The Portland daily press., 1881-10-26
[Harper's Bazar.l
New York Fashions.

Cloth is the fashionable woollen fabric for
street costumes this winter It is worn in all
its varieties, such as the smooth habit cloth
called Amazon or lsdy's cloth, the tricot,
which is in small figures like armure, and the
rough-fnished Chsviots like those worn by
gentlemen. The simple and stylish cloth
suits made by tailor are perhaps most in IA
vor, though there are many imported costumes
of cloth that are far more snowy. The tailor
made suits rely upon their fine fits for their
beauty, as they have no trimmings but the
usual rows of machine stitching, and somc
pleating or the bottom of the skirt; later in
the winter border of fur will be placed
around the skirt, and separte collar and cufs
of fur will be added to the coat. For slender
ladies the basques of such dresses are made
double-breasted, with single box pleat close
ly stitahed down the front, and one double
box pleat in the back. A slit is left oDen each
side Of the back, between the middle forms and
side FORMS A wide stitched belt is strapped on
the side seams; there is slit for breast pock-
ct, and side pockets also; the collar is Byron
shape, and the cuffs are square. IL the basque
is intended for full figure the pleats are omit
ted, and it is a simple position basque, single
OF double breasted, straight around or shorter
on the hips, as best suits the wearer's taste.
The skirt is cut off about the knee, and box
pleating is added to finish out the length, or
else the skirt is entirely plain, with several
rows of stitching near the foot, and this is af-
terward trimmed with a border OF fur. The
over skirt is draped permanently on the lower
I s,.4 4I,r.a hall
be the ordinary round apron, or it may be
pointed low on one side. The bouffant appear-
apce given many new dresses is not congruous
with these suits, and tailors say with pleasure
that bustles cannot be worn with the costumes
they make, as the heavy fabric will weight
them down. For very young ladies the newest
cloth basque is very short, being only three
inches below the waist, and this is often sop.
arate piece sewed to a round waist and curved
in the front below the waist line. For the
street coat of cloth is added, and warmly
lined. This may be single-breasted, but is
most often double-breasted and is of medium
length, with two box-pleats behind. Eight
wards is the average quantity required for q
suit.
Imported cloth costumes are more elaborate
Iy draped and trimmed than the stylishly So
we're suits made to order. Plush is the trim
ming most used upon these, and this is usual
ly of a contrasting color, and the polonaise 10
the favorite over-dress for such SUITS Blocks,
stripes, and small checks Of Cheviots are chos-
an bv Young ladies for their cloth SUITS and in
these the Prussian blue shades are very fash
ionable, also the copper reds, seal brown
trimmed with green, or the opposite OF this
and finally the mustard and olive shades of
Cheviot with dark garnet plush, or else sap
phire blue or myrtle green.
Cloth is also the fashionable material for the
woollen dresses mad3 for misses and small
girls 1t is used principally for the upper part
of handsome suits-that Is, for the basque front
and princesse baek-and the skirt Is of plush
or of velvet Watered silk is also combined
with cloth in children's imported suits and
with such nice effect that it dispels the fancy
that moires are dowager stuHfs. fit only for ell
dery ladies. The peacock blue and green
shades, sapphire blue or seal brown, and the
checked Cheviots showing contrasting colors
such as brown with red, or tan with blue, make
very stylish dresses for misses and small girls.
The fancy for pleated skirts is conspicuous in
girls dresses; some OF these are in side pleats
all around; others have only eight or ten box
pleats with spaces between them to form the
entire skirt, and still others OF rich plush or
velvet are similar to boys kits with the front
plain and smooth, while the back has several
peats all turned one way, or 1t may be the two
great box pleats now so much used for massing
the back fullness. The cloth ovor-dress has
most often basque front, with the back of the
BASQUE extended to form drapery low on the
skirt beneath it. Sometimes the regular pan
Ter scarf drapery is set the front aud sides Of
the basque and this is tied in the popular
large bow with two dropping long loops and
two wide ends, In other cases the over-dresa
is little panier polonaise with the fullness OF
the hips cut in one with the corsage, and the
back draped in Marguerite fashion and very
bouffant. For simple Cheviot dresses for
every day wear the skirt is a side-pleated kilt
seWed to a yoke, and the waist is a box-pleated
bunting Jacket with stitched pleats and belt
like those described above for ladies.
For small girls from four to eight years of
age. the dark red, green or blue cloth dresses,
also those of mixed tweeds and Cheviots, are
made in single piece, forming loose prin-
| cesse dress, and this may be worn in the street
| as a walking coat over white dresses, or else it
| NAV serve as house dress without the usual
| white dress beneath. An excellent idea for
| children's clothes is to have them lightly wad-
| ded throughout, lined with thin silk. and this
| wadded silk is tackled or quilted on the wrong
| side. This gives warmth without clumsiness.
| Sometimes the skirt of cloth suits is of satin
| Surah, and only the skirt is quilted; the quilt
| ing must not show on the right side. Then
| above this is the basque with box pleated prin-
| cesse back, and little apron of cloth is added
| in front, and caught up in many curved wrin-
| kles high on each side. Tricot cloth princasse
dresses with many horizontal rows OF tubular
| gilt braid are very popular for small children
either girls or boys-and are made in dark
| are ready made flannel dresses for very small
| children Dark blue is the standard color for
| these, but green and brown are also shown.
| These are laid in box pleats from the neck
| down to sash which is placed very low, or
| else to bias basque-like pieeesthat are. set on
| the hips; they cost from SO upward for sizes
| suitable for girls of three or four years.
The wraps for such small people are Mother
| Hubbard cioaks made of warm cloths and Eng
| lish tweeds, faced with plush of contrasting
color and tied with gay ribbons. There are also
| dark cloths, with fleecy wrong side OF gay color
/ made up in very simply shaped walking coats,
| double-hreasted, with two box pleats behind and
| two deep collars of plush, with square pockets
| and cuffs, also of plush. English mixed tweeds
| and Cheyiots with dark red plush collars make
beautiful little coats of this kind that entirely
cover the white dress, or else show merest
| glimpses of the ruffies on its skirt. The more
expensive walking coats are of garnet or sap
| phire plush warmly wadded, made very plaln,
| single-breasted, and with four side plests in
| the middle seam of the back deep cape OF
| the plush reaches to the waist line, with white
| white silk emproidery in open lace-hke pat
terms laid plainly upon the plush.
| Wide-brimmed felt hats, with furry edge on
| the straight brm are the choice for small girls
who wear their hair banged on the Iorshead and
| with loose flowing locks behind. Soft gray and
| mode colors are stylish for these hats, and dark
/ red blue or green, to match suits are preferred
| to white hats. Thick folds OF plush, long
| plumes or else some short wings, aigrettes and
| pompons are the trimmings are mere matters
| of caprice or convenience, and the only impor-
| tant matters are that the hat is of large size,
| that the soft brim is not wired, and that 1t Dc
| worn as far back on the head as will look pio-
| turesque and be becoming to the child's face.
Little close cottage caps of velvet plush or OF
lace and muslin warmly lined, are still used.
Small bows wear cloth turbans with brims
/ turned up all around and braided, or else the
nolo can. or very small Derby hats of felt.
4 Solid-colored stockings of very dark gsrnet
1 brown or blue. as we'll as black, are used in
stead of striped hosiery for both boys and girls.
| winter. Some of these have double knees that
wear well. Buttoned boots without heels arc
worn by all small children.