and
the Puritans, and The La Vallieres, and the
Montespans being all mixed up together. Is
it not a little typical of the present state Of
society ?