The Portland daily press., 1877-10-17
LFrom Harper's Bazar.l
New York Fashions.

The fashionable modiste are returning fro
Paris, and, notwithstanding our desire, espe-
cially in these hard times, to tell OF plain and
economical styles, it is necessary to note these
last importations among which are some Of
the richest goods ever brought to this country
AT one house, where room after room is filed
with elegant things the empress dress seems
to be the leading feature. This dress is the
princesse dress with difference, viz, il is not
caught up in bouffsnt drapery, but hangs in
graceful folds from the waist to the foot The
'front.' OF the skirt is quite short enough to show
the elaborately dressed feet while the back
forms long, fiat. square-cornered train.
There is simple tablier arranged in front, and
long panels of trimming are on the sides. The
front is different from the back either in mace
rial or color The founces are narrow and SIM
pie, often being merely pinked on the edges
The waists are long, with seams beginning ON
the shoulders in most cases, though some of
the newest dresses have side forms starting In
the armholes, and omit the middle seam in the
back. The trimmings on the bust outline
coaching jackets, or else they are plastrons or
Breton vests. The sleeves are either close
enough for lace or linen cuffs to be worn out
side them, or else they flow open at the wrist,
and often at the elbow The elaborate panels
form pockets, and there are many ribbons,
bows, rosettes of folded silk, passementerie and
beaded ornaments, and buttons that are as
handsome almost as Jewels.
Other dresses have long straight coats or
great redingotes for over dresses that hang
plainly all around, and depend for their beauty
on their rich fabrics. or else on the fiat galloons
and glmps with which they are trimmed
These straight coats are made of the heaviest
Lyons velvet and will probably make this fine
fabric fashionable again. They are also made
OF armure and of reppsd silks, or of embossed
velvet, to wear over plain velvet or silk skirts
while for general use they are of gray corduroy.
and have two or three Carrick capes added,
The combination suits are mostly with polon-
alses, and many of these fasten in eccentric
ways, some of them leaving a square space
straight at the neck, and then being carried
suddenly across to the left side, whence they
slant away to the foot. Others have the side
forms of velvet, leaving tue silk front straight
like Breton vest. Still others have the wooden
front and sides drawn together behind under q
nat pleating OF the silk lower skirt, giving a
stylish effect that will be illustrated in cut
paper pattern suit in the next number of the
Bazar. As we said last week, there are quite
as many basque vests and over-skirts as polon-
aises, but perhaps the most stylish vest basque
is now the coaching jacket, especially for the
wool costumes worn for travelling and as sec
Ouu uIcoScS. Lue56 are buOWu ITOm Lno most
exclusive French houses, made in the simplest
manner possible, viz, of gray or dFab wool,
without tounce or any trimming other than
binding OF brown wooen braid on the coaching
Jacket, the vest, the long round over-skIrt,
and the walking skirt, which just es:
capes the ground. Pleated waist fronts are so
becoming to The figure that Worth has intIo-
daced them in basques of the richest material.
One of the handsomest black dresses from this
celebrated designer has black brocaded coat
with the tronts formed Of three pleats from
throat to waist, ending there like blouse, under
q wide Italian belt fastened by gold buckle,
while the pack forms long slender coat tails
held by revers and bows down on the pleated
tram. Ine trimming on the skirt is straight
down the middle of the front, and consists of
Two shlrred pieces of the brocade. Though
orocades and embossed velvets are much nsed
Ior tne elegant black toilettes that form part OF
every OUTFIT, PLAIN gros grain is by no means
abandoned. Fringes are more fashionable
than ever, since thick brocaded and rough
threaded materials can not be cut up in self
trimmings. The newest fringes have gallooD
headings and have many drops, strands of
chenille, new grass-like threads, satin balls
and tassels arranged in most indescribable and
intricate patterns. Worsted iIinges in fiv tas-
sells and in chenille effects, with mulbury drops
show every color of the many colored wooden
fabrics they are used to trim; so to so cents q
yard is tue price. A remarkable variety Is
shown in buttons and cloaks, These are no
longer counned to silk and crocheted buttons,
out consist OF fanclfully colored pearl, bone,
mttai, composition buttons, tortoise shell, nli-
gree gllt or silver, round taceted balls OF Jet,
wooden balls, inlald PEARL engraved pearl, aud
shaded buttons, showing every hue OF the
dress Two sizes are used on most suits. Flat
buttons an inch in diameter are chosen for the
fastening of the fronts of dresses; larger ones
are used on panels aud pockets.
Infants caps called skull-caps are again the