The Portland daily press., 1877-02-28
(Frcm Harper's Bazar.1
New York Fashions.

SOFT cashmere finish, with demi-lustre, and me-
dium reps, neither very heavy, like poplin, ucr
TOO small, as in taffeta. The colors that pre-
uominate are blue, brown, dark steel, and
SnioAe shades OF brown shades, seal brown
VIII remain IN favor; the largest importations
Oh olue are indigo tints; green ranges from the
creamy tllleul, or linden, to dark bouteilZe and
myrtle green. Among others are Holhein
green; bronzes with reddish tints, with green.
and with brown prevailing; the natural beige
shades and nla1To1a, or chestnut brown, are still
in favor; prune, plum and blue damson colors
will be considered stylish; there are also moss
and lichen green's Of various shades. Prefer
ence is shown for the positive colors that have
been gradually coming into favor for two
years.
The same soft cashmere finish seen ON
colored silks is liked for black gros grains and
the medium grain is also chosen. There will,
however, be few dresses made entirely of black
gros grain, as the variety of damask, armure,
and brocaded silks is largely increased, and
many of these are so inconspicuous in design
that the most quiet tastes will be pleased
Iaifeta silks that are so cool and pleasant for
warmer weather are again offered, but their
high gloss has hitherto kept them unpopular.
They make most serviceable dresses. as their
smooth surface does not retain dust, and those
who can afford the expense will use them for
travelling suits
The smallest armure figures will be probably
the first choice for the silks that are used as
parts OF costumes in combination with gros
grain. These are tiny oblong horizontal
figures, like parallelograms with their ends
rounded. They are shown in long list of
colors, such as moss green, gros blue, myrtle
cream, etc. They will be used for prncesse
dresses, polonases, and for basques with tab
liers. These armure silks were worn few
years ago, and many old dresses that have been
laid aside will now be brought into use again;
no matter if the shade is not one of the newest,
it can be combined with another stylish shade
or else use in contrast, and the dress, made
properly, will be admired. The long straight
back breadths formerly used for trained skirts
will now form the fronts of princesse dress or
polonaise, while shorter pieces can be used tor
the back, as the place of joining the waist to
the skirt can be concealed under the scarfs or
sashes that now cross the back below the
waist
small duu very uQ6 ualE SLrlDcS
will be chosen for summer silks. The first
choice in these will be designs that mingle the
two shades so closely that at distance they
appear to be all of one color. Two shades of
seal brown, two of dark blue, and the contrasts
of black with whits and gray form the bulk of
these impottatlons. These silks will be used
for princess dresses to be worn in the house,
and for simple suits for morning and afternoon
in the street. The trimming will be velvet or
gros grain of a solid color, laid in bias bands
or in pleatings, and edged with fringe, showing
the two shades of the silk woven with wide and
intricate headings.
Grenadines are more largely imported in
dark colors than they have been for many
seasons Until last summer importations were
almost entirely confined to black; but last year
the colored grenadines came into favor and will
be generally worn next season in dark blue,
brown, myrtle green and gray. The open
square-mesh grenadines known as Mexicane
patterns will no longer be the NEST fashionable
choice. In their place are armures, dsmask
and brocaded designs, with preference for the
armures. The damask figures must be very
small to be stylish and are best liked in leaf
and arabesque patterns Many are shown with
open lace-like meshes outlining palm leaves or
arabesques. There are also various striped
grenadines, some with wide satin stripes alter
many hair stripes of velvet forming broad
stripe between brocaded stripes.
