The New York herald., 1870-03-20
PARIS FASHIONS.
LENT, BUT VERY LITTLE SACKCLOTH
Green rcas and Pannisrs-An Ex-Queen in
Church -Eugenis Before the Altar-The Prince
Imperial on the stageA Court Ball and
the Newest Toilets--An American
Wedding-What tho Bride
Wors-A Fancy Dress Ball


PARIS, March A. 1870.
with Ash wednesday commenced the annual sea-
son OF repentance In high life. Had the lovely
aspect oil the Bois and the balmy atmosphere are
enjoying caused our fair forget that these days
OF abstinence the sudden display OF green peas in
the shell and OF young asparagus in the pest resau
rant windows must have reminded them that to eat
meat now Is called sinful and these luxures FAST
Tnen again. the new styles must suggest an inter-
mediate state unto any Dut the inoughtess The
prettiest are made OF two skirts ana Danier IN
three different shades or one color and fringed not
ruched. In the indigo series we have costumes which
are neither all the azure OF heaven nor totally the
'blues'-uuite asprtuaI idea. ln the chestnut series
skirts are neither all soft fawn all bearish brown
shough there is q dash OF both about them-qute
social state OF mind through Lent.
The ex-Queen OF SPAN a lady who
never requires any such reminders 10 suggest
Lenten observances unto her, but truly she
10 one OF the fair. As early us nine A. NJ. she
was on Ash Wednesday at the small church of
st. Pierre de Chailot where she kuclt for the small
thumb print OF dust her forehead. which is In
rended to impress all brains that are nothing
but ashes or clay or some other sucn brittle sub
stance made up In the human shape. and that we
are doomed to be dissolved some day even into
atoms Of dust again. 1t is hard lesson for all TO
take to heart bat much harder for those who sit on
thrones; much harder for the wife OF the million
naire, uhe revels in ceSs; much harder for the fe-
male aristocrat whose glory is her name; much
harder for queen oil beauty than for the home
bred, pure daughter, born the middle
classes. among which she treads gracefully, though
untaught ana whose mind has been stored from
youth upwards with those grave and dignined pre-
cepts that can take any solemn lesson In.
IL appears 1t was much harder for sOvereigns to
understand all the philosophy Of asbes before the
revolution OF 1850, than it is now; for told
that up TO that period It the fashion to ha We
three kinds OF ashes at churches on Ash Wednesday.
Kings and queens were favored with cinders, re-
duced to fine powder, OF perfumed woods the public
In general with ashes OF the willow or birch, the
lime tree and elm; out the lower classes with
mixture OF old chips, burnt up together. Could the
crowned heads OF those days have fancicd that
their dust would look the nicer after their death
for this distinction in life than that Of the lowest
AZ about half past nine and on Ash Wednesday.
tho Empress Of France, IN deep black Fnelt at the
though much saddened showed traces OF the
fatgueS OF the preceding night
The imperial Prince had on Shroye Tuesday made
ms debut rs actor III a piece that drew large
houses some years ago at tine Palais Royal and
Jules Conen. The original piece Is q vaudeville in
one act, by Messrs Lablche and Jolly 1t was played
for the first time IN 1867, and It's name Is LA q ram
maire.n There are i've parts ana only one ienae,
Ine latter played by the Of General Frossaid the
Princes srlc governor. The Prince himself p aged
the laughabe part OF Old PotrinaS, president OF
provincial academy ana the Emperor much enjoyed
seeing the boy act IN this character. He is supposed
TO have manIa-that OF collecting Roman potter
1eS-and every Old bit OIL hardware is put down
among antiques. The young Prince was most
facetOus over u vase which h1s friend Cab0usset,
merchant tEspinassei discovers in hts neld; for IL
turned out to be nocturnal vase not Roman one,
both bIusned @ and roared. lit must remind your
Majesty Of the discoveries brought to the "a lace
wnen you wrote the Lite Of Caesar said courtier
30 Napoleon. 1T does" he answered.; Everybody
had some Roman vase or other TO snow me-
The stage was erected at one END OF the Princes
salon, in mis- own private wing OF the Iuleries; II
contains one hundred persons.
