Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-19
SPRING FASHIONS.
NEW FABRICS AND POPULAR STYLES FOR
THE COMING SEASON.
Marked Improvement in the Manufacture
Of Cotton Goods-short Dresses The
Popular Style of Bonnet-Notes.

At the present time there is not the least
excuse for buying silk when 1T cannot be
afforded, or when wool or cotton would do
lust as we'll The cotton manufactures for
dress purposes have been gradually i'm
proving for several years past, or rather
they have revived some of the styles that
were known long ago, before silks became
so common as to drive them for time
from the market. This spring they are
daintier, prettier, more varied and more
attractive than ever The soft satines are
fine as silk, and there Is new g cotton
batiste to which the name does great in
justice, for it is not SO slazy as the linen
batiste, and will not wear "stringy as
does the linen batiste, unless it is of the
very highest grade, and then it is too
costly for a majority.
What is called cotton batiste is made
like linen dress lawns. 1t is ''sheer," as
ladies say, without being diaphonous. and
fine as well as fair. Ii comes in small,
charming designs-some old English and
some modification of the Japanese Some
lovely patterns are in shaded blues, and
others in very dull buff, with minutest
leaves and tiny brown berries in the deli
cate designs.
THE SHORT DRESS
Is still in the ascendant, and it depends
upon women themselves to keep it so, or
at best, so well sustained and protected
that any woman can wear it without feel
ing herself remarkable. At present the
short dress, as before remarked, is in the
ascendant. The majority OF evening
e IL l. H. h.
young girls, are cut short, and spring walk
| ing and visiting dresses of the richest ma
| terial clear the ground, SO that they can
be worn with comparative comfort I'm
like the modes of some ten or fifteen years
ago, which ran into all sorts of eccentrici-
ties and made those who INDUCED in it
look like mountebanks, the style OF to-day
is, or may be, modest, sensible and con-
venient. 1t is not too short, and it is
most fashionable when it is simple and
free from overlooking.
One of the short dresses made recently
for brides outfit was of the richest wine
colored velvet, and consisted of a shirred
and hounced skirt, a princess polonaise,
and street jacket lined with silk to match
Polonaise and jacket were untrimmed ex-
cept with exquisite buttons of carved moss
agate, and ruffle and jabot of Mechlin lace,
the jabot for the jacket forming shell-like
ends, but that for the polonaise reaching
| to the waist. Another short dress for the
! same trousseau was composed wholly of
satin of the new blue green shade known
as "duck breast" It consisted of a
trimmed skirt, basque and small g Mother
| Hubbard mantle, the latter gathered at
| the threat, but drawn in at the waist, where
i the fronts were confined by broad belt.
The skirt In front was mass of shirrings
and small, straight puffs and rufiles. The
basque was modified cuirass, sloped at
the sides and with fan-shape at the back !;
and the rich trimming of knotted silk and
chenille fringe, with deep netted beading
upon the mantle, exactly matched the
shade of the satin.
Another dress for more serviceable wear
was of dark-brown zephyr tweed. 1t con-
sisted of walking skirt, polonaise and cape
with hood. The skirt was trimmed with
a single hounce, made In clusters of five
pleats spaced between for about half the
distance occupied by the pleats. The
polonaise formed hollow pleats below the
waist, which gave it the requisite fullness,
and was girded just below the line of the
waist with heavy cord and tassels. The
cape was straight and lined with silk the
hood with dark-brown satin The tone
was dark brown throughout, which is
much more elegant for outdoor costumes
than striking contrast.
THE NEW TWEED.
The new spring tweeds for suits are all
wool-fine, soft, with an almost lmpercep-
tible rib, and 46 inches WIDE They come
in olive gray, brown, invisible green, and
wine mixtures, at from 81 to 81 % per
yard, in New York, the cloth stripes and
minute checks being only 81 and very suit
able for spring listers as well as suits.
Two yards make a Scarborough ulster with
double collar or hood, as preferred, and no
trimming is required except quarter of
yard of plain silk or satin as lining for the
hood, and buttons which should be of dark
smoked pearl. If the collar is used instead
of the hood, the edges should be faced
with silk and finished with several rows OF
stitching.
The tweed suits are very simply made in
three different styles. One is the Jersey
princesse dress, and is very suitable and
pretty for young girls The lining for
Jersey basque is heightened into COM
plete dress, and upon it is mounted the
outside of the basque-shape and a deep
killing which is headed by a wide sash laid
in folds and knotted at the side or finished
with straps. If the sash is silk or satin it
should be gathered into round knot upon
the ends and completed with tassels, but if
it is made of tweed the straps are more
suitable.
Another style consists of skirt, polo.
naise draped away from the front and ar
ranged In double pleat at the back and
cape, with hood or without. The skirt is
arranged with three killings in front and
one at the back. 1t may be mounted upon
lining.
A third style consists of plain cuirass
basque and trimmed skirt, the latter ar
ranged very much as the polonaise, except
that the back is draped, not full, however,
and low down. With this and the Jersey
dress jacket is usually made to complete
the suit, and this may have collar of satin
of the darkest shade to match, or a hood
lined with satin.
The bonnet may be a little capote of
satin trimmed with feathers, or a dark
mixed straw lCabriolet) with a pretty
bunch of dark shaded leaves and field ber-
AlCc u pun SiAC SAdO3 suA bcsiJCSbA SIN IiOODn
for bows and strings.
A great deal of robbin's-egg and gems
darme blue viii be worn by young girls,
these shades being particularly attractive
in tne wool and in silk plush, which is
used Tor mounting rather than for trim
ming, as it is usually confined to collar and
cuffs. although it sometimes reappears
upon the skirt. Satin is also used by those
who have grown tired of plush during the
winter, and is preferred to brocade or fig
ured fabrics.
The new blue green or bird blue is not
yet to be found in any but rich materials
satin, satin de lyon and the hke-and the
most expensive spring suits are made of
it, and are trimmed with bands of beaded
feathers which match exactly the different
effects of color and have wonderful
effect.
BONNET TRIMMINGS,