Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-05
CHAT ON FASHION

| some of the gold of summer and the Grim
| son OF the evening skies to give brightness
| to a dress that were else grave and dull
tinted. Women, who love the mother in all
| her guises, may catch inspiration from her
costuming, and while they wear the chaste
| gray, the sober brown and the somber
| black may take the birds bright wing and
| the golden yellow of the harvest-time for
| ornamentation. Sky. meadow and mine
| yield their store, and the treasures are con-
verted into things of beauty for woman's
| wear. OF late the mines have been fash
ions storehouse, metal trimmings and jet
| being the fayorites. How many of those
who step out into the sunshine, or pass un-
der the bright evening lights know that
the glitter of their toilettes is gained for
them by grimy men deep down If earth's
caverns, and that the real jet so coveted is
of the same nature as the glowing Goals in
whose flames these fair dreamers see SO
| many dehghtsome visions2 And yet this jet,
before it was cut, carved and polished, was
only black bituminous mineral
known in Pliny's time as eaget, because
most abundant on the banks of river in
Lycia called, as was the town. Cages; from
''gaget" the corruption to ''iet' was easy,
yet the material remains the same. A mod
ern imitation now glitters on hats, bonnets
and gowns and is mingled with fur and
feathers. Long fringes of it are attached
to each side of the belt and cover plain side
pannels on the skirt. These are also attached
IN COLLAR and FL in a Ia o,.r1, hara
is an opportunity for woman who knows
how to CT cate new forms with old material.
Such paSSamenterie as is paSse can be
ripped TO pieces and restrung in pretty
fashion to form fringes; this can be done
with pearl and metallic beads with equal
appropriateness. The day of steel passa-
menteries is waning, and while gilt is popu-
lar, the girl who would shine fashionably
must shine out in jet and shine abuudantly.
Dainty workmanship on dresses is what
now distinguishes the modish gown from
its homemade imitation. To have the
gown tony" or 'chic,'' whichever is the
chosen term, it is necessary that there be
not the shadow of a curve the wrong way,
not variation of thread in the perfect
adjustm ent of the seams, or the plain gown
will be a failure. Dressmaking is now
fine art. Bodice, sleeves and skirt must be
fitted, or else the harmony is destroyed.
Especially should care be taken in making
the skirt. 1t should be fitted and re-itted
until there are are no wrinkles and the bot
tom falls easily everywhere equidistant
from the floor in front and at the sides,
with a slight dip in the back. This dip has
given to the petticoat increased Importance,
III fact, it has become an article of luxury
with its laces and its frills. When it can
be afforded it is of silk, the color of the
dress. For such who are less lavish,
black silk petticoat answers the purpose
and is made with four and half straight
breadths of ta1feta silk The front and
side breadth are adjusted to the fig
ure, the back is plated and the
skirt sewed on to very
narrow belt, the bottom is faced with light
weight wigan, this covered with mohair. A
pinked-out ruffie is set on so as to fall about
two inches below the skirt, and another
above 1t on the facing, for the good reason
that worn ruffie is easier replaced than a
frayed skirt made whole.
For a girl who knows how to carry her.
self with chest high, hips well defined and
a sprlngy, elastic step, street dress of
brown. cloth made in the following fashion
is becoming: The skirt is close-ftting,
slashed on the left side 10 show white
panel, and the bottom is trimmed with vel
vet, set on in graduated rows reaching on
one side nearly to the waist The jacket is
tight-itting, slashed up the back and
trimmed with velvet. Reyers OF white cloth
open over white vest and with this taste
ful gown is Worn a standing collar and
black necktie. To complete a costume so
lady-like, il is only needed to have hat of
white felt, faced with brown velvet and
trimmed with brown brocaded ribbon. In
passing, one may say that brocaded ribbons
and brocade will be the acme of fashion
during the coming season.
The princess style is quite as popular for
little folks as for their elders, and a child's
frock can be made dressy by deep border
of torchon, Valenciennes ors EN- brodery
around the bottom of the skirt, aud point
ed belt of the same. Such frock has no
sleeves, as with it is worn q long loose jacket
of heavier material with buffant sleeves.
deep embroidered cuffs and broad square
cornered lay-down collar of the lace or en-
broidery. The coat should reach the top of
the lace fiounce on the skirt, and in order
TO keep it in place it is well to fasten a
string to the center seam at the waist, pass
it through the opening of the frock and tie
it underneath the skirt. On children's
dresses shocking is still much used, but is
confined principally to four or five rows at
the throat.
NOTES