Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-20
ENGLISH CLOTH GOWNS.
All About the Ladies' Gowns .xsde by
Fashionable English Tailors.

ECNSes9UI SeSs
All About the Ladies' Gowns .yNde by
Fashionable English Tailors.
The. cloth gowns made by fashiona-
bic English tailors show great variety
in materials, color and design. For
visiting, driving and walking suits fine
! smooth broadcloths are used, Or else
they are made of broadly-twilled En-
glish serge of supple, yielding quality,
while for travelling aud for country
house wear in the morning there are
dresses of Cheviot woven d%iagonally
and of rough surface, but soft and plia-
bic. These Cheviot gowns may be of a
single color-reddish-brown gray or
blue-or else they are in two alternat-
ing colors in inch-wide stripes, and are
nude up in very simple fashions with
plcated basques or a blouse p~olonise,
with a belt, collar and cuffs Of light
colored kid; sometimes they are COM
bined with velveteen as a skirt and for
a Breton vest, but are usually of one
fabric. Among the cloth dresses the
new moss green and a dark red shade
known as the Princess of Wales red are
the prevailing colors, and these are
trimmed with braid in embroidery pat
terms, either metal or mohair braid, or
else with dark fur, especially that of
the black Russian lamb fur known as
AstralAan, and also with seal-skin.
The general design, of which there are
MANY variations, is a short skirt laid in
pleats on the sides and behind, but
plain in front, and with braiding or
fur, or both together, bordering this
plain front and extending up the sides;
sometimes there are braided panels,
and on other skirts there is a fan of
four or six pleats down the middle Of
the front, with the braid outlining these
plcats on the sides.
Theback of the skirt is little trimmed,
and is usually laid in large box pleats.
The drapery on the most costly gowns
is very simple, but is very bouffant by
reason of the dress offenders or cushion
hustle and steel springs beneath; the
front hangs in apron shape, sometimes
in %iengthwise pleats down the middle,
and caught up high on each side with
short back drapery, while others have
q short apron with many curved folds
across it, and straight full pleats be-
hind; still others have q deep drapery
on the right side of the front, while the
left is a short curved lambrequin, with
the pleats of the skirt below visible
almost the whole length from the belt
to the foot. The straight pleats or
waterfall drapery are much used on
the back of heavy dresses. Plain kilt
pleated and box-pleated skirts are re-
served for very young ladies, and these
are trimmed down each pleat either
with basket-figured braids or checked
cloths, or else with plain wool braid
through which are threads of gilt or
silver. A very stylish design for the
skirts Of those who are very tall is to
form the front and side breadths in
four very wide tucks, or else bias folds,
that cover the foundation skirt up to
the short apron drapery. A large de-
sign OF wheels, or of arabesques or
palm leaves. is then made in braid on
zach of the side cores, or else fur is
aid on in side panels, and the back of
the skirt has full pleats and rather short
ovcr-drapery.
Fur is very effective when made to
represent two squares in the front and
sides of the skirt, that is, crossing the
foot and extending up each side twice,
as if the front square Tapped wei that
on the sides. English tailors use mo-
hair or satteen for foundation skirts in
preference to the silk foundations used
i'm French dresses, because the latter,
though pleasant and light to wear, are
not durable or strong enough to sup
port heavy cloths. The basques of these
cloth dresses are Very short, especially
in the back, and are more often made
Without pleats there than with the pos
Filion pleated back which has been so
[ong in favor. The front of the basque
5 pointed, the sides are shorter than
he fronts, and the back is very short
indeed, being only three or four inches
below the line of the waist; the back
Feams are closed to the end, and the
pralding borders the entire basque, out
mes a vest. and covers the collar and
Fulls. There may be a fanciful vest set
N OF another. color, OF it may be COW |
fred with braid, Or else it may be of
8elVet; the vests in a single piece in
5reton style are most used. Another
ashion for quite young ladies is that of
Making a Zouave jacket of cloth to be
worm over a waistcoat ofditferent fabric,
Shich also re-appears in the pleats of
he skirt, while the apron drapery
matches the jacket; the waistcoat is
listened behind, leaving a plain -Bre-
on front; and with this is worn a
1resk sash of satin, passed around
ne waist in widesoft folds, andknotted |
Pehlnd. The jacket is edged with gilt
Palis, Which are officers mess but |
ons closely strung together, and the
ollar Is straight and high, in military |
hape.
The serge dresses are principally of
pc navy blue shade formerly so popu-
Pr here, and are very often combined
Elth velvet, which may be dark red
pr prunettes, and golden brown for
!ondes. Sometimes there are woven
1it borders in this serge, and there are
lso extremely neat serge dresses made
Elth simple stitching or with black
lercules braid for trimming, while |
tners have a binding or border of black
fur. A new and pretty
onnet Worn by a blonde with a blue