Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-30

- SsNSts 49, 0OOOAA0 JILL
abroad-that Il, to mark the line between what
ID ordinary and needful and what = exclusively
elegant and refined. Poverty may cir itself 90
casionally In white dotted muslin or pale pink
or blue lawn, but Il win not wear white cash.
mere In morning wrapper that is more expen-
sive than white silk, nor choose for . walking
dress biscuit tint % delicate - white itself
Rich materials In pale lovely colors are, there
fore. the exclusive possibility Of the rich. The
dare not venture upon them, even II they
could manage the first cost. because they are
conspicuous as well as easily soiled and injured
by hard usage.
Pale primrose yellow is, perhaps, the tint par
excellence Of the season, and is charming
trimmed with white lace and worn With large
hat, ornamented with white muslin and
primroses. The biscuit tints also
trim exquistely with white lace
when the material is thin but satin or fine
when the work is fine and the shades of gold
and brown are harmonious.
Rich fancy silks and black end white checks
are in high vogue. and there are small-checked
silks with raised velvet flowers upon them that
are greatly admired. The checks are not used
for bodies, but for skirts, the bodice being OF
plain velvet, satin or wool. With Shepherds
check black canels-hair looks better for the
Jersey bodice than black silk; has more depth;
and is better suited to the useful character or
the material. The velvet cheeksrequire a vel
vet bodice, but such dress cannot be worn
with any comfort in very hot weather although
fashion persists In asserting that this is the
most velvet" Of seasons. and velvet does
really enter into majority of the more elegant
toilets, either as part of the fabric or trimming
Other features of very fashionable dress con-
sists in the exceeding fineness Of the pleatings,
the crimped pleatings. which are made into full
ruches, and the great quantity Of very narrow
ribbons, used to ornament fete and lawn party
dresses.
While the within lasts there is new industry
for some clever girls and women in fashioning
the clustered loops, bows and rOsettes out Of
two or three shades or contrasting colOrs of
the very narrow satin ribbons, and arranging
them for the OrnamentatiOn of skirts, sleeves,
6odices, or as epaulettes upon the shoulders.
Upon one short dress for a girl of less than five
feet high over 400 yards (nearly quarter of
mile) OF narrow ribbon Is said to have been re-
Gently expended. A vast amount of work is
also put into ruching (frayed out) made very
soft and thick; into shirrings, and above all into
embroidery. All high class mOdistes have now
what are known as natural embroiderers" In
their pay, or upon their staff of workers, who
Will execute to order any design with or with
out pattern, and produce some exquisite eff
fects.
COUNTRY DRESSING.
There is rather curious contrast between
the dressing of those who leave the city to 90
into the country and the visitors from the coun-
try who wish to show that they are not behind
the times in regard to fashion. The distinction
Is chiefly one of color. Country cousins are
given to color of somewhat crude and start
ling kind, and accept the statements made by
interested persons in regard to fashionable
shades and tints. and genulneness Of materials
m 80 e lo~:z-
showiness in the trimming, while the class of
city people who can afford to 60 into the coun-
try and stay there pursue quite an opposite pol
ICY, choosing quiet, good materials, and without
perhaps any trimming at oil, and fail utterly to
rural neighbors.
The pOlOnaise costume seems to be the favor
lite one for the country-belted broadly down
over O skirt of contrasting color. The polon-
alse may be Of gray, blue, or bronze wool, or It
may be OF chintz or Powered satteen, but it is
always made with the apron 'front.' round or
pointed 1.-THE latter crossed to one side and never
open In front, which leaves the skirt exposed
and is only admissible in case of q coat and
much trimmed skirt.
A great deal of embroidery is put upon the
dresses prepared for the country, especially upon
the suits of pOngee and lawn or cambria The
embroidered trimming is not confined to narrow
ruffilng. There is usually one piece of founcing
wrought for the front Of the Dress which is half
yard In DEPTH and this does not form the short
apron: tut occupies the intermediate space below
OF embroidery upon the hips, which is draped up
as panlers. White lawns are masses of what is
by courtesy called ''needewOrk," though ii the
ornamentation was executed with the needle
one dress would cost small fortune. Not only
are the fiOunces made of embroidery. but the
basque is cut from it in the piece, SO that the
dress is entirely covered with It.
Inc most unbecOming toilets are the large
checkered and plaid Suits and there are many
OF them. Once in a long while a checker-board
dress ana woman who can wear it may be
seen, but 1t is SO rarely that it would be bless
ing If the rigid designs were relegated to the
st0reage, where they belong.
me wafer" large spotted designs are favor
ties for polonase dresses, the skirts being made
OF the plain material in the dark color. A dark
q dark blue skirt, trimmed with two killed
nonnces. The apron polonaise is belted down
with dark red leather or dull satin, and the
straw hat and its feathers are all of the same
shade, which is not conspicuous. Brown upon
ecru makes good combination. and is accom-
combined iQ its feathers.
Red or blue waters upon cream grounds are
used In cambria for the 'hOlokee' dresses
copied from the Sandwich Islands. They are
simply low frocks gathered into a square woke
OF white needlewOrk and tucking, and are made
with close or full sleeves of lawn the latter slightly
gathered into frill of needlework They hang
loose from the yoke, are not belted in. and
make very cool and pretty indoor morning
dresses.
THE ART ELEMENT IN DRESS
One OF the most useful purposes that decora-
tive art has served in the household is in sug-
costing to women of refinement, taste and large
means the place that it may occupy in dress.
The worst thing about the ordinary dress of
women is the gewgaws, the worthless lippery,
the waste of money in fimsy pretenses and the
massing together of heaps of senseless stuff
without object or purpose, without character or
dignity. It ought to be more of an object to
dress beautiful woman than a house. and
would be If ideas In dress had permanent value
But If they are to be succeeded by something
else tomorrow. and then removed the next day
the results must be as worthless as they are
ephemeral.
But already something has been done by the
art workers with the needle by such women as
Mrs: Candace Wheeler to restore embroidery to
its former high place in the decorative world