Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-01
THE EVENING STAR.
THURSDAY.
SEPTEMBER 1. 1881.
AUTUMN FASHIONS.

/
AUTUMN FASHIONS,
Jenny June Shopping in Paris After the
Latest Noveifies-An Interview with Worth
The Great Dressmaker Tells What will be
worn TINS rail- and How it win be Worn.
| From Our Own Correspondent
| PARIS. August 22-The test of a pood thing IA
that it improves with age or at least retains some
quality that renders it pleasing and desirable.
Judged by this test. present fashions-by which
l mean popular fashions: those which are seenin
the shops and everywhere on the highways and
by-ways where a dozen women are gathered to-
| gether-are utterly without merit, for a more
despicable lot of rubbish than the fashions of
| the season look like when the season" is over
it would be hard to find in any old clothes reser-
| vOir.
| OF course there are always good things and
beautiful things to be had for money i'm the best
| shops OF Paris. but so there are also i'm London
| and New York, and in London one stands a
much better chance Of finding something mice. -
| which has been left over, and will be sold at
a reduction. In Paris a good thing always
brings its price. probably because of the num-
Der oil strangers who come TO do their shopping
at all seasons; and in August. when residents
nave gone to the seaside and only strangers are
| buyers, the Partisan shOp-keeper pulls out his
Old shop-worn goods. buys cheap auction lots.
ana displays them in huge quantities upon what
ne calls "Oc-ca-ze-Ons." which occur every day
until the stuff is disposed Of at good figures.
Things that no American lady would look at in
New York are purchased here under the Elusive
faris glamour and are certainly regretted after
wards.
THE BON MARCHE
Inc Great American shop in Paris is the Bon
Maiche. an enormously large concern. which
probably originated the idea of the great bazaar
like shops of which there are now so many in
Paris and all large cities. What such place
would look like out of the season i'm New York
l know pretty well; but was rather curious to
nnd out what it would look like in Paris So
yesterday morning. in the rain nv concierge got
me cab and l made my way through the
champs Elysees, past the ruins of the Tuilleries
across the river through narrow streets to the
Rue du BAG, where. at its junction with several
otner streets. the famous shop is situated
| "Out of the way as it is and nOtwithstand-
ing the weather. it was full of buyers. principally
Americans and English. every department hay
ing one or more English speaking statesmen.
company parties of ladies from one department
10 another although there are also ''commis
sionalres.' whose special business this u.s.
| !t was an ''Oc-ca-Ze-On" and the tumult was ap-
pailing. The quantity of gloves, stockings.
| necktleS, lace crayats. flowers bonnets Jackets
cotton costumes, alpaca suits pOplins. DOnrces
| ana FANCY WOODEN goods was sufficient one
would nave supposed, to supply new world
| AFTER second deluge. and among them all there
was not one solitary thing to remember or wish
! 10 nave for possession. The eternal high
| colored neckties. trimmed with lace or EN-
proicered with silk, and gilt upon the ends; the
hosiery tied in bundles in stripes and colors: the
lnlnches OF red roses and yellow butter-cups:
| Tue Siaring ribbons. shaded i'm all the hues of
tile RAINBOW; the buckles aud pOcketbOOks: the
cotton lace upon wide bunting collars and cuffs:
| surely 1t was not worth while to come from New
| York to Paris to see them
| The tonnets were hideous beyond belief
coarse, cruel, and depraying in. their common.
| brutal uglEess. There was no redeeming feat
ure about them. except their price, which
ranged from one dollar and half to three
dollars. Naturally they were not intended for
city or dressy wear but for excursions or the sea-
sue; nevertheless there was no necessity for
making them SO vulgar that the mere wearing
would seem like degradation The material
was very coarse black or white straw: the shane
tnat OF large projecting scoop or flour
| shoVel; the trimming monstrous Alsatian bow
OF "ide scarf, IN stripes or high cOlors so ar
ranged as to nearly cover the broad front The
lining was usually fleshcolor. terra-cotta red. or
bronze. ~
What has caused this eruption of ugly bon
nets and how is it that they are worse i'm Paris
than IN London? The cotton costumes match the
| oonnets. They are shop in STYLE that is fussy
and commonplace, and seem made nm as the
| majority OF made-up dresses do everywhere of
goods that would not sell in the piece The
cloak department was almost equally forlorn
mere We're some pretty little summer wraps
III SILK ana satln but none equal to what / had
seen at the house of A. 7. Stewart & Co. before
leaving home, and the prices showed little diff
ference. There was nothing novel. and only one
wrap Gin light cloth) that had the look of the
present 81, season. lady from the Estates" asked
| Tor fur- lined clOaks and was shown wide badly
cut, shop-worn sacks, with loose shape
less sleeves. garments that have not
been seen in New York for two years at
least. She demanded something more modern,
and was told these were what they had at her
price (S50-a5O francs): and for a long dolman of
good quality and good shape-silk, fur-lined,
with collar and band of fur trimming-the price
was $50 francstS130.
There are little articles to be picked up here
ana Inere, the average of which is lower than
we ind it in America; but certainly the era OF
low prices in Paris has departed for any object
that has real or permanent value.
| AUTUMN FABRICS
! Not only the preparation but the actual dis.
| play of autumn fabrics begins earlier in Paris
ana London than in New York. Already the
straw bonnets, white and dark begin to show
autumn touches-broad scarflike folds of velvet
and shaded ostrich feathers. or feathers mixed
in many dark and bright coors. instead of the
profuse Wreaths and mountains of flowers
| Autumn materials are very much the same as
last season: heather and cashmere mixtures
barred occasionally with broken lines or small
| check. The cOlOringS are fine and dark such as
are seen in gentlemen's cloths of which la
dies materials are now a close copy. They
are made up with deeply Killed skirt and long
coat with bronze, brown. or olive velvet,
collar and cuffs. The buttons of the vest OF
these costumes are bronze with raised figures.
and are, in fact, bronze placques in miniature.
They suit the bronze and olive shades in the
cloth admirably, and give distinction to the
ensemble. Very dark bright tartans are much
used in conjunction with plain heather mix
lures, and also with plain black velvet. The
tartan is simply used for the killing; the upper
part of the dress is plain and if it is plain wool
plain velvet to match is used for collar and cuffs
OF the coat, which is cut deep and has a seam
across the line of the waist, and lapel folds at
the back.
Some of the new dress fabrics exhibited are
magnificent. The latest have satin ground en-
| tirely covered with mixed Japanese floral de-
signs in uncut velvet shaded from light to dark
| in colors. One was very striking in green and
coral red. another in shades of cream deepening
into pale gold and pale turquoise to old blue.
Ihese goods are 2Oto25 francs the metre, and the
hand embroidered satins are still higher. These
rich stuffs are thick plain satins covered in hand
embroidery executed in fine dark irredescent
beads in Main ipf or hrOp mv ~, -, .ola