Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-08

bodices of ball dresses They are especially
used to trim the 'tbretelles''-a corselet
without sleeves or shoulder pieces, cut il
the shane of Medici girdle 1t is no won
der that young girls are seen more and
more seldom at balls; mothers do not mind
attending themselves, but rather leave
their unmarried daughters at home. The
fashion to clothe the body above the waist
in fragrant flower blossoms is one of those
many little surprises which occur when the
comedy of the winter season is coming to an
end and the most impossible extravagances
were devised in Lent, when ball costumes
are supposed every year to have reached the
acme of elegance and boldness of concep-
tion, but which always grow pale and draw
back ashamed at the brilliancy displayed by
the next new season.
The old-Time Ball Dresses
"Everything has been and Will come
again." can be applied most especially to
fashions, only, of course, they are modified
and return with somewhat different
stamp. And can there be anything more
tasteful and beautiful than the present ball
dresses, made on the model of olden times
Zen princesse) of heavy brocaded silk, inter-
woven with flowers la pompadour, and a
train gracefully winding like huge snake
under an airy cover Of broad white lace,
held here and there in place by pompa-
dour bow? A pompadour scarf pin from 8
to 10 inches broad, reaching to the edge of
the train, completes this toilet.
1t needs the beauty spots on arm and
cheeks, beneath the throat and neck as far
down as possible, and white aigrette on a
colored, scarcely perceptible rosette, in the
powdered hair, and that the modern sortie
de bal be made of white Peking velvet and
silk, lined with rose and trimmed with rose
colored feathers, to delude US into beliey-
ing that we have dreamed an evening in the
eighteenth century, SO much does the mod
ern ball dress remind US of bygone fashions.
The suit for religious occasions Is of hard,
black serge, which clings to the figure. The
sleeves are of black velvet, very full and
wide at the shoulders and narrow at the
wrists. There is Medici collar of the
same material and shoulder cape of serge
lined with black plush. The most indis-
pensible part of this costume is the long,
somewhat narrow train, faced with serge,
sweeping the marble flags. The headgear
consists either of a gentleman's soft felt
hat. or little bonnet of stiff black tulle in
the shape of plate embroidered in pearls
and trimmed with few flowers or a bunch
OF the violettes de parme.
From Religious to Ball Costumes.
The more severe and simple her church
costume has been the day before, the more
at ease the fair penitent will feel the fol-
lowing evening in one of the gay ball
dresses described before. For these she can
select, if she does not care for the heavy
antique damask goods, the latest ''soie de
Denise"-a silk, with white ground en-
broidered with horns of plenty, pouring
out flowers and fruits in all possible colors.
These ball costumes are adorned with gar
lands of forget-me-nots and marguerites.
The coiffure is Byzantine at present, the
hair dyed red, with a chignon of thick
golden threads adorned with pearls, con-
trasting strikingly with pale complexion
and garb of mourning. Sarah Bernhardt's
interesting head first wore this Oriental
coiffure as Empress in Sardou's "Theodora,"
and many at once hoped and expected to see
it become as fashionable as it is Iow. So
curled hair on the temples and forehead,
and irizzled top knot will be worn for some
time to come.
1 cannot take leave of ball dresses with
out mentioning the costly costume worn by