The Portland daily press., 1884-03-05
BLACK SILK DRESSES.

While it is true that black silk is never out
of fashion for handsome dresses, it is also true
that it is more generally worn ut some times
than at others. For many purposes there ia
nothing handsomer and lady with nice,
well made black silk dress may always be sure
Of being we'll dressed. 1t Is suitable for 90
many occasions, for festivals or funerals; it Ia
neither over dress nor under dress; it is good
taste always. My advice to a person who can
not afford but the one nice dress ia to have It
always OF black silk. 1t is dress neither the
wearer nor those who see her will grow tired
Of. know there is great temptation to buy
q silk dress of some fashionable color instead.
That is all very well when the number OF silk
dresses is not of necessity confined to one; but
think how tired you would become of ALWAYS
appearing in terra Gotta, crushed strawberry.
or electric blue, or peacock green. Never any
other color or any variation Of color. and you
must per force wear 1t, and care for it, too. for
it must last just so long, and before it is ready
to lay aside the color has gone out of fashion,
and the dress is distress instead of comfort,
as every well ordered dress should be. Bet
with black silk dress as basic, Won may
have an endless array Of costume. Different
sets Of ribbons and Of laces make the dress
new every time it ia worn. Then again black
does not attact; the general impression is of q
well dressed woman, but few car tell what Ii
is gives the Impression. l heard gentleman
say once tina. the charm of woman's clothes
was when they were so harmonious that YOU
could not tell after seeing her what she wore,
but the effect was that of perfect taste. To be
cloudy" and assertively dressed Is not to be
well dressed, and showiness is not Indicative
of taste. The fancy fer black silk dresses. even
Tor vuuse who afford Uthurs, is incrcasing
constantly, and they are being made mn for
both street and house wear this spring, They
are very prettily made with basque round
skirt and drareries. The basques are sharply
pointed in front, With short sides and with
postilllon back OF stiffened box plaits that show
their whole length, or else they have butter
fly bow, long loops and ends Of ribbon, or a
handsomely cut jet ornament The basque
may, or may not, have the long reverse collar
which outlines a vest; this collar turns over
10 about the depth Of three inches Just below
the back Of the standing collar, and tapers to
a point either at the bust or at the waist line
The figure of the wearer will always determine
the length Of the dresses. II this collar In
worn there is possibility Of making the dress
more varied. If one wishes it more dressy they
can turn the front OF the dress away from the
neck down along the front edge of the collar.
and this open space may be filed in with tulle
or with beaded net The sleeves are slightly
larger than they have been worn, reaching
now almost to the wrist, and are still high on
the shoulder and quite large at the top; they
are not pulled, nor even gathered ever so
slightly; they are merely seRed quite full into
the armhole. A simple finish for the wrist Is
to cut the sleeve too long, and turn 1t up for
a cuff, facing it with silk as a finish let the
under seam spread open in V shape, bat sew
the outsr seam closely; this cuff Is then GOV.
cred with jet galloon.
For the lower skirt there may be Just mar.
row foundation skirt Of some inexpensive silk
and to this il sewed the plating that repre-.
sents the lower skirt, and also the breadths
that cover the upper part as drspery, and con.
ceal the upper edge OF the lower p,aitings. A
very pretty way for making the lower plated
part of the skirt is to arrange this in side
piaits an eighth Of an inch vide, alternating
with four very fine plsits that ere caught in
two punches of shirring three inches apart,
and below these fall founce that Is cut in
deep leaf points which droop on a narrow
plating at the foot.
Still another stylish skirt of black silk has
the front and sides representing kilt OF very
narrow plaits, while the back is covered by the
II
large double box pleats, forming the straight