St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-02-29

THE FASHIONS.



destructive Notes on che Subject oe Won
ans Dress.
Unquestionsbly this is q period OF
extremes While we may not be will.
ing 1T once to accept all of the eccen-
tricities sent to US from London and
Paris, it is . fact that we cannot but
admit that after time we quietly
wheel into line, and the FIRST thing
anybody knows, are gently sailing
along in tho wake of these cities copy.
ing their models, perhaps with little
grain of reserve, but eventually com
ing mp in tolerably fine style to the de-
signs that they have furnished us.
It seems = little strange, aud to con.
servative minds little shocking, that
English Grape, the heavy and somber
attire Of first mourning. should have
become almost . fad with Partisan de-
siXnerA But such is the case, and
Grape will be worn. whether we like it
or not, to an extent never before
known in this or any other country.
Entire dresses are to be made of it;
long wraps are all of Grape; the veil
that barely escapes the floor is to be
the popular style, and plaitings. ruch-
ings, rufiles and trimmings Of Grape
are to be worn in the greatest pro-
fusion. even on some Of the first
mourning dresses for others than
widowa The regulation widows
costume is composed almost en-
tirely Of this material A Paris outfit
that was pronounced absolutely fault
less was made for . widow, IN extrav-
agantly beautiful woman, by the way,
and one who finds almost any material
she wears extremely becoming. The
dress, with . very wide skirt, il Of lus-
terless silk entirely Grape covered. It
is without trimming Of any sort Tho
waist is made in the prevailing short
basque fashion. and has wide revers
turning back from . vest of plated
Grape. Tho sleeves are large lego
mutton and plain The neck is fin-
ished by tiny ruche. The bonnet is
merely foundation for the vail and
the white ruche that is again in the
height of fashion. The veil. which Is
fastened with crape-covered pins, is
long, indeed could not be longer with.
out sweeping the door. The long
wrap is one of tho notable features in
modern mourning. It Is in . modified
ulster shape Of silk with the Grape
over. With the exception Of the cloak
lining, no other material than the
Grape is visible in the entire costume.
The cloak is double-bressted and has
very wide revers. large sleeves and the
shoulder and collar
ruffles Of Grape with silk lining and
some sort Of stiffening that makes II
stand up, almost coneealing the throat
All In all, this is ono Of the most re-
markable Of the seasons mourning or
ders, remarkable in that It Is said to
be type Of what We may expect In the
near future.
Indeed, the crape-surfaced fad has
almost run its course in everything
Why not transfer it TO ono Of
the most elegant Of fabrics, tho Grape
used for mourning attire7
Among the caprices Of the moment
Is the use Of white Grape. the identical
fabric with the black save the color.
At private wedding in . noble fam
ily, where bereavement was recent
the sisters of the bride wore white
Grape costumes and violets. The fabric
made up in the most exquisite fashion,
md the dresses were beautiful almost
beyond imagination. The decorations
on that occasion were almost entirely
Of English violets, the brides bouquet
and trimmings being Of white, while
Ill Of the others were Of the ordinary
purple.
And 90 It appears that the anti
societies have utterly failed
Of their purpose, and that fashion 10
even more powerful than theories, pre-
eepts, economy. and the hard and
work of philsnthropists,
for we are entering upon = crepe sea-
son that will be elaborate almost be-
yond reason, and, like It or not We
must accept it.
But the question arises. Why should
We object to it? There are those who
think they cannot wear Grape. These
may leave it alone If they chooea
Others do not approve Of it, and no one
compels them to follow the fsshion.
Indeed, in this country We all do pret-
ty much rs we please. But whatever
We do, we are quite sure to amble con-
tentedly along ON the fashionable
highway, and accept - gracefully %
bur circumstances will permit the die
tum Of the goddess that rules the
world.-N. Y. Ledger. -s..i,-