Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-29
Consistency in Costume

From the London Daily News.
| The beauty of consistency was till few years
| ago conspicuous by its absence from the dress
| of women of the present century in England
| TO wear perfectly plain bodice In company
with a skirt whose gathers were inconyeniently
| superintendent was an incOngruity SO universal
| that those who, in advance of their time, dared
to ask what was supposed to become of the
funess which so abruptly ceased at the waist
were considered to be curiousIy hypercritical.
If, undaunted by snubs, an inquiring mind Of
this order had asked what was the motive Of
fringe or lace stretched plain as trimming up
on skirt. without possibility of appearing
to terminate anything, the owner Of
the interrogatiye mind in question would
undoubtedly have been set down as "odd," O.
term Of reproach which conveyed more severity
in those days than it does now. As regarded
color, matters were worse still. On a great
state occasion the Empress Eugene wore
green dress. a yellow mantle and red bonnet.
the shades of these colOrs being. most probably,
glaringly brilliant. Her taste was considered
unimpeachable, and the cOntume in question,
distended as it was over an enormous hoop was
praised by the chroniclers of the period as bril-
liant and effective"
Without unduly prasing the regning modes,
which have many faults it NAV be Claimed for
q
regard for consistency. Fringes are placed
only where they are pendant from an edge
Lace has been misused, perhaps, in the matter
of skirts where one flOunce is placed above
another throughout the entire length This.
however, is but an instance Of the faulty carry
ing out of the original conception. The theory
of such skirt is that each lace flounce repre-
sents the edge Of a skirt, shorter than, and
falling over the one beneath. Wien the lace is
skilfully manipulated this deception (deceptiOns
wi CHI fi,Ilv Id
by the art which hides itsel is artistically sue
cessful, and in order to place it above suspicion
each t1Ounce of the lace should be finely and i'm
perceptibly mounted upon net of a mesh resem-
bling that of the lace. The succeeding fOunce
would fall over this net. and even slightly over
the lace itself, the latter being in case sewed
to the foundation. This small precautiOn is too
frequently neglected. There was time when
buttons were used by the gross as trimmings.
They were sewed on anything and everywhere,
down the middle and up the sides, on either
"frOnt" Of q jacket, and thickly bestrewing
the sleeves. Clever, indeed was that girl
considered who arranged her buttons in van
dykes round her dress, and her skill was well
by her very original trimming. 1t never oc-
CURED to any one that buttons should have
some plausible excuse for being in any given
place. In pepperng them all over a costume
the pepperer should have been equally liberal
with small tabs and button-holes Then the
buttons could at least have pretended to be use
| full. A beautiful and novel trimming has been
devised by French male mind susceptible to
millinery influence and inspiration. This noble
being, regardless Of the fact that his own gar
ments could never, never be adorned by it, gave
to the world the splendidly successful idea Of
fringe composed partly of chenille and partly Of
oxidized silver. It is certainly both graceful
and effective, and, like embroidery, is too
| costly to be within the reach of the multitude.
The furrier's art has now placed consistency
with climatic variations within the reach of al
most all. The daily governess, trudging her
firing round, can enveiop herself in delightful
furry ''dreadnOught" at trif1ing cost. In her
hand may occasionally be observed q small
satchel, which is pleasant mystery of comfort
able continuance. Opened, 1t reveals itself as
| ur-lined fOot-warmer, which enables Its fOrtu-
nate possessOr to smile superior to the lukewarm
uncertainties and slippery movements OF the
railway variety, as well as the arbitrary irregu-
larties of the great untpped. who control their
distribution. The fashionable fur cape has this
year assumed some novel forms. entirely con-
sistent with its character as comforter and con-
| soler under stress OF weather. One OF these
varieties forms sort of mantle, coming well
below the waist and provided with kangaroo
sleeves. which protect the arms without robbing
| the body of heat, as In the ordinary cape. An
other new form is that which fastens up the
back, thus most enectually protecting the chest
and lungs.
A good illustration of consistent simplicity re-
leved by judicious admixture Of feminine
| which Mrs. Langtry prepared for her landing in
| New York. 1t is of dark blue serge, fitting as
perfectly as do tailor-made garments of the
| kind and is provided with q small waistcoat
showing perpendicular lines, closely set, Of gold
| braid upon scarlet ground. On one side OF
this waistcoat 10 the union jack, and on the
other the stars and stripes Of the land Of the
! west These adornmaYfs annr0nrinfe an0uOf