Omaha daily bee., 1898-01-23
SPRING CHIFFoNs.
The Ginghnms Are All P1nids-Cotton
Irrnnhinf. Ainnnr The Now In hrIca.

The GingInms Are All P1nids-Cotton
Grcnndine Among the New Fabrics.
NEW YORK, Jan. 20.-"The melancholy
days have come, the saddest OF the year,
for one whose duty it is to record the seed
time, blooming and harvest of farhions.
Every woman just now is far more exercised
over good strokes of business in house linen
and keeping what is vulgarly known as a
skinned eye on the January bargains In
cup toweling and cocoa mating, than bark
enlng to any siren songs Of spring chifcns
and forecasts of Easter bonncts And yet,
and yet the axis is true to itself, for on
their various ways to sales OF household
treasures they stop perforce to make note
OF tho premature displays Of ginghams, lap
pets lawns challies and what not that the
shop keepers are making on all sides.
It was only to be expected that plaids and
checks would overtake and overwhelm the
cotton fabrics. All the gayeet OF Scotch
combinations are displayed in the light
goods, and from the mills in Scotland comes a
lovely gingham, woven very like grenadine.
This open-meshed material is to make up
over shot taffeta silk, 1t is plain to see but
the stouter and less expensive weaves are
quito as enticng as this novelty. big,
bold plaid Is, for example, worked out in
all tho light and dark tones and tints of
lavender. Another will be cross-barred in
light blue on a dark blue ground and to
mako up with this are truly admirable co..
ton cmbroiderles either white or Of the color
to exactly match the gingham chosen. With
few exceptions all the muslins, lawns and
organdios are striped, while III place of the
satin striped chalie so widely popular last
summer. the novelty this time is a silk
warp lbarege. There is cause for congrat-
ulaton in this for barege is a charming
1,t,o nIc nNypp vii ooh 1n n n II
quite as light in weight as challie, and the
new ones seen so far show dull dark back
grounds, richly figured in bouquets of vio-
lets, lilacs, hyacinths and heads and sprays
OF mignonette.
The challies have returned to us very gaily
bedight indeed. printed in what are called
Bourbon patterns, that is with rows Of rope-
buds, or lines OF shepherd crooks tied to-
gother with ribbon bows. They, one and all,
are done in very light colors and seem most
suitable for dancing dresses. in the summer
evenings far away.
HURRAH FOR FLOUNCES.
Meantime there is more or less anxiety
on every womans part to know what shape
these summer dresses Of hers will take and
it Is proper to assure everyone that we have
not yet half done with the rufFle. This is
as it should be, for more cln be done with
lounCes. to make cheap cotton dress pretty
and picturesque, than any other resource of
the dressmaker.
Skirts will be shaped conservatvely as to
fulness. spring walking suit and a
fou!ard of the future are both sketched this
week, n warning. Here we have an
aprcot-colored fCulard with knife-p a!ted
lCunces running up to the vast. A design
of back flowers relieves the bright saffron
tint OF the silk and black net edges all the
little plaitings. One thickness OF figured net
wells the waist, and over all is laid lattice
of back satin ribbon held, wherever the
ribbon crosses. with large jet points.
This in every respect is perfectly reliable
forecast, and attention mu,t be called to
the fact that the foundation skirt is cut
quite scant. not more than three yards in
me;surement at the foot. fye-inch band
scarcely half-dozen small gathers appear
about the waist The girdle and neck finish
are models for anyone to follow during the
next six months Beside this arrangement
OF ruflles we are destined later to see skirts
made in the form of one deep but not very
full nounce, set on a hip yoke, and three
tiounces set on this, edged in turn with
little frilings.
Already we see pretty black taffeta house
skirts. decorated with founces Of the same
set on in panels running from hip to foot
or in clusters Of three narrow futings, placed
to simulate long pointed or rounded over
skirt Added to these motifs in ruffling
women are already wearing at the end of
the season, scheme of founcing that bids
fair to endure straight on into the spring
That Is decorated white silk or satin, or
silk muslin dresses with nuted edgings of
black net or chiffon or liberty silk Some
really exquisite evening toilets have been
turned out OF house manufactures consisting
Of an old white silk underpetticoat and body
entirely overlaid with white muslin founces
each one edged with a ruffled frill of black