Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-01
FASHIONS FOE APRIL.
New Costumes Making their
Debut.
How they Look and How they will
be Worn-The Nice Things Of the
Easter TOiietfes-What Will COnsff-
tute n Fashionable OutHf.

tute q Fashionable OutHf.
Correspondence Of the Union and American.
NEW York March 3O.-Easter SUNDAY
IS ''show Sunday" o. Fifth avenue when
new costumes make their debut on every
matron and maid who appears on the prom
enade and thus the April fashions are de.
cided. The Easter display comes early this
year, hence darkest hines are chosen for it
through fear Of anticipating spring weather.
Three features are conspicuous in these
new toilettes the first of which is the fancy
for
Mdtching.-Everything must correspond
in color, making a monotone outffI-bon-
nets, dress, wraps ribbons, and gloves, all
being tints Of one color varied but harmo-
NOUS. Indeed with more simple t~oilettes
the lingerie (such as cuffs, collars and hand
~kerchiefs) have no prevailing color intro
duced.
Shirring.-The second feature is the old
time ganging, or row upon row Ofgathering,
hat IS superseding pleating and is used
on wraps, dresses and bonnets.
English Embroidery is the third "idear
in costumes according to the ~phraSeology of
the dress-makers who aspire to be artists.
This Is a revival of the open needleworkin
stars, wheels, circles, eyelets and commas
designs, in vogue a decade ago before thick
embroidery came in. Cashmere silk and
muslin bands are wrought in this fashion
for trimming polonaiSes and upper skirts.
and sometimes the entire ovcrdreSs is made
OF this open needle work making it look
like lace, and though made of silk it is
scarcely heavier.
SPRING BoSNETs.
Ii a whole costume cannot be achieved
for Easter a new bonnet is a consolation
the feminine soul must have. The new
shapes for these are enlarged editions Of
last years styles, which were copied from
the fashion plates of antiquated Iady's
bOokS-the absurdities that we laughed al
two years ago, and called caricatures, but
which are now accepted as graceful, becom-
ing and altogether stylish. Scarcely any
are alike in shape. There are the
stately Directories with c~oronets, for full,
round faces, the quaint Charlotte Corday
caps, with turned down brims, for slender
oval features, and various styles with eccen-
trio brims, caught up in capricious fashions
to suit arch, piquant, irregular features of
average American woman. French chip,
either black or ecTU, (~unbleached) very fine,
flexible as silk, and very frail, is the fash
ionable material for spring bonnets that
will also be worn during the summer; and
is well 10 get the good Of a chip bonnet
while the shape is in fashion, as it cannot
be 'done up as more substantial braids
and straws are sometimes done. Soft silks
cut bias are the trimming for these, almost
TO the exclusion of silks and Iaces, and the
r. fnfaof wrxnue 1a1.,,~~ IL -
either shaded or in contrast. The left is
still for congregation side1 of the bonnet
upon which the trimming is heaped. This
trimming is not in set bows and loops, but
IS an irregular scarf twisted around the
crown, knotted, shined, pulled, and disposed
in any careless, graceful fashion the fancy
Flowers are then stuck about on
front and left, and often split over on the
back. All drapeTy behindis done away with,
and bonnets have no more strings than if
hey were hats. French pattern bonnets,
minus lace or ribbon, without a bow or
cost $40 or $50. Black chips when
with white and tinted blossoms. or
with large blush roses, without foliage, are
especially dislingue.
FOREST FLOWERS.
Entire rooms at wholesale houses are
filed with the tiny blossoms of the early
spring, the flowers of the forest, heath,
mountain and dell, copying nature so close
that 1t makes one sigh for green hillsides
stoOp to inhale their perfume. Here
ire hawthorne, heath, trailing arbutus dali
Ties, primrOses, wood v~iolets, periwinkles,
NOSES, clover. red and white lilac, and
elder with its starry white blossoms and
berries. These are mounted IN wreaths
branches for the front of the bonnet, in
high pOmpons for the left side, and a long
cluster is fastened on the elastic
and allowed to droop behind the ear. Roses
are more fashionable than ever, but there is
choice even in these in favor of these IN IA
FOR Of large perfect roses of the Eintest
blush Of pink, or else the delicate Isabella
rose, or the dark red Jaques Minot;
he common pink garden rose and salmon
ca roses are out of favor.
COSTUME BONNETS.
"Matching, u have said is the fashion. but
he bOnnets made to match costumes are
10 longer of the dress material. They are.
instead, chip fronts with SHRED croWns OF
'ros grain or twilled grOs d'Orient the color
,fthe dress, and have facings of a lighter
.hade, or else in some contrasting hue be-
coming to the complexion.
BLACK NET BONNETS.
Black tulie or thread net bOnnets are
Ilso prepared for the demi-seaSOn, but will
lot be generally worn until summer. Jet
'eads are p~rettily attached to this net in
loops Of finely cut beads, or else in
Onger dangling bugles. The Charlotte
cap shape is liked for these, and
here is a unique fancy for putting a pleat-
ng of white crepe Jesse inside these for face
trimmings, making something very like the
cap, which girls declare so fascina-
ing. Wreaths of rose foliage are laid
around the large crown of these caps
a black ostrich tip is made to nod over
be crown.
The most becoming black net wells are
Otted with jet beads and edged with a
of jet heavy enough to hold it in
lace. The shape is the mask lately worn
SILVER GRAY.
Silver gray is the fashionable color for
Ipril costumes. The custom of combin-
lg wooden stufis with silk of the same
DIOR remains in vogue, and the sleeveless
with apron Oyerskirt is still seen as
the following French model. The
slightly trained, is Of silver gray silk
18th a single gathered fiounce ten inches
eep, sewed on in shiHed puffs. The apron,
and wrinkled, is Of lighter gray cash
lere piped on the edge with a silk fold
nd held back by boufiant draped scarfs al
Of cashmere and OF silk. The
asque Of cashmere is longer in front then
ehind, has pocket end pipings Of silk, and
ne coat sleeve is of silk with three cash
lere rufiS. The neck is finished i'm a way
DIV much admired that is with a silk
collar with turned over points in
and three double box pleats behind.
uch a costume is suitable for a visiting
nd carriage toilet, ard also for a brides
ayeling dress, to be worn when the cere-
lony is performed. The bonnet should
e a white chip gypsy with gray shirred
TX crown and roses of fainteSt blush.
NEW POLONAISEs.
The sensible reader will be glad to hear
n authoritative denial OF the rumOr that
BE polOnaise is to be abandoned, for the
convenient, simple, and graceful
arment could not be well spared An
Their welcome hint is that the newly i'm
Orted pOlOnaiSes are long, belted, and of
mple shape so similar to last years styles
nat the garments now on hand will an
Ter as they'are or can easily be draped in
Ne present mode. Few new garments but
IN down the entire front, and few are
.ngle Observation-Disclosures they have little
The new plan is to button them
My about a basque length below the waist
!, trim the front edges thence and let them