Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-03


Some New Travelling Dresses
Summer Trimmings.
New YORK, March 31.-On the whole, women
may be satisfied with their clothes for the
present and coming season. Among the de-
signs that are fantastic there are quite enough
that are good and sensible to prevent those
who wish to walk in the even tenor of their
way from being obliged to part from their
ideals and indeed the 'show" Is much less
than it seems through the medium of exagger-
ated newspaper paragraphs, which are moth
ing if not exaggerated.
Essentials remain very much as they were;
that is, we have still the convenient walking
skirt; the sensible. durable class of materials;
the freedom from bustles and tournures, and
an entire absence of superfuous drapery If
drapery is needed or wanted, however, the
latitude Of fashion is such that any amount of
it can be supplied. We have still for spring
wear the tailor-made suit, with stitching and
| buttons for finish. and the neat hat to match
for those who wish them to serve for summer
travelling and excursions. And lastly. we have
large hats and bonnets. for which women who
have reached middle age, or suffer from
| neuralgia, or have compilations to save, ought
| to be thankful.
There has been some blazing back and forth.
| as usual. Last year the Jacket bodices were
| of figured brocade and the trimmed skirts
| worn with them were of solid material. This
year the jackets are plain, and the skirts
| striped, checked or figured. A year ago the
overskirts were draped long: now they are
/ draped short. and the disposition continues to
/ get rid of them altogether or substitute the
scarf sash or drapery. The Jersey" bodice
remains, Notwithstanding the successful effort
| to revive the coat bodice, and among the most
admired dresses for young girls are the striped
and Killed Skirts the slender. perfectly mold
ed bodice Of the plain material, and the scurf
| sash over the hips, knotted or drawn through
| a ring on enc side The throat is easily and be
| comingly finished by round collar of the
stripe laid in pleats, to match the skirt. These
costumes are made in pure wool OF f1ne soft
| texture, and are a study of lovely color and
contrast. There are olive and browns old blue
| (the blue Of old China). and pure Bordeaux
shade. There are browns and pinlxsh salmon,
| the darker color always forming the solid por-
| ton of the dress and there are shades of red
| with fcelte. or twine Ia rattan dark shade of
pretty color). which ere effective, the fceHe
being used for the bodice.
OF course the Jersey" dress is only suitable
for young. slender, vet well-rounded women;
and, If worn without exaggeratlon or coquetry,
it is a perfectly modest and charmiugly dainty
design. 1t ought not to be worn in a single,
semi-trausparent crepy fabric, or by a large,
very fully developed woman; because the first
| contains Jn6 suggestion OF lnQ6ceQCY-lG looks
| as il the wearer would be indecent if she could
while the second is vulgar and betrays the
absence of asrefined taste. But it must be re-
membered M that the jersey dress, the upper part
seams, like any other basque waist. is a very
different thing from the Jersey independent
bodice which is knitted in a close elastic
stocking-stitch and drawn over the body like
supplementary skin. This is quite as bad as
wearing flights in public. 1t is disgraceful if
it don't fit; it is indecent if it does.
COLOR
is an immense factor in dress at present and
a very fair test of the amount of art and cul-
ture which a woman puts into her clothing
or at least how far she keeps in rapport with
the most recent ideas in making her Sc
lection. Art and aesthetic ideas in dress
new world of color, a world of mean
ing, of depth of expression such as of
late years, previous to this era. we knew no.
thing. If any one wishes to be convinced of
the truth of this statement let them compare
the fine art shades with materials of to-day
with those OF ten, fifteen and twenty-five years
ago. Every year the Improvement is manifest
and the shades or tones develop more subtle
consciousness, a growing character which con-
tains possibilities of harmonious relations with
the persons and influences with which it is
brought In contact of whom and of which it is
destined to become part. Take green for
example There is color so significant, so
capable of tender, helpful, growing expression
1t is in the subdued art shades universally be-
coming and it fraternizss with more colors
than any other except those that do not quar-
rel because of their fixed and eternal neutrality.
