Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-10-18

As PICTURED IN JENNY JCNE's LETTER TO
ALBANY JOURNAL.

Fine wool Is 80 lovely Tor wear, so san
itary in its effects, that it is pleasant to
see how largely it is pressed into the SER
vice for autumn suits and outdoor gar
ments. This we owe to the introduction.
by wealthy travelled women, of the
English tailor-made suit and its gradual
adoption among US. Within the past few
years several fashionable tailors have add
ed ladies' departments to their establish
ments where genuine tailor-fnished COS
tunes are modelled after those of Redfern,
or Benjamin, or Cobbe, of LondOn-and
fitted with the same care and exactness.
The fashions in these differ but little from
year to year, and here show less variety
than abroad. for the number of purchasers
is restricted and consists largely of ladies
distinguished for quiet, refined taste, who
do not 90 into the ''fancy" styles. which
are admissible in country houses, shoot
ing boxes, Alpine climbing and the vari-
Gus uses to which '.tailor'' suits are put
BY the fashionable denizens Of the London
World. The cost of a good tailor-made
suit. well fitted and finished, is from $50
to Sl25-the difference in the fineness OF
cloth and quality of satin lining. rather
than in cut, design or workmanship.
The costume consists of four pieces,
skirt, tunic, basque, and outside coat,
made like a gentleman's frOck coat; if a
Newmarket Qong coat was required, the
coat would range from Sl25 to $50. But
for these prices. beginning at $50, the fine
cloth is mounted upon silk skirt lining
the basque is lined with pure twilled silk,
and the coat with solid satin. The finish
is silk feather stitching. and a soft doubled
GALLON, which only forms a cord upon
the edge where it is used. The design is
varied to suit different tastes; but in gen.
uine tailor-made suits everything is real
basques and cloaks have pockets which,
though not conspicuous. are put in with
neatness and solidily, and, therefore, can
be used. Vests are not simulated; they
are vests (or waistcOats) and have con
venient little pockets. like those of men.
The entire outfit is permanent in its char
arter. and though the price we have to pay
for it restricts its usefulness, yet is doing
a good work in the influence it exercises
upon popular styles and the cultivation OF
the tastes tf the majority.
This influence Is very marked this sea
son. Cloth dresses. cloth suits and cloth
Jersey Jackets are adopted by the best
class of people, and cloth cloaks, so long
neglected for silk and ''fur lined" prom
Use to achieve wide popularity particular
ly where the cold makes wool welcome in
any shape six or eight months of the year.
New fancy" wooden fabrics are ribbed
and intersected with lines of colored silk
or gold thread in Undesirable ways; but
these are not used by tailors to any great
extent-not at all except to Order-the
fine cloth in solid colors and darkest
shades being always considered more dis
tinguished.
Much better than ribs or mixtures are
the yielding, yet resisting. stockingette or
twilled cloth resembling stocklngette. of
which the finest Jersey jackets, tunics,
suits. and some of the new cape-cloaks
are composed. The cloth is thick, warm.
rough finished on the underside, yet light
in weight and not clumsy. When made
into Jerseys it is faced with silk or satin,
the pockets put in tailor fashion, and the
finishing executed with the utmost neat
ness.
The Jersey jacket has taken on a most
singular vogue-singular because it has
been before the public several years, but
only recently broken out into this appar-
emily causeless epidemic. Perhaps it
took that length of time to discover its
virtues anyhow, it must possess virtues,
and OF a positive kind. or it would not
have worked its way to so marked de-
gree of popular favor. There is great
dtierecce between the cost of plain and
the cost of braided tunic of the same
kind. A lady who had finished an order
tor braiding an hundred dozen of fine
cashmere jerseys recently, received an or
der tor another hundred dozen from the
same firm. The price to purchasers of
the plain jersey was 50. The price paid
for braiding was 60 cents. The price
charged for the braided Jersey was $40.
Ladies who can braid and embroider their
own jerseys had better make note OF
this.
A new model of a cloth dress just re-
ceived reminds one of the combination
pieces OF furniture which are capable OF
so many transformations. This suit has u
vatican drapery which can be changed at
touch into a scarf-like dolman, and is,
therefore, thought more dressy tor indoors
while available, without further addition,
for the street. But the charm of either
suit has always seemed to me its simpli-
city, its directness. its neatness, its free.
dom from supertlurous drapery. and il il
is to take on all the business which it is
customary to put into other materials. it
would annihilate both suit and wearer.
THE Opening" HATS AND BoNNETs.
What are the leading styles P'' is the
stereotyped question addressed to the at
PENDANTS at the gorgeous millinery open
ing who are, however. themselves any
thing but gorgeous-pale. young or stout.
middle aged women usually dressed in
black. which serves as the best foil for
the mixture of color by which they are
surrounded and Except grey) Is the only
hue they can wear with which all kinds
OF bonnets will agree during the trying
on" process to which they are often sub
jected. The answer given to the simple
query has become as stereotyped as the
question itself. "Well, everything is
worn, and YOU can suit your hat to any
thing you choose" Looking about it
seems as everything" was worn; or
would be by the time these creations
had changed hands,
This is precisely what happens at one
of these pdrro-ip-multum exhibitions; the
world seems all before you in the shape
of hats and bonnets: but when you get
rid of the glamour of the gilt and fileagree
novelties" which are nothing more than