The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-05-27
FOR WARM WEATHER.
Light Materials and Tender Shades for
nrace Tnslofa


Dress Toilets.
Summer fashions promise to be de-
cidedly summerlike in brilliancy of hue
and daintiness of material. Light and
tender shades of color abound, not only
for dressy toilets, but also for those of
palmer fashions. Indeed, it is difficult
to find in summer wool material any
thing besides pale grays and tans, soft
green's and dull blues. Materials have
never been more beautifully soft, thin
and ephemeral than are this years chif-
fons, crepe lisses and gauze grenadines,
powdered with summer blossoms tied
with empire bows and true lovers
knots The floral motif prevails in the
decoration of every fabric, from broche
woods up through challies and China
silks to the sunlptuous brocade, whose
embroidered richness of roses and lilies
will actually stand alone as in the old
days of stately court pomp and splen.
dor.
The revival of lace, and it's most
elaborate use on all manner Of gowns,
lends a very dainty and light effect to
them, as does the fluffy crepe lisse and
chiffon which sometimes take its place.
All kinds of laces are employed, Mech
lin, Spanish, empire, point desprit and
other French varieties, and it is adapt
ed to most unexpected and varied kinds
of decoration, from the jabot and waist
frills, which are the Indispensable fea-
ture of Louis XIV. coat, to the pam
niers, basques and hounces of the gown.
A last seasons silk waist is transformed
to the height Of the mode, with lace
epaulets, bretelles and flounce of lace
set just beneath the edge of the bodice
to form basque. Flounces are used
from the narrowest little frills, set one
above the other, to the number of five,
or single deep ruffles extending nearly
to the waist festooned with bows of
ribbon. On China silks or the embroi-
dered lisses these hounces are set on
with braiding run through with rib
bon the color of the flowers in the ma
terial.
This is season of revival of old-time
modes rather than of original invention,
old-fashioned brocades aud delaines
panniers and pulled sleeves, high coll
lars and slashed doublets. And among
them. daintiest and sweetest of all, are
the soft, old-fashioned muslins, organ
dies, and dimities. The beauty of these
dresses live ever in their freshness, con-
sequently they are simply made in order
to laundery easily. They have found
belted bodices, unlined and shirred at
the neck and waist, with pretty curved
Jokes of open embroidery and bias
mutton-legged sleeves, with faring,
turned-back cuffs of the embroid-
cry. The skirts are made in the
conventional fashion, with petticoat and
drapery plain in front and fulled very
much at the back, and have rows Of
open-work insertion set in between
tucks, or deep Spanish rufles made Of
the tucks and insertion. The sheer
muslins, with their gay flowers, are
trimmed with frills of lace, ever re-
membering that the most important one
is that which falls from the belt to
form the simulated basque. Lace ruffles
are very much used in the waists, fall
ing over the hand, to the great delight
of ladies with fair hands, and with those
that offend with ugliness as well.
Cheviot, wash silk waists are very
prettily made with lengthwise tucks ex-
tending from the bust to the belt all the
way around like corselet, or made in
spencer waists with double frills of silk
down the front or scarfs of the same,
with pointed ends to tie at the collar.
Ginghams and batistes are made with
waists carefully boned and fitted, and
with Innings of surah or taffeta silk.
Their trimmings should be open-worked
embroideries like Irish point and light
Mechlin laces. The trimmings form
jacket fronts and deep basques, and are
used for entire sleeves or sleeves with a
puff only of the material falling over
them from the shoulder. Bretelles Of
lace and embroidery are used, and
pointed belts or Swiss girdles also are
employed as anish. N. Z. Sun.