Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-04-13
ENVY NEW YORK GRACE.
Partisan Ladies' Would Give All Their
Chic for American
StVle.


tinued popularity Of big sleeves and the
quantity of soft, perishable material
used in the spring gowns have almost
made the usual spring jacket sort of
impracticable garment.
One sees capes everywhere apes for
the theater, capes with calling gowns,
capes with walking gowns, capes for
travelling and capes for carriage wraps.
And they are all short garments, none
of them reaching further than the waist
line and great many of them coming
only to the elbow.
They are generally circular capes, but
there is such variety in the materials
used, and so many sorts of trimmings,
and trimmed in such divers ways, too,
that one never realizes what steady
diet one has of capeS these glorious
spring days on the boulevards.
There are only very few small, short
tailor-made jackets to be seen and they
are generally worn by the young girls
of the American colony.
I tried the other day to get French
man, who was very boastful of his gift
for designating, to tell me what We're
the unmistakable characteristics of
American women-the characteristics
that stamp them as Americans the min
ute French people set eyes on them.
Even the little urchins in the street
look up with a merry little twinkle in
their eyes and call out:
..All rightv' ooh, yes ''Good-by."
why he said, with. the most salts.
fed, convincing air, ''from the tips of
their boots to the tops of their bonnets
they look thoroughly American, and
their walk, too, that's unmistakable.
And then they dress better, too,"
T O0mnc and hon
nets that the Americans wear are all
Paris creations. Even in America it
is the ambition of every society woman
to have Paris gown or bonnet that
suggests a Tourney woman And SO
it can't be that their costuming is char
acteristically American"
''Well," he said, there is a Some
thing and it may be when 1 know
your language better / can explain
But 1 wonder if he could have de-
scribed it better than an Intangible
something even if he had mastered the
whole English vocabulary according to
Webster.
In chiffon neck trimmings and skirts
embroidered for spring they throng the
avenues, chat gayly with each other,
bow gracefully to their Partisan friends,
gossip with them a minute, speaking in
the prettiest possible broken French, and
fit along to the next group by the
next shop window. All Paris is small
to the American woman in the city of
fashion, for she never gets beyond the
few squares where the dressmakers
show their goods. Partisan ladies,
watching them. say they would give all
their chic for New York grace.
The other day, on Rue Galilee, I
saw such an imposing woman step from
her victoria, throw back her velvet wrap,
IL II. x.x,+ 1,<a1.
ing gown, and then disappear in door-
way.
But had the good luck to take in the
gown at a glance. The dress was a
green cloth-a sort of sage green, elabor-
ately trimmed in copper and silver pas
sementerie. The yoke was of black nous
seine de sole, very full and quite long.
The front of the bodice was cut in two
points, which were attached to the yoke
and deliberately embroidered with the
Dassementerie Between the two em-
broidered points of the cloth was a third
point of burnt orange velvet, tucked in
so that very little of the velvet was dis
cernible. A belt of the burnt orange vel
vet was very narrow and was studded
with disks of copper and silver. The
basques were short and full, with a lining
of the orange satin. and the only other
bit of the orange in the costume was
high crush collar of the velvet, mounted
by frill of the black mousseline de sole.
The sleeves of this gown were of the
green cloth, draped quite far down from
the shoulder. A dainty little wrap l
saw was of black accordion-plaited NOUS
seine de sole covering short circular
cape of black satin. There was an eX-
quisite collar Of rare old English lace,
pointed at the front, and where the cape
fastened was stiff butterfly bow of
bright green satin ribbon.
1aI, I'D I
described it to the obliging little French
woman who assists me in my fashion
letters, and she told me that one very
much like it was being boxed for 'Mees
Pullemann,' which, being interpreted,
seemed to be very like our brilliant
Western belle of social and matrimonial
fame.
The Brussels and the old English laces
are much used in the spring CONNECTIONS.
A big hat of green straw, trimmed in
accordion-plaited black mousseline de
sole, old English lace and violets was
worn with this cape.
A new gown saw at the smart coutu-
riers, ordered by Mrs. Shepard of New
York, who has been wintering in Egypt,
was very elaborate and original. The
bodice was of Persian velvet, the prevail
ing colors old rose and claret, or at least
the very full sleeves were of the Persian
velvet, and these days that constitutes
most of the bodice.
It was for friend of this lady, who is
acting as part companion and part con-
fidential adviser.
The bodice proper was of solid claret
velvet-that means two very narrow
strips of the solid vest, and a plain
back of the same, with the fulness
caught down in little plaits.
There was a narrow trimming of white
satin embroidered in silver on each side
of the vest and around the lapels, and
girdle effect in front of the satin. The
vest was a great cascade OF cream ac-
contemplated chiffon, and a high, full
tour de cou of the same. Capes in taffe-
ia silk are going to be very popular, am
told.
One I saw the other day was Of dull
rose taffeta, with a design in green.
There were bands of the accordion-plait
ed silk separated from each other with
strips of green velvet covered with open
jetwork. There was frill of full black
chiffon edging the whole cape and MAX
ing a very full double frill inside of the
high Medici collar.
There is the prettiest new fashion of
trimming black velvet capes in quanti