Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-27
NEW YORK FASHIONS
The Holiday Season in Its General and
Special Aspecss-sr;iCIes of luxury
Afternoon EnterFainmentS-COS
of Debutantes-New Features of Win
ter Garments.

Afternoon EnterTainmeptS-C0~
of DE butantes-New Features of Win.
ter Garments.
From Our Own Correspondent.
NEW YORK. December &c.
There is great deal of talk about business
depression but it does not b. yet seem to have
touched those who are in the habit of spending
money lavishiy. General business is complained
OF, but special business that which depends on
the rich, residential and floating population. has
been excellent, though perhaps characterized by
Willingness to buy the smaller rather than the
larger articles Of luxury which every season
present some new phase or distinctive feature
Of their own. There are several reasons why
general holiday trade suffers in a depressed sea-
son. and one is the uselessness of the msceila-
neous assortment Of wares Of which it consists
Frames that come to pieces before reaching their
owner. paper stamped to initiate leather brassy
little ink stands that will not hold ink, trays
that would prove the instant destruction of
whatever was consigned TO them. and plaques
that are considered desirable, simply because
they are hideOusly ugly. Perhaps the climax of
absurdity Is reached in the imitation bronze tur-
ties that rest or meander about paror floor
their Ostensbe duty being to serve as relics OF
barbarism so suggestive as to have excluded
them of late years from refined society-the Ne
cessity for their presence having largely departed
also.
When money is scarce women do not indulge
In these eccentricities. They coBfine themselves
strictly to the useful and practical Thus the
dealers in hosiery. in gloves. in handkerchiefs.
In any and all of the small and useful wares in
fact, Of which up to a certain age women never
seem TO have enough. have no complaint to
make. New and old stock has gone off at fair
prices, and in some cases an absolute clearance
has been made so that the work of taking an ac-
nf fhaA main dor aft no hnliH ayS urp
over Is reduced To a minimum. 1t Is rather
curious that nine-tenths of all the business done
during the year in certain departments of the
great avenue stores is done in December. Some
of these are fancy stationery, perfumery, leather
goods. and made up lace articles. People Of
wealth as well az culture use always a certain
kind of note and letter paper. stamped with
their own individual dies. but the majority buy
the cheap package and French note paper
during the year, branching out into storks,
brOnZed birds, esthetic maidens, and cloves.
mistletoe. sprie of holly designs. after Christ
mas has enptied its boxes of treasures into their
laps OF writing desks.
THE RHINESTONE AGE.
Nearly all girls pass through period which
has been called the ribbon age. when the
happiness of life seems TO depend on the possess
sion of pretty things" when everything that
shows color or glitter has an attraction for
them, and when their desire for cheap tnnkets,
if they cannot obtain valuable ones brings a
sense of modification and pain to manv sensible
and conscientious mothers. who have forgotten
their own youth and the pleasure they derived
from the black velvet wristlet. with its steel or
gilt buckle. which preceded the ''bangle" era.
There was this to be said for the black velvet
wristlets and necklets, however, that they were
simple, the reverse OF snowy. inexpensive and
durable. The Rhine stone rubbish is the reverse
of all these but the bits of glass especially the
colOred I" rainbow glass. have a certain charm
and set in silver-as single bar or crescent pins
as clover leaf or tiny buckle for neck velvet as
horseshoe hairpins, combs bracelets, OF dress
ornaments, have many admirers.
Costly jewelry or hand-wrOught ornaments
are quite thrown away upon girls at this age.
and il is almost wickedness to expend what has
cost much labor, time or money upon articles
Tor their use which do not suit the freshness
Of their youth, and which they do not appreci-
ate. II is one of the problems which eternally
presents itself whether the DESIRE which is so
universal. should be gratified or repressed-and
within certain limits it seems as if it were better
L should be gratified. natural desire re-
pressed usually breaks out worse in some other
and more harmful direction. 1t is, indeed,
pity that it cannot be gratif1ed in better ways
and by genuine things-by flowers that grow
and by work done with their own hands-but
In an age OF shamsit is unreasonable to suppose
that could remain untouched by them. Every
little while we hear that the bangle has been
killed beyond hope OF recovery. Whence then
the small regiments of them that have mar
been sold In battalions at prices ranging from
% cents TO IS? In sterling silver the coiled ser
pent, with ruby eyes and the bangles composed
OF silver rings, plain and twisted and held to-
gether by silver link, are the fayorite styles,
and set for each arm are not too many; but
the cheap and common representatives of these
are many Of them atrOciOus vulgar, with no
more value than whitened tin, and having at
tached TO them, as pendants, tumble OF pigs,
dogs, men. and some sort OF implements Such
things these the
were well taught at home. or at the public
schools. would refuse to buy or to wear. They
would have too much self-respect to deck them
selves out with things that would disgrace the
HottentOts, and that no native peasant girl who
works in the fields Of Normandy or Brittony would
condesceud to touch. There Is dignity in the
silver ornaments that are handed down from
generation to generation In these peasant
houses but IN these corrupted strips of metaline,
with their infantile attachments, there is neither
the dignity of good design, nor the suggestion
OF liner taste. They are simply brutal. and can
hardly be called cheap, for they are not worth
even the small sum asked for them.
SILVER AND THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.
Within stones throw of these poor specimens
Of silver reduced to its lowest terms are silver
palaces, or at least palaces where silver is to be
seen in every beautiful and richly wrought form
which the brain Of man can devise. or the hand
OF man execute. During the holiday season the
RIcdt BTOuuu anu second nO0rS OF these eStaD-
hshments are thrown open during the evening
as well as the day time, and clusters Of radiant
white lights turned upon innumerabe cases of
magnificent solid silver wares in dinner services
and tea sets, or single pieces and complete out
ITS The advance In the work done In silver of
ate years is marvellous, and 1t is great mis-
take TO suppose that plated ware has reduced
the demand for sterling silver. 1t may have had
that effect when ii was novelty and produced
with more labor and expense than now, but the
TACT that everybody can have plated ware now
days has made it obligatory on the rich to have
solid slyer-and not only silver that is silver all
the way through. but hand-wrought in the d.
verse ways in which this exquisite metal is made
TO give an artistic result. There Is no work done
abroad at the present time on silver that is at
al equal TO the finest work done here to the
Costumes In design or originality in workman
ship. Ii Is uncommon abroad to find silver tea
set valued at 81 600. yet here we find them fire.
quently purchased for wedding presents at from
Sl.OOO to So OOO and magnificent dinner sets
early English in design, partly hammered and
partly IN repousse, with covers to the great
dishes and candelabra uniform in design-at
much more than double this sum- Marine and
''Corinthian" water designs, with water god
In the midst Of the peculiar waye-like effects
seem TO be favOrites Just now; and shells for
spoons, with reedy, twisted. cooled and decor
ated handles. are in great demand. OF the new
nye O'Clock tea sets Of teaspoons a number
have been sold, and they really make an Origi-
nal and inexpensive wedding as well as holiday
Thl oil t.