The times., 1898-09-25

discovery through the shopping district is
not notable for revelations and surprises
Under the very half assumption that
they are strictly autumn novelties, many
dear familiar objects appear; silks, vel
vets and woolen goods. They are none
the less welcome, however, because they
have often been tried in the wearing and
not found wanting
A rigid inspection of the new suitings
proves that the nearest thing to genu-
ine novelty is a broche cloth running the
gamut of good colors usually in combina-
tion with black If you can believe what
the fashion prophets say the broche or
figured effect in wool goods is going to De
emphasized as the season wakes. "A
rough, dark blue winter serge or one OF
black. picked out in small oXblood fig
ures of a geometrie shape, gives you the
keynote, for the tailor and dressmakers
both eXtol its artistic worth. Next IN
modish value to this is perfectly
smooth goods with a melton finish, in
mushroom brown dotted over by a neat
wriggling pattern in warm green or
black or sometimes the two together
If you take dispassionate bird s-eye
view of dress materials as they are 5ally
opened for inspection and sale, you can I
hut come 10 the conclusion that we are
In for a season of color, broken color at
that Just little less smart than the
broched cloth are those in checks, while
much lower down in the scale OF femi-
nine estimation is the plain solid colored
fabric She who buys a one-tone box
cloth, for instance, braids 1t freely and
very likely with a frisky looking braid,
Yxt-iSf ad in
seasonable colors.
This demonstration in favor of mixing
the sober tones of autumn, and thereby
lighting the somewhat oppressive gloom
of the winter wardrobe, was never so no
ticeable as in the new blouse flannels.
Every season somebody hardly attempts
TO sound the tocsin of the shirt waist,
and every season that passing belle is
turned into a welcoming chime for the
shirt waist long life to ii, was never in
finer fettle than just now.
Flannels and goods, especially woven
for blouses, now I'LL a counter all to
themselves, and each specimen is the
Eayest of the gay. Nobody who knows
old styles from new will think of pur-
chasing a goods for blouse in any
but a dazzling tone or a daring configu-
ration. Tyrian purple, Hungarian blue,
nasturtium brown and blaze green are a
few of the one toned f1annels, so decided
OF tone that they would almost make old
Sol wink TO look on them; but for all
that these colors are becoming, and you
can buy them modulated by close set en-
broidered dots in black silk.
Much more popular than the above
mentioned are the striped and speckled
fannels made up, as in fact nearly all
these wooden blouses now are, with great
art and elaboration. Last season We were
very content TO revel in blouses of puri-
tan simplicity Of design; we are far more
exacting now and the blouse that wrings
admiration from the most unenthusiastic
goes ia for character of its own. 1t has
an ear-lipping collar or none ct all. a
fancy front or is brave with braiding.
Some there are that are made with yokes
and some with vests, and in all these
mazes of variation the velveteen and cor
duroy shirt waist is its flannel sisters
faithful follower.
At last the tragedy, always more or
less imminent concerning the placket
hole, is disposed of, and every woman
who cannot remember to hook this open
ing in her skirt should have her petit
coats cut on the new tailor mode; that
IS TO say, with the placket hole buttoned
securely up. According to the highest
authority in skirt topography, the OPEN
ing in that garment should be made in
front and little to the right side, just
where the seam Of the front width runs
up. This leaves the back of the skirt to
be shaped fashionably plain or pleated in
a little and innocent Of any rear OPEN
ing at all.
This change of base for the placket has
come about by reason of the new mode of
Flove-fitting the tops of all skirts, and
the packets location in the front is
cd ~ q short Of 2
ornamental buttons or a careful adjust
ment of braid lines. Probably never be-
fore in the history of dressmal1ing have
skirts been so scant as this year. They
simply have no fullnes at all except a
slight spreading effect in the rear and
below the knees. Such a result is obtain
ed by artful sloping and goring, and thus
ample freedom in walking is allowed,
though a skirt that boasts a circumfer-
ence of three yards is a very, very wide
one. indeed.
Candor compels the admission that
Frenchy and striking as this mode may
be, II does not enlarge the reputation OF
the feminine sex for beauty Of form. Just
about one woman in three hundred can
wear this new skirt and rejoice the eyes
OF the onloolIer: the other two hundred
and ninety-nine viii be a sore trial TO
their friends. for she who is the least bit
too broad in the beam and she who has
been given by Providence what are
known as japanese hips. cannot profit by
this novel and severe cut.
Continue, If you desire to be In the van
OF the style. TO leave your rear widths a
trihe long, that is, at a fanlike spread
beyond the heels, and do not make the
base Of the skirt too crisp with hair
cloth A three-inch interlining will do.
Among the so-called novelties are silks
of divers weaves and colors, displaying
every possible arrangement in Bayadere
stripes. The novelty really consists In
the stripes themselves, that are of velvet
and wide or narrow, or running in
groups, spaced generously and always In
bright contrast to the silk above which
they are raised.
A deep olive green silk, for example.
viii be barred with one wide, ruby red
velvet stripe between two very mar
row ones of pale green. A cream white
peau de sole shows stripes of turquoise
blue and coral pink velvet. and q pale
gray amure displays stripes of finely
figured velvet, in gray and pale blue
II does not require great strength OF
imagination to picture the beauty oi
these fabrics when worked up into
handsome evening toilets. Most chaste
of all in their splendor. are the mate
rtals for brlceS-cream and lily white
moires, satins and grain silks, each
and every one striped the width of Tho
goods with fine grouped lines. or broad
spaces of white velvet. Most choice
and rich in effect is the Bayadere
stripping on black silk and satin, anC
IL is no surprise TO see deal of thi:
handsome material used in hat trim
ming.
Evidently the slaughter. two year:
ago, of the songsters was as thorough
going IN its way as the massacre of st
Bartholomew. for now that wings and
tails, breasts and stuffed heads arc