The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-07
[Frcm Harper's bazar ]
New York Fashions.

| there will be no decided changes n the FASH
ons of spring dresses, and the first importa
tons cOnfirm this assertion. We find these
impo rtations to consist, first, of suits with prn-
cesse polonases, basques with over-skirts and
lower skirts and, finally, princesse dresses.
Of The polopaises we have just given a model
OF the plain designs which are also most styl-
sh, but there besides more elaborate pat
terms with scarf drapery in front and many fat
pleats in the middle of the back. Among
features common to most of the handsome polo
naises are the long seams of the back, tho
plainness over the tournure, aud suffici4 Mt
length to give a very slender effect. The By
ron collar is seen on great many. Fringes
and wide galloons are the trimmings univer-
sally used. and the galloon is very generally
arranged in slopng lines, or else in longV
down the back from shoulders to waist Small
short fichus or mantles of the material OF the
polouaise complete many of these suits and are
becoming to very slender figures. As we have
remarked already, the aim seems to be to give
the whole suit the appearance of princesse
dress. To this effect the long poonaise gives
only the merest glimpses of the trimming of
the lower skirt, hence this skirt must be very
narrow and clinging, that it may not obrrude
itself, and is usually trimmed alike all around
Ma -s--DaoA is the rule almost without ex-
ception ON French dresses. Knife-pleating still
prevails on the newest dresses. Around the
bottom of the skirt are two rows of fine knife
pleating, each two inches deep when finished;
above this is a fat band of galloon, or of bias
brocade, or of plain silk; and by way Of head
ing are two upright pleatings that stand out
with more fulness than is seen in tie fiat lower
plests. There are also box-pleated hounces
finished by fine knife-pleating at top and bot
tom there are clnstars of narrow lapped gath
cred founces. and there are few dresses with
out any trimming but border OF galloon or
bias bands.
The habit basques described at length in for
mer numbers are seen on the richest dresses
sent out for the spring from such houses as
WORMS and Pingats. The back is square and
lat, the sides are much shorter, yet cover the
hips like corset. and the front is pointed. The
back has usually two side bodles, which may
be short, as in the illustration just mentioned,
or long, begnning on the shoulders The mid
die seams slope outward after taperlpg iH at the
waist, and the ornament of the back, wbe tber
it be buttons oOws, or Hat pleats, begins two or
three inches below the waist line. The front
usually has a square plastron of plain silk that
may BIZ removed, and tulle or crepe llsse used
instead. The edges are finished with two or
three piped cords. A belt may be added in
front, aud is used to display a ieweled buckle,
or else it is buttoned by three or four buttons.
The over-skirt with such basques is attached to
the lower skirt at the belt, aud NAV be either
an apron or els. open in front With revers on
the sides; in the latter case the revers attach
the upper skirt to the lower, to prevent 1t flying
! open in front, as it would do il made separate
| iy. A spring suit made after this fashion is OF
i myrtle green cashmere silk, aud green galloon
I htfa Iowa ski kirt 10 of Slk
| with two kDife-pleatings, galoon. and two erect
| pleatiDgs The cashmere over-skirt sewed in
with the belt of the lower skirt, is turned back
en- reUers in front, has horizontal pleats on the
s'des and falls in soft drapery behind; lis bor-
dered with the galloon and knife pleating of
silk. The habit basque is Of cashmere, with
| silk sleeves and square silk plastron. The
| square silk is sashed up several inches (though
| not quite to the wa'st) at the end If the three
| long back seams; two piping cords edge the
| basque and pass up these seams. The spaces
| between the seams are filled in with three
| plea,ed frills of silk that soft aud scant
that they do not Interfere with tue Hatness OF
| the basque The front is pointed basque ex.
| tending only about finger below the waist
| line. The collar is Byron shape. The cuffs
ars plainly oordered with gsloon. For the
| street a sleeveless sacque of cashmere is added.
| This sacQue is in the straight French shape,
| medium long, and slightly loose. The front is
| double-breasteo, and buttoned its entire length.
