Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-03
AUTUMN FASHIONS.
LATEST NOVELTIES IN DESIGN
The New he 4IngOte-ssTheoss Ora
Pery-Theatre TOiIeItes-SeIence In
Clothes.

| perY-TneafKe TOtlettes-Scfenee In
ClOthes.
NEW YoRK, October THAT science has auv
thing to do With clothes. seems not as vet Il
have entered the minds Of many people. and
therefore dress has no true standard. nc
scientific exponents. It's devotees are as igno
rant OF the laws which should govern it a.
those who despise it. and both in their ignor
ance equally misc hievous to its best interests
while in the meantime more and more of q
burden, more and more of hindrance TO 9
free active life.
Perhaps this is inevitable. Civilization is q
wonderful mason. 1t builds up invisible walls
stronger than those of the old Romans, and its
rehnements are only barriers TO our hum anity
Dress must follow or keep its place in the eter
nal march, and all we can do as individuals is
20 endeavor to apply to it, at least in our
case. the same laws Of reason and common
sense that we naturally bring to bear on other
subjects. 1t is possible that sometime scientia-
cally educated men and women will see the
importance Of examining the subject with the
f, seriousness that its influence upon the health.
morals ann happiness of mankind at large de
LDand; that it will not be considered as sfllv or
frivolous simply because it has been left mainly
10 the control OF the unthinking to its detri
ment; but that such guidance will be afforded
as Will form basis for judgment and give au-
tnorlty TO opinion, and, above all, impart to the
whole question, in its practical as we'll as its
theoretical aspects such intelligent recogni-
ton as will rescue it from the hands into which
lt has larg ely fallen and induce our intelligent
Young women to enter the field and become
true dressmakers, trained in the science and
art as well as the mechanics Of clothes
AS Yet We have scientific drRSSma
Our dressHaking is done by accident, and in
tne merest process OF Imitation after the old
eopy-oook style. Dressmakers rarely know
the true nsmes and still more rarely the quail
tes OF even the materials they use. AS for
their influence upon the health or life Of the
individual, their suitability for different pur-
poses, their varying powers of resistance to
atmospheric and other conditions it does not
enter their heads that they have anything to do
with these things, or chat there is any reason
why they should know them. Naturally, the
average wearer knows even less of such mat
sers tnan the average dressmaker, and both
rail- helpleSSy back on the uncertain, irrational,
constantly changing dictum of some self-con-
stlIut-d authority whose vision is narrowed
both by interest and ignorance, and who sim
ply wishes to keep up the demand for some
special item or branch of manufacture.
WHAT ART HAS ALREADY DONE
The present generation owes a debt Of graft
tude already to those artists and art critics and
writer's who have discussed dress from the art
standpoint and created at least the beginning
of new school in which dress is considered
and even worn from the art standpoint
Ihough the influence is not yet popularly per
ceptible-at least in any marked or generally
acknowledged way-it has been strongly felt
and has been mainly truthful and refining in
its character. Its value, however, is in the fact
that u has lifted dress out of the commonplace
into the artistic; that il has surrounded it with
new atmosphere and unconsciously set many
10 looking at it from a new point of view. This
is great step in advance and we can easily
afford fOFpIUp "a Vav ri hot
any movement, for the sake of the beauty the
variety, the healthy activity which are the re-
suit or the movementitSelf. The xt step may
De IN Gne scientific direction. 1t is possible too
that the average American woman is the com
Ing savior, the apostle of the new religion of
sensible, healthful, beautiful dress well
to its functions.
Should this be the case we shall learn to
know andsappreciate fabrics and put them to
tneir proper uses; we shall in time be able to
olsungulsn colors and even shades, and know
how to adapt them to ages conditions and
persons. We shalt in short make our fashions
instead or allowing them to make US Il Is to
the lnnuence OF art that We owe the modern
9eVelopment or form, and TO this and scientific
discovery In It's application to decorative OBJ
gecIs, Cne movement and variety in color. 1t
ls 70 are also That we are indebted for that re-
NlVal OF ornamentatiOn upon the material,
while mechanical genius has aided it bv
limitations which, being much nearer the
reach OF the majority, have hitherto been
III
Is stlll, however, an open question how far this
higher influence shall extend and whether we
shall permit 1t to do for us the good it is ca
Paole OF 9olng II 1t were treated with the
In dress we have not as yet made a single
broad step beyond the boundaries Of the CON
, NeuClohaI and Une commonplace. We allow
tne lncurslons OF original designs, and particu-
larry the revival Of old ideas to divers ~ the
mOnotony or wood and brown stone and give
an air OF individuality to the interior of modern
nD1lgAgs Ia nrns nft 81,
alike and more commonplace even. With ali
the world to choose from, we accent the least
desirable because we are acquaintnd with it
ana because iG relieves us from burdens and
responsibility such as endeavoring to carry and
Introduce the new always entails
THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS.
