The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-06-02
[Harpers Bazar.l
New York Fashions.

PICTURESQUE DRESSES FOR LITTLE GIRLS.
Mothers who understand the picturesque ge.
rid of all primuess in their oiildren's dresses,
and instead of fashionable models, rely upon
the artistic, copying Kate Greenaway's pictures
for their frocks, aud bonding the brims of
their shepherdess hats until they flop about
their ears, or poke over their foreheads, or sur
round their faces like halo, trimming them
with groups OF feathers arranged in studied
confusion. For cool mornings their cordurette
dresses arc made up in plested princesse fash
ion and worn with deep Charles Stuart collars
Of white embroidered muslin. A pretty study
In brown is a brown-eyed, fair-haired girl OF
six in seal brown corduroy, with a Panama hat
faced with brown velvet and trimmed with an
ostrich plume; while tiny brunette of four
years, as round as rolly-poly, wears Mother
Hubbard cloak of claret-coiored cloth and
claret rough straw poke bonnet with short cod
ding tips upon it. One of the prettiest features
of wedding professions this Spring is two de-
mure little girls six or eight years old dressed
in old English costumes, who follow the BRIDE
maids and preceie the bride, carrying bou-
quets aim ost as large as themselves. They
wear whise null dresses with short waists and
shrred shoulders, wide sash ribbons beginning
just below the arms, and large fapping brim
hats of straw trimmed with white feathers;
their gloves are long lace mitts and great
deal of the Valencennes patterns Of lace may
be used i'll the dresses, though the batiste en-
broideries are preferred Simpler little gowns
in Mother Hubbard fashion are made of blue
rose, or am-white null without lace These
are 7eIy full and are in straight lengths from
the neck down, being shirred in rows around
the neck, and again lower down across the
front and back between the arm-holes. The
sleeves are gathered st the wrists, but are
prettitss when sewed plain i'll the armhoes
without gathers, and trimmed there with full
puff A turaed-down ruffls of pleated white
embroidery trims the neck These little slips
may be wora with a sash Or without, and there
may be tncks above the hem at the bottom,
but the skirts are not ruffled because they are
50 very full Sach dresses are sold in the shops
for 81. Other Mother Hubbard dresses have
less shirring about the neck and shoulders, a
single drawing-string Chat may be let cut
when being washed) passing acloss from tho
arms 10 make one full puff in yoke shape; 9TH
ers, again, have the short waist separate from
the skirt, and fully gathered at the waist line
to narrow bels. or else merely 20 a cord. The
sheerest 5atists, soft nun's yeiliag, and Surah
silks are made up in similar styles, but moth
ers prefer muslins and other cotton goods for
these dresses. A Mother Hubbard frock Of
gay Turkey red calico, or of bright blue Cham
berry, or printed percales, linen lawns, or of
the gay Scotch ginghams in small stripes, is
useful for midsummer, and these full dresses
will also be made of dark blue flannel for the
seashore. As shirring is not easily washed
when stitched closely on lining or held in
shape in any way, mothers sometimes make a
plain yoke and merely shirr two or three loose
rows OF the waist below tie yoke. For larger
girls such dresses come in Two pieces, viz,
shirred blouse and puffed skirt. The Skirt is
gathered TO the belt over shaped foundation
skirt, and is formed into two large puffs by cius-
ters of shirring passing around the figure, and
the edge OF the skirt fails in hounce. When
made Of soft foulard or Surah, a stiff white
muslin sometimes lines the putfs. The blouse
is then sl,irred around the neck aud in the mid
die OF the back at the waist line, land falls open
in front over d shirred aud puifed vest like tho
! skirt; full bishop sleeves. This is very pretty
for girls of eight to twelve years when mado
| of pale blue Surah for the skirt and vest,
| while the blouse is foulard-pae blue with OIL
| i've figures in it-and the ribbon bows are of
blue and olive satin; cream and pink with
| brown ribbons is another combination. The
| blouses reach far below the hips, and are simp-
] lyhemmed. The Mother Hubbard cloaks are