The Portland daily press., 1880-10-18
[Harper's Bazar.l
New York Fashions.

| The carriage dresses for ceremonious visits
| and for day receptions are combinations OF
| brocaded velvet, plush, and satin de Lyon, or
else plain velvet, made in dark quiet colors,
| showing various shades of one color, such as
amethyst, olive, or maroon. A basque and
trimmed skirt with demi-train is the universal
| design for these dresses, svaried however, in
many of the small details. Beaded trimmings,
black, gold, or many-colored, with plush, che
| mile, and fringe, enrich such dresses. The
| polonaise is not found among such dresses.
The basque is often OF different material from
| that of the skirt, but the rich fabric Of the
basque is used for trimming the palmer fabric
| of the skirt. The elaborate collar or fchu is
the feature.of these basques, as it serves for its
| entire trimming. Some of these collars are
| round, others square, and some are pointed
or notched in Directoire shape. Some
times white null and Alsncon lace
fchu is permanently arranged on vel
vet basques as part of their trimming, and
the sleeves are then finished with a cuff Of
| puffed white null and lace. To wear over
such dresses while in the carriage are large
cloaks of fur or else fur-lined, or plush-lined
| cloaks of brocaded velvet or silk. The small
| bag-muff suspended from the neck, is made of
the material of the cloak, lined with gay pl1sh
| aud trimmed with white lace. The small bon
l net is either made of plush of the color of the
| dress, or else the brocaded fabric of the dress
| is used for the crown, and the remainder is
| covered with a draped scarf of plush and nod
| ding ostrich tips
The handsome short suits imported for
church, visiting, walking and also for day re-
ceptions, show very little change of shape
from those of last season. The basque and
| trimmed skirt are the prevailing design, and
these are changed only in the kdetail of trim
ming-not in the principal features. The
skirts of imported dresses are still made on
narrow foundation skirt of silk about two and
| half yards wide, with the front and single
side cores quite clinging, while all the fullness
| is massed in the straight breadths Of the back.
This foundation, however, is entirely lost
| sight of by the full, elaborate and bouffant
drapery, which is arranged to give the effect of
| q very full dress. This draping is no longer q
separate over-skirt but is done directly and
permanently on the silk foundation, which is
now concealed as scrupulously as If the cheap
| est cambria sham skirt were used in its place.
| The flat untrimmed front and side breadths
described above for full dress uoilettes are seen
| in these short skirts when the fabrics are sufi-
| cently rich There are also many apron dra-
| peries but these are made when softer fabrics
| are used. The basque Of brocaded velvet or of
| plush, or perhaps with facings, collar, cuffs.
| and revers of plush on brocaded velvet, is part
| of the richest costumes. The skirt has tnen
| the brocaded velvet introduced in ways that
give the impression that the skirt is made of it
| while the draperies are of other materials. The
| change in the basque consists in making them
| single-Dreassed with large collars and
doing away with the skirted I coat pieces
added on the hips, leaving the shape as simple
as possible, and with very few seams. The
habit basque is tine popular shape. In many
cases the front is cut off straight at the waist
line; in others 1t is slightly pointed, not more
than two inches below the waist; the sloping
| begins at the side seams, and forms sharp or
| square cornered habit basques at the back.
| When round basaues are used, the cross seam
is omitted, and there are wall-of-Troy squares
or else kilt peatings put on the edge Of the
front and sides, which are cut shorter than the
middle back forms, and these extend to meet
tie middle forms Of the back which are laid
in two or more large pleats. Some times
front belt is put in, beginning merely at the
darts instead of going back to the side seams,
as was formerly the fashion. Few vests are
seen, though occasionally a narrow plush vest
is set in brocaded velvet dresses Another
caprice is that of making plush collars and
cuffs, and nearly covering them with rich
beaded passementerie. These are used on
brocaded velvet basques, and plush is then
used as revers on the back of the basques. A
black costume which has been copied in anne
thyst, brown, garnet, and olive shades is wor-
thy of description. The short skirt has deep
pleating Of satin de Lyon covering the single
back breadth of the silk foundation The
front and side breadths are covered with
brocaded velvet, across which is draped a
breadth of plush that disappears in the side
seams. Still higher up the front breadth of
satin de Lyon edged with Jet fringe to form
scarf apron, is tied behind in knotted sash,
with ends hanging on the pleated satin de Ly-
on. The round basque of the figured velvet
is turned back in front narrow plush
vest, but the waist is define by belt Begin
ming in the second dart and buttoned over the
vest with large jetted crochet button. The
square-cornered Byron collar of plush is near
ly covered with vines OF passementerie, and
similar passementerie trims the sides of the
basque from the vest to the box pleated middle
forms of the back. The sleeves are very close
coat shape. To finish the neck and wrists of
such dresses are frills made of three pleatings
of fine net, finished with embroidered points
like those of point d'esprit lace, or else with
the scallops of Valenciennes or of Mechlin
edging.
To wear with rich short costumes are jackets
of plush, figured velvet, or of armure silk,
black or coored, made in the simplest shape,
single-breasted, of medium length and of such
rich fabrics that the only trimming needed is
the square collar, cuffs, and side pockets of
embroidery, beading, or passementerie. These
are very thickly wadded, and are lined with
| bright-colored satin or plush.
For plain suits of single fabric for travel
! ling aud morning wear the Cheviot suits COM
| mend themselves for service and for simple de-
signs. They are made with an English basque
and a trimmed skirt, representing an overskirt
draped on a lower skirt. A kilt-pleatng is on
| the front of many of these basques, while the
back is fat Single breasts or else the diago-
nally Tapped fronts, are liked for these iaunty
suits. Rows of machine stitching remain the
favorte trimming, though borders of larger
plaids are newer trimmings. Gamers hair
dresses made up over silk are trimmed with
plush collars and revers, and sometimes ribbed
| nlush is verv effectively used for binding