The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-24
SPRING STYLES.
LOCAL FASHION NOTES FOR THE
LADIES.
What to Wear and How to Wear It


What to Wear and How to Wear 1t
Dresses Worn by Richmond Bellies.
The weather this spring has been so ca
prlcous--warm one day and cold the next
that but few spring costumes have appeared
| upon our streets. Still, as the season adj
| yances the cry "What shall we wear and
how shall we make il ?" IS heard in the land
and our lady friends will doubtless thank IL;
for few hints on the subject.
The fashion authorities concur In assuring
us that
PoLoEAIsEs WILL STILL BE WORN
| Of every style--'oose, halfGtting, and tight,
although dividing favor with basques and
| orerskirts; indeed, according to Madam
Demorest, no dress with an overskrt of any
description can be entirely questionable.
For the house, the princess dress of a few
years ago will be much worn both for morn
ing and late into the afternoon. This is a
| graceful, close-fitting Gabrielle, with waist
| and skirt cut in one; is buttoned down he.
| fore; sometimes has vest added in front
has large, square pockets, aud Is slightly
trained. A pretty model is fine, gray popliu,
| with vest and deep cuffs Of lilac silk; also
clusters OF silk tlounces that come up very high
| in front and recedc on each side. coming to q
| point behind. Down the back is q row oil
large bows of silk arranged like vatican.
| Sleeveless jackets are worn with these, as
with other dresses, both for the street and
parlor. They are pretty, stylish, and be-
| coming-freshen up an old dress, and i'm
prove new one. One Of our most distin
guislled Richmond bellies recently appeared
in one Of these, Of black velvet trimmed will
passamcntirie and guipure lace, and with
vatican fold of black silk extending from
the neck down, aud trimmed in the same
manner. 1t was worn with street-dress O
black silk.
| BRIDAL DRESSES.
Orange-blossom faIle, of the cream
tinted whtcDess OF the flower in its pcrfec
ton, is the superb fabric of bridal dressc
for the spring weddings that occur 500
after Easter. French fancy rejects all eal
oratc laceS for brides dresses, and suggest
as more conSruous for this last dress G
grhood simple rurhcs and plisses Of daint
Malines tulle, with many garlands of orange
blossoms. For this dress of silk, tulle, an
flowers, the design is trained skirt wit
hiyh basque, on else low Greek corsag(
| The dimensions of the skirt are two yard
for It's greatest length, and five and a hall f.
its width at the foot. 1t may be left in plair
soft, richy.noWnS folds, or as elaborated
trimmed IS tue waarer chooses, but all ure
skirts, except the merest aprons, are no.
omitted, as the sash and veil form amp
drapery.
At a late fashionable wedding aattrSt.- at st Paul
the bride wore dress of white groS grd,
trimmed high OIL Tie front breadth, wit
ilounces Of the same, hemmed on eitht
edge, drawn in the middle by a cord-.-arrangt
in points and finished ut the sides by Il pc
pendiclIlar putt. The long train fell in
vatican told, and the low corsage aud sho
sleeves were ornamented with handson
point-lace. The veil, also of point-ace, W;
fastened to the hair in front hy cluster
orange blossoms, aud fell gracefully Oh Il
topaure behind.
OTHER DRESSES.
Among the dresses which northern fn
niShiu" houses are preparing for spring II
the new l0ullrds of dark gray, brown, IN
blue for house or street; and for nlidsummt
are black grenadines, with batiSteS, linen
and so(t-finished percales. PiQues arc NJ
liked as we'll as formerly, as they are thic'
warm, and wash yellow; thinner whit
goods, book-musiin, bishops lawn, nainsoo
in cros:-bars: and poIk,-dotted Swiss mu
lins, with other antiqumtcd soft fabrics, al
to be used instead.
Black grcnadine, either plain or figured
will be the most popular; the newest ont
have lacc-likc stripes over an inch wide, wit
a plain, smooth Grcnadine stripe between
Various other stripes are shown. but mostl
all black: sometimes Il color is introduced
but not generally. The most costly grcn;
dimes have fiounccs and OyerSkirts OF til
same, claboratcly brocaded either in black c
colors; the black are most stylish. Whit
grenadines brocaded in colors will be fasl
iomablc for midsummer.
But little change in style, it is said, will b
introduced into the spring suits; it will b
more in the minor details. One change "
heartily hope will not be only arumor, but b
entirely and successfully carried out: that il
that dresses are again to be Of a clean wall
ing length, so says rumor, and many drcsst
have been 30 made. 1t is too early yet to sa
If the fashion will he carried through. Lon
dresses were never meant for street wca
Our fair Partisan sisters never wear lon
dress for walking in; it is worn for ridin
and home wear, the place where 1t right
bclungs-not in doing the duty OF stree
sweeping on our dirty thorougLfurcs.
Panther putf5 tire again to be revived
the huge puffS of four years ago-certaln
not pretty for a short dress, but so it is
be worn, for 4 long train dress, to he loopc
over Il sash, it is both pretty and conv'
nient.
Melon puffs are revived for trimming SON
of the handsomest dresses, and offer sligi
!, change from kilt plailings and gathere
flounCcs. These pulls are made OF straigl
widths Of the silk joined at the selyedse
and lined with foundation muslin. The
are formed by taking slight seams on tt
wrong side of the fabric at intervals OF tM
or three inches, leaving the space between
form puff on the right side. AS there al
now no gathers in these smooth pufls, I'll
stiN muslin lining is necessary to keep the
we'll rounded, and sometimes thick cordln
!. of candie-wick covered with silk Is used
separate the putfs. Wide puts arc mol
stylish than narrower ones.
skirts are trimmed very high in from
: often to the Wai>t--to be worn with the poll
naiseS open before, which are now in Vogu
, Some have the front breadth formed entire
Of kilt pleatius, Others are puffed or flounce
very high. Equally stylish are suits flounce
to the waist behind, and worn with an apro
ovcrskirt with sashes.
, For strcet-lireSses the coat-slccye is still {
riguettr--generalIy fitting rather closely. arl
finished mt the wrist with deep cuff aud
bow, or buttons; and again, on some sleeve
there is tue cap ut the top-so long discarde
that its return seemed even more than doub
full. For house-dress the sleeve is less s
yere--not quite so closely-tittins-the out
| ..aa,,, rorn notinnn, hainn lnff nnrn from thri