, 1874-02-22
The Season Continued in Spite Of Fashion, 5
fiat-"-Paris Furnishing Old
Things under haW
Names.
Ae Latest Novelty in Flounces--.
Threatened Invasion Of Fem
inine Trousers.
Hat. and Bonnets to Be Reduced in
Altitude-.-The Coat-Sleeve
Retiring.
Frcns Our 0,cn Cor-espondenf.

To be sure, there are nightly balls and parties
receptions and lottledrums; but, if you be 80
cicty-Hise, YOU are aware that the season end'
with the Charity Ball, which took place t"t
weeks ECO. Al; sorts Of entertainments have
beor given since then, and will be given, unit
people bcoplc begin to think Of going away fo1
the summer. But to what period they belong,
III unable to say; for ! am told that the seaso1
.nded With the rolling away Of the last carriage
- the morning after the Charity The bEl
aetted for its eleemosynary object = few thou
,ands Of dollara; the costumes exhibited in tht
,amo Of penerolence cost hundreds OF thousands
On the whole, you See, there is nothing like do
ng good in your fine feathers the effect is 81
uuch more imposing than when you only wea
alpaca OF calico At your AlmB~giving.
LENT Is BEGUN,
End now all fashionable attention is divided be
!neen reflection on tho vanity Of ali earthl,
things, and conscientious consideration o
snmmer-wardrobes- Il it were not for Lent,
km really unable to perceive how the fair Man
hattanese could be gotten ready for the fresl
wooda and pastures new which they hare it
prospect utter Easter. As it is they spring
forth from the forty days Of seclusion like sc
many modiah Minarvae, full clad for yernal vic
tories.
PAn1s1Ar CONTRADICTIONS.
Paris is d little backward this year with hel
kints and her p1ophecies; 60 it is fair to sup"
pose that 10 startling changes are to be made.
Having declared the po1onaise unequivocauy
dead, she proceeds to resuscitato it in all sorts
Of shapes hnd styles. Not that she csls it the
polonaise; PARIS never forgets her own edicts !;
but, we're it not called jacket, long basque,
4 paletot, frock-coat, and sundry other
nAinos, I doubt not you would be-
Ee7e it the Same old polonaiae -you have
been SO long intimate with. It is likely to be an
economical mode for US, since, In many cascs,
he polonsise Of last year can be easily cut over
into iacket Of this. The chief characteristic OF
TIE NEW UPPER DRESS
is. TINT its lower edge is alWayB irregular. Some
times, the back runs down in two long coat
sides, it is ehort. Again, the front is cut.with
long tab-euds, while the back is little more than
i jockey-basque lying lightly on the tournure,
where it meets the dounces that cover the back
OF the skirt. L third ety1e shows long, square
tabs on either h1p, reaching, frequently, nearly
to the edge OF the dress; while tho front and
back viii be shorter, but not the same length.
With these jackets, the skirts are trimmed
good deal, generally in different ways on the
front and back. Nothing can be uglier than
some Of ,hese combinations, or moro innrtistic
than the fashion itself. Imagine, for instance,
the three frout-breadths covered with perpen-
dicular folds, and the back with horizontal
1ounces carrying tho conviction that parts OF
two gowns had been accidentally put together,
and that there had been 20 time to remedy the
mistake before the owner was obliged to wear it.
The Of this trimming is fashionable, but
it always looks as if the dress we're on wrong
eide before; .nd you cannot tell which OF the
two is the most inelegnnt, except that the last
you see always leaves the stronger and mo1e un-
favorable impression. If anything be a
NOVELTY IN FLouScEs,
it is the Tery broad Spanish dounce which dress
makers are using, and will use very much, both
Oh street and house dresses. Sometimes, it is
nearly three-quarte1s OF yard deep, rarely lees
than sixteen inches. It differs from the old
Spanish hounce in that it is set the skirts, in
ttead Of the SKIRT being cut or at the knee. and
the douncs put upon the edge. The edge Of the
dounce Is generally hemmed by hand,-the
the French finish Of piping or cording the hem
being q tribe passe and then decorations OF va
!ous kinds such 2. As bands n.saow rnes pus'
ere ssved On above rill the hounce
becomes merely background to display the in
genuity Of the modiste npon. 4 model Of this
style is in this wise: Flounce three-qnaHers OF
\ yard wide; tho bottom faced with velvet three
eighths VIDE. Heading the velvet is double
pun OF s1lk, divided by a velvet cord, the edge
Of the lower puff finished BY an inch-mide silk
ruf11e, and tue edge OF the upper puff by vel
vet rufile: Abo7e the pun is . finger wide
with velvet. The top OF the founce is faced
with velvct, nnd plaited on in shells, which turn
back and chow the velvet lining. It is
work Of supererogation to put any more
makers arc accustomed to supcre1osato1y labors
in behalf Of ths;E capr1cious mistress, Fashion
Therefore, despite the fact that the jacket near-
y meets the hoonce. s. sash OF peculiar con-
structiop is added 4 piece Of crinoline is cut
2lmcs. IN ha1f-moon shape (only the curve is
ahaiioHer and the points not 30 sharp, and on
this is tackled, in eide-p1aits, turning up. q
straight breadth Of silk. One end Of this
crescent is fastened on tho second seam on the
left side, shout ten or twelve inches from the
belt. As the jacket covers this termination,
nothing is required in the bow line; but,
When the s9sh .sa+ has h-o,d1s been as Carried d
secnred. lust in the middle Of the second gore,
It the top of the founce, the loose end-fringed
= fpger deep-is drawn through an immense jet
buckle.
whether this ekirt~desien be admirable or not,
it is likely to be one Of the most fashionable Of
the spring modes. sud numerous suits in this
style are already in preparation, to appear after
Esster. 1t il pl.iniJ intended for tall or moder-
stely tail women, for they alone can ca1ry It
we'll. The broken suIface Of the deep aou1ce
sole variety OF this which woman of low stature
can afford to weR1 is On unt1immed founce, and
even this is OF questionable wisdom
coSvEsT1osALIrY INVADED.
We have been accustomed to regard Inc BLOOM
er dress Is the type OF the most advanced ideas
IL relation to feminine attire. Scoffers have
fidiculed it; fashionable people have eyed it
asknoce; Hiseacres hive shaken their heads
over the innovation, and declared it wouldn't do
Tor modest women to wear any such sem-mas-
culiae csrb. And 50 even the few devoted be-
lievers IN it's hygienic desirabi1ity hare sadly,
but finally, abandoned It. 1unor nay, more
than ru1nor,- comes from that chronicler Of
mail beer. the reporter Of toilettes, which as-
serts that Indies in Europe not only ought to,
but do, wear t1ouserBi Not the unprincipled
Dloomer trousers, that we're straight, and still,
lad unbecoming. therefore improper but
full Turkish trousers, Of muslin and very sheer
.ambric, trimmed with laee, rutfes, and en-
broidery. They arc made to reach the ankle
[alls Of fine lace dropping over the hoot-just
imagine it in our streets-and as, OF course,
;keir elegant effect must not be lost upon the
,bee1Ter, the skirts are cut short enough to dis.
,laY the frills to advantage. The "gushinF"
Ldyecste of these diapaneous garments de-
:lare that nothing is 50 becoming to handsome
GOT as this style that is to be; but the advocate
,auses not to reflect upon the hardship OF the
eet that have euf1ered in the cause OF pointed
oee and French hee1s, and are anything but |
'retty 10 their s'jointiness." It is possible that
hia novelty is intended for suburban use