New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-08-06
Paris Letter.
From our Regular CORRESPONDENT.

4 arts, July 10Th, 1879
In Paris two schools are now
struggling in the Republic Of Fash
ion; one which, might be called loud
goes in for extraordinary and dar
ing things, very largely patterned
| stuffs, q combination of the lnost
opposite colors; in word, gives way
to all the vagaries Of an iniagina
ton which knows nolaw but that
| OF personal taste. The other is still
ruled BY the old principle Of wear.
ing what no one else wears, and
| still looking like every body; to pro.
duce an effect without seeming te
have wished to produce one. This
is the classical school. u.
! Each of the two camps has its
leaders. | do not wish to speak i'll
Of the Sensationalists and lndepen-
dents, but they mnst take care.
They need very much tact not to
touch the ridiculous. One must be
a born colorist to-day toknow how
to-dress well, and to chose between
the thousand fancies Of fachion.
Each woman is in her way a tableau
uioant, and if she abuses what she
borrows she is apt to be. ridiculous.
! A woman must posses a very
strong and dazzling complexion to
be ablerto stand those many-varried
shades, those gauzes and satins Of
glaring hue, which seem to wish to
put out the sun himself. Picture
to yourself one of these fashionable
| toilettes: a satin foulard, color old
gold, with sprigs and embroidery
Louis XIII; "a Rembrandt hat trim
med with ruby colored satin, and
feathers of three shades, pink, red,
and ruby; boquet Of red tulips and
violets at the waist. How can the
wearer help adding, to the usualsus-.
picion of powder, two clouds Of very
faintest pink! Must not the face be
lighted up a little, if it is not to be
quite put out? 1t is whispered that
enamellers are growing quite COM
mon. Only two used to be known;
and their formidable terms were de.
bated even in the courts. To.
day there is quite a number of these
artists, who attend OH ladies' at their
own homes, and at moderate prices
Historians must be very happy,
they have only to consult the past,
and, given few falsehoods. and a
little Imagination, their work is
done; but for the unfortunate chron.
icler of fashion, what disasters,
what protests, attend the slightest
mistake! Neither yesterday nor to-
day is his province; he must fore.
cast the morrow. He is simply re.
quired to have the wit Of Talleyrand
and the depth Of MacchiaveI. For
the fashion Of tomorrow, then are
we to accept the threatened short
waists, the dreadful bodices of the
last days of the 18th. century? The
truth is that the laboratories of we'll.
known dressmakers are closed to
outsiders. Thes recognized pow
ers are quite jealous of their secrets.
70 enter their dens one must send
in one s card, as to an ambassador.
and obtain an audience. Second
class fashionables, who do not know
their way about, are exposed to
traps and the blacklist treacheries,
to pitfalls Of mistakes. Men do not
even suspect the worries Of women;
and yet woman must look pretty,
or at least charming; it is a duty
and it is in the power Of every one.
There are two kinds of beauty So:
cial and natural beauty; the one in
herited and the other acquired. The
latter is an objectionable sin not to
know how to obtain. !ss
Artificial beauty has one great
advantage over natural beauty.it is
varied. In this it is quite the .oppo..
site to wit. Artificial wit is mono
tonons; natural wit is varied. Sin.
cere and regular beauty is almost
always monotonous, being tile slave
of type, a real tyrant, to whose DIES.
potic power we must submit. The
'anpretty I'm our present system
there are no ugly women) are mis-.
tresses of their own faces, and is it
not better to becharming in a thaus-
and ways than always admirable
in the same way? One essential con.
dition to this kind of charm is ele-
gance that elegance which has moth.
ing to do with fortune, and is With
in every ones grasp, born Of tact
and of wish to find out the best in
everything; in a word a kind of 80.
cial charity. There are some wo.
men whose elegance simply comes Of
a pink bonnet ca very favorable
shade) or ola silk dress Of 4 color
very suitable to themselves. Fashion,
as we have said before. is extremely
fancifnl at present The bodice
coats with turned back revers, short
points in front and long ones behind,
are considered more dressy than
Louis XIV. waistcoats, and the pleat.
ed or gathered bodices with waist
bands. Quite short costumes will
never take, except for seaside or
watering place wear; for town they |
just touch the ground, and some
times are little longer, The king.
dom Of bonnets issa kingdom Of Ba.
bel. The large turned,up edges,
Rembrandt, 1880, or Clorinda, are
more worn for concerts, garden par
ties, and driving. For street. wear
they lack Distinction; the baby.
shape, theGNiniche, the Directoire,
the Mary Stuart, the Pamela, all
with small edges, almost hiding the
forehead, are looked upon as the cor.
rect thing. The round toque is still
the best travelling hat, but does not