Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-10-03
AUTUMN FASHIONS,
THE NOVELTIES OF THE SEASON
IN FABRIC AND COSTUME.
An Attempt to Revive an Old Folly
cooperative Dress Materials and
the Last New Thing in Furs.

or fall fashions are about as distracting events
as can be imagined to the majority of women
who have little time to decide between the
merits of multitude of fabrics, and often buy
In haste to repent at leisure. The only saliva
ton is to decide beforehand what not to buy,
and this is about as good preparation as any
for wise choice 1t will usually be found also
that from year to year certain standard fabrics
and standard articles keep their place or are
only removed to make way for something
equally we'll adapted to many uses and faithful
service; and if the purchasers of these tried
and proved styles and materials lose something
in the way of popular novelty they gain much
in the way Of permanent satisfaction.
All early designs, all early patterns, are now
experimental They are merely samples which
dealers place before their customers to see
which will take with majority. The diff
Guilty is want Of nice sense in adapting one
thing to another, a pattern to a fabric, a de-
sign to the material in which it is produced,
and the whole to the Individual The daffodil
pattern, for example, was very successful last
summer in cotton satine; this fall it is repro
duced in rich brocade and does not deserve to
be successful. The daffodil had simple natural
",
living and country wear-but no LADY who had
a cotton satin dress iu a daffodil pattern will
want duplicate in rich brocade. Besides, the
associations are not in harmony with the sub
ject
The wooden fabrics in dark rich shades are
beautiful, and they are combined with ombre
trimmings, which are great improvement on
the ombre shadings which appeared last sea-
son. They are darker, firmer, more artistic,
and produce much richer and more refined
effect. The dark olive, seal brown invisible
green, and darkest tint of wine and mulberry
are still the leading shades, and great skill and
taste have been displayed in combining colors
IN the ombre effects so as to produce the
best result. The materials are fine and
close serge heather CLOTH all-wooI tweed
N1enua and Umritza cashmere. This last is
SOFTLY draping. and comes under the head of
esthetc materials. 1t is used for plain prin-
ceSSe house dresses in lighter shades of green,
terracotta red, and Egyptian brown.
The new cloth suitings have color effects in
troduced into them, which in some lights show
plalnly-ln others are almost invisible. The
heather mixtures are the prettiest and most
suitable for costumes. A proper way of max
ing IS with draped back-two flounces or more
upon the front, headed with close shirring;
shirred plaStron upon the bodice, and coach
mans cape shirred around the neck This is
suitable style for all plain wooden materials. 1t
is better than side drapery, which is only suit
able for more fanciful materials and toilettes
PluShes show many novelties. Among them
are terry cords and shaded stripes in new
colorings and combinations The most striking
and original OF the recent designs in plush,
however, consists of small fan or oval shaped
leaves, shaded in different tints, and overiay-
ing each other exactly like the pheasant
feather fans which were so fashionable two
years ago. The effect is very much the same,
and, used as trimming, it is difficult to tell at
a distance whether it is produced by feathers,
embroidery, or a richly piled fabric.
Combinations will not, however, constitute
the most elegant and distinguished costumes
or the season. Suits of plain plush or velvet,
with lining of satin wherever it is visible, and
buttons OF bronze, old silver, or carved pearl
Will be more exclusively worn, the skirts
showing little trimming, and no overskirts,
and the coat bodice having jabot of lace.
Waistcoats are reintroduced into London, but
here the large collar or small cape is preferred
Seal brown suits are made with skirts upon the
fronts of which there is a great deal of shir-
ring, end which are finished with deep BASQUE
high in the throat and buttons over in double
breasted fashion from the bust down. The
cuffs and a rolling coat collar are of seal
brown plush lined with brown satin merveil-
leux; and a heavy silk cord or ornament is usu-
ally arranged on the coat at the back.
The Jersey dresses are very pretty and likely
to be fashionable with the very best class Of
women who are not too old for a style which is
youthful as well as graceful. II is made in
fine twi!led wool, with two killings and bod
dice of elastic cloth buttoued at the back with
small gilt or silver buttons, and glove-itting.
The scarf drapery is arranged in a double Sc
ries of folds, and is turned upward so that it
easily forms convenient pocket on the right
side. Thick, soft silk in darklY blended colOrs,
satin merveilleux to match, or dark crimson,
wine or garnet silk, or corded satin are used
for these folds.
THE RATIONAL DRESS.
There is much inquiry in regard to the IRA
tional" Dress Association in England, of which
Lady Harberton is President, and which owes
to her the invention of a costume intended
to solve the problem of easy locomotion
and freedom from weight which are and have
been the great desiderata in a dress intended
for practicable. comfortable. every day wear.
