The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-04-22
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Sonso Information for Ladies' WING
Fs Ask that Question.
FRENCH COURT AND DEMI-TRAIEED FAN
sKIRT--poPULAR STYLES OF DRESS, AND
HINTS ON CUTTING AND MAKlNG-oUT-
DOOR WRAPs-HATs, BoNNETs, Wells,
OHILDREN'S STYLES, ETC.

l. SkIRT--pOPULAkS ST 1LES Ot DltfIoS, AMI
HINTS ON CUTTING AND MAKlNG-oUT.
DOOR wRAPs-HATs, BoNNETs, Wells
oHILDREN.s STYLES, ETC.
At Easter, that joyous and queenly festi'
val OF the Church, 1t is the 0esire OF most
ladies Of taste and fashion to appear before
their friends In suits OF the latest and best
style. That Is the masculine view Of the
situation. In times like these, however, II
is not within the ability of all to crafty
such wish. The great majority, after making
their observations upon the paraphernaia
OF their luckier sisters, will go home tt
ponder the financial situation, and devise
schemes to make their allowances meet the
demandsof fashion. The hints that follow,
gathered from many sourceS-more select
than original-are intended to tell what the
favored ones wore yesterday, and to give
others some little information how to make
their clothes for thespring campaign.
It is always pleasure to serve the Ia.
dies, but the average reporter, when he
gets to dealing with ladies' hats, bonnets,
veilss unaersktrts, laces, GabrielIes, ETC.,
feels that he is peculiarly liable to err, and
wishes before he is half done that he had
been put to writing out sermon or speech,
reporting horse-race, suicide. notice OF q
church fair, or police iteln, or doing some
thing which rises TO the level OF his gigan.
tic intellect.
But to the point, as follows:
COTTON AND TINsEL.
It is not fashionable now to initiate in
cotton and tnsel what is beautifully worn
in gems and lace. Trimmings are only
added where they can be properly used to
enrich groundwork or conceal what
would otherwise seem bare and incom-
plete.
This rule gives artistic effect TO the SIM
plest designs, because it Is in accordance
with the first and strictest principles in art.
The Princess designs are beautiful and
graceful, because they present unbroken
lines and contours, and the short dress has
beauty Of fitness and suitability for the
purpose for which it is designed which is
all its own. There is great demand for a
| sensible walking-dress-not overturned,
not fantastic but inconspicuous and unob-
| trusve, such an one as can be made up in
plain, practical material, and be used on
common occasions; such an one, for exam
pie, as would grow up out Of basque COM
bined with OUR "Griselda walking-skirt,
or the still simpler "Plaited" skirt with
Blouse waist, OF combination jacket and
rest.
FRENCH COAT AND DEMrTRAINED FAN SKIRT.
The French coat, pleated oyerskirt, is q
very elegant French model for handsome
dresses, and, indeed, plain materials made
up by this pattern will appear very hand.
some. The French cut-away coat has an
added grace and ckic that Partisan modistes
give to all the designs they adopt from Co.'S
| tunes Of other countries. The Princesse
effect given to the back takes away from the
jauntiness OF the English coat, but adds tc
the elegance Of this design for rich costumes
that are suitable for the house and street
alike. The stylish short seams are shown
in this back. The vest is sewed in with thu
coat under the arms and on the shoulders
and has no back. The pockets on the vest
are new and pretty. In very gay dresses
| for young ladies the vest and the re
yers on the back may be OF contrasting color
and of different material from the coat
| Thus black silk dresses have brocaded
striped, or plain vests OF old gold and mos:
green, or OF pale blue with the new dark
| red called Jacqueminot; bourette dresse:
have silk vests, reyers, and double rows O
piDipps, The new barGge de Luz, which
has SUPERSEDED the buntings of last SUM
mer, is made up in delicate shades OF blue
or OF white, and trimmed with darker blue
| or else olive OF pale tilIeul green. In ma
| king the skirts great economy can be OBJ
served by having a cambria lining faced
to the knee with the dress material, ant
then pleating the overskirt directly upon
it, sewing all in to the same belt
These sham skirts, as they are Called
are now sent out by the best modlstes
Sits for pockets are made through the
oyerskirt, hence it is not necessary
to lift the overskirt and show the camDrlC
part. Other modistes put the pocket in the
lower skirt very much lower down in the
seam than they have usually been placed, SO
that the overSkirt need not be lifted very
high when things are taken out OF the
pocket. The fan-back of the simple and
narrow lower ski1t makes most graceful
curve, il it is full enough below and drawn
closely together at tie top. Three full
breadths OF single-width goods are used.
The pattern gives half Of the middle
breadth and the whole OF the breadths be-
side it. The single straight back breadth
at the top Of the skirt, to which the
fan is attached, holds all the full
ness Of the upper part OF the skirt. In
some cases the fan is gathered instead
OF pleated, and after it is sewed to the top
breadth a casing for drawing-string is put
over the seam, and the fulness may then be
arranged and changed at pleasure. In other
instances the pleats OF the ian turn toward
the back instead OF the front, as in the pat
tern given, and this makes boX-pleat I'M
derneath in the middle of the fan. Most
dressmakers put stiff crinoline in the fan
either as facing or in separate pleating. A
baayeusc OF pleated lace and muslin is then
added.
POPULAR STYLES OF DRESS.
The following is, perhaps, the most pop
ular style OF making dresses: Rather short
skirt, with overskirt real OF merely simula-
ted bv means OF trimmings, corsage sepa-
rate and very long, and wrappings TO match.
These wrappings are OF various forms the
most popular for the warm weather will be
the mantelets, scarfs, and visites; these are
cooler than sacques, and as the season ad-
yances will be more popular; but OF one
thing let our readers be assured, that wrap
OF some kind is an indispensable adjunct to
every street costume. Carrick capes are very
much worn upon all outside garments.
They are seen on cloth sacques, on basques
OF plain costumes, OH polonaises, on dol
mans, on English cloth travelling -cloaks,
and finally on linen ulsters. They are worn
deeper than they were in the winter, and
some are lightly trimmed with rows OF
braid. Sets Of three capes are on wraps,
but basques have only one or two. The
capes are worn without any other wrap, but
they are not very generally admired.
Strong and pretty buttons, imported for
spring costumes, are Of colored pearl, larger
than a dime, and sowed on through eyes in
the centre Some OF these are tinted to