Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-01
NEW YORK FASHIONS.

NEW YORK FASHIONS.
The Latest I'm CosfumesEThe Cost
ana Jacket and Hat OF the Season.
~ lFron Our O,cn Correspondent
NEW YORK, october 81, 1879.
There are evidences OF the periodical revolu-
ton In the fashion of women's clothes which al
ways occur within the cycle Of certain number
OF years, but so gradually that until the final
metamorphosis takes place we are unaware of
the actual goal toward which all our steps have
been leading.
With the short dresses have come In trimmed
skirts and all sorts OF indscriminate attempts at
"'dIapery," which means useless punching and
wr1nkling and worrying to the majority, and
with the revival Of figures in fabric and color In
everything, general confusion, which Is to dress
what the ancient Babel was to sound. Taste
and refinement demand an appearance OF Simpli-
city even from elaboratton-vulgarity demands
elaboration from the utmost poverty of means
and material This distinction marks the great
difference between the welldreSSed and the ILL
dressed woman Of to-day; One endeavors to con-
its it as its chief claim to admiration. Popular
dressing, which two years ago was simple, neat
and digntfied In its best FORMS and little cut up
into pieces Is now patchworky and trivial. Rich
fabrics are employed, beautiful in design and
wonderful in blending and shaded color, but they
are ptilessly divided into bits and shreds, square,
X,
utterly meaningless, as the case may be. With
this waste Of material comes attempts to revive
such obsolete absurdities as long pointed stays,
springs for the enlargement OF the hips, and for
the production of an unnatural appearance of
depression in the back. The idea, of course,
gets muddled in passing through many hands
and heads and SO we have at the same time an
nOuncementS that hoops have revived, that bus
ties are in demand, and very many persons liv-
ing away from metropolitan centers are unaC-
Quainted with what really constitutes fashion in
good society, are misled by false Statements and
even against their will submit to the exactionS
imposed, as they imagine by arbitrary fashion.
THE BoUFFANT STYLES.
There is no greater mistake than to suppose
the bouffant styles have reappeared or been
adopted to any extent in really good or fashion,
able society. The draperieS which are used over
they are festooned on either side, leaving cur
tain-like fall over the hips, which Is sometimes
repeated lower upon the skirt. To emphasize
this effect of drapery by hip tournure. though
there are such things, would not be considered
good style or good taste by persons of any dis
tinction, while at the back the natural depreS-
sion Is all the more apparent from the effect OF
the side draperies, no matter how closely they
follow the outline of the figure. Neither are
short draperieS, short overskirtS or anything
short, save short costumes for the street. much
ly for that and though dumpiness may be toll
Grated when some significance OF character, eX-
preston or nationality is attached to IL, yet
rule fashion objects to dumplness almost as
strongly as Lord Byron.
In fact, these unnatural and abortive attempts
at destroying symmetry and reinstating the
whole tribe OF denominations in the adoption Of
"dress springs" ''hoops,' .'buStles," ''im-
provers," and tournures, ought to be dscour-
aged and discountenanced by every woman of
taste and intelligence. Whatever the form
may be, it is not improved by such indiscrimi-
nate appliances while the application of such
machinery to the sensitive and easily disordered
spine, renders them frequently instruments of
actual torture, and always more or less inju-
rious. One thing the infinite variety In dress IS
doing for women, it is making it possible for
them to follow out their own IDEAS or at least
adhere to some sensible rules; if they do not do
this it Is now their own fault Let those
who can, who have nothing else to do
with time. OR money, make a business Of
more or less fine or absurd dressing;
but those who have other uses to which to put
their lives, are bound by no law to such slavery
In dress, and need not wait for proclamation
OF general emancipation to free themselves from
its chains. 1t has been truly said that women
stamp themselves with the badge of inferiorlty
by their ever-changtng capricious and too often
absurd manner Of dressing. II men change it
is never in the essentials to comfort, health and
convenience Let those women badge them
selves who will, but women of thought have
reached a place where If they choose, they may
exclude for the rest Of their natural lives what
Is injurious, tmmodest or inconvenient in their
clothing. They need not all wear short dresses
or dresses Of color; what Is incOnvenient to
one is not to another, but they can adhere to
few sound rules and make them the basis of
permanent dressing without putting themselves
In uniform.
SPECIALTIES IN DESIGN.
While there is so much that is rich and costly,
1t is almost impossible to convey in words the
quaintness, simplicity and picturesqueneSS Of
some Of the designs which represent the best
ideas Of those who represent the best society.
moderately trimmed demt-trained skirt for
examples is attached to straight shirred bodice,
finished with short, scantpuffed sleeves, set in
band and edged with ruffles OF lace. A wide belt
encircles the waist and round silk bag, sus-
,fyf11 rrfh NI,n
bodice is moderately high and open shawl
shaped. '.The Marguerite dress for young
women for home wear Is an almost exact repro
duction Of the dress worn by Marguerite in the
opera Of Faust. 1t is made of pale blue wool,
with long skirt Topped upon one side nearly to
the waist over soft white woollen petticoat,
over the hips and below. the line of
the Moyarage waist is a girdle of heavy
cord and tassels, the sleeves have a puff at the
elbow, and thick soft ruff finishes the neck
and sleeves. This Is only a character" dress,
however; picture dresses are preferred such as 1
have referred to before in these pages The
Josephine" dress, for example, which is very
Scant pulled sleeve, finished like the low round
bodice (Which may be fully, with an edging OF
lace, black II the fabric Is black, or dark. The
Grecian bodice has been revived, as was stated
earlier in the season. and the cross over Shirrtng
is repeated in the drapery upon the skirt espe-
cially In grenadine or gauze over satin. A wide
belt brings even this bodice up under the arm,
and from it Is often suspended quaint chate-
laine OF old engraved chaSte or hlagreed silver,
with pendants such as silver keys, mounted
vfnaigrette, small enclosed mirror and the like.
There Is not much economy in the absence of
over skirts. So much haudiwork Is put ON hand
some dresses In the way of shrrng, tiny clustered
puffs and the like; but two pretty dresses were
made as part OF the winter outfit OftwO young
ladies the other day which were extremely SIM
pie, yet very effective. The foundation of one
was plain white, the other plain black satin, but
neither of these were new. They were robbed
Of the worn flounceS and trimming, how
ever, and made over into plain demi-trained
skirts and low baSqueS Over these were drawn
and draped as simply as possible white and
black gauZe. The tablier having the gauze
drawn across and gathered into the side
seams, the train maSsing the gauze which cover
ed it and the satin into shirrings partly con-
cealed by vOluminOuS cluster of satin ribbon
loops and ends, which were gold color upon the
white and black upon the black but the color OF
which can be arranged to suit tastes. Skirts
were demi-trains and destitute of flounces, but
around the bottom were very thick white soft
rouches of white and black lace.
Black upon one and white upon the other
mingled with box-plaiting OF the gauze; Trails
oflarge roses would probably give the finishing
touch to these dresses when they were worn
but without fiOunceS, OverSkirtS, or drapery, eX
cept that obtained from the yelling of the satin
they managed to be very distinguished.
JACKETS AND CLOAKS
deserve special paragraph, for they have
taken upon themselves new forms and new
duties. The Jacket of the season is small and