Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-06-01
FASCINATING FASHIONS.
New York Styles for June-Straw.
berry BOnnetS and the Novelties I'm
COstumes-The Short Dress and
Summer Underwear.
ROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

they are this season. In textures we have
everything that can be found abroad-aS varied
in design and as rich in quality. What we
lack is originality and finish in the making up
of garments. We have not the knowledge or
the courage to be original and simple In
making up We over elaborate, and the lack of
finish only emphasizes this fault, and renders
1t conspicuous. Looking at the lovely ma
terials one wonders where all the ugly and
stupid dressing comes from-the inharmony,
the appropriateness, the untitnesS and want
OF Conference
| its ultimatum. We have WOODEN fabrics as
fine and soft as gauze: we have cottonS which
can scarcely be distinguished. even by the
touch, from delicate silk we have silk woven
with silver and gold, and embroidercd with
precious stones, before which the precious
Stutfs of the East look like Vulgar pretenSion.
we nave, In short, modern Art, which is based
upon Nature, applied To industries united
with the inventive genius and luxury of past
ages.
Among the new fabrics of the season IS
IfacOt gauZe, or what Is known in Paris as
double gauLe. 1t is, in reality, an exquisite
fabric OF silk and wool made in solid Color
IN delicate tlnts, such as baize, maStic, pale
face like fine ribbed satin, but is more gauZy
III texture and is always united with fine wool
or pure faille in the composition of the elegant
tolieIteS LOT watering place wear. for which it
is designed.
In grenadines we have a beautiful fabric
H..
he embroidery is executed. In lighter mate
tlS there is tie new crepe 6dptjSte which
washes without !OSingitS crinkled appearance,
and IS always trimmed with bands of colOred
embroidery.
The light delicate shades in fine WOOL silk
and wool, linen. silk and SATIN are a decided
contrast TO the black, blues, the black grounds,
| the black browns and all blacks which we
have been wearing SO long. But they look fiat
| in plain suits in the single Color. The latest
| effort embroideries upon these foundation
u q Trim ,iTl,r
| and in very rich materials for evening wear
| The lrrldeScent is executed i'll small beads of
| the different tintS, combined with silk, upon
| crepe. g3uZe, satin and lace. Such effects are
| 100 nne Tor street wear, but in the evening.
| under the blaze OF gas light, OF for ceremO
| nouS dinner dresses, and particularly for bru-
| helleS, they are decidedly novel and very
| charming.
We have also an unexpected mine in the
| Madras ginghams, and fine, faSt-cOlOred lawns
| which have been neglected so long. The ging-
| hams are principally used for chiidren'S wear.
! the trimmings consisting of bands of EN-
| broidery executed in the contrasting cOIOrS of
| the check. Eut they are also very useful for
| summer morning wear for ladies and country
walking wear for young girls, while the lawns
are pretty enough for country church and
visiting, and quite revive the memories of
country freshness and comfort a quarter of a
century ago.
SUMMER BoNNETs
1t has been reported in almost every DaDpr
in the country that Jennie June said a fash
iOnable bonnet could be bought for S. but Ger
tainly | never said anything of the kind What
did say was this: that a hat more suitable
for wear with a tweed travelling dress could be
| made at home, with the help of a proper frame
for S?-using the material of the dress for a
cOyering-than a fashionable bonnet which
cost from $40 to $40. For my own part have
never been able to find pretty wellmade bon
nets at reduced prices in ordinary millinery
shOps-at least not within the past fifteen
years. Bonnets are the most unsatisfactory of
purchases, the cost of what is called a stylish
one being so out of all proportion to its value.
There was time when bonnetS were bonnets,
Notwithstanding their ugliness. The first cost
OF hne one was matter of little importance
Tor the Tuscan or Leghorn braid, the English
split straw, and fine Neapolitan could be
cleaned and made over many times, if re-
quired; and the handsome ostrich plume or
piece of real lace could be made to serve its
purpose over and over again. But it is very
on fine straw or chips, for the shapes are SO in
significant and so fantastic that they could not
possibly be considered permanent and the
change their color and variety with every sea-
son, and must never show themselves twice
alike: There was certain kind of Satisfac-
ton in paying from $40 to $40 for bonnet
when it had a permanent value in it. elf and
its belongings. But there is none now when it
seems to be mixture of mere scraps and odds
follow fashion strictly, using ones own skill
and ingenuity in working out ideas. than to
pay enormous prices for what is after all
| neither suitable nor satisfactory.
RECENT STYLES.
fortunately there seems to be prospect of
Improvement in this respect. 1t has been hard
for city millinerS to follow the course of other
industries and reduce their charges, but they
have been obliged to do it. They will also have
to study hard to accommodate themselves to a
more diversified class of purchasers.
In the largest dry goods stores of all our
large cities a lady can find ready-made suits
and dresses at any price she can afford to pay,
from the calico wrapper at one dollar to the
most elegant reception dress at $50. But the
tn hljShn ar1lt TO
only one class of custom, and that, the most
!dlotic as well as the most expensive clasS-for
1t is ldi0cy to pay thirty-fv dollars for sim
pie walking hat which is what a fashionable
milliner asked the other day with the apollo
getic remark for its low price: Because it's
only simple little hat, you know" In Lon
don the guinea bonnet is an institution, can
be found in infinite variety, and is tasteful,
Well-made, and satisfactory in all respects. If
we could go out and find such bOnnetS here
Tor from ON five to seven dollars each, it would
we have never been able to do this BY acct
dent one can sometimes discover aplain, SEN
Slble hat or bonnet at fairly reasonable
price: but it is SO purely by accident that one
wonders how it came there. And that same
hat or bOnnet-or one like it's never to be
found when 1t is wanted
A new style of this season is simple cot
tage straw bonnet, worth, untrimmed, from a
dollar and a half to two dollars. The prettiest
OrnamentatiOn which it can receive is a fold
of satin threaded with gold, a bow of satin
straight down the sides of the brim. This
would require two yards and half of satin
ribbon at GO cents per yard and the folds at
an outside cost OF perhaps so cents more,
bringing the entire cost within three AID
half or four dollars. Such a bonnet should be
sold for S., and there ought to be hundreds of
them, varying little in style. color and deco
ration, at prices ranging from s. to 81. But,
quite to the contrary, they cannot be found
except at high prices: edged with pearls and
trimmed with feathers which, by singular
legerdemain brings the cost up TO from SIS to
$40, and excludes them from l.ine-tenthS of
the quiet. unpretending class of women to
whom the style and shape is particularly
adapted 1t should be remembered that
the newest shapes are small: in fact, copies i'm
| miniature of curious old styles, including the
Cottage, the Golf, and the Tudor. Tuscan
StraWS, and what used to be known as the Co
burg straw, which has yellow tinge, are used
n the manufacture of these bonnets. and thew
are trimmed with shades of bronze, olive and
old gold satin ribbon, dashed with red in the
shape of pOppieS, or as reversible side of the
| ribbon. There are also some very new no
ions in straw -cOlOred satin, reversed with pale
blue, which ale used in conjunction with straw
| fringeS and straw beads in feStoOnS. The
GainShOroueh and Rembrandt models, which
| turn up on enc side and drOop low upon the
| other are still reserved for coaching and rid
| ing purposes. The principal difference be-
| tween them is that the brim of the Rembrandt
| Is indented as well as turned up, and usually