Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-30
Wanderings in Diverse Fields,
and Words by the Wayside.
Backward Chances Induce Last Gen.
tury StyleS-Material for Spring
and Summer Gowns.
Decline of an old-Fashioned Virtue - Some
Reasons Alleged and Some Warnings
Uttered-NOtes-Re Recipes.

dency toward looking backward, not as IN the
Utopian dream of century hence, but verit-
able looking back two. centuries for ideas that
are certain to be popular in spring and summer
toilets. The quaint simplicity of the empire
gowns lends itself so gracefully and naturally
to the soft, dainty fabrics-the India and China
silks, the oId-fashioned French lawns and mus
Inns, the beautiful sheer veilings, organdies and
crepalines, and charming French and Venetian
chaIlies-that the continued and increasing popu-
larity of the almost endless notifications is not
be wondered at. The princess dress, with
Greek drapeTies, is q style which is greatly
elected. Lace, tuIle and net dresses, over China
silk faille foundations, particularly effec-
tive made in this fashion, and no model can be
found that is more becoming to a rather stout
figure than this. On a slender, graceful form it
is the perfection of artistic elegance.
In the domain of fabrics that are to serve for
use there is but one material which can shed
dust, does not wrinkle and looks handsome
This is what once grandmother best dress,
and was known IN the simple parlance OF her
day as alpaca. Its dust-shedding qualities rem
der it most desirable for travel service, and who
does not dream of a summer trip and wish
look well and be comfortable while taking it?
Alpaca comes in all colors, but after all, Is per-
haps most satisfactory in black. This is becom-
cool looks best In making let the
skirt be as simple possible, it will then look
most stylish and be easier to keep in order Have
IT q kilt the plaits not too fine, but caught at
intervals with tapes underneath. The coat gives
it an especially stylish air. Make that after the
fashion known as Louis Quatorze-a medium
length coat that fits perfectly in the back, has
loose jacket fronts that fare away, and vest
all buttoned down before. Finish all the edges
OF the coat with tiny cord covered with the
alpaca, and make the wristcoat of it, OVERLAPPING
it with black lack gassem niI SO smoothly my
a brocade. Donot make the mistake of getting
Jet; what You want is the braid passementerie.
The high collar of the vest coming it does
above the rolling of the jacket, may be dec
GRATED in the same way: the rather wide coat
sleeves should have their cuffs trimmed with IT
and the pocket laps should De IN harmony AT
the back, a little distance below the waist line,
set tn zee large crochet buttons on each side, and
similar buttons, only Tor DECORATION, should De
each side of the jacket fronts. Wear black,
fancy straw bonnet. with q monture of green
leaves enframing il, and loop the narrow black
velvet ties under your chin. Your gloves may
be black or tan, and your parasol black with q
fancy wood handle. You can smile at yourself
in the mirror, because you look stylish, but your
dress is one that VIII stand great deal OF wear,
endure even daily wear, and come out of IL
looking almost as good new. Thus equipped
you are ready for the street, the railway car or
the steamer, although for the latter il may be
light weight cloth would be better adapted and
made somewhat in this fashion. The skirt has
q long, plain tablier that is apparently fastened
to the side by rows of small, velvet buttons. six
in a group, and then small space, when six
more come in soldier fashion, to do their duty.
Loops of fine cord simulate button-holes. The
sides and back are quite plain, the full folds
falling in an unbroken line. The basque is
position that fits, as cloth always should, with
great precision. 1t is short and pointed in front,
ion back, on which are set two rows OF the tiny
buttons. The closing is done with these small
buttons ana there Is no aecoratloh wnateveF
one. The sleeves are coat shape, and, while
fitting the arms closely, are not tight a row of
buttons on the outer side OF each, row reaching
nearly to the elbow. are their trimmings.
