The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-01-17
The Fashions.


ments is becoming quite popular. 1t
is conspicuous for its perfect cut. The
seams are pressed, the borders simply
stitched and left untrimmed. A cloak
in this style is of heavy felt cloth. It
forms paletot, crossed in front, with
a turned-down collar and revers, and
two rows of large buttons. The "tail-
leur" style! also employed for ordi-
nary suits, princess dresses and polo
naises. The outer garment consists of
a small straight paletot, made on the
above-described principle. The material
chosen is cloth in subdued color,
such as navy blue or Prussian green,
unless English tartan with blue and
green check is preferred. As the latter
material is of rather fancy character,
it will not come into very general use.
The "tailleur" style of dress has often
from nine to eleven rows of stitching
on the borders. These rows of stitch
ing vary in number according to the
part of the garment upon which they
are placed. There is naturally more
of this stitching employed for the skirt
than for the ends of the cuff. For a
princess dress and polonaise the dra-
peries must be slight. The best way
of fastening the plaits is by means of
large flat buttons, either of wood,
nickel, ivory or shell, and varying &C
cording to the material of which the
garment is made. 1t is very likely
that to this masculine style is attrib-
utable the prevalence of black or brown
felt hats called "melon." This shape
is not at all to be recommended.
Square low necks, and sleeves termi-
mating at the elbow, will be most worn
this winter. Plastrons are used for
most of the waists; they are over the
breast and in the back, and children's
suits have as many plated plastrons as
ladies' toilets. These plastrons are a
very great improvement upon wooden
suits. A favorite trimming at present
is that which is cut out in squares, with
silk plaitings underneath.
Tinted silks, instead of bright, de-
cided colors, are more and more worn;
in fact, such colors as pink, green,
blue and yellow, are scarcely to be
seen. For those persons who prefer
the plain style of dress, black, white
and pearl colors are chiefly resorted to.
If beaded galloon is employed, hand
some jet beads are used, or even clair
de lune; but the more eccentric kinds,
such as "flamme de punch" "Ves-
uve," or "soleil couchant," beads are
never used. The scarabee" bead is
another article employed exclusively
for the numberless different green ma
terials now in vogue.
The favorite dressy winter suits are
made of velours frappe on a satin
grounding. Although these velvets do
not make youthful-looking dress,
they are, Notwithstanding, much in
use, and no fashionable lady's ward
robe will be considered as complete
without one of them. These dresses
will be made, principally, in different
shades of green. They are much
trimmed up in front. If the front of
the dress does not consist of band of
this fancy velvet, extending down the
whole front of the polonaise, thus form
ing the vest and apron, the dress is
trimmed with "barettes'' of passe-
menterie, rich embroidery, or galloon
worked with all kinds of metal beads.
Almost all the rich materials are COM
bined with plain velvet, the latter be-
ing used for the revers of the tunic, the
large pelerme collars and the bias bands
forming the borders. The velvet must
always be in the darker shade of the
figure in the velvet, while the faille
trimming, bordering the squares, or the
bias bands, are in the light shade of the
grounding. Satin is scarcely ever used
alone at present, but is combined with
velvet.
Persons who do not admire the differ
ent shades of green so fashionable at
present can have seal color instead,
Bands of sealskin as trimming are ex-
tensively employed. Cachemire de
rInde and fail1e suits, bordered with
sealskin in place of galloon, make ele-
CANT suits. This fur is also used to
trim beige cloth. but other furs are pre-
ferred to sealskin for light materials.
sealskin sacques as the English and
Americans, the French limiting their
use of the fur to trimming purposes.
There is distinction now made in seal
skin, the two kinds being called,
respectively, summer and winter seal
skin. One is deeper brown than the
other, and handsomer. There is to be
had Kamschatka sealskin, which, how
ever, is very rare. As already stated,
their principal use is confined to bands,
deep cuffs, and Richelieu collars. La
dies also wear sealskin caps. For Pa
risian gentlemen this fur is made into
vests and bands to border the garments,
with collars and cuffs to match.-N Y.
Times.