The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-05-05

Faras0lS and DreSS-ImprOyerS."
The usual sun-umbrella, which has
been carried almost universally fer sew
eral years past, until it was supposed to
be fixture, has succumbed to the march
of events and been compelled to resign
its pretension to fashionable prestige. 1t
may be employed-as doubtless it will
by benighted persons who are unac-
quainted with the ms and outs of fashion;
but all ladies who wish to represent the
latest mode will keep their sun-umbrel-
las for their marketing expeditions, and
for "dress" purposes, match their cos
tunes with costume" parasol.
The new parasols are very neat and
very dainty. They are medium size, and
made in several different styles to match
prevailing designs in dress. The cos
tune parasol proper is of rich black,
navy blue, invisible green, or brown silk
lined with white, with scalloped border,
surrounded with a plated rutfie raveled
out upon the edges, and also lined with
white.
The trimmings are of white silk cord
and tassels and the handles of ivory,
ebony of dark grained woods, beautifully
finished, and the tips of the ivory tipped
with gold. The rutiies are sometimes
plain, with unusual taste, richly embroid-
cred in the same shade.
To match the Boston costumes there
are psrasols embroidered in colors and in
delicate, detached designs, which form
4 sort of broken border without the ruffle,
and there is a pretty Partisan idea, which
consists of small, silk-hned model,
upon the outside of which butterfly
lin embroidery seems to have alighted
This is called the Mariposa."
The "Dowager" parasol for elderly
ladies is beauty. 1t is rather large in
size, made of solid satin-fnished black
silk, lined with white, and bordered with
a heavy silk fringe, with embroidered
heading. The stick is of ivory, with a
deep gold top, and the finishing consists
of white, twisted ring, with corded
tassels.
The present form of dress-skirt, with
the fullness massed upon the lower part,
and drawn together to form the peculisr
fan shape of the train, absolutely requires
some sort of support underneath to keep
it in position and impart the requisite eff
feet. Even if the suit is not trained, the
fullness is massed all the same and dis
posed in folds or plaits or " drapcry" of
some sort-drapery which is worse than
useless, if simply left to fall in a
wrinkled mass. Even the princesse
dress cannot be worn gracefully without
long, peculiar tournure, fiat at the top
for i
but terminating in series of closely-set
springs, which flare little toward the
edge. Only the short, plain round skirt
can be worn with ease and comfort with
out spring skirt, or such elaboration Of
underwear as is not possible to the aver
age of women. To meet these require
ments, for which the demand is as great
as it ever was for hooped-skirts in their
palmiest days, the manufacturers of
dress-improvers have done what they
should have done long ago-they have
had a sort of convention, have discussed
the matter in all its bearings, have de-
cided upon styles and adopted some
needed improvements All the bustles
and dress-improvers recently worn have
been vexation and often a serious an
noyance from the liability of the wires
to protrude, thus depriving them at
once of their proper shape, and then it
was almost impossible to sit down with
any comfort, and the act of sitting dis.
placed them and spoiled the effect of the
most elegant dress.
The new styles consist of cloth finished
dress-improvers," small, fiat at the
top, laced upon the inside and finished
with hounce. "Sensible" walking.
skirts are cloth or tape-fnished, with
small spring bottoms and flap fronts,
tied with tape strings but not fastened
round the limbs in the old style; and
! long, slender princesse styles, the back
composed of long, broad tapes. to which
is attached spring bottom, with small,
faring, fan-like edges, which sustains a
demi-trained skirt admirably. To save
the annoyance referred to, they have
adopted the patent panier-tip"
and hinge. The panier-tip" is a
brass heading, which securely fastens
the horizontal wire, and prevents its pos
sibility of protruding from any amount
of pressure. The little circular self
acting hinge attached to the upright
wires turns obediently to the motion to
sit down, and folds in the spring most
perfectly, SO that there is no awkward
ness and no difficulty in the adjustment
of skirts. These new styles will be a
boon to ladies during the coming sum-
mer'-Jennie June.