Among the guests, oil the select and limited
number, were the Princess Clothilde. IN white and
pearls; Princess Mathlda, In straw colored satin
and heartseases; the Prince aud Princess Mufat the
Duchess dc Mouchy, Princess Julia BoDaparte
Prince Napoleon, the nleces Of the Empress In PINK
and tarlatan, &c., &c.
Tho Empress wore toilet which she had had re-
arranged, lady readers, for thus Is reform season. Is
was an apricot coiored SATIN, with brown tue dra-
perry and brown crepe dc chine worked with silver
wheat ears, the bodice OF silver and crepe de chine
mixed, over q small hands breath of apricot SATIN.
ON sunday Princess Mathil,ia gave the dance OF
which much had been sad beforehand. IL was a
bali IN bonOr of the young Prince and ms friends
consequently their lady friends were all invited and
brilliant reunion IL was Of very juvenile descrip
tion. Tne ionr or live mseparaDles are young Cou-
neau young Bourgong, young Frossard, young Els
pinasse and the Irlnce; the daughlers OF Princess
de Mettcrnich, the small daughters ol tie eXQueen
OF Spain tue younger nieces OF the Empress. and
dresses sure TO ilocK together.
The daughter or III. Nimecran danced the cotion
with the Prince she Is an Italian, and her dark
hair was braided down her back. sue wore white,
with q cerise panler or sash
The Emperor ana Empress lett tho Iuileries In
closed carriage about ten ana drove witnout any
state to the residence OF Princess Mathnua III tue
Rue de Courceles Her Majesty wore straw
coiored tuie over satin of the same pale shade. 1t
was trimmed with lovely brown fern aud tea roses.
ca the attention OF your readers 10 TINS tolet, AZ
1t IL the great novelty To wear brown velyel with tae
brightest anu Safcsi azure.
Brown ferns and iollage are. moreover, exces-
sivey striking, with - becoming Vaiiety OF MOWERS
An every Shade. Another pretty toilet on sunday
was worn by Nine. sartges. 1t Is one OF Worth's-a
tule under tram ot striped satin, called moonlight;
silvery sort aigure tinted gray. The front was
sl garlanded win roses, having brown foliage.
musical scree was given on The same evening
BY Mrs c. Moulton at her residence, which Is directly
opposite that OF Princess Mathilda. NO sooner was
the nroCramme over tnau these musical amateurs
crossed the street and found they Just time
TO nnish the evening With dance. II would be
useless to repeat the names OF Mrs Moulton5 guests
and easier to copy the circular OF the season.
Tor all the ettte had gathered aud glittering crowd
they were when they came into Princess Mathilaa's
Illuminated Sdions VIII describe one or TWO OF the
toilets OF THESE late arrivals.
An underskirt, WITH train OF rosc-colored faye,
covered with two white gauze skirts worked with
white sk-a bouquet pattern. psse nouncc
round each Of these skirts but the bodice OF white
Qauxe over rose was fringcd aud had bouquet OF
artificial roses on the lett SIDE. The sash behind
was Of rose faye, with very long fringed ends The
gloss Of the wnlte embroidery on gauze over rose
made the bouquets stand out IN reef very arIis-
tically
Another toilet here was lilac tulle worked with
silver and Ooped with large clustering white and
tea roses; The fringe the bodice was nlarab0ut
feather.
whether il was because these toilets arrived late
IknOw not, but all eye glasses were on them and
could not be better occupied.
Where party OF people came late and were much
disappointed al the wedding oil Miss Field yes
terday. All Americans In Paris were very anxious
TO see her united and to press round the bride;
accordingly they avaed themselves oi the cards
Issued and were al twelve punctualy at the church
OF st. Augustin. Lo the bride had already been
transformed into Princess Trgglano- Brancaccio
wfthOut them. IL All over and there was the
brilliant procession oil witnesses who had Deen 10 the
Marie to that the things done there twlat they
cali here civilly) were well DONE tooked indeed as
II with such an attendance the matter never coud be
undOne; for there was Chevalier Nigra the Italian
Ambassador, and Co0Dei Wicxham Holman Of the
United States embassy, officiating for Minister ash
burne; and there was Mr. Lawrence. OF New York
and MIR. Reed, and the Marquis de Ialleyrand- PERI
cord Prince de Scaletta and Prince RuIfo. IL was
very ctsheartening, but wien all were Informed why
the ceremony had been hurried no one ielt sorry.
The facl n 4 very solemn funeral service was to