Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-07
FALL FASHIONS.

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luton i'm C0iors-Navy Blue th,
Coming Favorite-CoquiIle and Ax
brissean-LiEht Brocades-Oarlis
Combs-Hygfenic shocs-Enfants d.
Luxe.
Correspondence OF the Union and American
New YORK, Sept. 8, 1878.
The sharp blast that came swoopiug dowI
from he North last week upon the chroni,
tourist in the White Mountains or nomad.
ic dweller, in the Catskills and the chill o.
damp sea breezes that for days have KEEP
the cottagers at Newport and boarders a
Cape May in sbiver, have given Fremont
tory symptoms that the end Of the seasonal
near at hand. The advance guard of fash.
ions votaries have made their appearance
on the Avenue aud stragglers from Ssratoga
Richfield, or Point Picque are here and
there seen on Broadway, their languid
steps and tired looks showing but little
physical benefit from their summer "rest."
But the wearied and disappointed child
of fashion who thus early sbsndons the gay
scenes Of dissipation at popular watering
places will find little to interest her In the
bazaars. Tradition places the opening of
fall styles on the 18th, and some slight pre-
tence is male on that date to outline them,
but the real openings do not come until
October; and while the framework, the
skeleton of the style, NAV be learned thus
early, the filing in and rounding off in ar
tistic form and color must be wa ted for
with patience. Miss Flora McFlimsey may
not, in a round Of shopping, forget her vex-
alton and dissppointm INT at the indifference
- -. ok,- Hvy4 - H.
drinkers of Saratoga (wnisky andy water;
for not even at tewart's, Arnold, Constable
g. Co.'s or Lord & Tsylor's can she find
anything new The attentive and polite
clerks will show her goods, but to her prac-
ticed eye their labor and patien-e are all in
vain. She knows-a glance tells it-that
the styles are the last and lase designs for
summer, or the resuscitated remnants of
last falls stock.
Afser looking around and be ring things
which, if true, are old and if new are doubt
full, Miss Flora drops in on Moschovitz,
the first ar list in costumes in the city of
New York, and he says:
ave -esily know very little yet about
fall fashions, as they have not yet been
rec eived from our house in Paris"
Mosehovilz can afford to tell the truth.
If you Luy dress now, you Grape yourself
at the hazard of coming out wearing q
spring suit in Q fall, or of finding your
self in the fashion la Francis the first
when you ought to be 8 Ia Louis XVI
Meantime the priests waiting the orscle's
utterance are perm. tied to guess al what
may be.
1t is permissible to wear black silk. In
deed at the p esent moment of writing
though the weat er is fair and the sun
shining warm six out OF ten ladies wear
black p, omenads suits, whether on foot or
In the carriage. Ever modiste knows that
if lady-esaecially q New York lady
has u other suits she will wear black
more frequently than any three of them,
rarity by preference, par ~ because it is
al ways a Ia mode and lastly because it sui
al c0mpleXiOBs.
This wearing of black is, think, espe-
ci i 70 New York. Even in murky L lndon
they affect other colors-brown and the
like. In Paris bright colors are always in
vogue, while in most American cities, no
tably st. Louis, San Francisco and New
Orleans, black is much more rare. That
black 81 ould be acceptable In Philadelphia,
or even in Boston, seems en- regle, but il is
less easy of expl nation in brilliant, viva
cious, excitable New York.
In colors there is no change there lie
revolution. The green's, sage green's and
all the race of green grays, green drabs, and
blue greens have passed away finally, and it
is to be hoped forever. The new colors that
will be exclusively worn this fall and winter
are much darker than the autumn leafed-
QUAKER tints and more in consonance with
the dull and sombre shades of October and
were the neutral tints with
the bright sunshine of June and July. The
coming color-the one that everybody will
wear, is navy blue, and there is every reason
10 expect that the new shades to be offered
of this color will be received by the fair de-
voices with an enthusiasm exceeding that
Bindled by Magenta and Solferine--the
colors, not the battles. The ''one particu-
lar shade" is "coquille," a blue-purple or
purple blue, it is hard to say which, Of In
describable richness and beauty. This
leads the van of the caravan. Close be-
hind come "abeille," ''guebre," and
eliaDe," all variations Of the same color.
A new shade in olive, very dark, called
will also be popular, second
only to the reigniDg favorite.
The polonaise or redingote itself will be
continued in the fall for walking costume,
whether with coat sleeves or with wings is
yet 10 the unknown future. There will IN
be run of figured goods, espec-
tally on brocades-not OF course the heavy,
old fashioned article which used to stand
alone and last generation; but fabric
NOR suited to the rapid chance and change
of modern life and modern fashion. There
will be an increased demand for velveis
during the fall and winter. Like black
silks they are never out of fashion and sp-
ply with some ex rcise of due discretion to
all competitions, figures and sges; except
the very young aud he very little.
1t is not so many years since American
women were open To the charge of having
no sense of fit ess This was perceptible
in ma y matters, but most perceptible in
dress. Intercourse and opportunity have
modified and mend d these defects of man
ners ard form. The aversge american
won n is no worse behaved and much
better dressed than the average European,
while the American lady dresses as judi
ciously md looks IS high-bred as her Eu-
ropeaD conpeers. Perhaps in the two hun
dred and fiftv millions of Europe there is
more of air distingue and dSlr Sdugre
than in the fJrty millions OF America; but
tie difference is numerical, not compost
tive. Our Fifth Avenue AID Broadway
afterno n promenade surpasses In beauty
and style that of any capital IN Europe,
while the turn out Of the working girls
from the several workshops and fSctorles,
make show of propriety and respectable
ity-not TO say gentility-that is altogether
without equal anywhere.
From garments 10 their wear5TS is q nat
ural trar silion, out returning from manners
to modes i would say something on the
high back combs that are again in fashion
A yet they are only worn among he elite
and can only be worn in full oress. The
old Spanish shion of high comb and man
tilla is said to have been partially revived in
Spain as a political insignia just as the
cid French Carlist were the peaked beard,
or as the old Isabel of Spain vowed not 10
change one of her gsrms nts until the M0ors
were conquered and dill SO retain it, whence
the dubious color Isabean--in her honor.
Dress has lie patriotic or religious as well
as its fashionable aspect. Our New York
or ParisiaD-though noe so large as the
Madrid or LEND combs, are large enough
and very handsome, though by no
means an aesthetic addition to
the couture. But of all styles and fashions
couture is the most open to eccentricity and
extravaganza. Yet taere Is little room to
criticize the Spanish comb on the pleas OF