The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-08-14
MIDSUMMER DRESSES.

MIDSUMMER DRESSES.
a TENDENCY FOR TEE FASHIONS
OF FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Gowns Scant and Straisht-Pretty De-
signs in Lace Patterns Are Now the
Rage and Are Sold at Moderate Price.
Everywhere within the domain of the
summer girl one especially notices the
exceeding scantiness and straightneSs of
her white gown. The woman who Is
tall PAGES the glistening beach, a grace
full, fitting image. The woman who is
short trips over the elusive, rejecting
sand, a dimpled, piquant figure, with
inches enough added to her stature TO
make her-lf she be not an extreme
example-inStead Of dumpy, simply
round and charming. Half the women
under thirty look like school girls.
The midsummer tenderness for modes a
Ia 1880 makes small distinction possible
between the young madame and made
moiSelle. Both wear white, morning,
afternoon and evening. 1t would be
safe to estimate that out Of every five
gowns turned out by competent hands
this season at least two are
Like a powder of snow from the heavens.
Since spring the shops have over
flowed with white materials. A collector
of samples might easily accumulate
scraps of half hundred different white
woolens, and, adding to these the silks,
pongees, muslins, laees, lawns, linens,
silk gauzes and semi-transparent tissues
of all descriptions, might 60 far towards
completing the full century. The sum-
mer girl batheS in white flannel, boats
in white serge, promenades in white
nuns yelling, drinks tea in white China
silk, dances in white tulle and goes
home after the ball in a coachman's
cape of white challis. White velvet and
white silk are the-trlmmlng> she puts
on white woolen gowns. Occasionally
she is charming in a white veiled gown.
This last innovation consists of an un-
der-dress of striped silver and white on
gold and white silk peeping from be-
meath a veil drapery Of white silk sauze
of the finest texture, gathered into 4
waistband very simply so as to form
pretty folds.
The embroidered lawn and cambria
dresses of past seasons have dropped en-
tirely out of favor, though embroidered
India muslins, which have been laid
aside for perhaps quarter of a century,
can be brought forward to advantage.
White lawn is used only in its finer and
more shear varieties when it is made up
in quaint accordeon skirts, untrimmed
and plated all the way around. The
bodice and sleeves are likewise pleated,
and the sash of the same material is laid
in wide folds in Empire fashion across
the front, tapers toward the back and is
tied in soft knot, instead of bow be-
hind, the two ends falling nearly to the
ground This makes a very fresh and
youthful-looking dress, and the chief
variation on it is white lawn used as a
crisp pleated front to q Directory gown
of;black linen or sateen.
Some Of the prettiest white gowns
for summer merry-maNngs are made OF
white China silk with round belted
Waists and having the fullness on the
shoulders drawn in rows of thick cords
forming points in front, behind and on
/. the top of each full sleeve. The skirt
is drawn upon cords for depth Of over
: four inches below the waist, whence it
falls in full straight lines. Few people
can need telling that none of the skirt
~breadths is gored and that they are cut
off straight around, except in case OF a
pronounced Empire dress which Is made
shorter in front than hitherto, showing
the embroidered silken instep curving
up from the satin slipper. High shoul-
dered full sleeves are the natural finish
to such gowns. The belt, the collar
and waist band are smooth white rib
bons and the fower-crowned white hat
is net shirred over what looks like a
foundation of green twigs and trimmed
.isa E!!a W9!ss ss. EazsS g: sng summer resorts
is having it's queer but legitimate result,
blurring Of the lines which divide
smart walking gowns from evening
attire, the same fabrics being used with
out distinction whether one sips an ice
on the lawn of a Newport cottage or
dances at the Casino, the transparent
overdress being In either case promi-
nent feature of the midsummer fash
ions. 1t is an interesting commentary
on the ingenuity Of womankind to see
how dreSsy girls are reconeiling the edict
which forbid bustles and reeds and
steels with the contrarine S of tulle and
tarleton and muslin nature which tends
TO hmpness and flimsineSs and tiredness
and general sadness unless the butterfly
skirts are kept out from the figure. \
fashionable evening gown is complicated
in its structure. First comes the full
petticoat, which is made of the thin but
wiry gloriosa silk of a shade just match
ing or harmonizing with the gown.
This has two or three narrow
ruffles about the bottom in front, and in
ll4sese hack it it is fourcedin in the waist line,
each firth being laid in rather stiff pleats,
but without any undue protuberance.
Over this skirt, which is said to herald
the return of the late lamented crino-
line, comes. the plain straight silk un-
dergown, with three layers of net or
Isse or tulle over the foundation behind
and only one trne veil lightly draped in
front. At the foot is set thick pinked
silk ruche, another running about the
front only or extending all the way
around In this flowers nestle or the
lisse or tulle falls over it in light veil.
The bodice of evening gowns leans to-
ward the pointed French style, laced in
the back, crossed with sword belt sash
and edged at the top with tulle, in reac-
ton from the cross over Empire waists
folding back and front and ending in a
wide sash, which are still oftenest worn.
There are many notifications in the
sash, which is made of a full breadth of
silk, ties in the back just between the
shoulder blades and has long streamers
reaching the ground.