The Portland daily press., 1878-03-14
(Harper's Bazar.1
New York Fashions.
spriug Costumes.


for the espring show few changes from the styles
that are now in vogue. The clinging priucesse
dress remains the foundation for variety of
designs, all of which, when completed, have
the prncesse effect. Thus there are separate
bssques with over skirts, though the over skirt
is now attached to the lower skirt; there are
princesse polonases showing the merest glimpse
of the skirt beneath; aud there are the still
newer over dresses with basque and apron
front and polonase back; yet any one Of these
designs, when properly carried out, will closely
resemble the princesse dresses that are made all
in one piece. The one really distinctive style
is that of the English cut-away coat With vest
and long over skirt, or else the short kilt
skirt with scarf There are also many very
elaborate costumes with short skirts, usually
fnished as kits, with slender polonaises or
basaues and aprons.
Combination costumes remain in fashion.
Out of fifty French dresses exhibited, those of
black silk Were the only dresses that were en-
tirely of one material, and these were elabor.
ately ornameuted with jet, fringe, lace, and
bows Of satin ribbon Tue combinations are of
two materials of one shade, and also beautiful
contrasts are shown by trimming boursttes and
gauzes with silk or satin pipings of two or
three oddly blended colors. The newest combi-
nation dresses are less pa,chy looking than
those lately in vogue with alternate cores of
different materials the whole length of the
over dress. They now return to the simpler
fashion first introduced of having the eutire
over dress of lighter color aud the skirt of
darker silk. True, some of the skirt material
appears in the over dress, but il Is only as q
vest or plastron, with collar, pipings, pockets,
in MANY cases, sleeves and, when the garment
is very long, in the side Trimmings or panels
that are now SO popular. The materials for
such over dresses are damasks of most indef-
mite desigos and small figures; Louisine silks
of quantity combined colors with each thread
of different hue from that next it; aud the
loosely woven wooisn stutfs in less defined
pattern than the basket cloi hs and diagonsls of
last year. For instance, for early sprina there
are overdresses of gray and blus wooden threads
that form pinhead dots, worn over blue-gray
silk skirt; beige-cOlored wool with bars of car
dinal red threads is worn over dark brown silk;
bourette with dark green rough threads on Q
gray surface is used over q reseds (grsy-greeB)
silk skirt; clear gray quadrile wool fabric is
made up with ashes-of roses silk; olive green
bouretts with pale blus and cardinal threads is
worn with an olive silk skirt and piped with
pale blue and cardinal satin. The Lousine
silks make elegant costumes for spring aud
summer IN artlstically blended colors, such as
dark myrtle green With threads of old gold,
or else the ground of the Louisine is gray, with
threads of sky blue, red and gold. aud the skirt
is red-brown silk, with blue and gold ppings in
the fouDces.
The most conspicuous new feature is the alb
sence of the many seams now seen in the back
of basqueS aEd pOlonaiSes Many are shown
with merely a short side form beginning in the
arm-hole, and a seam down the middle Of the
from the shoulder aud have two side bodies
aud it will be difficult to induce ladies to DIS
pepse with these, as they do much toward pro-
ducing the slender effect now considered
stylish.
Large Charles III. collars covering the shoul-
ders are seen on many dresses and on wraps.
hese do not look we'll, however, unless fn-
ished at the top with standing collar or
pleated frl. When these are not used, the
neck of the dress is cut square, and has q
plastron, or else il Is trimmed to represent q
| ,quare. A small narrow fichu or collarett- of
folded Tx is used even with square necked
| dresses. Vests are shown on all kinds of
| dre's from the panest to the richest.
Basques are of simplest shapes, and are not
| elaborately trimmed. Some of them are gem
| uine position basques cut square behind aud
| laid in fiat pleats Of the material, or else q
| cluster of satin or silk peats is set In; these
l pleats do not come quite up to the waist lice,
but bsain two or three inches below II, allow
ing the seams of the waist TO come gracefully
over tue most tsperiDg part. Straight round
cuirasS bssques are also shown, cut uot so gen.
| orally as those with pointed front and back aud
| shor ,er sides, The shoulder seams are still
made short aud the neck high as il Is poss-
ole to wear IL. There IS no cordng about the
| best dresses, except a small cori in the arm
| hole. Seeves are light coat shape, battoDed
/ outside the wrist on very plsi0 dresses, for
| more dressy basques they are equally tight, bat
are SO short that they reach oUiy half way be-
L tween the eloow aud wrist, where they are
| tnrned upward as a cuff, or else they are made
! still shorter, aud finished with "a friu. The
4 NTH hasa hasn ara q / an
/ French dresses sewed in with the belt of the
i lower skirt and 10 many casss form part OF it.
/ Thus the dress is made on u foundation OF CAM
i brio; the loDg apron and panel sides are s-~ed
i directly upon the cambric lining, while below
this and ia tine b OK the silk - lett flo win aud
| bordered with tlounce. The bottom OF skirts
| b ave a simple al narrow trimming alike all
| around the skirt, or else tie three trout aud
side cores have pleated fiounce, and the back
| oreadths are gathered III TO form u fan trsiu,
| and are not rmmed on the edge The bala-
| veuse of white muslin and lace IS In sll new
| suits, but should not be worn with walking
| dresses. Tue lower skirts Of costumes when
made separately are more clingng than ever.
rne front aud single SIDE gore perfectly PLAIN
at the top, and the back breadths are very
narrow, bat are widened 10 pleas jus back OF
| The knee to form fan train indeed, this
| pleated train is now used on tne pain
| est crosses. Soft faciogs of crin0liue mus
/ lin are preferred to the stlffer wigg1ng and
| these in The ir turn have a narrower facing,
| rug of alapaca at the bottom. Pol
| onaises are in the prncesse style, With but
| tons or bows down the entire front, or else they
are cut away or allowed TO fall open and show
| A trimmed skirt beneath Black cachemlre
des Indies of the quality sold for So or So q
| yard is much used for these over-dressrs. They
are are trimmed with jet eslloon and satin
ribbons. Many have small fichus to wear with
| them on cool days.
Very few silk buttons are seen, but OCCASION
ally small satin buttons are used. The prefer.
elce for wool suits of incest quality, is
IS for tie exquisitely shaded buttons,
for those richly carved, or else tinted to match
the colors of the Dress aud finally for the sub
tantial horn aud wooden buttons an inch IN
diameter, quite thick aud heavy looking, and
| with eyes sunken ia the centre.
For popular suits made for general wear