Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-09

without finding even an approximate 70 the
object OF your search. and finally you ere
obliged to give up the acquisition entirely or
.ske something quite opposite to your original
Intention. Extraordinary, you think and say,
that in all New York not enough Of that fne
gold shrimp pink, bronze, smoke gray or prune
can be found to make q dress There are
plenty OF staring reds yellows blues. and mon
staring purples, plenty Of Powered fabrics In
undesirable shades and mixtures selling al half
price. You go home with the impression that
taste Is changing; that the colors that do not
sell and that the stores are full of those that
are fashionaby worn. and you try to reconcile
yourself to what seems TO be the inevitable
order Of things
But in reality the fashionable shades were ali
bought up long ago, and the unsold remainder
represents the questionable, the conventional:
perhaps 1t would be better TO saw the accns
toned eoiors. which are always furnished in a
package OF goods whether they are wanted or
not. one OF the reasons why q fine or other
. WISE ueslIaoe shade costs more TO purchase
imam common one Is that il must ALWAYS he
produced TO order. II not one piece will coma
in the color desired and eleven In the regnlation
series OF primaries. One lady spent n day ra-
centiy IN trying 10 md shade of Nasturtium,
which one would suppose plentiful enough and
finally took old gold. Another made as frnIt
less quest after smoke gray TO match a French
dress and was obliged to content herself with a
bonnet OF claret velvet and train II with gray
and patterns is TO select early i'm the season
from the fresh productions unless one can
afford very special fabrics and In these the sun
ply is naturally limited. The most FASHIONABLE,
color OF the season, yet the one least seen upon
the street, is gray, In the mouse smoke and
electric shades. Doubtless 1t will appear in pub
lie and among a. less exclusive class during the
spring and summer. tor during it's second sea.
son, when thing is on the decline in the most
fashionable circles, IL begins to acquire pouu-
These Sal int
however, so refined and lovely that they can
never be undesirable, and q lady is perfectly
safe in wearing them, whether they are fash
iOnable' or not.
A TRoUssEAU
not very costly but very carefully studied. shows
some good and original ideas. The travelling
dress is brown camels hair and satin, with full
fine pleated front Of the satin. and a hat orna-
mented with a group of pale yellow feathers.
This is the real travelling dress The bridal dress
is called the travelling dress, but 1t is really a
visiting dress Of prune silk and velvet with a
fine interior pleating Of exquisite gold embroid
cred lace over tulle. An evening dress Ia of pink
surah. the front covered with two wide founces
OF oriental lace draped up under bunch OF
large crushed roses. The bodice is high and
covered with the lace drawn full into wide belt
of satin ribbon, where q cluster Of roses will
naturally find place. Another evening dress
made short. was OF cream satin with rows of
pompons round the bottoms, and groups OF
them for ornaments. Small ones studded the
front Of the dress. A fawn-coored satin had a
front covered with brown cones In shaded plush.
plush jacket and full satin vest. Wide bands.
wide lace wide founces and much oyerlayinp
are employed, and It is thought will be continued
for some time to come
The aigrette is revived as an ornament for the
hair, now that the couture has mounted to the
top OF the head again. Ii consists OF three
little feather tips, with light f1laments grouped
In the center to give airiness and grace and is
fastened with jeweled ornament-fy-pin or
arrow. 1t is twenty-five years since they had
fashionable vogue. the hair having been much
of the time worn low and in very simple
fashion.
Net over silk is very much used this season
for the ball toilets Of debutantes and very
young ladies. IL is always full and often
doubled for draperies. and is not edged with
lace, loops and plots of ribbon being the only
garniture. The style which married ladies have
largely adopted Of simulated double dress
with long lines and pleated nounces or gathered
front is capable Of much variation and is very
becoming. Ii is graceful, yet possesses dig
nifty, and has elements of permanencv Short
fanciful drapery is only 1T for young girls and
for secondary fabric.
Ii Is said that the esthetIc STYLES have dIsan-
peared. On the contrary the best of them have
become Incorporated into the fashionable dress
ing ofthe period. We owe TO the esthetlc rage the
fashionable revival of many charming old time
inexpensive fabrics, among them chintz cottons,
thin WOOL de LANES, known as nuns yelling the
light pure China silks and the restoration of
the pretty gathered waists, useful bOnnets and
picturesque sleeves. Even the Mother Hub
bard" and other styles which are little used by
women are relegated to children, and the
whole movement has been one full of odd,
quaint and amusing ideas free from ali vicious
tendencies, and therefore worth more than q
sneer or the harsh tone of condemnation.
THE WEARING OF MOURNING.
There is one old and long established custom
that women ought to possess moral courage
and common sense enough to take into their
own hands and settle for themselves on a sim
pie and permanent basis. II is the custom OF
wearing mourning for departed friends. The
putting on and taking of Of black within q
stated time Is In itself instead of being CON-
pliment an insult to the dead. One does not
put on and put Oh ones sorrow In this way;
THERE'S therefore no reality TO this fashion OF
symbolizing 1t. A loss By death s irremediable;
the grief OF it may be hidden away, but II lasts
forever. Ii is true that the desire when one has
lost near and dear friend is for silence and
darkness, for neutral tints and for the presence
and association with only that which harmon
ICES with our own sense ofloss and bereavement
But we cannot often indulge In this selfish ab-
sorption and exclusion, and ii is doubtless good
for US that we cannot. Our lives go on; our
duties remain. They must be performed. We
upon others. We lock them up and keep them
as sort of luxury for quiet hours when indul-
gence will not interfere with our obligations to
the living with active participation in the duties
of the hour. There is no reason OF course why
women should do violence to natural feeling
and wear high cOlors and gay ornaments at a
time when their hearts are saddened by heavy
loss. Let them lay aside what they no longer
take pleasure in, and wear their simplest plain
est. darkest dresses; but why lay aside what is
perfectly suitable and even In harmony
with their own feelings and incur much
unnecessary trouble and expense merely to put
on garments q little deeper, q little darker,
little sadder, and which oblige an entire change
In the habits OF life. the avoidance of much that
would be healthful and salutary, rather than
harmful, the adaptation OF social conditions 70
the circumstances and accidents Of an individ-
ual, and the actual creation OF q code OF ethice
the observance Of which depends on the pres
ence or depth OF a Grape band. The most ar
dent supporters Of outward and visible signs of
Woe are those who are least sensitive to grief
but who like the novelty Of an entire change Of
wardrobe and the pleasant excitement OF finding
out exactly what ought and what ought not to
be employed under such circumstances As
there is no authorized code. the rules extracted
from self-constituted authorities are often more
amusing than practical or reliable. To many
limited but well-intentoned women, the I'm
agined necessity for "doing as other people
do" In this regard, is o source OF extreme EN-
barrassment and perplexty. Perhaps they
cannot afford the outlay. Perhaps they have