The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-21
Fig Leaves.

Well, let US talk awhile on that to US,
more congenial topic of fig leaves. Com
paratively old-fashioned dress fabrics are
becoming more and more popular as the
season advances, with increased inclination
to revive old customs, costumes, habits and
even dances, including the stately minuet.
Could Nine. Recamier or Nine. de Stael
pay flying visit to the United States this
summer, they would find, wherever ''the
best society" is represented, lasses and
matrons gowned, even to the last button,
in exact imitation of the precise styles
which those two leaders of fashion in their
remote day introduced to the Partisan
world more than century ago.
The "Recamier gowns" as they are
called, are copied from old prints and por-
traits, by laughing, chatting, pleasure-lov-
ing women of to-day. When procurable,
(which is not often, however, nothing sets
off these dresses SO well as historic sets of
old silver buttons. Some of these, painted
by Vatican, BOncher and their contempor-
aries, NAV de found in bric-a brac shops,
or have been preserved in families as heir
looms, and now are worth their weight in
gold. These buttons once adorned the cuffs
and pockets and fronts of brocaded gowns
and coats long fallen into shreds, while
their first happy owners went to dust long
long ago.
Among the oli-new fabrics, late advicos
have it that Irish poplins have taken pos
session Of Paris, and will shortly be the
rage in America. The newest importations
of these goods are extremely rich in texture
and colouring, calculated to combine ar
tistically with soft-falling woods, such as
serge and Henrietta, and also with silks,
cashmereS. velvetS and crepolene.
just now light colors are by far most
popular. The best dressed and most con
sentative women, now wear street cos
tunes Of rOsecOlor, pale blue, green and
mauve, who, two years ago. would have
looked upon such hues in the street as an
objectionable offense against all canens of
good taste. They Wear the tan-colored
pig-skin shoes, or red Russia leather for all
but the most ceremonious occasions; their
hats are covered with masses of flowers;
their gloves match their shoes or dresses.
as they may prefer: and the long-handled
directGire parasols have their ivory sticks
tied with long floating bows and ends of
ribbon.
For this good year 1889, white is again
the favorite color for festal gowns-and
certainly nothing can be prettier and more
refined looking. There is every imaginable
material in white-silk wooden, cotton.
linen and in mixtures. Gowns of white
China crepe, and white mousselaine de sole
over white taffetas, with trimmings of sill
yer and gold, take the lead of all others in
ethereal ightness and vaporous charm.
Tulle and Organdy are also faVOriteS for
full evening dresses. White fans, white
flowers, white shoes and pearl ornaments
are worn with these white toilets
White gowns for afternoon wear are
made of variety of cloths such as nuns
yelling, challie, berege, China and India
silks. foulards, nainsooks, and cambrics,
braided with gold or silver, embroidered.
tucked, lace trimmed, according to the
white wooden stuffs and others like lawn
tennis tanneD that are nearly all cotton
but are woven to initiate wooden, which
make pretty and inexpensive gowns.
In the matter of sleeves, a revolution has
taken place. Some of the newest are very
wide at the top, and either lace or button
inside the arm. Many allow them to droop
over the hand. thus CARRYING out the
medieval mode in its entirety. Mutton
leg sleeves, with wrinkles or folds extend
ing around the arm, are made very long
almost to the knuckles, because if cut
shorter, when quite full, they are out of
and have bad effect.
Distinct sleeves appear in many dresses,
and for stout women velvet sleeves and
plastrons are recommended as greatly mar
rowing the figure. For very thin, fine
material pretty style is the plain sleeve,
open down the outside of the arm, cut in
and bound either with the goods or
with narrow ribbon. The scallopS are so
that the points meet at the back |
of the arm and are fastened together with |
tiny bows, buttons or little gold clasps
The very newest sleeve is called the |
''Moyenage,'' and is made full, gathered |
into the arm-hole with swell over the top |
of the shoulder, but slit open in the lower |
part below the elbow, over an under sleeve
Of silk that fits like glove and is finished |
at the wrist with fall of lace, the finest
that you can afford.