The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-07-15
bingham and Other Wash Travelling
Dresses.

1t lis the custom this summer to wear
gingham dresses for travelling. For
short journeys these are the most COM
Portable dresses used since buff and gray
linen travelling dresses were universally
worn. They are so easily cleansed after
the journey by washing that they are
not source OF anxiety on the way;
they are of dark colors that are not con-
spicuous; and il greater warmth is
needed, it is supplied by the travelling
cloak of English homespun that has
superseded the linen duster. Among
the dark quiet colors chosen the prefer
ence is for stone blue, with grayish
tinges, in checks of two shades of blue
without any white, or else broken bars
of blue on white ground, or irregular
stripes of two or three blue shades, with
perhaps some thread lines ofred or buff.
To make these look still darker, they
are trimmed with bias bands of solid
blue gingham sewed on the plated or
gathered hounces, and as a bordering
for the apron, basque, collar, cuffs, and
belt. The white Hamburg work used
to brighten blue gingham dresses that
are meant for the house and street is too
dressy for these plain travelling suits.
When made in the best manner, and of
Scotch gingham, such dresses cost at
the furnishing house from $I2 to Sl7.
The basques are not lined, and are made
with as few seams as possible. The
neck is usually finished with turned
over collar in Byron shape, or else ex-
tending lower on the bust in the
notched directoire shape. Among ex-
pensive ginghams are stripes of two
there are also olive green checks or
irregular plaids that make up most
effectively. The black and white broken
Dars are also in favor; for elderly ladies
these are trimmed with plaitings of the
same, while young ladies add some pip
ings of Turkey red calico, and they also
put narrow red plating around the
foot of the skirt.
For other wash dresses, whether of
gingham or lawn, embroidery is the |
trimming preferred this season to lace. |
The Hamburg work in open patterns, |
or else quite close, with dots, diamonds, |
almonds or stars, is best liked for |
gingham dresses; there is also a woven !
trimming called Swiss embroidery, |
which is effective and very inexpen- |
yard in widths suitable for edgings. |
For thin dotted muslins real embr Jidery |
on Swiss muslin is used, and is very |
different from that just described, and |
far. more costly. Very few embroideries
are found suitable for the soft sheer
null and India muslins; hence lace is
used for these dresses, and is almost con-
fined to them. For thin mulls, Ian.
guedoc, point d'esprit and Breton laces
are most liked; Valenciennes is seldom
employed, at least it is not bought from
choice, though ladies who have nice
qualities OF this lace continue to use it.
For white dresses, and indeed for most
of the colored wash goods, very little
starch is employed by the laundress, and
there is no effort to give them gloss
from the iron. The fancy at present is
for the soft finish of Oriental stuffs,
such as India null or mummy. cloth,
or the Turkey red calicoes. Gathered
ruffies are now seldom fiuted; they are
made too scant for fiuting, and are more
stylish when ironed smooth and plain.
Plated founces are pressed perfectly
fiat half their depth, while below this
the plaitings are pulled upward and
apart by the laundress' hand to give
them the appearance OF great full
ness. When single border flounce
rims the foot of a dress skirt,
L iE now the caprice to have the head
ng almost as wide as the lower part of
he founce, and if this wide heading
ails to stand erect, and droops over at |