The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-08-13
Fashions for August.

FaSnaOuS Tor August.
lie Follet says: The travelling, seaside
and eountry-house toilets prepared for this
month are more charming than ever, anG
more elegant insomuch as they are made IL
materials suitable for the purpose. Some O
the colors and shades worn together art
most charmingly combined to produce this
effect requires the closest attention to the
minutia Of the costume.
For travelling costumes nothing is more
Worn than the ras-terre skirt and polonaise
with small, sleeveless jacket, or peierine o.
the same, in case Of milder weather. If thi.
toilet is made with plain colored skirt, and
the polonaise of pattern material, the extra
article should match the skirt, not the
polonaise. For instance, if the skirt is OIL
violet foulardine, with polonaise of the same
color but with lighter violet spots, the little
spotted costumes u very fayorite mode oI
trimming is made by bands of the spotted
fabric cut so short as to have the spots in o
straight line. These are used on the plain
material as straps or beading to flounces
and have the effect of band trimmed with
buttons.
White muslins over color are more worn
than ever, and form Invaluable toilets for
country wear. There is a great degree OF
elegance about them, and they are reno
waited at comparatively small cost.
None of the bodiccs of these dresses, or,
indeed, any very thin material, are made to
tit very closely to the figure, whether in one
with the tunic or separate from it, rs they
will not bear any strain and would tear in
the washing. Muslin frills edged with lace
are still the favorite and most fashionable
trimmings for light dresses.
Silk dresses are much worn trimmed with
silk grensdine Of the same color.
All dresses Of whatever material intended
for walking-drcsses are made of conye-
nient walking length, either just clearing the
ground, or, at the most, touching it at the
back. For fet6s and garden parties alone are
walking-skirts made to trail; then, of course,
they come under the category Of carriage
and visiting toilets.
Reception and evening dresses are also
made long; but young ladies' dancing
dresses, We are glad to see, are still made ct
a reasonable length; that is to say, only q
few inches on the ground, and that at the
back only.
The long-skirted dresses arc only ira ined
quite toward the back; the front is ras-terre,
and the side breadths are much sloped, to
cause them to be long enough to join the
train without being too long for the front.
If the width and thickness Of the material
makes the two straight back breadths too
wide, plan that gives great elegance to the
set of tue skirt is adopted. A hollow plait
is made at the right and left of the middle
seam at the back; this is sewn to the waist
band under the rest, which is gathered; this
plait, of course, naturally expands down the
skirt and gives very graceful deYelopm ent
to the train.
Flounces are the fayorite trimming, and
are likely to continue So, as they appear TO
be the happy medium between the great
fullness Of the double skirts and the falling
drapery Of the plain ones. The front is
trimmed en- tablier, with kilt plating to the
waist, narrow flounces, headed with ruches
or crossway folds, muslin plsitings or bouil-
lonnes, or graduated flouncings. The wide
founces are reserved for the back Of tue
skirt, disposed equally, or of different
widths, covering the whole or part of the
skirt. The bottom flounce only is carried
oil round the skirt, and is cut rather wide.
TUNES are by no means out of favor with
our eleqdntes; indeed, many new shapes
and styles of trimming have been lately ln-
troduced for them. One quite novel style
consists in trimming them at one side Of the
back only.
1t must be understood that the necessary
width for long skirt depends considerably
on the way in which it is trimmed. The
plain skirt with only a poutf made in it re-
uuires to he much wider, so as to form hand
some drapery, than if it were trimmed with
tlounces, which, of course, add considerably
to the development of the skirt. Skirts
trimmed bouuonnes, cross-way bands, or
other flat plaitings, for instance, must be
made wider than those ornamented by loose
ly.tlowing flounces or plaitings.
The shapes OF bodices profit also by the
latitude allowed by la mode within the
bounds of good taste; that is to say, there
are Il variety of fashions equally we'll worn,
and equally d la mode du jour. Some are
made with very long square basques in front,
and forming position on the pouff or round
and narrow in front, with position, or cut
square and long both back and front. The
corsagcs with long baSques arc buttoned all
the way down, and much OF the style OF
the costume depends on the choice of the
buttons. Handsome buttons, for instance
on such simple materials as t0lle dc ptchy
or to,le GOrtord, add considerable to the
elegance of the toilet, while less expensive
ones employed on rich material give q
character of simplicity that is in the very
best taste.
The fashion of open bodices is in greater
favor this hot weather than ever. They are
cut square, en- chdle, or en- ceur, very slightly
opened for young girls, more decidedly so
for married ladies OF any age.
Guipurcs and laces of all kinds, guipure
embroidered with jet or any ornament;
adapted as trimmings for corsages, are placed
flat If wide, falling from the throat, or sewr
slightly fuled beneath 6ouill0nnf or plait
| ing.
Bodices fastened on the cross are also il
great request. This style gives great i'm
portance to the revers. They are worr
more or less turned back, ofa different color
or material to the bodice. They are gene
rally cut up at the shoulder seam, forming 9
square or pointed collar at the back, anC
ending in front with Il point.
The mantles worn are the same Us las
month-those with long ends in front art
decidedly the most distingue.
PRODICE AND PROVISIONS.