Connecticut western news., 1876-04-07
Following the Fashions.

There are ladies in every community
 who possess to greater or less degree
 the gift of Worth with respect to then
 own attire, and to some extent with re-
 spect to that of others. They conse
 quently prescribe the laws of taste and
 fashion which their sisters are only toe
 glad to follow, and which many of them | do follow without any regard to facts
 which should be taken into considera-
 tlon. For instance, when green is the fashionable tint, and leader of the ton
 wears green, which she will be sure not
 to do unless it suits her complexion,
 straightway all her followers array them
 selves in green, though it makes some
 of them look like rights but it is the style, and "green it shall be- Just so
 in the wearing of the hair. The fashion
 leader piles on the top of her head braid
 after braid, and ttraightway all heads are dressed in the same manner. with little regard to what is becoming to the shape of the head and the character of
 it's possessor. She has twenty-five ruf1es on her silk dress. and, presto I all skirts of whatever quality are be- rufHed in the same manner. She trails & length of silk behind her, and serges and calicoes must trail, too. It is pitt full to se6 the quantities of fabrics that cost from twenty five to fifty cents a yard that are trimmed to death, and are nothing but wretched limitations of fine clothes after all. Iu country villages fashion is much more rigorous and terri ble in it's tyranny than in the city. One or two dressmakers set the style and everybody must follow it or be odd and old fashioned. But in large cities one may wear anything she pleases without attracting the slightest attention. The effort seems to be on the part of each finely dressed lady to have something different from everybody else, to wear a hat or @ dress or cloak unique and be- coming, and though the style is gener- erally similar, variations from it are in- numerable.
 . Any women who sets herself the task of following the fashions will not be able to do much else, for every month there IS some change which requires remodel ing of the wardrobe or 8 fresh supply. But she who dresses so as to escape special observation has no very hard task before her. Twice in the year. in the spring and in the fall, she may give attention to the requirements of the next six months, and between times oc- cupy herself with something else. When one is having garment made it is easier than not to have it made in the prevail ing style, not so extremely fashionable that in short time it will be passed, but with modification and discretion, so that it may be worn long time without change. It is this necessarily ripping to pieces and putting together again of gar ments that might better be worn as they were made that consumes so much time in families and make so many women, as to their intellects, utterly barren and un- fruitful.
 Such fashions as tamper with the health, comfort and dignity of the body should never be followed. Among these may named the piling on the head of pounds of foreign hair, the compress sion of the waist with steel and whale bone, and some of the styles of draping the skirt, which are simply absurd. Dress ought to be an expression of character, and when it is so it will be worn unconsciously and attract but lit tie attention. It should suit the indi- vidual in color, texture, quantity and quality. Height, complexion, size, age, temperament, should modify for each | individual her devotion to the fashion, and when she wears what suits her in l. all these respects she will be we'll dressed.