Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-01

For Walking, Travelling, Staying ~
Home, Playing Lawn Tennis, and
Visiting.
4 DISAPPOINTING SPRING.

u
Home, Playing Lawn Tennis, and
Visiting.
4 DISAPPOINTING SPRING.
From Our Own Correspondent.
NEW YORK, May 81, 1889.
The truth in regard to fashions worn during
May is very easily told. Wooden dresses shabby
silks, water-proofs, Newmarket coats, cloth
ulsters-a gay spring bonnet here and there,
looking very much out Of place-here and there,
also, light or thin costume, with small straight
cape, and girl shivering under It, Fashions
must give way to temperature, and this has been
unfavorable to everything but prolongation OF
the winters warm dressing and the constant use
Of comfortable outdoor coverings 1t has been
season peculiarly favorable, also, to English
tailor-made suits and garments, but not at all
propitious to dainty French costumes, which are
chilly" even in appearance. Flannel has been
IN vogue for house dresses, and the finer cloth
finished suits for the street. The dress of navy
blue flannel is q modern invention. It is for
cool days, rainy days, and between seasons.
The cost, ready made, is from $l2 to S15, lat the
great furnishing houses and it Is very service
a1le. 1t is no wonder, therefore, that it is pop
year. But these low-priced suits are made of
rather coarse flannel, and are rather roughly
made, so that lady hardly wants to wear one.
Ihus there Is demand for q better class Of ma
terials and workmanship, and this is supplied at
about $25. These suits may be of fine French
finished flannel or American wooden suiting.
Inc range OF shades and colors is wider, and
comprises not the mere standard colors. but the
newer and more artistic as well as fashionable
cOlOrlngs. The fashion Of them Is less stereO-
typed, the basques are deeper and better cut,
and there is choice Of double and single
breasted bodies. These are, in reality, excel
lent dresses for sea voyage, as they are well
made and not liable to the one unfortunate con-
tretemps.the ripping of seams. the coming
apart OF threads that hold the pleatings, and
cheaply made suits.
There is higher altitude, however, reached
py the woOllen suit, and that is In the Simon
pure, English tailOr-made and tailOr-fnished
costume OF fine cloth, cut and made with all the
precision Of dress coat. These are an English
Invention and the product Of the best English
makers-Dore. Redeem, Cobbe, and others
Ihey are not novelty, as my readers are well
aware, for have many times alluded to and de-
scrlbed them; but they have never been popular
IN TINS country as they are in England, and they
have been practically very little known until
very lately. The English tendencies in what is
known as our "best" society have done at least
one good thing in bringing out these handsome
ana practical walking and riding dresses. which
are models OF good taste and neatness. but quite
makers seem to think Americans must want,
ana which American copyists Of these spurious
French" fashions religiousy reproduce and ex-
aggerate. The true tailor made suit are not
cheap: Ihey are manufactured Of fine English
cloth in the best shades of olive, bronze. dark
myrtle. green, pure blue iron gray and brown.
only the best wOrkmen are employed on them,
and when they succeed by some special knack
In pleasing they are paid good wages. The cut
Is never fantastic, but always simple and marked
oy good taste; the facings are Of silk or satin;
and the small buttons little gems After the
comfort and pleasure Of wearing q walking
dress, which is always in fashion, which never
gets out OF order, and which is Enthusiastically
the dress OF lady, lady will not willingly be
without one, even If it does cost fifty dollars
bus II would De rather curious and not un-
prontaDle subject Of inquiry to endeavor to find
out how much culture 1t takes to make woman
willing to pay fifty and even sixty dollars for q
cloth suit In which the only silk that is used is
not seen. American women Of old time did not
not like call woollen" dresses, and many do not
now. London trades people ALWAYS recognize
an American in lady who wants woOllen dress
trimmed with silk or velvet, which, according to
the strict Ideas, mixes, vulgarizes, and in word
"spOils" it.
THE NOVELTY OF A WARDROBE
There Is hardly person, probably, who has
not at some time in their lives pictured to them
selves what they would do If suddenly endowed
with fortune, and it must indeed be q very in
teresting and curious experience, one that all
would like to have a chance of trying, though it
is doubtful If many would find themselves per-
manently benefited. One such case, however,
mas occurred this spring, and 1t was to young
married woman, who had heretofore been
obliged to use the strictest economy, who had
been obliged, as the saying goes, to "count
every cent, and had scarcely ever thought Of
tne gratlncation of taste, all her resources
for
was dazed by this sudden and apparently un-
limited accession of fortune; but strove hard, as
olo ner husband, to act with good sense and
Judgment A necessity, however, Of the new
position was complete reconstruction Of the
lady's wardrobe-or rather, the acquisition of
one, for like many another woman, like the ma
]orlty OF women, in fact, she had never been
dressed except In fragments and was quite ig-
norant OF thousand things which are said to
DC necessary" to the wardrobe Of any and
every woman. Under these circumstances q
friend, supposed to be we'll informed on all such
matters, was consulted. The latter, after OBJ
tanning list Of the available stock In position. adj
vlsed itsuncOnditi0nal abandonment and the &C
qufrement Of q complete and handsome, not ex-
travagant. wardrobe, ''just as IT," she remarked,
could afford 1t.
This advice. strange to say, suited the hus-
band better than the wife. She had an affection
FOR the satteen polonaise she had puzzled over
and waited for, even II it did 1T badly In the
back: She thought fondly of her boarded silk,
bought before her marriage and kept for occa-
sions OF Importance since. though it's fashion
was neither old nor new. She pleaded hard for
gathered and pulled cotton, which she stoutly
maintained was "artistic," and could hardly
conceive that anything could be finer than q
grey bunting with striped trimmings. which had
been the glory Of her last summer season. But
friend and husband carried their point and the
following was the result:
One 6ne flannel suit In dark green.
One English cloth suit in brown, with New
market coat Of a lighter shade. One all black
costume of satin surah, and Spanish lace.
trimmed with masses of fine Jet and lace, and
accompanied by an all-jet Every smalD bonnet
One all-cream costume of nuns yelling and
MORE antique, with rich Spanish lace trimming
and little cream satin mingled with the bows.
One costume Of chene silk, made as Goa
MARCO" pointed and panniered) bodice over q
short skirt of plain MORE Of the ground color,
and trimmed with ruffles and jabot OF creamy
lace.
richer dress Of peacock's blue satin. with
overt1ress Of lace tied with peacock and lemon
cOl0red ribbons.
Two morning dresses: one of white lawn
Wi vuh ohr~ad