Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-04-17

silver blue, mignonette and geranium red.
The importation of Scotch ginghams and
French zephyrs is very large, and the col
ors and devices are prettier than ever
The Dudley patterns are in attractive tar
tan mixtures, only the colors are suft and
beautiful and wholly unlike the over
bright Gaelic melanges of other seasons.
One of the new patterns is a zephyr in
small blocks of pink and reseda, with 9TH
er squares in which these tender shades
are crossed by weft of pale amber or
golden brown, subduing them into artistic
half tones.
Among the spring fabrics are camels'-
hair goods and English serges in large clan
tartans and soft cheviots with fine bril-
liant lines or crossbars of vague indefinite
coloring, charmingly blended. The plaids
are used by young women for skirts and
diagonal draperies, with jersey or 'Louis"
jacket of plain dark cloth. The smaller
figured cheviots are handsomely made up
by French and English designers with
Tapped surplice bodices, mutton-leg sleeves
of velvet, and skirts either in sheath style
or full English fashion.
Satin striped silks with tiny fiower-clus-
ters on the satin stripes or changeable ar
mure silks or surahs are much used for
gay house dresses made with draped skirt,
pointed Josephine bodice, and bishop
sleeves with wrist trimmings and collar of
dark velvet. The new corduroy silks
come in Persian and Algerian stripes and
in pretty tri-color--green, gold. and Eng
hsh rose-and various other bright combi-
nations that render them most attractive
for home wear Other models show a
gored skirt of the stripe with tiny velvet
frills Just at the edge, and Spanish jack
ct of the velvet, with shirt wrist of red
surah.
Dress buttons for elegant gowns are YER
liable jewels both in coloring and device,
and very expensive kinds are set, like real
gems, in low mountings of solid gold OF
silver. Partisan diamond buttons, mount
ed in opal, black onyx or bronze, are used
upon velvet coats and dresses, and also on
full-dress gowns of Pompsdour brocade.
Buttons are also made to- match the new,
magnificent dress garnitures, all initiating
real jewels in color and brilliancy. These
appear in two sizes, and sometimes in
three-for the bodice sleeves and coat
worn en- suite
One of the very fashionable mixtures j:
a vivid shade of green with violet. There
are other still more quaint color unities
that one quickly becomes used to, for nc
sooner are oddities in this direction intro
duced than they spread like a prairie fire
1t is ever thus. Somebody starts with 6
crude idea, few rush to its following, but
wiser people wait until its crudities and
startling effects are modified, as always
happens. Meanwhile to not few ther,
is counter advantage, that of being frs
| in the feld-a position that nearly all nc
knowledged leaders of fashion will sscri
fee and sometimes actually suffer much t,
l obtain.
Many of the Louis XIV. coats of fin
| cloth are covered with silk braidwork
| forming elaborate arabesque devices. On
| stylish garment in this style is of whit
| and gray cloth, every inch of the founda
| tion being covered with braiding. Tn
| vest fronts, pockets and an odd deep col
| lar are similarly wrought. There are an,
number of brilliant red jackets, closel,
covered with black silk applique embroi
deries, and with these are worn cuiras
vests of red corded silk, overlaid with ele
CANT half-vests of rich black passemente
rie. Sleeves of the same passementeri
| cover close coat sleeves of red cloth I
within about ten inches of the shoulder
this space being filled in with a puff of tn
silk. Scarlet coats and capes are likely t
| be quite popular next season for the beach
for driving and for mountain wear o.
| cool days. There is always an admi1tur
of black with these gay garments, be
| much or little. Black velvet yokes ar
seen ON vivid red Henri III cspes, an
some of the Moorish driving coats hav
black velvet collars and full sleeves, wit
black leviathan braiding on the fronts.
The dress-reformers are having some
thing to say just now, the disgusting fash
ion of trailing the dust in the mud an
filth of the streets giving them great scol
for their powers of eloquence. To th
majority of women, however, the one e.
treme they deprecate, and the other whic
they uphold, are about equal in their lac
of charm or beauty. Women do not col
slider common-sense garb SO indispensi
BILE as one that is becoming and beautiful
unless they are qualifying for future sea;
in Congress, or preparing for wal
across country to California, or plannin
to give some other incontestable proof {
their superiority to and disdain of Sc,
The ugliest and least graceful tailor walk
ing-suit ever seen was one recently put o.
by an enthusiastic ''reformer" and show
to an audience of women as a thing {
beauty and art. The most salient featur
of the garment was that it escaped th
ground by good five inches, which wa
Just three and one-half too many. 1t wa
as short -gowny and ridiculous (showin
all of the tops of the fiat, large, common
sense shoes) as the trailing, et-sweeI
ing dresses are untidy and disgusting
There is medium between short and Ion
skirts, and between absurd and clums
shoes and those with V-shaped toes an
spiral heels, that is sought by sensible w
men in spite of extremists of either Ii
"reform" or the ultra-fashionable type
Black openwork straw hats are exhib
ted in all the milliners' windows, an
many are only sparingly relieved by co
| ia, oil hi af 1,a
but this relief does not, as . rule, a.
proach the face, so that it fails to mitigai
|! the hostility of black to a given compile
. ion. 1t is true that black openwork al
other fancy straws are less trying tbs
those more closely plated. A lady wal
ing through one of our picture gslleri
8 recently was dressed in Il pigeon-gray clio
. tailor gown fecked with gold. 1t was a
{! surdly long for street wear, and the he
Y presented a revolving edge of street IN,
9 and car-track debris. Over this dress W
4 long Louis jacket of black velv
:. trimmed with Astrakhan. a black fan
f straw hat simply trimmed with black "
9 vet and a cluster of yellow velvet jonou
completed to costume. The wearer, a t
y graceful girl, with very clear complexi
and brown hair and eyes, was q type ii
v black favors. Many women mistaken
q suppose florid complexion is toned
n the proximity of dead black. Never "
n greater mistake made. There are exc,
!. ionally few women who can adopt dr.
/ or wrap of this kind with any sort of 81
10 cess. Those who best pass muster in ,
relieved black are golden-haired won
= with faint roses on their cheeks, and ey
- these would look better in softer, brig
y er or lighter gown.
al Curious Natural FunneIs.
n From the Denver News
Z, The mountain canyons play curit