American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-07-24
Summer Dresses.

SumueT DTtSStSs
SoFT-FINIsuED glazed percale is a favor
lite material for summer suits to be worn
for semi-dreSs both in the house ant
street. Indigo blue is the fashionabl,
color for these suits, and there are man,
shades of the CENTENNIAL brown and o
gray. Two patterns appear in each dress
one part of the costume being plain thu
other part plaid Blue is barred will
brown or ccru or white. Plain blue il
used for the sleeves and lower skirt. TIL,
basque and long, round overskirt are o
the plaid, cut bias, and trimmed witt
knitc-pleatings of plain blue. The lowcl
skirt has Il bias plaid flounce, on whicl
plain bias bands are laid. The basque i,
close fitting, though usually worn with {
belt. The back is in the French shap.
with but one seam and no side bodies)
and the large plaids when cut bias meet in
this seam. White cambria orcoarse white
linen that has been well shrunk is used fol
lining these basques. This lining is cut
off at the waist, leaving merely the percale
on the hips. Sometimes more elaborate
overskirts than the round one just men.
toned are preferred. For instance there
are two bias tabliers, very fully draped,
with long sash-ends behind, tied in volu-
minous loops and edged with pleatings. In
digo blue with white cross bars makes up
very prettily, though the fancy at present
is for bars of ecru with few scarlet
threads. At little distance these suits
can scarcely be distinguished from silk.
They are very warm-looking for summer
dresses, but at present they are the favorite
caprice. How they will look after wash
ing has not yet been tested, as every lady
| keeps them out of the laundry as long as
possible. The material costs forty cents a
yard, and can scarcely be found at all,
since the Juror for it has made the best
plaids sell rapidly. Furnishing houses
charge from thirty to forty dollars for such
costumes.
Among imported dresses are Scotch
ginghams, suits of endless variety, made
in cool gray and white stripes and in Cen
tennial brown striped with blue. These
are sold ready made for $40, but in genious
needle-women can make them at home at
far less expense and in styles equally good
that will not veX the patience of the laun-
dress. They invariably havea basque like
that just described and an over-skirt
Their pretty effect is given by making
this basque and apron bias, so that the
stripes will meet diagonally in the back
and front, and the plaids will appear to be
set bias. Pleatings are not easily ironed,
but they add style to the suit, especially
to the striped ginghams, where a certain
stripe is arranged on top of each pleat.
White pearl buttons or shaded ones of
buffalo horn, with shank and ring, are
used on these dresses. Imported suits are
cut low at the throat in V shape, but those
made to order are very high around the
neck and finished with a pleating, or
else Byron or an English collar. Pale
blue and white plaid Bingham suits are
cool and fresh-loOking for summer morn
ings, and are preferred by some to the
dark indigo blue; these look very pretty
also over black silk skirts. In some cases
white open Hamburg-work is used for
trimming them instead of pleating, while
others have bias gathered ruffies with
scalloped edges neatly overcast in button
hole stitch. Plaid and striped pleatings
are now often cut bias, and are very pretty
Brown and white Bingham and percale
suits in small checks, blocks and in
broken plaids are very stylish, and are
used for short journeys or for morning
shopping or strolls in the country, in
stead of the gray linen suits so much
worn for two years past.
Batiste remains in favor for summer
dresses, and is most popular in dark blue,
gray and ecru shades. Blue batiste-
which is sheer lawn, not to be COMPOUNDED
with heavy glazed linen-is trimmed with
ecru guipure insertion and lace, white
guipure, Irish lace and also with open
English embroidery on white muslin. A
row of ecru insertion and lace around the
belted basque and deep over skirt is suf-
ficient trimming for these dresses, and is
very effective; the lower skirt should have
one or two side pleatings. One very
unique suit has the sleeves and fiounces
OF white cambria, wrought all over with
open compass patterns, while the basque
and both skirts are of blue batiste. Neat
and useful suits for $1S have two skirts
and double-breasted English walking
Jacket with DOckefs on the sides
French gray batistes of sheer quality
make charming dresses when trimmed
with selfpleating, white lace OF embroid-
cry, and ornamented with long-looped
bows of violet ribbon Pale ecru batiste
is now made as light as the fash
ionable cream-colors by wearing it
over white instead of putting brown
or black silk underneath it, as has
been the custom. Simple dresses of
this kind for the house are given an air of
style by decorating them with bows of
dark scarlet or crimson. There is a CO.
quettish fancy just now for using many
bows OF gros grain ribbon, in long loops,
irregularly and carelessly tied. The rib
bon is two inches and half wide and is
now sold very cheaply. A bow is placed
at the throat, at the nape of the neck and
on each wrist; a cluster of loops with two
streaming ends fastens the belt on the left
side. Three orfOur bows are down the
middle of the apron and large cluster of
loops is on the back, either on the basque
just below the belt or else lower down in
the drapery, ON the tournure; sometimes
there are three or four bows down the
middle of the back, if the skirt is demi-
train and the costume is very dressy.
Scarlet, navy blue, or black velvet bows
are on cream-colored and white dresses
pale blue or rose ribbons are not now as
StyliSl with white dresses az arc fhaso
darker shades.-Harper's Bazar.