Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-09-01
FALL FASHIONS.
Anticipated Changes New Color~
and New Com bfnations I'm Costumes
Revival Of the Tartan, Etc.
Iron Or Cun O,yresro,,scp,. ,

PROBABLY prciuce another revolution In FASH
ion. Everything new. and particularly every
thing French, tends TO the revival OF pat
terms, figures, and designs in stufs and
fabrics such as we have not seen for nearly a
quarter of a century. Very decided changes
take Two or three years to bring about, and
they occur, perhaps, once In fftC an 10 twenty
hVe years Minor changes occur, OF course
very frequently but the interests and evolu-
lions OF the machinery OF trade dc IS not per
nit of total revolution much more fire.
9uently than the time indicated, so that, n
IL We're not for the dreSsmakeIs and their
perpetual see-saw up and down and around
we might have a little peace.
We have bad now very long period OF
| plain fabrics which require drapery aud va
| riety in form 10 continue agreeable TO the
| eye. and the Introduction OF matelasse OF
camascene ribbons and stuffs; the effort 20
restore the cloak as an independent street
| garment, all point TO one direction, the abo
| lition of the panier and the tunic drapery.
and the restoration OF figures, checks. plaidS
and, finally, somewhat distended skirt ever
which the long cloak will hang sedately, and
which VIII display the texture and design OF
costly fabrics.
This would be a retrograte movement In
many respects, and will not be made except
under strong protest. The master OF modern
French millinery insists upon drapery under
any circumstance and upon any material;
and he is right. Reduce him to a plain skirt
and his occupation is gone. But will won, en-
stand the punching up Of heavy figurei fab
rlcs? We all said how utterly abcm Unable
heavy diagonals and camels' hair cloths
What burden they were To carry. How
they dragged and sunk In the dirt and accu-
mulated dust I'm the folds until they became
"A dread and nightmare, something that
could neither be borne nor got rid Of
The beauty, the merit OF wooden fabrics at
least. is their readiness, their utility, their
capacity FOR hard service. But a thin wool
en- dress. which contains thirty TO forty yards
| OF material, is gathered up in punches at the
sides, which Is loaded with plai tings, and
a neml-traln In ful
fill every law OF its being; il was not intend
ed 10 be ornamental specially, il was born
To be used, and IL has been made so unfit for
its purI ose that the result is disaster and
ignominy, when ii ought to have been con-
venience, comfort and satisfaction.
One OF our difficulties arises from the seem
ing necessity OF one style and one fashion for
| all fabrics and all occasions. Witness the
mass of folds aud wrinkles which every
woman and girl from Maine 20 Georgia car
Tles upon her back in cotton and In linen, in
silk and in wooden, at home or abroad, al
the present time
WHAT CONSTITUTES FASHION?
Still we advance. 1t is only of late years
that the detail OF fashion has proceeded TO
the high refinement OF creating special cos
TUNES for the intermediate seasons, for the
fall and spring, not TO speak OF the adapta-
ton to every specific occasion and purpose.
and IL is this alteration TO minutia, this re
hnement IN detail, this proprlety aud fit
ness, which constitutes elegance, IL it does
not fashion pure and simple Early fall
styles adapt themselves of late years more
To the country than TO the town. II is not
until late in October or early in November
rot until the glory OF the woods and fields
has become dlmmed, that fashion returns 10
the city and prepares for the brief but busy
campa On that covers six weeks before and
SIX weeks after the holidays. The theater
and opera managers are beginning TO under
stand this and save their principal attrac
lions until fall has advanced or the winter
be allowed 10 waste their sweetness on the
september air, or star actors be permitted u
throw away high art on audiences that pre-
fer the NOkes. Hereafter we shall have
what this season has begun, an interim late
season with variety business, ID bridge the
period between the dulluesS of summer aud
the kayety of winter. not brilliant, but
certainly rseiul intei1ude, which serves its
purpose, and like fall costumes may be laid
aside when no longer wanted. The most
fashionable :all Costume at The present con
sisiS OF skirt ana sleeves of a plain fabric
tablier aud sleeveless basque OF the same
SILK, cotton linen or woOllen stuff, only II
Is checked, matelasse. 'damaSee or woven
thlck III small figures, Like an Old fashioned
yeSting.
The troublesome but pretty side plaitingS
are beginning 10 w3ne. The skirts of dinner
and carriage dresses are made demi-train,
but many Of them are plain; Others have only
one rather scant and gathered nounce with a
deep heading composed OF five narrow drawn
pufings. Nothing new IN this, but it appears
In all sorts OF materials and fabrics, thick
toft silks, cllnging berages, cool linens and
madras cottons, with underskirt matching
tue prominent color: the dark blue, brown or
gray. AT Newport, in the beautiful retreat
of our republican princes along the Hudson.
and indeed almost throughout the mid lie
and northwestern states, September and Oc-
tob-r are welcomed as affCrding the only, or
at least the finest opportunity for the dis
play Of beautiful thin tOiletteS. This is es-
peclalIy the case for the present year, the
severe and universal rains having thrown so
many tack on the most limited ami least Al
tractiVe Of their 7, sources. Later silken un-
derwear protects those who are sensitive 10
changes from the effects of morning chillS
and evening dew, and IN the clear, bright air
Oh the autumn days can be worn lacas aud
embrolderies, SliSs and grenadines, fine
tissues and SauZy fairies. without fear and
with the absolute sense of enjoyment that
comes when the temperature lis such that
one Is not cor sc,ous of the presence or the
absence of clothing The jacket and tahlier
with sash constituting a pretty over-d ftSS
Will undoubtedly last through the winter for
half toilette, and for the ordinary dresses OF
young girls. Plainly made-and the palmer
the more fashionable-they are simple ant
becoming. For grand tnilettes, longer trains
and trimmed skirts Will probably take the
place az the tuBic and the tablier, but that
cannot be asserted positively At this early
date, a. every one l. va ting for ideas aHI
no one Is certain ont al The many styles
which viii be tie fortunate one u tit the
popular taste.
THE NEW SILKS.
AS was intmstel in preceding paragraph
there Is Il distinct effort 10 set aside the plain
SILKS which have been IN vogue for the past
and softer fabrics, In which small. self-col-
OreI figures are woven in, OF a mixture is
made by weaving together coarse silken
threads of different shades. The greatest
novelty is the Matte" o. braided pattern, a
fabric which looks like thick, Soft corls
woven together in a basket or canvas de-
signs. These cords are OF different color or
shasies OF color, and form a texture which
while IL could hardly be used for an entire
dress or costume, is wonderfully effective Cor
iabliers and jackets, for tunics and over
dresses.
Frilled silks, serge silks, armure silks and
double-faced silks also appear, as well as
more elegant and costly Damasciue SILKS
but all In small quantities, as if they were
rather feeling their way than sure OF their
reception. There is no such thing now as
pure white SILK; IL is all "ivory" tinted or
''unbleached," and for dinner and evening
dresses during the coming winter will be fire.
quently contrasted with very dark Down or
myrtle green velvet and ornameated with
darkly-tinted leaves.
Damask silks viii also be in combination
with plain silks, the coloring being the same:
pale pink, pale tlue, pearl gray and the like,
with lace ruches OF the plain silk with roses
for ornament. The fine knife pieatings will
probably disappear with the season, or, at
least. lose that great vogue which made them
almost obligatory. With thicker materials
scant ruffies are reappearing, and upon even
ing silks soft ruches, alternating with lace
once so much admired, are again employed
upon tabliers with the best possible effect.
WOODEN MATERIALs.
All the braided patterns, coral patterns
rough serges, armure cloths, and the like