Who does not remember what were called the
grass greens and apple greens Of a few years
agoi They were the greens of paper flags on
st. Patrick's day! Put these greens by the
greens of grass and leaves, even at their
brightest, and one will be astonished at the
| quiet depth, the delicacy and subdued char
acter OF the natural finland the garish tone
of the artificial one-the immense difference
between what we call nature and what is ma
ture.
The aesthetic school have endeavored to get
rid of the entire system OF crude color, substi-
I tuting for it the refinement of subdued tones
such colors as are found upon old china, tapes
| try painting, and needle work; and to q GER
| tain extent they have succeeded. The best
English and French manufacturers have been
glad to adopt ideas which had all the attrac-
| ton of novelty and all the force of tradition.
Particularly where atmospheric influences are
favorable, colorS have been lowered, deepaned,
and the general tone greatly improved. In
this country it is more difficult to create new
departure of this kind, because the climate
lacks the humidity and tenderness necessary
to the production of the most perfect dyes;
| secondly, because the policy of the country is
| to sustain its manufacturers, not to improve
| its manufactures Our art colors are there
| fore confined to imported fabrics and mate
rialS and the price puts them out of the reach
of any but the rich, or at least those who can
| afford luxuries. Still one good effect has been
produced: Our manufacturers have been
stimulated to the production of variety in
tunately the failures of the Art school have
afforded opportunities for exaggeration and
misrepresentation on the part OF those who never
lose an oppor tunitv to indulge in either. and
instead OF receiving the credit to which it is
fairly entitled 1t is made responsible for indi-
vidual follies and propensities. But
lished by women throughout the country
| are doing much to correct this false idea and
the wisdom is beginning to be apparent of the
absolute standard which the New York Society
81 fivoA Arfa arofa tod for xryhfo
it has maintained, and which is fast raising it
to the rank of a true art school In the expe-
riences of this society it has been found that
the genius for work among the women in this
country who execute art made work is far
superior to that of England; but the study of
design has been carried to much greater per-
fection than with us almost all the original
designs come from the Kensington school
while in the execution OF permanent art nee
die work it is essential to use English mate
rials our colors and methods of manufacture
not producing the necessary results.
AN ART SCHOOL FOR DRESS
What we need now is a school that will truly
express art in dresS-and maintain as abso-
Lutte standard as the art decorative societies
do in needle work and decorative painting
Few women know what words mean, and
art terms and aesthetic" TERMS and, the rest
of 1t are constantly used to convey the most
common place, not to say opposite ideas A
newspaper writer the other day raved over
what he called modern @stheticism," max
used in heating our houses, the water pipes,
and low necked dresses. Now, If the aesthetics,
headed by Ruskin and Morris have tried to do
anything it is to get rid of the cast iron fur
mace, or at least prevent its adoption by the
English people. It Is essentially an American
mechanical contrivance, one of the many ex-
pensive modern methods of getting rid Of
small ills, and bringing larger ones in their
place. Such aesthetic families can afford it
in New York have had the heaters taken out
of their houses and their places filled by large
hall stoves or heaters, and open or CRATE fires
in the rooms to the manifest improvement of
their health, comfort and the picturesque
character Of their surroundings.
Low-NEoKED DRESSES
Are denominations which no artist with a true
sense Of art could stand for a moment in the
universal sense in which the mode was once
understood and accepted There are Greek
character costumes and historical dresses in
which men as well as women must leave
the neck uncovered. But while historical con-
tinuity and accuracy may demand, and per-
feetion of form excuse departure from ordi-
nary rules in the interests of art no artist but
would shudder at an exhibition Of gaunt sur
prises the uncoverfng of mere masses of
reddening or goose-quill flesh. However, their
nerves are not likely to be put to the test. II
American women are not ali artists, they are
not all idiots, and many Of them are intelligent
as well as modest. Thus the announcement
that "low-necked dresses have entirely super
ceded high-necked dresses must be taken
with many grains of allowance The propor-
tion OF women who have bought or had dresses
made low in the neck-that is, not square or v
shaped, but leaving the shoulders and back ex-
poseG-to the whole number who have pur-
chased or had dresses made, is less than five
per cent, exclusive of actresses and of those
who own these low-necked dresses, the number
of times when they have been or can be worn
is exceedingly limited. These results are
based upon q broad survey of the ground and
falro II 4csxx