Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-30
FASHIONS AND FURBELOWS.
Chat About Dress and Styles for Early
Spring.
TIE LATEST "coSTEMPoRANEoUs' IDEAS IN THE
WAY OF FEMININE ADoRNMENr-THE DEVELOP
NESr OF THE PELIssE-'FIsH NETS" A NOVELTY
IN DRESS GooDs-QUEER, QUAINT AND PRETTY.
tfrom Our Own Correspondent
NFU YORK. March 81.


IN DRESS Goops-oUEER, QUAINT AND PRETTY.
tfrom Our Own Correspondence
NEw YORK, March 81, 1889.
One of the things lacking in this country is a
strong. determined influence in regard to dress;
and it is always. therefore, reflex of the latest
within, caprice or idea from over the sea. in one
direction or another. The Idea" whatever it
may be, is eagerly seized for lack of another
and to furnish pretext or pretense OF novelty,
and before it has been put to real Use by the
majority has been iterated until every one is
sickened of its name.
This is the case with the ''directoire" and sem
pire" STYLES which have now quite lost their orig
lnal significance and become mixed and inter-
changeable, half of those who employ the
terms not knowing the difference between
them and accepting the version which comes to
them IN happy ignorance of its shortcomings.
Empire and direetoire alike have settled down
into coat with flaps and revers, which is
more or less pronounced, according to the taste
OF the wearer. In the meantime any number
of "contemporaneous" ideas, SO to speak, have
sprung up, and give variety to modes. to
which monotony means death. The pretty
tucker, the spring pelisse are among these;
and the latter especially promises to divide the
honors with the directoire costume, and is
much easier and much better adapted to simple
tastes and useful lives.
THE PELIssE
IS whole dress in itself, but it has lines of its
own and is not SO closely cut and shaped as the
princess, or what was formerly called the Ca
brlelle dress. In fact. the difference is Just
TINS, That tire princess Is an indoor gown. cut
all in one; the pelisse is an outdoor costume.
cut all Ill one. IL was the tailor" costume of
our great grandmothers' day; was made in
fine cloth, as now, and worn with large beaver
hats and bonnets, with sweeping plumes. To-
day it may be made very distinguished in APP
pearance adapted to modest needs. 1t is
made lii dark green, brown. black, fawn, or
mulberry colored cloth. fitted to the waist but
with hollow plaits in the back and small, roll
ing collar at the neck which gives glimpse
OF shirt and tie. The front is closed and
usually fastened over on the side, applied trim
ming being more appropriate to the design
than inserted vests, while revers are out of
place except as the termination of the small
coat collar. The finest trimming that can be
applied to the pelisse is hand braiding, the de-
signs Tor which can be made original and artis-
TIC. But, OF course, the majority are braided
by machine in conventional patterns or not at
all, and fine material. silk or Saline, lined and
neatly stitched and finished, is preferred by
rehned women OF moderate income to masses
OF cow entional braiding or passementerie.
MORNING COSTUME.
A plain, well-made pelisse of dark green
fawn or mulberry CLOTH with toque hat to
match, is an unexceptionable, spring, morning
costume, good enough for calling and useful
Tor any outdoor purpose. except formal visit
ing, by those who make pretensions to fashion.
One great advantage OF the pelisse is this, that
1t covers the gown, or can be worn instead OF
1t. There is nothing patchy about its appear
ance. 1t Is compact, convenient and always
ready. This Is a feature of dress that is be-
coming more and more appreciated by women
Life is becoming too full for them to spend
NJ 1rA Of, Il
placing worn odds and ends sewing up dropped
folds, and carrying about the eternal fear of
something giving way with the strain OF work
and daily routine.
'TREAD-MILL" GOWNS.
In making up the spring wardrobe. the i'm
pOrtance OF the indoor. the EVERYDAY dress
should not be forgotten. The majority of
women live in the remembrance of those who
know them. as they are seen every dav in the
pursuance of the ''tread-mill routine and a
good ''tread-milf' dress is of real Importance
to their peace of mind, while a sense OF fitness
to daily needs adds to the stability ana har-
mony of daily life and character. If business
takes the wearer out of doors such a dress must
be of wool or worsted; if her work il indoors
and domestic III it, character, it should be of
cotton or covered by cotton sleeves and apron.
wide apron with square BIB and loose sleeves
gathered into band top and bottom. SO that
they will hold and protect other sleeves are a
great saving OF time and labor for women who
assist in the doing OF their own Homework
They were always employed by our thrifty
mothers and grandmothers, and there is more
reason Tor their use to-day, for there never was
time when there was so much busting of bric-
a-brac and rubbing OF woodwork as is required
to-day. To be sure we do not rub our table
tops with sweet oil and beeswax and polish
them with "elbow grease" as formerly, but our
wood floors must be kept clean with ammonia
and smoother by paraftin, and every panel
wiped every day as If they we're made OF glass
COTTON AND FLANNEL DRESSES.
The French" blouse waist, gathered back
and front, with skirt put into a band and fast
ened over the spring at the waist line is the,
simplest form in which to make a useful cotton
dress. The shirring may be accomplished with
strings and castings, which draw out straight
when the the dress is washed. Suppose the
material be narrow stripe in two shades of
blue or brown, or lilac or terra-cotta The belt
straight collar and cuffs, into which the nearly
straight sleeves are gathered. may be Of silk or
MORE ribbon matching exactly i'll color; il not,
OF plain cotton in the darker shade of the two
stripes. Dress flannel in plain coiors makes
very useful everyday dresses but care is re-
quired in lifting them; and they are best made
with plated skirts and Norfolk jackets, or some
sort of plated blouse waist, of which
there are many varieties. Very pretty house
dresses are made Of the old fashioned mousslip-
de-laine. design Of tightening like darts or
slender, irregular lines, showing well upon the
dark grounds. This arrangement Of color il
exactly opposite TO that of last year. which ex-
hiblted only dark figures. usually large and
famboyant, upon light grounds and makes
them look like foulards. This dressv effect of
the simple material may be heightened by COL
lar or single reyers, crossed from right to left
Of plain silk, to match the ground; and a sash,
with made bow and long ends of the same If
the bodice is gathered the revers should not be
used, but silk may be employed for high collar,
straight cuffs. and straight sash.
"FIsH-NErs" AND OTHER NEW THINGS.
A great deal Of ribbon is used this season.
and is particularly useful in dressing up light
summer materials. Those most available are
satin, faille and MORE in new artistic shades.
and they are arranged in long lines with looped
ends or with several grouped and forming a
panel crossed, twisted or Of different lengths,
and finished with bows. Ribbon is also ar
ranged as braces, with bows on the shoulder or
as an order, from the right shoulder crossing
to the left side, and terminating below the
waist line in bows and ends. Very wide ribbon
Is used for this latter purpose, and the side
ends are yelled or partly yelled in drapery.
The tsh-net fashion may be said to have been
invented by Ellen Terry. She required some
kind of Melted fabrics for classic drapery and
could find nothing that suited her purpose.
She experimental, or induced some one to ex-
! pertinent with silk and metal threads, and pro-
duced silver fish netting that made a sensa-
ton when displayed in public. Now we have
''tsh-net" in silk, woven, but upon hand looms
and therefore expensive, and we shall shortly
he lOadaA with limitations in