Dolmans and scarf mantles will be worn in
the spring, and the counters of retail stores are
already heaped with the new cloths to be used
for them Gray, drab, cream, brown aud fawn
shades are shown in variety for these wraps
There are rough feeced camePs-h cloths a
third of an inch thick, yet of light weight for
warmer weather. They cost $4 30 a yard in
stylish shades, are of cloth width (Which is
forty-eight inches), and can scarcely be distin-
gushed from the heavier csmePs hair cloths
sold for $40 yard. Basket-woven cloths with
checks of various sizes are from $3.50 TO 81
yard. Fine Scotch cloths in gray mixtures are
$780, The most stylish of all are the quadrille
patterns of blocks, bars or dice checks, made of
finer twill and more glossy than the broadly
twiled ground The American twilled cloths
are soft and pliable, cost only $3.50 yard and,
though not very heavy, they rival the Scotch
and French goods in appearance. These will
be made up in long Dolmans of very simple
shape trimmed very simply with galloon and
fringe. 1t will be the fashion merely to border
such garments instead OF destroying their
shapely outlines by lines and angles of trim
ming sewed on up and down the back, or
across the front and shoulders as has lately
been the custom. The fringes used for such b
wraps must be very thick and rich, as thin,
poor fringe destroys the effect of the garment.
1t is always best to buy fringes OF good quality,
as they wear, like lace, without changing
greatly in style. The domestic fringes are far
stronger than those that are imported. The
beauty OF the French fringes is in their designs,
not in wearing qualities. When purchasing
fringe the difference is easily told by breaking
one or two threads of the fringe, when it will be
discovered that the French fringe is very frag-
lie. Bias brocaded silk bands will also be used
for trimming wraps as heading for fringes,
for collars, and for pockets.
For the first woolen dresses for early spring
the retail stores are disolAying colors and de-
signs TO match the cloths just described for
wraps. These are of fine quality, pure wool,
very light weight, and cost eighty cents yard
for stuffs about three fourths of yard wide.
Among the pret lest are the clear grays with
steel blue shadings, and the creamy browns,
woven in squar, figures, yet all of one shade.
These woven plaids of single. shade promise
to be exceedingly popular; but aside from the
tiny checks noted IN forme- paper, there are
| no plaids of two colors. Fine twilled vigognes
are shown as low as forty-fve cents yard in
| single widths. Very fine summer mePs-hair,
| with soft finlsb yet showing the stylish fleece,
| is So yard. From five to six yards are sold
| for a polonaise.
Silk and wool mixtures are shown Ia unusual
variety. These are most often in roughly
raised threads irregularly woven ia what has
been known of late as knckeIbocker style.
| These come in charming light shades, such as
| tileul green, blue with white, or cream with
brown, and cost 81 % yard for double-width
| goods 10 still finer qualities of mixed silk and
| wool there Is green with red, or blue with car
/ uluAi, OF tiSo Suduru OifC SlOcu, iOi Ro yaiu.
| PLAN solid blue Knickerb cker IS SHOWN for
1915. This seems to indicate that blue will
| lose its prestige, aed green will take It's place;
at present, however, blue still remains IN great
| favor abroad. Blue ard gold stripes of mixed
| silk and wool are 81. so yard
Wool Siciennes for wraps and over dresses
| are shown in far lighter shades than they have
| beeu FOR years, and the same is true of CASH
meres. Tilleul green is the novelty most large
ly imported 10 these fine stuffs, aud will be
| used for evening wraps. Basket and Grape
| cloths in all these delicate shades are S1.75 a
| yard
Red, white AMI blue bunting of the best quail
itY used tor flags is imported by the leading fur
| nishlng houses to be used for summer dresses
in the country, especially at the seaside, as it
is not affected by damp air. This fashion came
| into vogue last summer during the patriotic
| Centennial season, and the material became so
| popular that merchants have imported large
| supply of it, Only two colors will be used in a
i costume Thus blue suits will be piped with
/ red or with white, and white suits with red or
blue. The Breton style, illustrated in the Ba-
/ Ear early in the winter, IS commended for these
| dresses. The bunting costs thirty cents yard,
and is half a yard WIDE 1t can be nicely
| cleaned by French scourers and has as little
weight as muslin dress.
/ The cool, fIesh-looking Scotch ginghams re-
| appear in characteristic eross-bars, checks,