| Among the new models for black silk dres es
| that are always largely imported for the inter-
mediate seasons Worth sends handsome desigus
partly of brocade and patty Of gros gram The
| front breadths are partly OF gros grain laid
| across foundation in folds and wrinkles, and
edged with fringe, which falls over
| knife-peatDg. Across the top OF these
| breadths is a short apron of brocade, trDged
| with brocade revers extending down the side
| cores their whole length. The three back
breadths are male abruptly longer on the sides
| to give square train, and are bordered across
e,a fN fha half fvutth n
kuife-peating of plain silk lined with pleated
l Valenciennes lace, ,and held in position by floods
| of looped ends uf gros grain ribbon. The
square habit basque, made like those already
described,i is of brccade, with tight sleeves of tue
same. Bows are set on the back seams of the
basque, and 1T is plped all along the edge. The
poiLted front IS made to look short-waisted by
a wide Josephine belt OF fous silk folds Begin
| ming under the arms, and sloping narrowly
toward the front, where it is fastened by q
buckle of mother-of-pearl. The square neck
has revers and folds Of silk at the no tom, and
| is flied In with white crepe lisse, while pleat-
| lugs of lisse and lace surround the square. At
| the back the neck is not very high, and o
| standing collar is added on the back only.
| The tight sleeves are slashed above the wrist
| and there are two pnffs of white tulle on the
| outside of the arm Valenciennes lace frilis fall
| on the hand. A bunch OF violets and mignon-
| ette is stuck in the corner of the square neck
/ on the left slde
In these new dresses the shoulders are very
short, the neck is cut very high behind, and the
| tight sleeves bave the upper half slightly gath
| eied GU the elbows to fit the arm more per-
f-ctly. A second black silk costume designed
| for the street has q prlncesse polonaise, with
| the apron front drsped like a scarf, and KILT
| plrated behind. The trimming is black and
/ white galloon and fringe.
| The polonsse predominates among the plain
| suits OF wooden uffS for spring. Among these
are wool brocades of ecru and brown, gray
| quadrille and basket-woven woolens, small
| ohecked goods, and plar chals trimmed with
| Srocaded bands. The small pin-head checks OF
| black blue or brown and white are made up
| for young girls suits without any trimming ex
| cent that given by rows of machine stitching
| The skirt is plaD, with the exception OF few
| kilt Meats set in the back breadths like far
train; the front breadths are turned up and
| stitched The long slender poonaise is ast
| stitched and has many small round buttons o.
horn or wood. The wrap is an English walking
Jacket, longer and more closely fitted than they
| have been worn of late and with pleat,Dg set II
| behind. The square pockets have naps hal
their depth aud buttons set on IN Bretor
TO support the train of carriage and house
| dresses a sweeper or pleated t1oupce of muslin
edged with imitation Nalenciennts lace is Sc
| on the inside 1t is about three-eighths of 6
| ward deep and is set on at such height that 6
| glimpse of the white lace appears below the
edge of the dress. Imported dresses are pro
vided with French sweepers that are made
| of crnolne and muslin and may be changed
from ole dress to another. The foundation O.
| cross barred crinoline muslin is OF two shaped
pieces nearly yard long, straight down tnt
front edges, and sloped to slant ia the seam II
the middle so that from each piece being only
| fourth of a yard at the top it broadens U
| three .fourths at the bottom where 1t Is curved
: lust as the edge of the dress train is. On thu
is laid plain coarse stiff muslin covered witt
| four or five scant f1ounces to support tie dres
train, while the lower fiounce is of pleate'
4 New black silk sacques are partly of brocad
/ and partly of plain silk aud are trimmed wit
galloop, lace, fringe and ribbon bows Dol
mans are thus far confined TO the gray an
t drab wool cloths already described. Th
r sacques are half long and of French outlines
with long seams in the back, or else The ga
2 loon trims the back perpendicularly. The lon
slender garment of sacque shape with shoulde
pieces giving the effect of a Dolman Is i'm
ported in summer cloths and in black SILK an
8 promises to be as popular as 1t has been durin
o | the winter.
o Governor Hayes" the monster OK whlc
has been for some time on exhibition at WASH
ipgton, was slaughtered on Saturday, and ther