In the meantime the manufacture of fabrics
mas gone Tar ahead of our knowledge of how
TO put them to good use. The spectacle of their
deSecration, their almost annibiIation nv cruda
and cruel methods Of cutting dragging 0atb-
erlng and torturing is one to make an artisan
VINO mas found pleasure in seeing a heautifnI
piece OF cloth grow under his eyes weep W.
nave now quantities OF rich material for which
Nature s deepest recesses, the gathered treas
urles or museums and all the repositories of art
have been searched for their production. vet
not Tor any sympathetic impression they make
on their soulless cutters and Wearers thew
might be kitchen tOWeling.
IL would De wei for those who are engaged
in looking back for historical hints in regard
tlstlc designs and exquisite old colors empioved
In she early part of this century No other
style on record Will compare with it for deli
cacy, oalntlness and artistic effect They were
restricted, 70 be suFe-no material was wasted
but there was an absolute re9ueme ahOut
them, grace and gentleness that appeal AZ
once to the cultivated perception, ana a sim
plicity of outline most favorable to the disnIav
OF the lines OF beauty both in form and fabric
What is to be done in these dajs of punching
ana drapery " with the magnificent brocades
and tapestried materials it is hard to say
There is an effort to reverse the order of the
China figures of the seventeenth cenrurv and
use the figured stuffs for the untrimmed short
skirt the plain for the draped oVerdress
Whlch Is OFTEN made with the Watteau plat in
the back. But this involves for dinner or even
ing wear Except for dancing) sort of court
train, or one distinct from the skirt and this is
not very easy, and therefore can never be pop
ular.
L. used to be said that fashion ceased IN he
fashion when it was seen on the street-that Is
to say, when il had reached the majority Rnt
this IS not at all 80 true as formerly Science and
machinery have cheapened luxuries 40 that
they are within the reach Of larger number.
while at the same time labor is becoming more
valuable. and women are acquiring ne ne
cunlary independence which enables them TO
become purchasers TO a greater extent than
they have been heretofore These facts n mot
affect women who are very rich in their own
right, or the wives of very wealthy men. but
they largely modify the modern demand For
such personal belongings as used to be reetrict-
cd to an exclusive Class, and they make il more
difficult to maintain exclusfveness Of STYLE or
DE- sign in the face of the increasing coTnpeti-
ton and craze for novelty
In fact, is is discovered that exclusiveness is
not always the guarantee of the best thing: it
is often only the stamp Of authority put uDon
the conventional and the commonplace. OFigi-
nality is not infrequently derived from the
humblest sources and the very persons who
would have disdained it had they found il In
its home and uncredted, take it eagerly and
pay high price for it when it comes through
a recognized channel. Ignorancs puts US A.
the mercy of pretenders, an ia nothing is
the employment Of fab cg Why bright. well
educated American gies do not take up
this dena~rm -nt ii put their trained
taste end intrll gence into it. is past compre-
hensiOn. There is more money In il
than in law or meIicine. FOREIGNERS men
and women, are making fortunes in it, and
men assume a rank as filters Of Womens
clothes which is not accorded to women, sim
ply because women have been accustomed to
less exact methods. end cannot be 20 invariably
relied upon to produce an accurate nt- IL
women will add exactness to their taste, anu
sympathy and knowledge to their conscience
and intelligence, men would have very little
chance as dressmakers or dictators Of what
women shall wear, and women would add
greatly to their chances for pecuniary indepen-
dence
NEW FEATURES IN AUTURS DESIGNS.
The beauty and cost Of the new fabrics COM
mel a resort OF styles which display their
splendors, and at the same me present 4
palmer surf ace. Thus, instead of the much
trimmed skirt OF plain silk, wool or satin, we
have q perfectly plain skirt formed of a rich
figured material, and edged with a thick trinle
ruching. The overdress may be a naniered
DOlonaise drawn away from the front hut 60