The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-03-30
FIG LEAVES.
Or What Our Oharmers Will Wear This
Spring, and How They will
Wear it.

There is no decided change in the making
Of outdoor and indoor costumes. Basques
and polanaises are both worn; for street
dresses the skirts are short, just escaping the
ground. Basques are . trif1e longer than
during the winter. The skirts are invariably
trimmed, very few overskirts being separate
from the underskicts. Polonaises are long
and draped gracefully at the front, sides or
back, according to the fancy. The skirts
are trimmed with plated fonces of the plain
goods and the figured alternately. The
basque and front breadth are usually Of the
figured material, and the draperY, if Of the
soft silk, or silk and wool fabrics, combined
in q fanciful manner. Where q polonaises
or princess back is seen, the figured brodade
or other patterns mot stripes-form this por-
ton of the costume,
The prevailing colors will be sage, bronze
and olive greens, bottle green, iaspe, amber,
Vandyke red, ecru and cafe au lait tints, and
the standard deep blues shading more to-
ward indigo than purple; mauve and yellow.
are introduced in various ways il shaded and
distinct patterns. The rule of three prevail
in all shaded goods; in blue for Example, the
deepest tint is indigo, and the lightest ciel
blue or pale gray, and the intermediate tint
gray or blue. This is also seen with more
brilliant effect in the yellow combination,
where the palest is sulphur or lemon, and
the second orange and the deepest a rich yell
loWish red. The color most worn will be
steel combined with scarlet.
For a street costume of amber and baya-
dere striped silk a plain basque is made Of
the plain surah silk, with a skirt just escap-
ing the ground Of the same, each Of the mar
row gored bredths being opened for about
half a yard, and the striped material pleated
at the top and inserted at each opening, leay-
ing the fuIlness Of the edge unconfined. The
striped and plain materials are mingled as
drapery, the stripe being brought from the
right side at the waist and carried down the
left across the upper part of the front breadth,
meeting the plain material at the back and
being knotted and draped with it, forming
the back drapery. The striped silk is pleated
and placed from the point at the front Of the
basque up and around the neck, forming a
ruff. The trimming at the edge Of the pleat-
ing is passementerie of amber-colored beads,
and ornaments of the same are placed at the
top of each insertion of striped material on
the skirt.
A suit of olive green camel's hair is made
with a pleated flounce Of vertical striped silk
and wool material, the basque and drapery Of
which reach to the founce Of the plain cam
els hair, and revers, cuffs and sash drapery
Of the stripes. No other trimming is used
on this suit, the arrangement of the materials
giving it its beauty.
a long polonaise opened down the front, dis
closing q skirt Of the solid color of the pol
onaise-indigo blue-is trimmed with puff
ings and ruffies Of both the figured and plain
materials.
NEW oNNET N TRIMMINGS.
For early spring wear the small capotes
worn during the winter are shown in fancy
straws, the regular shapes, however, will be
large, and are so modified with face trim
mings as to be more becoming to the major
ity Of faces than they were on their first ap-
pearance, when the wide hrims were unre-
lieyed by any garniture except a stiff shir-
ring of silk. Flowers will be used in pro-
fusion. Ostrich tips and plumes will be q
portion of the trimming of some, but dow
ers of the most beautiful colors and forms
will be chiefly used. Evening bonnets will
be composed entirely Of flowers, for strings
as well as the bonnet itself. The large bon
nets are of straw and faIcy braid, and are
lined with silk the color Of the trimmings.
They are in color like old straw, and not the
conventional pale straw-color. In the fine
split straws q large matelot-shape is bent up
on the left side, forming 8 hat, or q species
of the poke bonnet, as the Wearer chooses.
Shoulder capes that are scarcely more than
q wide collar Of the trimming used in street
costumes are to be utilized as wraps as the
weather grows warmer. In these cases the
basque or polonaise is made with an interim.
ing for extra warmth. Short coats Of lilgh
cloth, either half or close fitting, and ulster'
differ very slight from those Of last season
except in the introduction Of the sleeves
known as Chinese, Russian, and kangaroo
For the most elegant materials, principal.
black silks of heavy rep and satin finish, th
short dolman shape will be used. The new
est designs have the sleeves detached from
the body Of the garment from the elbow