Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-04-12

Tolnts Ab01t Spring and Summer Fab.
1oDs which will Interest our Lady Read.
ers.

On the whole. writes the sprightly and we'll
informed Jennie June. women NAV be salts
ned with their clothes for the present an,
coming season. Among the design. that ar
fantastic there are quite enough that are goo,
and sensible to prevent those who wish Z.
walk on in the even tenor of their way from
being obliged to part from their ideals-and
indeed, the "show" is much less than it seem
through the medium of exaggerated news
paper paragraphs, which are nothing if no
exaggerated.
Essentials remain very much as they were
that IL, We have still the convenient walkin,
skirt; the simple, durable class of materials
the freedom from bustles and tournures; apt
an entire absence of superfiuous drapery i
drapery Is needed or wanted. however, tEs
latitude of fashion is such that any amount o.
1t can be supplied. We have still for sprins
wear the tailor-made suit, with stitching anc
buttons for finish, and the neat hat to match
Tor those " no wish them to serve for summe,
travelling and excursions. And, lastly, VIC
have large hats and bonnets, for which wo.
men who have reached middle age, or suffer
from neuralgia, or have complexion. to save,
ought to be thankful.
Color
is an immense factor in dress at present. and
very fair test of the amount of art and
culture which a woman puts into her clothing
or at least how far she keeps in accord with
the most recent ideas in making her selection
Take green for example. There is no
color so significant, so capable of tender,
helpful, growing expression. 1t is in the
subdued art shades universally becoming
and 1t fraterniZes with more colors than anv
other except those that do not quarrel be-
cause of their fixed and eternal neutrality.
Who does not remember what were called
the grass" greens and apple greens of few
years ago: They were the greens Of paper
flags on st. Patricks day. Put these greens
by the greens of grass and leaves. even a,
their brightest, and one will be astonished a,
the quiet depth, the delicacy and subdued
character of the natural finland the garsh
tone of the artificial one-the im,ense
difference between what we call nature and
what is nature.
THE PRAcrICAL AMERICAN Dress.
In fact there is too little individuality, too
little differentiation in the ordinary dress of
American women. Their dresses, cloaks and
jackets are as alike as peas or mould candles
They are practical As their lives, and made to
put to many uses. They are good in their
way-sometmes, when not spoiled by igno-
rance-but essentially and necessarily COM
mon place. They are made in dozens, or by
the gross, and stacked in piles of different
sizes. well-knOwn house sold this spring
900 costumes in these different styles, one
silk, one combination, one plain wool. They
were all medium" in style and quality; they
were all dark aud useful for general wear ;
and they went off between seasons with the
greatest rapidity, because a certain amount
of thinking had been done upon them ;
because they were unobtrusive and could
be worn any time and any where.
EsTHETIc DRESS AND IDEAS.
We talk about esthetic dress, but in society
there is only the dimmest idea of what esthet-
ic dress means. The carcatures in PA
tience" have furnished the only definite con-
ception of what it truly means-aad of these
MIR. Gilbert (who supplied the designs has
said that he had never seen an ''esthetic'
dress, and that these were only his idea of
the sort Of thing" it ought to be. In reality
the dress of the rapturous maidens is an I'M
wearable costume in every day life, and no
girl or woman who was sane would think of
adopting it. The classic dress as worn by a
beautiful young barpist of New York, Miss
Maud Morgan, is on the contrary not only
graceful, but wearable. 1t consists of an
under dress with straight skirt, baby" waist,
with the sleeves gathered lengthwise on the
under part of the arm; the outer edge being
clasped or buttoned on the upper arm. Over
this long tunic is held into the waist under
box pleat by belt which fastens under
the tunic at the back also. The shoulders
al tba 10
ing an open flowing sleeve. The cut is ex-
ceedingly simple. but very graceful on tall.
slender young girl with a very beautiful
figure. Cashmere is nearly always selected
for these costumes because it is the most
suitable for softly flowing drapery. One exhi-
bits an under dress of cream color, with a
tunic of gold trimmed with gold embroidery
and fringe. Another was of salmon pink
over cream, and a third of shrimp pink over
cream-the cashmere trimmed with silver
bands and the tunic with fringe. Buttons
and clasps were of silver. For an evening
dress Miss Morgan wore recently tunic of
white silk null over an under dress of white
satin, the under dress richly embroidered. the
tunic finished with bands of fringe aud gold.
Esthetic ideas are boon for indoor dress,
informal little parties. the summer dress of
girls, and such times and occasions as do not
demand formal or conventional dress. But
one rule ought to he rigidly observed, and
that is purity Of material. No cotton velvet,
or linen backed satin, or mixed and linen, or
silk and wool should be used for dresses
made in the esthetic style. The material
must he pure-cotton, wool, or silk, no mat
ter which, but not seeming 10 be what it is
not-for the very essence of esthetc dressing
is its truthfulness.
A RAISY-DAY DRESS.
In one or two tirstclass houses there may
occasionally be found some bundles of India
crepe. y lovely material. One, the other day.
in pure Venetian red, was purchased by q
lady to make up for ''rainy-day' dress in
summer-a truly brilliant idea. for nothing
is more enlvening than the influence of a bit
of bright color during the damp. chilly, des-
pendent days which sometimes break in upon
the sunshine of our summer.
SUMNER SATINEs.
But everyone cannot afford to indulge a
caprice in India crepe, and so it may be as
well to remind the interested reader that very
much the same effect. at least bright, lively
and cheerful effect, can be produced by a 80
cent per yard Saline as that of $3.50 Au-
ruprabad fabric. These summer satines are
Oscillations of cotton, and nothing can be
imagined prettier than the satines with red
ground and tiny figure like a broken jar in
old blue and gold made up with belted waist
cut square. straight skirt with double narrow
rufae. and full chemisette of white null in