The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-04-17
ENVY NEW YORK GRACE.
Partisan Ladies Would Give All Their
Chic for American
StvIe

style.
Paris, March 27.-Ispecial.]-Th con-
tinued popularity of big sleeves and the
quantity of soft. perishable material
used in the spring gowns have almost
made the usual spring jacket a sort of
impracticable garment.
One sees capes eyerywhere-capes 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 a 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.
| tried the other day to get a French
man, who was very boastful of his gift
| for designating. to tell me what were
the unmistakable characteristics of
1 "
| 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:
| Cali right" "Oh. 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.
But" | said. 1.-The gowns and bon
| nets that the Americans wear are all
Paris creations. Even i'll America it
is the ambition of every society woman
to have Paris gown or bonnet that
| suggests 'Fournery woman. And 50
it can't be that their costuming is char
acteristically American
| ''Well." he said. there is some
thing and it may be when | know
your language better l can explain
But l 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 i'll
the prettiest possible broken French. and
next shop window. All Paris is small
to the American woman i'll 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
The other day. ON Rue Gallee I
saw such an imposing woman step from
| her victoria. throw back her velvet wrap
! gather up the elaborate skirt of her call
ing gown. and then disappear in a door
| way.
But l had the good luck to take in the
gown at glance. The dress was
| green clOth-a sort of sage green. ella Dor
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 We're attached to the yoke
and deliberately embroidered with the
broidered points of the cloth was d 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 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 We're of the
green cloth, draped quite far down from
the shoulder. \ dainty little wrap
saw was of black accordion-pla nous
cape of black satin. There was an eN-
| quiste collar of rare old English lace.
pointed at the front. and where the cape
fastened was a stiff butterfly bow of
bright green satin ribbon.
| l SO much admired this gown that |
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 confectionS.
A big hat of green straw. trimmed in
| accOrdiOn-plaited black mOusSeline de
sole. old English lace and violets was
worn with this cape.
4 new gown l 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 We're of the Persian
velvet and these days that constitutes
most of the bodice.
1t was for a 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 Il narrow trimming OF white
satin embroidered in silver on each side
of the rest and around the lapels and
girdle effect in front of the satin. The
vest was IL great cascade of cream ac-
cordion-plaited chiffon. ami a hi Oh. full
tour de cou of the same Capes Ill taffe-
ia silk are going to be very popular am
told
One l saw the other day was of dull
rose taffeta. with design in green.
There were bands of the accordion-plait-
ed silk separated from each other with
strips of green velvet covered with open
jctwork. There was Il frill of full black
chiffon cdging the whole cape and max
ing a very full double frill inside of the
high Medici collar.
There is tho prettiest new fashion of
trimming black velvet capes in quaint
ties of soft white tii'iv. 1t is put on
very full around the neck of the cape to
form high tour de cou. and the gath
cred ends of the tulle hang in stole fash
ion to the knees.
There is no such thing to be seen now
adayS on the smarter women as plain
collars. All neckgear is elaborated with
chiffon. lace. ribbons or flowers. At all
the entertainments in Paris one hears
tlebuts taiked-debuts of the hopeful
opera singers. | mean-and across the
river in the Latin quarter. The Salon
is the ever-present topic. The absence
of familiar faces at the social gathering
is always explained in the self-same way
hard at work on Salon pictures.
Many gowns for summer resorts are
ordered from here to be sent to New
York. Narragansett and Cape May. The
price paid for them is eXtravangantly
great, and l wonder that my own coun>
trywomen are willing to pay so we'll for
that which can be duplicated in their
own country for half the sum:
Pale gray. the shade we call Quaker
gray" will be Worn during June at the
summer resorts. 1t will be touched with
brilliant scarlet. White lace over black
and black chiffon over white will also
be much chosen.
In thin goods I note return to the
| French cambria with elaborate trim