For Easter gowping there is no prettier
material than soft nuns yelling in
old rose or dove gray. The skirt for dress of
this material is made simply and of medium
11Tv1 hos~r l1VTa
One caution to be observed in all plain skirts is
that there be scantiness. The bodice is
pretty when laid in fine plaits at the neck that
are drawn into V shape at the waist, adding to
its small and long appearance. The collar is
frill Of fine lace, falling over the bodice so that
the throat shows Iabot OF the same KIND or
lace is arranged down the front, concealing the
closing. The sleeves are very high on the
shoulders and very full. They are drawn in
with shirrings Just below the elbow, and have
deep cuffs of white MORE finished with frills of
lace that fail well over the hands and tend to
make them look smaller. 4 folded sash of white
MORE is laid about the waist, outlining the
point shape; then it is arranged at the back in
loops and ends, the last reaching quite to the
skirt edge.
An allusion was made to looking backward
for styles, this was occasioned by glimpse OF
gown that might have been worn by pretty
Fanny Burney when she poured the many cups
Of tea that her grum friend, DR.. johnson, re-
qulred. This tea gown Is OF pale blue sursh and
lined with quilted white satin, long-waisted as
any woman's gown of the olden time and the
waist line marked by folded bands of lace with a
lace frill below, OF course the collar is a high
one and the high sleeves are rufied on the arm
standing up on the shoulder. This gown carries
out the excessive idea of trimming with deep
double frills of lace around the skirt, continu-
ing the lines OF the cascade down the front.
In the field of spring dressmaking nothing Is
yet proI ounced Knowing women do not hurry
10 adopt novelties, and so any declaration of |
new StYies is premature, but one can scarcely |
fail 10 observe that sleeves are rising higher and
higher, and are at least not decreasing in size.
The blouse retains its vogue, but the ''fussi- |
ness of last seasons blazers is thing of |
the past.
Much latitude is given in the arrangement of |
the bodice drapery and in the cut of the over |
dress. There is strong leaning to the msscu- |
line cut, which requires regular shirt and vest
with close-ftting bodice turned backto show the |
vest, a coat cut English fashion.
The skirts of all dresses are worn so close to |
the figure that they require the greatest nicely /
close and very plain. All the fullness of the |
skirt is masSed at the back. This arrangement /
is great relief to the wearer.
In cloth walking dresses the favorite is the |
princess coat back whose skirts reach to the |
dress hem. The sides and front are cut off to /
disclose a close culrass waistcoat. with large /
side pockets and straight full skirt, bordered |
with an arabesque band in passementerie, or /
trimmed with deep Gothic points.
For lighter and yet serviceable wear the /
new bengaline silks will, without doubt be |
among the leading novelties OF the spring. |
They are Of very rich quality, most exquisitely |
embroidered in floral and empire designs, |
worked in self-colored silks and wonderfully /
artistic and beautiful in effect. Now that fash |
ion has decreed exceeding severity and sim |
plicity in the style and shape of one skirts, it
naturally follows LD2E the materials OF winch ]
these skirts made viii become gradually |
more and more elaborate and beautiful. These |
new embroidered bengalne silks simply per-
feet. and as they have been prepared in every |
fashionable shade of color, with ample plain !
material to match. they viii meet ali require
ments, either for evening or for smart daytime /
wear. A gown of this can be worn at receptions, |
weddings or for visiting purposes.
If one is permitted TO Judge the dear women |
seem to be in league with the bi-metallist, in so
far If they cannot induce larger coinage Of
this beautiful white metal, xhey can bring on |
increased demand for it by using it as iewelry
and for trimmings.
Silver has not only become 8 necessity in
every day life, identifying toilet ana dinner ia
Bile, but enters largely into every demand of
iadys wardrobe, from the tinSeled slipper TO
the pretty flashes in a bonnet that augments her
beauty. Silver braid, fringes, galoons and en-
broidery are to be largely used in crnamenting
gowns, whether the fabric be flmy or of heavy
richness. PRINCES are growing in popularity
and IN some instances are so deep as to fall
from the waist TO the hem of the skirt.
This is the day Of the nasturtium: not only i
Is il the millinery flower but its coppery shades
seen in the India silk tea gowns as we'll as
the glowing flower Itself of velvet, that neskles
amid BLACK lace IN poke, that has a frilf of
nssturtium around the outer edge. The dSisy,
the sunhoNer. and the violet must now4giye
place in hat. in paraScl. in street dress