The Brookhaven leader., 1883-07-05
inexpensive Silk Dresses.

Tasteful dresses for afternoons at
pretty chine silks at one dollar per yard
Their trimming is full pinked ruches of
the chine silk. with facings, collar and
cuffs of dark eelvet-garnet, sapphire
or ruby--on these pale rose, light blue,
shadowy gray, or brown silks. The
dress should be simply made with
gored skirt, very bunchy over-skirt,
and a short basque of the plainest
shape. Instead of the bristling ruches,
softer-looking flounces are also made of
this silk; they are scantily-gathered,
deeply Tapped, and are cut out on the
lower edges in leaf points that are also
pinked or notched. One of the prettiest
of these dresses is of the rose amber
shade so becoming to clear brunettes,
trimmed with darker golden brown
satin. The basque is cut out in the
tongue-like sharp scallops that Worth
uses SO much; these are on the lower
edge, and also around the Pompadour
square neck, reaching forward on a full
plastron of dark brown satin that fills
the open square, and is gathered at the
top to form two standing frills that pass
around the neck.
The silk Surahs and those with satin
face worn last year remain popular, and
are not costly when trimmed with wide
gathered flounces of the Surah cut out
on the lower edge in the sharp narrow
scallops, and with two erect headings of
the Surah doubled; the soft texture of
the twilled Surah prevents it from
"pinking well. At little more cost
there are lovely evening dresses of pale
blue or rose Surah, trimmed with ecru
embroidered muslin flounces and dark
velvet. Thus one of pale blue satin
Surah has q basque, the sash paniers
that are not curved in front, but pass in
straight folds around the hips, and a
gored skirt made of the Surah for trim
ming, the front and sides of the skirt
are covered with ecru embroidered mus
lin frills,. land some rosettes of sapphire
blue velvet are down each side. The
very simple basque with elbow sleeves
has sapphire velvet collar and cuffs,
with two frills of the ecru embroidery
down the front, strapped across by
bands of blue velvet fastened by
small buckles of Rhine stones. Dark
green satin Surah, with little ecru
embroidery on the basque, is also a
refined dress that need not cost much
money. Another return to the fashions
of six or seven years ago is the use of
low-priced black silks for travelling
dresses. At the furnishing houses small
repped black groS grains are made
up in severely plain dresses for this pur-
pose, and are worn on short journeys
when lady wishes to be quietly well
dressed, and on very long journeys
are encountered. The skirt for these
has one or two gathered ruffles, or else
a single finely plated founce. The
apron Over-skirt is so deep that it reach
es nearly to the foot in front and back.
is not lifted very high on the sides, and
is trimmed with a wide plating like
that on the lower skirt. The basque is
a short position, fitted as simply and
as perfectly as those of tailor dresses;
it is fastened by small jet buttons and is
without any trimming. Another style,
slightly more dressy, is that of putting
three gathered ruffies on the skirt, with
three rows of narrow velvet ribbon on
each ruffle. The long over-skirt is then
caught up very high on each side, and
held there by a large jet buckle, or by
a rOsette of velvet ribbon; piping of
the velvet is then added to the collar and
cuffs.
A novelty in Surah silk is weaving
them in checks of two colors in strong
contrast, such as red with green or
blue. These are used for entire dresses,
and have garnet velvet for draperies
across the hips; for vest or plastron,
turned-back cuffs, and high standing
collar that meets in front, or else laps,
and is sometimes so high that it requires
two buttons and buttOn-h holes to fasten
it. The Louisines and smooth-fnished
check silks are more used than they
have been for many seasons, and there
are many silks with large plaids of dark
colors-nOt Scotch tartans, but the fan
ciful French plaids-used for combina-
ton dresses. These are for dresses that
are to be remodeled, especially for
plain brown, dark blue, green or garnet
silks. The plain colored silk is used
for the basque, and the soft dark vest is
gathered or plated in vest or plastron
shape. The skirt has four plated
flounces in front and on the sides, two
of which are plaid and two are plain,
but only two of these extend around the
skirt bottom. The plain silk forms
simple drapery, short and wrinkled in
front, and bouffant and long behind
Harper's Bazar.