The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-28
FASHIONS.
The Evolution of Fashion.
How We Have Improved In Our
Sty1es-New Ideas for Winter.


should women do but obey2 The art Of dress
becomes ennobled by such august admoni.
ton, and 1t becomes a duty as well as a
pleasure to study and practice 1t. Most
women who dress well, those In whom natural
taste and culture combine to produce artistic
results, are apt to enjoy their own achieve
ment with a reservation. There ID an UNI
spoken question In their minds: "Haye l a
right to this splendor; Ia 1t not balanced away
of somewhere in the dark places Of the earth
by squalor and rags?" Perhaps 1t is, but not
because OF your luxury.
| Dress lis properly one OF the serious con-
Germs Of life. As the world grows older, and
wiser, and better, and more beautiful, year
| by year, 1t admits this fact more openly, and
juBtifies 1t more intelligeDtly. In the simple
good old times, when our pioneer grand
| fathers clave their way with huge broad
axes through forests "measurelees to man."
our grandmothers we're quite content with
homespun gowns and did not care what
"they" wore In Paris. And within our own
memory, when grim sentinel ships guarded
Southern ports and brazen- throeted guns
| rudely forbade the importation Of msrchan-
disc, we have seen our women robe them
selves In homespun, and look AZ pretty as
pinks besides. The charm OF the costume was
| in Its adaptation to the time and situation.
| But In this day civilization has reached q
point which demands advance In all things
There is no great and no small" Evolution
despises nothing In great nature or little art.
And so, In obedience to q grand Law, ships
grow up from arks, palaces from patriarchal
| tents, breech-ioaders from slings and stones
st. Peters Church from an altar In the will
derness and princess trains from fig leaves.
| We do not wish either to moralize or philoso-
phize or fustianize but one can scarcely
think on these things at all and not be Inn
pressed with the wonderful harmony and self
executing power of all the laws OF life.
| AS the IAborers increase upon the face OF
the earth, and "the cry OF the children" Is
refinement, knowledge and power, furnish the
bread for the myriad mouths and shelter for
countless heads. Leaving the aesthetic side
quite out OF the question the Importance Of
dress as lever Ia trade and y propeller to In
| dustry cannot be exaggerated.
| o, you lovely, happy girls, do you know
| that you are all sovereigns, and that the
wholo universe is toiiing for your sakee? The
| little silk worm spins IT'D precious cocoon In
1
grndglpgiy to tho singing loom and silent
| weaver, and when tho shy tints OF a dis5sCted
sunbeam have been caught by art and im-
bprisoDed In the welt, 1t ID still thought scarce
/ member that the six which shl,umsrs and
| ru3tlcs In marble halls" owes Its depth
and richness to labor's hard hand, end gave
back for beauty neeessity'S corn and Wlnef
or TINT the ince which shades and caressss
your fair youEg necks bas already done
nobler service In ministeriDg to the hard
needs OF the hum bic work-giri who wrought
1t In darkness, perhaps In weariIess Let
this knowledge her aafter answer your que5-
tlon, and believe that you are not the less
beneftctresses because your right hand knew
not what your lett hand was doing.
Just now both hands ara busy fashioning
garments, trimming bOnnets and selecting
fall fashions. We hope that In choosing
models you will not overlook the Cecilia
signs we have seen. The tabier front 10
shirred 10 "hour-glass" STYLE with curtain
draperies at the Sides, over which paniers are
lightly topped. The back is formed II drap-
ranged, and the whole forms a very distin-
guished toilet. The basque usually worn with
it and perhaps most In harmony with its idea
Ia drnped slig htly on the hips aud In the back.
The front 10 cut away In the Directoire style
and Is flushed by broad belt OF folds fas-
tened In the side-forms, and confined In front
by buckle The vest, belt, collar aud cuffs
snould be Of some material that contrasts
well with that OF the basque itself.
In walking costumes one OF the newest is
! a perfectly plain skirt in frsppi velvet, q vel
vet figure on @ satin ground, over which an
oversight is worn, closely shirred In the centre
Of the front, dropping, toward the sides and
falling In points at the back. The front OF
the basque i5 shirred, and a similar trim
ming Ia placed on the sleeve above the cuff.
The belt collar aud cuffs are OF velvet, ike
theskirt The collar may be either standing
or folding, as both styles are worn.
BoNNETs.
In bonnats we see the DrectOire trimmed
chiefly in flowers on the sides and toward the
back, With ribbon strings tied under the chin.
The empire oapOte is also seen, generally In
rich, heavy materials and trimmed in feath-
ers and ribbon. Poke bOnnets have also ap-
pesred, and do not at all confirm the impress
sion which the name begete, as they are
especially elegant. and In no manner "poky."
There 10 no trimming inside and when roses
are worn on the outside no folla age is used with
them. Somebody who must have had an eye
to our brunette beauties has introduced very
faint shade Of old gold into the foundation
and trimming OF some bonnets, and this tint,
shaded with lace and combined with pale yell
low roses, makes the daintiest garniture I'M
agnab!e We hope that the burning yellows
homeopathioally. The return to small bon
nets and hats, which are shown In quaint, |
picturesque shapes, will necessitate modera-
ton In trimming and restrict display OF
color.
Nothing can be richer or more elegant than
the black and gold trimmings that are now
offered. Gold cord, black and gold feathers
IN velvet hats and bonnets, and marabout
feathers, tipped with gold iE satin bonnets
are extremely stylish. In some instances
black bonnets, In both velvet and sasin, have
the effect OF the trimming heightened and de-
fined by an aigrette formed Of loops Of ribbon
rrhtA H}nh fcph rVNru