The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-06-06
ABOUT THE FASHIONS.
N JUNE FOR JUNE.
A Brief but Brilliant operate Season
How People Dress for Opera, and
Why 1t Does Not Prosper-Summer
Suits for The Ladies, and Something
New for the Gentlemen.

Why 1t Does Not Prosper-Summer
Suits for the Ladies, and Something
New for the Gentlemen.
The ladies' oracle, Jennie June, in her
budget OF New York fashion gossip for the
month, tells us
The brief season of Italian opera which we
have enjoyed this spring has been the most
brilliant in point of audience, and the poorest
lin some respect) in point Of performance,
that has ever appeared within the walls OF Inc
Academy. The houses have been crowded,
''standing room only. being posted up every
night; but the. stage ensemble. the wretched
chorus and WORKOUT scenes gave evidence
that people were simply hungry for opera.
and were willing to overlook much in order
to get It. An admirably trained orchestra, a
lair tenor, and Miss Kellogg for prima donna,
made up for many Of the shortcomings, how
ever, or, at least, furnished an excuse Tor
..'beauty and fashion, 10 Gil the boxes and OBJ
tain the attendance of devoted Cavaliers; aud
the number of dress.coats decorated with
rosebuds, of delicately-tinted gloves, and
white. edged vests, fitting TO different parts OF
the hen between the acts, was more IN &C
cordance with the opera customs before sne
war, than anything we have seen Of late years.
Why OPERA has NOT rLouRlsHED RECENTLY.
1t is quite a problem to many persons why
opera has not grown aud heurished during lhe
past ten years, with the growth OF luxury and
Increase of wealth, in the City of New York.
The reason is a very simple one. gbe old
aristocracy-comprising persons not engaged
in business or politics-have many of them
grown poorer, instead OF richer; the new aris-
tocracy are very fond Of display. but destitute
of culture, and opera is essentially the of
spring of high refinement and civilization. In
reality, therefore, We have hadiewer patrons
of opera, although many more great dry goods
houses and restaurants. By and by European
travel and the habits of "society" will begin TO
tell, and then We may look for an operate re-
vival Oh an Immense scale.S
DRESSING FOR THE OPERA.
For the benefit Of those ladies who only oc-
casionally visit the opera, it may be remarked
that full dress is by no means requisite. Toll
as convenience Is concerned, by tie part of
the house in which the seats are located.
Ladies occupying boxes are expected to ap-
pear in full dress, that is; without bonnets,
but an uncovered neck Is rarely seen. In the
more democratic dress circle, and parquet,
ladies' wear bonnets and handsome suits, oc-
casionally an opera cloak or jacket, but rarely
q trained dress. Indeed, upon the bare floor,
and IN the mixed assemblage which gathers in
the lower part of the house, deliberately dress.
ed heads, and drawing-room toilettes would
seem very much out Of place.
With gentlemen it 1t is different. From them
dress coats, white-edged vests and light kid
gloves are exacted in any part of the house,
and latterly they have taken to wearing but
ton,Sple' bouquets, which impart a very fete-
like Hr to their otherwise uniform and too
moDotonous styles of dress.
SOCIETY CeAPS.-
There is a strong disposition. on the part OF
many gentlemen to kick at the dress coat bu-
stness, and insist upon their right to wear
whatever kind of coat happens to be convent
ent tor them to wear. They insist. with truth,
that the eXaetions with respect to- dress ex-
clude all the brains from society. and that So
ciety will never amountta anything so long as
all the energy must be expended on a necktie
in order to- get there. At present the braih-
less people have quite the best.of 1t; in fact
they are the only ones who can properly sus-
tain position In a circle from Which ideas are
excluded, and clothes made to take their
place.
Ouile new and exceedingly pretty summer
silks have followed the little hair-stripes which
appeared early in the season, and have ere
ated an almost equal fnrore. They are soft,
light, yet durable, and possessed Of considera-
bic BODY, without weight or stiffness. They
are known as armure foulards, armure de
Lyon, and armure Benzein, the latter the name
of the maker. They are imported IN all the
lovely neutral, ocree and tea-rose ttnts when
are so fashionable, and are almost un';ormly
employed in two shades of the same color, or
In connection with a solid silk OF a'dlherent
shade of the same color.
In addition to- the armures, which are 81
per yard. there are new twilled foulards and
undressed silks for costumes ats 80 peryard,
which are very effective and useful because
they do not crush easily; and being all SIX.
will clean, and atterward. yeier Innings, or
the foundation for costumes OF BLACK ggena-
dino Thoy alSn make excellent traVelllQN
suits for ladies'who stop much at hotels and
require something 'handsomer thah linen.
The Ho most fashionable tints in armure de
Lyon are tea-rose and Frou. Fron, Inc later a
pale salmon, with a primrose flush ID II. me
first IS worn en- costume over nut brown. the
second over black, striped silk or greRadlne.
The darker color always enters somewhat lpto
The trimming of the costume. binds the rufHes
or edges the folds: bnt descrlpuonsol sQcs
complicated designs as are noWs2Worn Woola
be useless, they must be seen. Itmay De re-
marked, however, that the costume SOCIAL
ed nearly always consists of q pelonaise cut,
with a poslillion basque and full skirt. at the.
back instead OF an upper skirt and Jacket, as
last season, and is cooped at the sides only. .
Sashes are worn for convenience by those
who have them, but the. new toilettes FOR the
street dispense with them. Chambery gaze
and hight. tiss,le Of that description are reTlV-
inc the unbt hing 'sbayaderen stripes which
Qdu u ultCl -1ClOso "Ns'S
burdened many women with rich silk dresses
which looked like Balnora petticoats and
were llnbearable whenzthe little rage for them
had died out. 1t is,ssfdthey are to reappear
again the coming fall. We hope not.
WASHING SUITS.
Washing suits Of white and buff linen and
lawn nave become quite as indispensable to
women as to men, and are made in much
greater variety for the former than Tor the lat
Ter, from whom undoubtedly they originally
borrowed the idea.
The cost, ready made, ranges from nve 70
fifty dollars, The latter. price inducing oallsCe
trimmed with guipure of the same shade and
fine piaues trimmed with bands and rufhes OF
Quite a novelty is exhibited L in English suits
of iinen embroidered with white cotton or
with black and crimson or scarlet wool. They
are rather pretty at fret sight, but would look
dreadfAiy vulgar when they become ommon.
The English seem to trim their cheap taorlcs
altofether too much. Coarse, yellow. linen
comes In suits tricked out with .imitation-a
cotton Imitation of duchesse laceiIF
ThUAimpler simple fabrics are MADE up lne
better. The whole design, which is to PROVIDE
q neetsconYenient and unobtruslVe costume,
is ia 6fffasby this miserable system OF iml-
tatEzs3 3tsplay. Our homemade washing
cdyS4nl9sEe certainly In better taste. lmita-
ton lace Is not used upon them, and the real
1uipures only upon the fine batiste and Cuoan
cloth, which has such a silky appearance tnae