Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-03
SUMMERS FIRST STYLES.
fastest FEMININE FANCIES.
A New Departure In Dress-may
COstumes-EheG Girls 80 the Rescue


COstumes-EheG Girls 80 the Rescue
Newport TOIIegs-Taste In OOIors.
NEW YORK, April 30.-Spring has always been
poetic fiction in the northern and eastern part
of these United States. 1t is something we like
to read about. 1t suggests thoughts and
fancies we like to see expressed in Easter
cards and poems. But so far as getting rid of
wraps and woolens, or finding an opportunity
for the display of spring costumes. that usually
does not occur until blossoming May has gotten
over its chill and taken some steps in its
progress towards leafy June. This spring has
not greatly differed from its predeces-
sors. single mild, sunshiny day is followed
by clustering, chilly week. and sanguine
persons who hasten to welcome the approach
of warmer weather by changing their outer
garments or laying aside their wooden under
wear are usually glad to return to them. and
may be considered fortunate If they have not
provoked visit from Miss Neuralgia or Mr..
rheumatism.
THE SPRING SENSATION.
OF course the Openings" brought novelty
else why have them?-and the most genuine
sensation OF the season was caused by the alb
sence from all of them of trained dresses
Those that are most rigidly fashionable did not
exhibit one, and here and there where a sol-
tary example was to he seen, it looked really
old-fashioned and out OF place-asif If left over
from last year and put In by mistake. In the
exhibition rooms OF one well known house,
which are always lighted with gas for the dis
play of elegant evening dresses about fifty of
these rich toilets were on view. varying in price
from $3.50 to perhaps $509-and there was not
an inch of train among them.
This Is certainly new departure. The short
dress has undoubtedly been gaining ground. it
has been the evening dress for young women,
and particularly the dress for dancing parties,
for a year past; but has never before, at least
during the last quarter of a century, been con-
sidered admissible for the matron and the
drawing room; and it is a question whether
the innovation will be accepted even by the
most conventional followers Of Ia mode
Probably it will, in the present state of public
opinion. only give fresh impulse to the tree
dom of the individual in regard to dress, and
while some ladies will decline to cut off the
length of skirt which they deem graceful and
fitting their age and position, others will find
In this action the authority they require for
adopting on all occasions a convenient and
comfortable form of Dress
THE NEW SHORT DRESS.
In reality there is not much comfort in the
new Shcrt dress for those who look for any
growth of ideas in regard to dress, or for any
progress towards the DEVELOPMENT of perma-
nent principles as an underlying foundation
for sensible and healthful clothing. The short
dress as exhibited is revival of the short, very
much f1ounced and puffed designs of thirty
one years ago, minus the ten starched skirts
employed to distend them previous to the re-
vival Of the hooped skirt which acquired its
acme of expansion several years afterwards.
1t is not graceful for it is overlaid with very
full pleatings and puffS in front as well as be-
hind, and is shapeless except that it is lifted
over a small wire shelf or hump behind-which
bitches it up-it being straight around the bot
tOm-in the most ungainly fashion. The ex-
treme uginess Of this method is called "style,"
and great deal Of pains is taken TO make it
attractive by lovely combinations Of color and
fabric. To those who respect good work even
when put into the cotton for morning gown,
it seems sin thus to ruin fine and beautiful ma
terals; and it is sickening to find that even yet
we cannot have convenient dress so far as
length is concerned without having it over
loaded with useless fripperV, which only mars
all sense of beauty and renders it as burden
some and wasteful as if it dragged yards upon
the pavement.
''Ohl Lord how longf ''The old despairine
cry rises to ones lips, when year after year the
same follies are re-enacted; when year after
year women submit to them without any pro-
test wish from my heart there were enough
womanhood to rise in rebellion everywhere
and demand and wear sackcoth and ashes
until this reproach of perpetual folly and per-
petual change be taken away from them.
WHAT WILL COME NEXT?
Afterwards, the delugel All short dresses
will be pretty sure to be followed by all long
dresses, The full hustled skirts will lead to the
hoops, and the hoop to the long dress for the
street as well as the drawing room provided
we follow previous examples as closely as we
have hitherto done. The later Introduction of
the short dress, which we have retained ever
since, took place from fifteen to eighteen wears
ago, and so far convinced were the majority
that it would die speedy death that very few
ladies' would do more than utilize the fashion
by having an old dress cut over according to IL
for they feared they should he wasting their
new material. wealthy gentleman who earn
estly desired that his wife should assist bv her
her check one morning for S15O on condition
that it should all be expended in huvine a 4
really elegant short walking dress (which of
course was donn) and the wearing of it, accord.
ing to her husbands desire, in making a round
of calls The dress excited a great deal of
attention ard comment, and doubtless had also
its social influence.
The first short dresses were not pretty or
graceful They were straight and shapeless.
as were the first walking" Jackets, and they
had stralght; tull oVerssirts, and wide, short
oasques: Altogether they were the very anti
podes OF the eesrhetic IDEAS of TODAY which
appears to be length and pliability The short
dress, however, had the elemSnt Of common
sense to recommend it, and gradually with
much difficulty and various periods of Dolly
Vardenism and the like, it took on form and
more or less of beauty. There have been
models OF snort dresses seen and worn within
the past few years that were very near perfec- |
ton; and 1t seems pity that in order to ap-
preclate them-in order above all to satisfy |
ugliness and deformity
This, however, is not necessary. There are |
models which retain the grace Of previous de- |
signs and add the charm OF ouaintness and |
simplicity, all their own And there are others
which, II more conventional, are at least free
from Vulgarlty. so distinct as TO be almost an |
afectation. We have nearly arrived at A |
point where the dress individualizes the |
woman, for if we cannot always express |
in it just what we wish, we can. at |
least prevent it from utterly belyine MS and |
our dispositions All the hope for the dress |
interest, happiness and future well-belng of |
the sex, lies In the young woman the good. !
earnest, conscientious and thoughtful girls /
VINO wish to DO their whole duty, who will do |
it when they know what it is, whose feet tread /
the earth but whose eyes are lifted to the stars
hoping for token of the work they are to |
perform. Would that some angel might an |
pear and show them that honesty healthF,iI- |
ness. modesty, and suitability in their dress is
the nrst step in progressive womanhood and |
that the rest can hardly be taken without il |
IL IS OF little use appealing to older women in
this matter-they are too much engrossed, too |
much in the swim" care too much or too |
little about the subject to lend themselves to |
any determined effort. But the educated, re- 1
nned girls, who people our high schools and |
colleges, who have obtained glimpses of q whole
arcana of possibilities closed to their mothers |
and who know that the strength that is spent /
IN nm maaKlng ag over tnat which was good, in anx,
lous fears regarding the length Of sleeves the |
width or skirts, and the size Of buttons cannot |
be put into that which will be permanentlv
helpful OF beneficial
wherever there is a community of girls. in /
schools, colleges or elsewhere. they shonid or
ganize Ruskin society, the special object of /
winch should be to foster among them some |
Wen dehned ideas and sound principles on the /
subject Of their dress; to discountensne4 anv
attempt to revise long skirts for walking pur-
poses; to discharge the obnoxious wire hustle:
TO froWn down low necks; to get rid of what /
ever Ia false and artificial; to stimulate the use
or honest fabrics, and to encourage and assist
the development Of true and refined taste
This IS good work for the bright girls of this
generation to begin upon. Will they not do iti
CONVENTIONAL COSTUMES.
Though our springs are cool, our summers re
usually hot-sufficiently so to make clothing
OF any kind burden, and to make freshness
and cleanline.s the greatest of all InxI1rioc |