Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-03-03


NEW YORK, Feb. o.
This has been what is called very gay
season. Ministers have preached against the
sin Of dressing in the vain and costly manner
which marks full and fashionable attire at balls
and evening entertainments. and newspapers
have terated descriptions of brilliant toilets ad
nauseam. Limited as the society" area is and
confined to few persons who are of no sort of
consequence out oftheir little circle, yet through
the powerful medium of the press it represents
the world they pine for to nine-tenths of the
young and foolish who are outside of it, and
whose chief ambition is the desire to initiate
that which Is made to appear much more
desirable than 1t really is. There is nothing
more tedious under the sun than the repetition
OF mere society entertainments among the same
class OF people-even the sight of their clothes
becomes eXasperating. and a simple gown
sweet refreshment among the quantities of
SNOWY rubbish. For beads and tnselled gauze
are not elegance refinement They are circus
spiendor at tie best. and need the gaslight and
pageantry OF the ring TO make them pass
muster They are unworthy objects of eInUla-
tiOE-for our bright and true hearted American
girls, and their sweetness should not be wasted
upon them.
I-I%CERIE At HOME AND ABROAD
There is no better evidence of the difference
which exists between the French and American
failure In this country to naturalize the exquisite
silk lingerie which is so essential part of the
wardrobe Of the French e1eoonte We use imita-
tion lace on common cotton underwear here to
hi extent that would &c incredible abroad. We
MAKE up nachhe-stitehed nndergarments, at
frOin 40 TO % cents each. with yards of coarse
embroidery. and sell them by the gross. But
the sale of the handmade French articles sim
pie in cut. neat, durable, and possessed of
certain refinement even in the lowest grades,
Is limited tn a few American women of culti-
waited intelligence. while the purchase and sale
of the costly styles of American underclothin,r
In the most OF which finer imitation lace and
finer machine embroidery again play an impor-
tant part, are limited to trOusseauX to special
Quilts which few women after MARRIAGE ever
md the means to duplicate. The fault is not
their own All our methods here are costly
and wastGtul distinguished by poverty of mate
riais and workmanship. and therefore not cheap
at any price. while the superior manufactures
the products of skilled and trained labor from
abroad, are kept at such rates that they are put
out OF the reach of the ordinary purchaser
The first thing that the American woman abroad
does is to revel in the enjoyment of a newly
acquired stock of lovely lingerie bought at
such prices that she can afford TO wear it. Hay
wards. in London. is known in London as a
''deaT shop. everything being of the first quail
lily: but iichns and collars. chemisettes and
dress sets. articles that cost from 81 80 to IS i'm
New York. seem to be all pilrchaseabe at q
uniform rate of about three and siXpence in
LOndon. and few francs, more or less in
Paris The underwear of the English woman is
more substantial, but it is not finer than tina
Of the American. and is much less burdenedV
with cheap OrnamentatiOn. The underwear of
the French woman is finer than either. and when
She Is dressed fo. occasions it is exquisite. The
satin corsets. 5ch with us are so rare are
with her an indispensable part of her wardrobe
and are black or cream color. heliOtrOpe or pink.
according TO the color or tone of her costume
Her dress is uniformly much less snowy and
exhibits less variety than that of the fashiOna-
Bile American, but her underwear is Infinitely
finer and more specialized-that u.s. ADAPTED to
particular colOIs and styles OF dress and to the
purposes for which they are selected.
SUMNER SIIkS.
There are certain varieties of silk of light
weight that always appear with the hyacnth
bulbs in the florists windows. the Strawberries
ct a dollar per dozen and the violets grown i'm
hot beds. and yet sold for ten cents bunch.
These are the foulards with solid brown, dark
blue and wine colered grounds sprlnkled over
with little polka-tl0ts. leaflets tiny stariike
daisies or shell shaped designs. They are cool
and Plea ant summer wear, and they look pretty
In contrast with dull heavy cloths and the thick
winter fabrics, of which the eye has become
wearied. But the fashion OF them does not
change from year to year. and they are now
principally relegated to quiet elderly ladies who
have no more use for fashion. but prefer that
which is gentle and familiar to the eyes and the
touch.
In very nearly the same category come what
are known distinctively as summer silks. the
small checks and nair stripes in grays and
browns and whites and lacs and black Quiet
and unObtrusye are these also and lannon's for
wearing qualities. but like the fOulards, change
little from year to year. and for some years past
have been principally employed for children
little girls and their sisters of fourteen and fiji
teen, who have not Yet emerged from the
schoolroOm. This season the check is preserved
but IN some 1t Is very much enlarged and in
others a moderate square is diversified with
lines Of color garnet ana bronze and gold which
gives quite new effect. The surahs also ap-
pear IN solid grounds, checked with lines of
green and gold or shrimp pink and brown upon
brown or ecru grounds
But the novelties are more startling The
finest summer silks aret the China silks and the In
dian cOrahs and surahs. These have both light
and dark grounds but the tinted worries and
creams are the most effective for showing ND
the marvellous designs. These are very large
and consist Of tropical fruit, flowers and foliage
thrown upon the surface in a bold original and
striking manner: yet, with consummate art in
the combining of forms and blending of cOlOrs
and shades of color. the three most successful de-
Signs are the mango. with reticulatpd and anceO-
lated leaves, in Ochid and the passion flower
The exquisite cOloring which is put into these re-
productions of curious natural objects the
strength and freedom in drawing and tintnY
and the faithfuiness make them most interest
ing study. and one that can be taken I'D again
mile There - musical motive, too. running
through the whole. charm of tone as distinct
asn expressed in sound and which reappcars i'm
different degrees, and gives a depth and mean
ing and expression which is difficult to convey
In words.
Perhaps this sounds hyperboical In regard to
mere dress fabrics. but ii ia not intended to be
90 IL Is from the purely artistic point Of view
that to me they are admirable; and one might
suppose the wearer of them would have an art
Ssts pride In his work, in the wrnkled and nat
urally curling edges of the ieshy pink sta
mems. the darkly veined and shaded leaves In
which death and life struggle for mastery. and
the DUBIOUS roots from which the fbrous ten
drills shoot out like antenDa. There are other
de-igns. one of which is called the '.rose-gar-
den AMI another autumn leaves" Both are
extraordinarily bold and effective: but who could
wear them, or where. excepting at a fancy
0ress ball, it would be hard to say. Imagine
the ground thckly covered with the yellows of
the maple, the reds OF the sumach the brown
u the dead leaves, and scattered here and there
Wond erful pale-yellOw roses each large enough
70 wear singly in a bodice. This is the autumn
leaf pattern The rose garden does not cover