Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-01
SPRING FASHIONS.
The Display Of New Fabrics I'm the
SbOps-Sprlng Designs i'm the Work
Rooms.

promise OF an early season mas brought out
spring designs and spring fabri;s In PERCUSSION
Where Rtely were pushes, vevcts, furred gar
ments and long coats made entirely OF fur, are
now flowere1 satins. light clmbrics, embro:d ,red
robes and nuns yelling in ali the delicate tintS for
summer Wear. Only about SIX weeks, ana these
broken by warm days, have demanded the expen-
sive garments lined with gorgeous plush and
trimmed with the pumage Of birds or the skin OF
the otter which nerves and purses wee strained
u obtl1n, and are tdy they inS1 Dp3rtable and
must be replaced by lighter garments. by still
lIGre curious AMI eccentric garments and comb;-
nations. For fashion is nothing now if net eccen-
trio. striking. ir. iniividualiZed and effect
i've" Color is the wat hyyord, and color which has
heretofore Father Sly!y hidden Itself and only
made It's appeardnJ- in public in snail quantities
and on unusual occasions. Is now tn come boldly
10 the front am lie used in that the
t!al AMI funercI aspects OF or streets and ~
SeInblages may be- gotten rid OF; and the darker
shades OF olive and brown. invisible green and
SOmbre black be use as backgrounds for throwing
III masses OF rich or blended color.
Figure designs are wrought out on artistic
In0icl,-the lower part or base in so i'll color the
upper part In p tternS which seem to have reached
the height OF abSur,!ity. when COWS quietly Craze
in the alternate checks Of aGy's Overdress. Yet.
this really does not look abSri it S0unS--fOr
the COWS are que', unobtruSve Illuminating cows,
well shaded prettily drawn and almost Invisible
on the tiny corner OF leafy lane, in Which they are
chewing the cu1 OF their Sweet-let hope
fancieS. / confess to a sentiment for the cows.
Almost everything that one sees or can conceive
Is available for design II only the delicate yelling
of ii fine AMI poetic Imagination be thrown about
1t; and that is precisely what it is the object OF
The artist designer 10 accomplish. To the crude
mind an idea presents Itself in its most simple
fornS-a gridirO1 is IL grdrOn. nothing more. For
the artist even a gridiron is endowed with soul,
ami it i the soul of the grdirOn which 1T tries TO
express.
SPRING FABRICS
new departure always begins in the fabric,
because the manufacturers are on the lookout for
novelty: and they have trained men, some OF them
real artists, to design their patterns to watch the
markets. to keep the lookout for ideas and seize
them before The Y are appropriated. Among the
makers-up OF fabrics into garments on the con-
trary, there Is little originality; a class they
are lmitat0rS-afrafd to take step in advance and
always wat hing and waiting for tha word OF au-
thOrity before veEturing on the slightest variation
from the established order. Doubtless one of the
reasons Is that dreSSmakerS. rule, are poor
and tmd, afraid Of giving offence, unwilling to
take Fisk. and generally worn out with routine,
ideas. But this keeps them poor. Only taoSe be-
come successes who dare to be original, who lead
the van Instead OF dragging at the rear.
The secret of Mr.. Worth is his daring, his origin
ai1ty and his genuine feeling for art. Tie French,
as IL rule, are not strong in artistic color. They
are unequled in form and in the confectionery
brightness Which they impart to their surround
ings: but it is only within the last very years
that they have begun 10 understand the pOssibili-
ties of Ii lit and shade in color OF combination and
contrast. and it Is 10 MIR. Worth that they owe
much OF what is most original and valuable in
thtlr dlscoveTies lie goes 10 me FOUNTAIN head;
lions in green and brown. and he blends his cOOrS
after morning spent in his garden or aviary,
where the infinite and brilliant variety, the wealth
Oh softiytOned color in leaf and flower and plum
age contain never-failnS sources OF fresh and
charming suggestions.
