The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-26
SETTING THE WINTER FASHIONS.
Ladies of the Elite Wore Their Newest
Gowns to the Horse Show.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
Mighty is the function Of the horse show.
Not only does it open the season in Vanity
Fair, but it prescribes the mode as well.
and puts an end to conjecture concerning
what they are wearing 1t is very gra-
cious of fashion to hold the great yearly
dress festival, very courteous in the fine
ladies whose money commands the taste
and skill Of the most gifted designers to
give us this demonstration in fashionable
dress. The first thing we learn from this
very fascinating object study is that after
noon dress is very plain, smart rather than
elaborate. and evidently tailor made. The
day dress par excellence is of hop sacking
or rough cloth. The skirt is very full and
perfectly plain, clearing the ground all
around, and beautifully hung. The bodice
Is on the basque or coat order, preferably
the latter. This, too, is cut with a wide
flare. and is above reproach in the matter of
MT. 1t is very much cut away in front, like
the four-button cutaway coats worn by the
men, or is double-breasted like the mems
frock coats. There is a great fancy for
waistcoats Of scarlet, closed with tiny gold
buttons, and worn with dickies and black
satin four-in-hand ties. The linen collar and
cuffs are most immaculate and carefully
adjusted. The gloves are of heavy dog
Shin, very loose In Ut, anu the SNdSSer girl
usually sports a bunch of violets in her
buttonhole and wears her lorgnette on a
fine gold chain studded with pearls. Her
watch, blazing with jewels and suspended
from a jeweled pin, adorns her waistcoat,
half hidden by her coat, or is not worn at
all with this style of dress. Her hat.
smaller than last wear, is turned straight
back in front, with a big bow, and bent into
some form of the cooked hat shape. The
girl with delicate features and a rather
saucy style of beauty wears the original
cooked hat without modification, and losses
her hair back under the bow in soft waves,
leaving q single maynard tress curling
down In the middle of her forehead.
Late in the afternoon my lady comes in,
presumably from, a round of calling and
somely with fur. This follows somewhat
the order of the other dress, except that 1t
is more elaborate. Few of these dresses
had sleeves like the dress in color or ma
terial. Many of them had a waist entirely
different from the skirt. These waists were
trimmed rather more simply than last sea-
son, and revealed the outline Of the figure
more perfectly. Some were crossed by the
shoulder frills, except when the shoulder
ruiiie was of lace in the form of a bertha.
Inc sleeves were most eXtravagant in art,
most startling In contrast with the dress.
some or the long coats were made with
overlapping skirts, the middle one being of
fur; but of course only the taller women
attempted anything of the kind. There were
waists, oddly enough, formed of alternating
APP VI u anu Wlllte dCc III
a yoke of jetted velvet, and there were
waists with the lower part made of heavy
lace, the yoke of velvet with a band of fur
10 cover the %jointure of the two. One waist
OF white lace had dull green velvet sleeves
and collar, bretelles of sable, and was worn
with a brown cloth skirt the color of the
fur. However, it was in the evenings that
the dress pageant was most interesting and
most suggestive of ideas to the woman
who had to consider for herself wherewith-
al she shall be clothed because she cannot
afford a French dressmaker to do 1t for her.
In the first place, there We're the black
gowns, and never before did black form so
important a feature of the great dress pa
rade. All of the skirts We're short, and
many of them were plain, with the fullness
at the back arranged in full, deep box
plaits. Many of the dresses, too. had the
Eulalie fiounce, about three-eighths of a
yard deep, gathered in about the bottom OF
the skirt, beneath q ruche of the material.
sometimes this fiounce extended only to the
back breadths, which hung plain and full
from the belt down. One handsome black
dress had a band of sable about the edge.
and above this a broad band of rich lace.
The bodices were wonderfully varied by the
skillful use of lace and colored velvet. One
black bodice, like the dress, had q magenta
crushed collar, a narrow belt of the same
over the shoulder and running from about
two inches in width to half an inch at the
belt. Over the shoulder and half way down
the bodice the straps were covered with
jet. A bit of the color showed in the in
side Of the sleeve when the puff parted a
little and the color was pulled through.
Another pretty waist worn with the black
gowns was of accordion plated tulle made
up over a white lining, the sleeves. of
course, being all black, and the collar and
belt of a color, turquoise blue, pale green,
or the beautiful glowing cerise, which is the
most popular color of the season. But
waists of pale blue. or of crimson crepe
We're well worn. and even the great Mrs.
Vanderbilt wore a gown of black with a
decoration of yellow about the bodice; and
trimmed with the lace over yellow. White
lace was greatly. used in the decoration,
and. though the fancy for black and white
mon, when the black is velvet or brocade
and the lace duchesse or point, the effect
The colored gowns demonstrated the fact
that the day of cloth for evening and
dressy wear is over. 1t is in silk attire my
calls for evening dress. The most distinc-
tive thing about the new gowns is that the
tirely different from the skirt of the gown.
or if the bodice is the same. the sleeves
are of a different material. Many Of these
gowns, too, have overdresses, either cut in
the form of tunics. with pointed brackets.
or raised a little one side to show the un-
derskirt, which is of silk or velvet. or else
draped up a little on either hip to fall in
graceful lines down either side the skirt,
the back hanging plain and full.
OF special toilets one of the handsomest
had a skirt of green velvet. the tunic-
Snapped overdress slashed from the belt
down in front. and at the back falling in
two plated panels on either side, all the
edges being finished with a fine narrow
gimp of green and gold. The waist of the
gown was of velvet, the sleeves Of silk.
slashed through with velvet puffings.
Another rich and handsome toilet had a
skirt of black velvet, made perfectly plain,
and a full-skirted coat of dull red satin,
handsomely trimmed with jet and worn
with an errnine plated tippet, the little hat
being made of ermine tails and Jet. with
dull red roses. One of the prettiest women
at the horse show came in with nothing on
her head but a small jet butterfly standing
erect above the softly waved and parted
tresses over her forehead. The butterfly
seemed to be held in place with a narrow
band Of sparkling stuff pinned through with
jeweled pins.
Several of the handsomest dresses had an
oid-fashioned short apron overskirt. which
was made of a single breadth of silk.
draped across the front and forming two
long Sashlike ends at the back. A striking
black dress had ruffies of handsome bro
caded ribbon over the shoulders beneath
rufles of white lace, and the same ribbon
fastened around the roSette and hung in
two long ends to the bottom of the gown.
Another gown of dark rich silk in many
colors had a plainly fitted waist of white
heavy lace, with fur bretelles over the
shoulder and passing down beneath the
belt or waist line. The sleeves were OF
dark magenta velvet. with deep overhang-
ing ruffles edged with fur. A handsome
dress of brown cloth has a finish OF sable
around the bottom of the straight skirt.
The skirt is cut straight down the front
and opens over a panel of white lace