Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-28
up WOMEN
Early Birds Can Now Select Their
Winter Plumage.
CASHMERE HAS COME BACK AGAIN
The New Fabrics Are the Most Ex-
pensIve.
PRIN CESS AND kits
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star
NEW YORK, August q, 1897
l. To have the choice of winter and fall
dress goods one must even be as the carly
bird and return to town when the great re-
tall firms are showing their novelties in
this line.
The old reliable broadcloths come first in
price and stability. and promise to he much
worn. They range in shade from dark to
pale In every known color. Hunting green,
Napoleon blue. wood brown and cardinal
are prominent among those shown at this
season. Red promises to be worn during
the winter quite as much as during the
summer. and it is richer in cloth than In
lightweight summer goods. White broad
cloth and ladies' cloth also promises to be
much favored for reception gowns at home
These cloths range in price from 1918
down to 81 per yard, and are, of course,
double width. But the first cost of the
cloth next winter will not be the only item
to be considered besides the price of max
ing. as trimmings will be used extensively,
and will bring up the total to handsome
figure.
We have been hearing that cashmere had
returned to favor, and there is not the
slightest doubt about it. The cashmere of
the present is IA little softer, a little heavier
and little finer than the fabric of few
years ago, and promises to make the most
artistic and becoming gowns and can, of
course, be combined with almost anything.
1t is mistake to use it for walking gowns,
however. and the woman who only invests
In one dress for street and reception wear
and her name is legton-had better choose a
heavier material.
New, but Not Durable.
One of the handsomest new fabrics is
called syballine. 1t is soft and quite thick,
and has finish Like old-fashioned cameTs
hair, only the hairs are longer, and the
wcof of the garment, instead of being
hard twisted diagonal, looks soft and
smooth like broadclott. 1t comes in every
shade and Is rather expensive, and would
scarcely be as durable as tweeds, Serges or
cheviots. One can fancy it would be
rather forlorn after a good wetting. But
1t Is most beautiful to behold, and one in
red. quite a bright red, which was shown
to me would make magnificent gown for
cold day.
Many of the new goods have striped Dor
ders. This is not only beautiful, but
economical as well, for the saving In the
expense of tuying trimming will be great.
Bedford cords, only slightly modified from
their old rep, are in full favor, with a bor-
der composed of five rows of ribbon Of the
Sc me shade as the goods woven in near the
border. This is exceedingly smart. The
width of the goods is exactly the length of
a skirt, so that disposes of the whole ques-
tlOn Oh trimming the Sklrl IN the Simplest
way. Many of the models. however, have
a princess effect, the border coming from
the shoulder diagonally across the front of
the gown to the edge of the skirt then 60
ing around 1t on that side and in the back,
thus leaving an underskirt effect on one
side on which there is no trimming.
For Drapery Effects.
Cashmeres, with borders, are very hand
some and capable of much more manipula-
ton into draperies oil different sorts than
the Bedford cords. Both of these fabrics
are in the darker colors to a great degree,
dark browns. blues and heliotropes, with
now and then gray but somber gray.
If the hordered goods dark and Win
try looking, not SO with the plaids which
be worn made up INTO gowns of nearly
every variety that a plaid is capable Of
submitting to with any degree of adapt
ability. These plaids are quite large and
simulate to a great degree the Scottish
clans tartans One beautiful model is
made with a real killed skirt, but by the
ingenuity of the miodistes art it conforms
to the model of the now fashionable skirt,
and is narrow about the hips and flares
gradually toward the bottom. Killed skirts
are something of an innovation, and it
remains to be seen whether they will be
popular. In all the new gowns, be the
material plaid or plain, heavy or light, the
pouch effect for the bodice is the most
favored.
Checks Are In Favor.
Checks vie with plaids in favor. and al
though not so widely spoken of they will
be preferred by women who feel that their
height is net equal to carrying off plaid
gown. Not pin checks, but checks large
enough to be called small plaids. They
are shown in blue, striped with black and
green; fawn, striped with brown and black,
and greens of different shades. striped with
browns and blacks. For travelling, street or
walking gowns they scarcely be eX-
celled. They are durable stylish and suit-
able.
Basket cloths and grenadines have been
so popular that among the new consign-
ments of goods may be seen these mater
ials in heavier quality. A coarsely woven,
heavy basket cloth of dark blue COM
hiEed with red, is a striking and becoming
gown.
Heavy, double-faced cloth for golf capes
or bicycle suits has been worn for some
time, and there is little change promised
this fall, except that many wheelwomen
will prefer small plaids to the plain goods
worn SO long. For three dollars and a
half a yard one may buy a dark blue
black or dark brown CLOTH with a gray
plaid on the other side, for the interior of
the suit, which will make skirt which de-
fes the efforts of anything except a cy-
clone to disturb 1t, and which will come
triumphantly through an ordinary rain
with a dry wearer inside of it.
In SILK and wool very handsome plaids
are shown. One firm is very proud of it's
assortment of uncut valvets, which show a |
beautiful background of some gay color.
heliotrope. grays. brights, blues, etc These |
uncut velvets make handsome carriage
and reception gowns, but seem rather out |
OF place for a street dress.
MABEL BOYD.
Vegetation i'm Coastal Alaska.
John Muir in the Century.
The wilderness presses close up to the