Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-01

KIND is In order, dress OF thin gray WOOL,
or a combination OF tapestry in cross
stitch, with plain wool drapery, would be
preferable. The cross-stitch patterns re-
call the samples" of DANES school
many years ago, and appear in cotton as
well as wooden materials. They have a
quaint look, and, to those who remember
the days when the cross-stitch was one of
the objects of an aspiringigirl's ambition,
are decidedly interesting. The tapestry
designs are distinguished by being woven
in the body Of the stuff. The surface,
therefore, is as fat as if they were printed
in, and exhibit nothing of the varied in
CAPABILITIES of the embroidered plush or
tufted patterns. The figured material is
used for the skirt and bodice; the plain,
which matches the ground, for the dra-
perry, which is long at the back but
forms short cross-OYer apron in front.
The prettiest and most unusual of all t he
ground cOlors of the season is the one
known as "smOke gray" 1t is a dark
gray green, the green being more felt
than seen, and is becoming, like gray blue,
to ladies who cannot wear clear gray or
bright blue. When people talk about a
return to Old-taShiOned cOlOrS-that is re-
cent cOlOrs, such as emerald green, Maria
Louise or MaZarin blue, and cabbage rose
pink-as being "mOre becoming" they do
mot know what they are saying. These
hard crude colors never were becoming.
Young girls with fresh compilations could
wear them, because they can wear any
thing; but the woman whose complexion
has lost it's freshness. who needs to favor
herself, is repealed by the staring pro-
nounced quality of these surface col
Ors, which have so much voice, but no eX-
pressiOn-so much breadth, but no depth
or shading. Color, as / have frequently
remarked before, is the field for the finest
operations of the artist in dress in the
immediate future. The white tints and
color shades, the exquisite bues, grew
blues, greens, grey-greens, broVns, bronze
browns, and departures as inStraWberry.
raspberry, and terra Gotta tones) from the
brick-redS. the scarletS, and cherries of
former years, have opened new arcapa
of color to all women, for ladies can wear
these embodied and atmospheric shades
who were formerly condemned after 80 or
40 to the gray neutrality of the ashes of
their former roses, or to the solemn dark
ness of perpetual mourning.
SUMMER WEEDS.
There is a good deal of uncertainty in
the minds ofladies who are suddenly call
ed upon to assume mourning attire as TO
the resources in this direction for COM
Portable summer wear. Indeed, what IS
called deep mOurning-that is, mourning
which involves the depths of darkest wool
and double English crape-cannOt be
made agreeable wear with the thermOme-
ter in the eighties and nineties; but there
is for those who have passed the Grape
season, variety of lovely mourning fab
RIGS; and so fine and choice are they il
shade, texture. finish, and in the charac
ter Of their designs-tOr nothing pro.
nOunced is tolerated in mOurning-tha5
many ladies who prefer black for genera
wear at all seasons, buy at mourning
store for the sake of obtaining the gentle
and UnObtrusiye qualities which charac-
teriZe mourning materials. twenty-five Or
thirty years ago certain hOuseswhich made
mourning a specially were among the hes,
known in New York city. Their fash.
ions were regularly chrOnicled, and the fine
spun gradatiOns and customs they made
an effort to introduce were the cause of SO
much ridicule that it doubtless had some
thing to do with dscrediting the whole
system. AT that time jet as an ornamental
addition to the resources of the designer
and mOdiste was confined TO mourning,
and purple, violet, mauye and white, in
with black, were all mourn.
ing at its different stages, as distinctly as
black itself. But gradually jet and the
modest gray and neutral shades became
absorbed in the swift current of ever
changing fashion, and mourning proper
was compelled to relinquish almost all ac-
cessOries and rely upon the depth and
unity of its belongings for the recognition
of its character and office. Mourning to-
day, therefore, is more limited in its scope
and more costly because more refined and
distinctive in its characteristics. 1t adj
dresses itself to more restricted class,
for the majority cannot carry out the re-
sacrifice the wardrobe which they already
possess.
In fine woods the favorite materials are
a lovely quality Of nuns yelling in two
grades, both pure wool and very fine, but
one sm0other than the other. ''CamePs
hair grenadine" is a fine open worked
wool that makes up in conjunction with
silk surah, grOs-grain or armure, and IS
durable as well as pretty and lady like.
The wider of these materials averages
forty-four inches, and the cost is 81 per
yard. This is a sufficiently low price, but
to be effective as mourning they must be
made up over plain fOulard, which is also
81 per yard and only twenty-seven inches
wide; and they must be trimmed with thar
finest knife pleating of the material itsehp
as this is the only trimming which is per-
mitted, with the exception of the interior
pleatings of crepe lisse, which may show
a line OF white inside the black. A sec
ondary quality Of camePs hair grenadines
has a speckle of white silk running
1t, which lightens it somewhat,
but it also lowers the tone and renders it
less elegant, as well as less adapted to
the structures of present requirements.
The silks show much diversity within
their quiet range, and are so good in shade
and pure in texture that they are always
in or N of unOnrninn IjOhfnp
than armure, which is a faVorite with
elder women, are the surahs, the plain
and figured fOulards, the black pOngees,
and the sewing silk or "armure" grena-
dimes. The surah makes perhaps the most
Youthful of summer mourning dresses,
and is so light in weight as to be very
wear; for, unlike the grenadines,
either in silk or wool, it needs no lining
and can be made up of itself, if very
cool dress is needed, without any interme-
diary. 1t must of course be trimmed with
itself in knife-pleatings, folds, or plait-
ings: and there is, indeed, nothing else
that looks so well. The silk grenadines
of best qualities are much more expen-
sive. They range from 81 80 to So per
ward, and must needs be made over silk,
so that the cost is enhanced. Then they
are narrow and, as plaitings of the same
must be used for trimming, the whole cost
is brought up to a somewhat alarming
height, but then the dress always looks so
distinguished, though so quiet, and is good
and through down to the last
thread. Some very good brocaded silks
are shown in gray upon black, the gray
being in outline and used as shading in
the formation of the designs, which eX-
hibit generally oval or cOne-shaped pat
terms, or pear-shaped with leaves. For
wear the Scotch ginghams in
gray and white and black and white
checks are in great demand this season,
the fnish-When dressy finish is re-
plain back ribbon bows, the
style of making being simple and de-
pending upon tucking or folds cross-cut
for its effects. The muslins are revived
in gray and black upon white, and show
some lovely shaded patterns, which many
ladies admire and purchase, who are not
in mourning. There are dull beaded
trimmings and ornaments, which are used
sparingly, principally upon bonnets when
Grape is left of; but there is an entire alb
sence of lace and all bright or glossy fab
RIGS or trimmings for year or longer,
if the wearer chooses. 1t very often hap
pens that elderly ladies suffer one loss
after another until the habit Of wearing
black or gray fabrics becomes established,
and they never again can take up colors.
In such cases the gentleness and refine
ment of high class mourning materials
have a great charm for them.
A SUMMER BONNET.
The bonnet is the most unsatisfactory
part of the summer outfit, except perhaps
the mantle. 1 mean to the quiet woman