St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-09
STRANGE POTPOURRl.
~
The Styles Likely to Make
Woman Look Like a
CarieatuPe.
The Most Approved Spring
Styles Are Full OF
EecentricitieS.
Skirts Nine Yards in Width,
and Sleeves Fully Three
Yards.
Sleeves With Mammoth PuffS
at the Top and Lace FrillS
Will Be Seen.

Special Letter to the Globe.
NEW YORK, April THE woman
who wishes to appear we'll dressed just
now must practice great moderation in
style, for it is really the easiest thing in
the world to look grOtesQue. The guam
THY of material employed in gown of
the very latest style is enough to make
any woman look bulky, unless of the
very slenderest build. And the gown
has to be fashioned by the very cream
of mOdistes not to resemble some old
fashion plate, with more QuaintneSs
than beauty.
Al the recent exhibition of imported
novelties, which l attended at Red
ferns. | saw skirts at least nine yards
in width. and sleeves which | should
Judge are quite three. L saw sleeves, a
la Queen Elizabeth, with their three
huge puiTS of satin ending in deep
cuff, and the leg OF mutton sleeve with
It's preponderance of material at the
top, and extreme skimpineSs at the
wrist. We see the RoyaliSt collar and
the Marie AntoineJte fichu, the Direct
ore revers. the bewildering masses of
shoulder frillS, laid one over the other
in such profuSion that the effect is in
effective.
The whole scheme of dress at present
Is against simplicity. You cannot have
too much trimming on gown. There
are no longer 10 be seen those neat,
plain, relentless costumes that display
the shape and proportions of the wearer
with George Washington truth of good
fit, except on the persons Of the strong
minded"
Even tailor-made gowns blossom ont
into full sleeves, double reYers. satin
waist bands and other additions which
a few years ago would have been con-
Sidered strict treason against the Red
fern taiiOr-made costume.
| SAW one stylish gown that had about
six narrow lace frillS running fichu-
wise in point down the back; and in
the same form, on the front of the
jacket bodice, the triangleS thus formed
at the top of the bodice were filled up
with dainty folds of India muslin. This
effect was one OF great quaintness. like
real old fashioned fichu, especially as
the gown was made of QuakeT-like gIay
silk, The skirt of this pretty costume
was Shirred three times just beneath the
waist. and trimmed with three white
lace fi0unces, which ran up and down
In large curves.
Redfern SAYS that the shoulder frill
will soon no longer be tolerated. 1t has
been OYerdone. Its substitute is the
large turnover collar which continues
from throat to shoulder, falling slightly
over the dropping fullneSS of the sleeve.
This collar is made in a Skillful way, so
as to ripple in a triliy kind of way about
the shoulders. This causes the lining
to be observed, which for this reason
should be Of some harmonious, con-
traStng color. By the way, contrasts
are all the thing; we see hardly a single
gown where two colOTS are not en-
plOyed.
4 little curtain of lace is appearing at
the back of the snort basque, which is a
little bit singular, ana looks rather as if
the corset cover was sticking out. But
this IS only one of the many little eccen-
tricitieS OF 1898.
What can we say of the satin bands
used to trim the skirts? l mean the
ones that end abruptly in unexpected
places halfway round the skirt, while
another band will end off i'll another
portion of the skirt. These skirts end
of with q satin rOsette. There is some
bHibS very ScCcntIiC dOouI lneSe. lie
same must be said of some new capeS
that are appearing, which are long be-
hind and short in front. This has been
an odd effect which battles description.
Too much. however, cannot be said in
favor OF the black satin cape with rich,
unique embroidery of gold all around it.
This cape fits over the shoulder, and
has plenty of picturesque folds as it
falls round The arms.
Bedfern showed me one very pretty