Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-02

GoStumeS o00 bo11 Ofo00e0-NOve1 FL.
fects I'm walking Cestunes-Embroid.
cry rs . Fine Art-The Millennium
Upon Cs.
From our Own Correspondent
NEW YORK, Jan. 1.
Fashions IN dress are such a mixed quantity
nowadays, what is fashion and what is not? is
30 difficult to determine that q glance back to
successes and failures of the year. in this dree-
tion, may assist 10 determine the question OF
whether there is real progress in the evolution
OF women's clothing, or whether it is simply the
turning of wheel, which, at stated periods.
presents as new that which simply had its little
hour and passed into obscurity long ago.
AT first sight and thought there is much to
Justify the latter impression. The ''Old styles
are always coming TO the fore. We hear con-
stantly, from elderly ladies, "Oh! that was worn
when was a child" or My mother had some
thing exactly like that or triumphantly,w when
some old, supposed TO be new, thing is admired,
1T Ia not new at all; IL came out of my grand
mothers chest" The small squares and dia-
lined with delicate hemstitching, which is the
most recent and refined mode of ornamenting
nne handkerchiefs and delicate iingeree, can be
FOUND In the seif-same forms, only perhaps finer
and more elaborate in the ruffling of the velvet
coat which belonged TO an ancient ElectOr, and
Is displayed In the attic OF the old Castle at
Nuremburg. The bridal dress of a Princess
equally antique land equally wellpreserved)
could also be used with a velvet bodice as an
muslin. extensively fine, the sprigs hand-em-
broidered in shades of red or reddish pink; In
short, Just such q fabric as Is now made and
sold for ball-toilets and draperies only the work
was done by hand upon q strong though fine
md transparent fabric, and therefore lasts,
while our modern limitations hardly survive
The wear and tear of single "crush" or dane
Ing party.
Perhaps the most curious of the recent deyel.
opments in dress is this, that for some very ele-
giant women, unrestricted by any thought of
financial limitation, fashion does not exist at
all. These women have done their own think
ing, they have thought out q certain form of
dress or set of principles to which they adhere,
and they are not troubled or disturbed by any
questions or any miuor changes. Yet such is
the point Of freedom and adaptabiity to which
we have attained that these ladies pass either
distinction and gooo taste. their originality and
Individuality not unfrequently 'setsing a fash
Ion" for the crowd to follow.
SUCCESS AND FAILURE.
The failures in fashions are as interesting as
the successes. There are some ignorant and
some stupid people, who can never be made to
see beyond the length of their own nasal organs
They allow nothing for growth, for develop
Thai has been nnictened b~ sSncat;nn VIZ,
has been will be again. They believe in the
''wheel, but they forget or do not know that
not circle; that each return to its old position
in its orbit, like the moons return, finds it in a
different place in the heavens, with new skies
and new surroundings. 1t never returns again
To the same place. The efforts to restore the
exaggerations or bustles and ''dress improvers,"
Of hoops and pads, have been conspicuous
failures A small hair cushion or circular spring
expander, which gives in to the waist. may be,
and is, employed, where the dress skirt is not
ness which is massed in straight folds or
drapery at the back; but the "winRs," the huge
distenders, the loose, unbecoming folds in front,
have been swept away, discarded, or rather
simply ignored, except by few here and there,
who always run to any extreme and like to
touch the verge of the questionable in man
nerS as well attire.
One thing must be said for cultivated Amer
lean women, they know what they want and
they will have 1T, ut least they will not have
what they do not want There are certainly
some things which they have settled for them
that is, OF many OF the patchy odds and ends
In costume, which 1t is the fault of the I'M
trained to consider necessary to a "dressyo
effect. They have secured an almost perfect
street dress, which will probably, for twenty
years to come, maintain itself on much the
same lines. They have hardly altered for ten
which Is properly small and rears itself to lust
SUFFICIENT height above the forehead to give dig
nfty, but not prove an obstruction. The indi-
cations are that the same decision will be
reached In regard to cloaks, the long cloak re
for elderly ladies, who need complete protee.
lion, and have passed the age for wearing
draPeried and elaborate costumes, and the
small mantle, visite, or jacket, preserving their
FORTY "-''- A'a-
DOUBLE CLoAKs AND OTHER WRAPS
The double cloak, or long cloak with double
front, which was introduced last season, is
quite out of place with the present style of
costume. II simply conceals 1t; 1t Is admirable
for old ladies, it has been, or will be, relegated
to them. The jacket for girls, the mantle,
short and held in at the back, above the fuIness
of the skirt, the trimming resting upon and
relieve the skirts of any additional burden.
~ is true that the long cloak Is not aban-
doned, and that some very elegant ones have
m Ia hGrk 10th
black fox fur carried diagonaliy across the
chest and around the throat, giving the effect of
. large boa. But these are carriage cIoaks. and
usually open upon the back, where the effect
of the rich folds of the velvet or silk of the
gown Is emphasized by the side bordering of
the fur A riding cloak, made for New Years
party, of this description came from ReCfern's
It was Of dark red velvet, with wide border and
large boa surrounding the throat, and crossing
the chest, OF long yellow fur red velvet cap with
yellow aigrette. Another very stylish cloak for
the country was OF brocade with cape from
gold plush. For young girl had been made
an exceedingly pretty jacket of black silk
plush, with vest, pockets, cuffs and standing
collar of white kid richly braided and embroi,
dered with black. To be worn with this Jacket
was a cavalry cap of braided kid, with upright
pyramids of plush at the sides and regular black
cavalry plume in front
COMBINATION COSTUMES.
The recent mild winters have had the effect
OF suggesting a combination costume, which is
q complete dress, and requires neither cloak
nor mantle. One ofthese is a furred costume of
wine-coiOred velvet with double stripes of natu-
raj beaver at the sides, border of fur round
the bottom OF the skirt, and trimming OF fur
upon the basque, which gives the effects pre-
Nlousiy mentioned in the cloak of q boa passed
round the neck and crossed over the chest 10
the right, TO the edge of the basque There are
bands OF FUR at the wrist, and the muff is made
and trimmed TO match The hat is of wine-coI-
ored velvet with plumes and little gold in the
characterization.
A still more striking costume of this kind is
combination OF dark red cloth and bottle
green velvet; with gold in outline upon the
JACKET, and 'front.' drapery and a gold braided
monogram In the center of the muff The vest
and side panels are Of the velvet, and the vest rs
fastened with small gold buttons.
Atnlru, braided costume, shows an immense
amount OF patient work. The design forms
close ladders Of double loops at each end of a
cross-Dar, the loops passing round double rows
OF oihcers" buttons placed closely together
his design covers the front, vest and panels
The corners of the collar and cuffs are turned
back, showing the silk lining The Jacket is
loose and cut away from the vest,
SOME NOVEL EFFECTS
I'm walking costumes consist, first, of a BASQUE
with triple refers, forming series of folds which
are bnttoned, one over another, to the Left and
taper down TO a point The left side of the skirt
forms a panel To match. The back hangs In
straight folds, long fun front, draped up on the
right side.
A costume of dark gray wool has q wide.
plain front, covered with diamonds Of black
velvet killed panels OF the wool fill the sides
and the back is laid In large straight folds
pulled up under the coat basque; the straight
vest front OF which Is crossed with diamondS of
black velvet.