The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-17
MOODS OF ii MODE.

The overskirt, alas, Is d settled fact, no
longer to be overlooked. 1t is here to stay
some time, and nine out of ten of the newest
dresses have some form of it. / saw the over
skirt problem solved in the prettiest w a
last week at a concert in Chickering Hall.
The gown was of heavy cream-white satin,
the skirt very full, having an immense
amount of goods pleated in at the back to
make a fanlike fullness. Falling from a sill
yer girdle was an overskirt of white lace,
not draped at all, but SO cut as to come to a
point a little more than half way down the
skirt, in front and back, the sides being
short. At the sides the lace was caught
down with clusters of artificial pinks, tied
with white satin ribbon. The lace was
caught to the side seams of the skirt, and at
the foot of these seams was another smaller
bunch of pink. The lace had q delicate border
of silver tracery. The waist had a plastron
of the lace. 1t was the most graceful and ar
tistic solution of the overskirt problem that
| have yet seen.
The overskirt, however, is being draped
on the hips, in the way the old coaching
in Paris, are in fashion, but none but tall,
slender women will risk them. We have
| had the results of other peoples folly before
| our eyes too long for that.
The sleeve will not be materially altered
this season. The leg-o'-mutton will prevail,
the effect being always of breadth rather
! budH Ol UclRuU. DlGOclicS dlc SUlll WIN
with almost every kind of sleeve. A very
pretty waist trimming for a gingham gown
was that shown on a Paris model just over.
The waist was a plain round one, slightly
gathered at the neck and waist. Starting
from a point three nch down the shoulder
from the neck, a wide ruffie curved down to
the waist, back and front. Behind that
was a similar ruffie, and a third passed
around the arm-size. In the model, the
rutfies were of bingham, edged with narrow
hand embroidery. 1t is equally pretty IN
wide Hamburg or in lace.
An attempt is being made by some dress
makers to revive the waist ruftie by length
ening the basque to three inches or so below
| the waist, and then putting on the rufie, or
two of them.
l saw a beautiful decoration for the neck
this week. 1t was a Marie Antoinette fichu,
the foundation of fine white silk, the deep
edge an embroidery of seed-pearls. These
are not the genuine article, Of course, but
extremely clever limitations, much unlike the
old-time ''pearl beads of white glass. The
effect of this combination was strikingly
beautiful. 1t was worn by an elderly lady
with white hair. Her bonnet was OF black
velvet, the crown covered with seed-pearl
embroidery and an aigrette of white in front,
with an outstanding twist of black velvet
ribbon. Pearls are such beautiful things
that everyone should be happy to see these
embroideries coming in again, especially as
the limitations, while inexpensive, have
nothing of the cheap and tawdry look OF
most bogus jewels. Speaking of jewels, !
hear a wild rumor, or rather / read it, that
dinner gowns are to be made from plush,
embroidered in irridescent jewelled effects.
This is given as an example of the wild things
people can say when they get started.
have seen one plush gown that was
beautiful, and that was worn by Miss
Romola Tynte, the English elocutionist, at
one of her readings. 1t was made in one OF
those Burne-Jonesy, shortrwaisted, aesthetic
modes and its color was a subdued poetic
tint of old rose. But oh the plush gowns,
crimson and ''old gold" that we remember
people used to spend their good money for
what sights, what sights they werel
1t will pay to watch the styles in bonnets
for the next two or three months. You re-
member how Hetty Sorrel in Adam Bede'
greatly admires Miss Lydia's fashionable
little coal scuttle bonnets" Well, it looks a
little as if that style of bonnet were coming
in again. And a prettier style never was in
vented. | ave seen one-ln a plcture-that
rested on the coiled hair in the back, and
came straight forward, reaching down over
the ears. Inside the brim was a wreath OF
pink wild roses, tiny ones. The top was fiat,
save for a little trimming around the back.
This did not a strings, but some have
wide ones that tie under the chin. Now.
whether this hat, or bonnet, rather, will be
adopted or not, I'm sure 1 do not know.
If elderly ladies with beautiful silver-gray
hair would only realize that silver-gray bro.
cade combined with black was exactly their
COLOR the world would be improved there,
by. 1t tones so finely with the soft color OF
the hair and adds q new beauty to the face.
But when they wear magenta right up IN
der their chins, or that trying shade of liz
ard green, as sometimes happens, they look
SO much worse, and when they wear dead
black, unrelieved by white or gray, they
simply throw away their opportunities.