The flavor OF the natural school is very strong in
the designs OF the recent French manufacturers,
but it is often Oyeraid with what is artificial and
place than the SO-called SlaceD effects on cotton
satneS. Lace is never used as drapery upon
cotton, 50 that it has no meaning, and the long
strips OF simulated net, or what old ladies call
footing" which forms transparent stripe over
the pattern. coniuses ana ObscureS, but adds moth
ing to the beauty. There are, however. some ex-
Qulste designs in rich printed silks. The eglan-
tine with shaded foliage, the Wild hOneysuckle
and hedge roses with buds and leaves are repro
duced upon tinted grounds with the fidelity OF
hand-panting; and when it IS considered that
these fine shadings this delicate veining the per-
feet outlines and lovely blended cOiorS are not
printed into the groundwork Oh the fabric out into
the threads before they woven, and that the
least error In forming the bud, in shading the
leaf would SPOIL the design the perfection to which
the mechanism has been brought renders 1t more
or a marvel than hand-painting upon the fabric
These silks are beautiful forever no matter what
the fashion or what its changes They are de-
signed expressly for the house of Lord 4 Taylor,
who a so have had some great novelties made for
eSthetc cuStomers,in what are known rs the "Sun-
mower. dresses; These are OF SOFT; rch texture,
and dark as well as light tones The sunfiowers
are embroidered upon them in shades OF
being, OF course in shades OF yellow
most beautifully wrought the centers in shades Of
brown. The flowers do not cover the surface, nor
are they put in at regular intervals. They are
dropped here and there and are sometimes half con.
cealed by the folds of the drapery one on the point
of the tablier one-lalf hidden in the drapery one
(of smaller size 1T the left OF the bodice, and one
upon the right shoulderb but none upon the sleeves
only the colOrs, brown and gold, appear in the
sleeves, which should be composed of one or more
puffS and straight bands terminating in deep
cuff. Doubtless, the idea will not be confined TO
sunfowers but express itself in lilies and roses in
tulips and danodils-in all the flowers, indeed.
which are popularity used for establishment, but
IL Is the sunfiower which appears first, and has
given its name to the design, and it is the sun
flower which will be reproduced in greatest variety
upon the lighter fabrics, the linens, the pongees,
suit to the happy thought that finds It's first OPP
portunity in the more expensive and exclusive
fabrics 1t was last year that lace effects the
plain surface OF rich selfcOlOred SatinS and vel
vets were first exhibited, and though their cost
eer taf% from esRg popular fh
they conveyed has been eagerly taken
up by manufacturers and applied in many differ
ent ways to cotton, wool ana siiken fabrics. The
lace effects upon cotton Saline have been already
alluded to- But there are some lovely soft silks,
with lace patterns woven in them in all-silk so
closely, that the side seems to be composed
OF the tnts OF the pattern only, which goes quite
through the fabric and forms part or it. The
richness and beauty Of these DESIGNS, which re-
produce Spanish point, the old Breton lace (nOw
being revived, HonitOn, and Others or the famous
Old and modern laceS, make the fabric costly, and
as it is elegant, rather than snowy, 1t will not be-
come common. A more popular fabric will be
found In the wool spanish lace" This is a fine,
allwOol stuff, woven in Spanish lace patterns, and
intended for the upper part Of dresses, for polo
naiSeS and many or the purposes for which Span
iSh lace IS used 1t is In black or cream white and
quite as effective rs the ordinary Spanish lace
While ii Is, of course, cheaper and much more
durable.
COttons have become so very handsome I'm tex
tlre and design that they are competing success
FULLY with richer fabrics, and particularly with
foulard and soft tWlled silks. SatineS at less than
half the price cannot be distinguished from the
foulards which they copy in figure and design, ana
are particularly well adapted to the country ana
Tor morning walking welr. Some OF the borders
to the new thin percaleS and cambrcS are beauti-
fully shaded In greens and browns. with delicate
foliage, leaves and grasses, which form a sort of
dadO To the pretty design OF the fabric. Others
make little field, starred with buttercups and
daisies, the flowers reappearng In the border
part OF the material, but small and dintly shaped.
FIGURED Sat1neS are accompanied by plain material
OF the ground color for the skirts, but the small
figured cambricS and lawns are made up into SIM
pie pretty costumes and dresses all OF kind. the
border OF these is forming the narrow flOunces
round the bottom OF the skirt and upon its front
While the same bordering Is put on fat upon the
0yerskirt or pOlOnaiSe.
THE RAGE FOR EMBROIDERY.
A new impulse seems to have been given to the
taste which has already been formed and greatly
stimulated during the past few years for embroid-
cry as trimming. Doubtless the power OF eXecut-
Ing the work upon all fabrics by machine and with
such raptiity as TO reduce the cost to One-fOurth