An immense amount of ridicule has been ex-
pended and an unnecessary exposure of igno-
rance made in discussing the bssis of Lady
HarbertOnS reform, because it involves what
she calls "divided'' skirt what is generally
known as trousers In reality these only differ
from the trousers which accompany a lady'S
riding habit in having deep yoke attached,
which fits around the hips but does not touch
the waist line, and also in being longer and
wider about the ankles. A pattern of this
divided skirt, cut and sent me by Mrs. E. M
King, the Secretary of the Rational Dress
Society, lies before me now, and attached to it
is diagram showing how the yoke or 'band'
should be attached or worn so that the weight
or chief pressure may fall upon the lower line
where it is united to the divided skirt Mrs,
King writes from London:
''The pattern of the Rational Dress Society
which forward you is the one send for lady
trycicle riding That for walking is lust the
same, only it is generally preferred about four
inches larger around the ankles'' A printed
description of the divided skirt is as follows:
THE divided skirt is a skirt divided between
the legs so as to clothe each leg seDarateIv.
the underclothing suitably arranged beneath
this By this means greater convenience and
freer use of the limbs is gained, and, for the
first time, the lower part of wOman's body is
properly and decently clothed. The divided
skirt should come to about the ankle, quite
clearing the gr und. 1t can be made as full or
as narrow as the wearer may desire An or
binary dress skirt is worn over this, which |
may be as much or as little trimmed as the |
wearer may fancy, although to secure ght- |
ness the less the better. Also, this skirL may |
be worn as long or as short as the wearer may |
think proper. The divided and upper skirts |
must be of the same material The divided |
skirt may appear under the top skirt about |
two inches without exciting the least unpleas- |
ant notice. The divided skirt and the under |
garments are fastened to broad band fitted |
round the hips, so avoiding pressure of any |
sort around the waist. The top part of the |
dress may be any loose body or jacket the |
wearer may choose, always avoiding bands |
ligatures, or pressure of any sort from below |
the fixed ribs to the top Of the hips. In a cos
tune of this sort the weight of clothing may |
be reduced rnehalf, because as the divided |
skirts cover the body fully and evenly, fewer /
layers of clothing are required and less mate /
rial in their construction. We have here a |
style Of dress by which no internal organ can |
be injured, no muscle cramped, no movement |
Of the body impeded, and to which the wearer /
may add as much grace and beauty as her own /
good taste may direct"
The entire clothing of lady dressed accord |
ng to rational" ideas consists of a gauze |
merino Combination under garment, an ad- /
jitional one, high or low, of cotton, silk or |
linen, trimmed as taste may dictate, and the |
which is composed Of the divided /
skirt and the upper dress-bOth of the one ma |
,erisl. Underskirts, white or colored are quite |
with and the amount of clothing as /
we'll as the number OF pieces reduced to the |
owest terms In warm weather in warm eli
m Ladies' fad
10 the wearing Of haDnels, the merino combi- |
nation may be dispensed with, or a small silk /
Or gauZe skirt substituted. 1t is q matter of /
choice toe whether cOrSetS are worn or not
The Rational Dress Society opposes all IigatIres |
and tight fitting boddices, including corsets, as
Injurious, but well made. well shaped, fexi- /
Die corset can be worn without injury, and this |
IS matter to be determined by the individual /
Hearer.
It ought to be stated that the divided skirt is
not the sole nor even prominent article of /
me creed OF the rational Dress Society, nor is
adoption Of it indispensable to membership |
Their war is against what is indecent" in |
furious" "deforming' and vulgar and in |
5hese categories are classed crin olines crino- |
ettes, very high heeled shoes, and exaggera.
ions of all kinds. The width of the divided |
skirt around the ankle, its trimming, and the |
trimming of the outer dress skirt (shorter by |
Two inches only, simple as it may be, is ''con-
,using intentionally 50 to the eve, and even
IN the street the difference between the |
RATIONAL dress and an ordinary short walk
ing dress is not perceptible. Lady Harber- |
ION, who is tall and distinguished looking |
woman, wears this dress without attracting |
any attention, aud others also. model of |
the costume is now on exhibition at Nine.
Demorest's in this city, and the Cooperative |
Dress Association will reproduce it to order.
A SCHOOL AND COLLEGE DREssM
l must admit that my own first impression in |
regard to the divided skirt costume was one OF
prejudice against it. 1t seemed to savor too |
much of BlOomerism ever to become popular; /