Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-08-15
Simplicity In DrcaS.

In recent fashion letter Jennie June
has the following regarding a growing
tendency toward simple taste in dress:
The implicitly of attire worn by the
rich on all public and promiscuous occa-
sions is never-failing source of wonder
to those who have never been rich.
GOOD gracious! is that the daughter of
Jay Gould3" asked one in tone of in
tense Disappointment as quiet, modest
young lady in dark blue cloth with
narrow rim of linen around her throat
was pointed out on this same occasion as
that fortunate young woman. "Why,
what is the matter with herr" asked the
informant ooh! nothing; but what is
the use of being worth fifty million dol
lars if you dress in blue fannel9"
What, indeedl have remarked in pre-
vious letters upon the absence from street
dress of accessories that were formerly
considered indispensible-ties, bows,
cravats, brooches, chains and pendants,
bracelets, cuffs, wells, and the like. The
dress of women, except for skirts is now
almost as simple as that of men, and the
women who still adhere to futtering and
gllded furbelows, upon the street are not
fashionable women, but oldfashioned
women or those who live at q distance
from the centres of civilization, andwho are
not inrapport with the progress of ideas, or
perhaps, one should say the recent changes
in the modes. But it was hardly to be sup
posed that the severity to beimposed upon
promenades in public places would extend
to the drawing-room, still less to the ball
room; yet according to recent advices
the Newport bellies are rigidly excluding
every particle of lace and jewelry from
their satin bodices and exhibiting an
untrimmed corsage, innocent of any
adornment save cluster of softly tinted
blush or crushed roses without foliage
The skirts are masses of some soft, trans
parent fabric-tulle, gauze, China silk.
or Indian muslin--ofte showing printed
or embroidered draperies; but the finest
ball dresses seen this season are masses
of delicate tulle with group of pale
pink feathers for ornament and pure
satin bodice with feathers upon the
save by the group of roses at the waist.
The question is often asked: Is it a mere
fashion, or is it that among the highly
cultivated the savage In costume is be-
ginning to disappear. 1t is certainly &C,
knowledged now that earrings are not
ornamental but disfguring to pretty
ears, while they only call attention to
ugly ones. Broad band bracelets are
simply barbarous, as they always were,
and jingling ornaments suggest very
primitive tastes. Everything is to be
hoped from the fact that there are GER
tain fashions - towering head dresses,
monstrous hoops-that can never be re-
stored. At the same time this is not
to be disputed that fashions which are
made to disguise ugliness, to create a
confusion of ideas where clear percep-
ton would reveal awkwardness or de-
formity, ungraceful lines or absence of
fine tint or color must always exist.
Classic dress for beauty; ordinary dress
must adapt itself to ordinary people. The
best that we can expect is, that in time
they will get rid of the superfuous and
not exaggerate the defects in the effort to
conceal them