The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-27
4 IDEAS for dMonaeu

when the Civil War was on the South
crn women found that homespun lace eur
tains and calico made effective gowns.
They found it so from dire necessity, says
the Philadelphia Press,
The present war has brought women 70
wearing honespun seersueker and cham-
bray as gown. 1t is not necessity yer
but maybe that the girls feel tnal II y
not kind to wear silk and silk muslin TOO
much while ''our boys are hungry for a
good dish of chicken and $1,000 are need
ing shirts.
But for goodness sake, economy has its
large swing. whether necessary or not.
Theu-GNil War taught women that they
could look as attractive in homespun as
in broadcloth, and that ingenuity and ar
tistic measures were brought out that
surprised every one. none more 50 imam
the o~riginators.
The mother of a wife of a Cabinet mem
Der was recently telling her experiences
with pokeberries. She was a Southern
women and her one cloth gown was good
of warp wool, but rusty as to color
Staining her hands with pokeberries one
day. the idea came that It would make a
lovely color for her gown.
She worked on it so successfully that
when she appeared in her old frock with
its rich new dye. her friends were not
only enyious but looked at her askance.
They regarded her with so much sus-
pieion that she had to own up to her de-
vice. For, as the w~ell-known Mr. Gordon
MeCabe. of Virginia, put it, no one was
rich in the South those days but a Yankee
or a ~scoundrel."
This girls idea created a rage for poke
berry.
And so it is now that the age for
economy has brought to light what really
fetching things can be built from home
spun and other cheap cotton goods.
A girl from the South had a remarkably
attractive gown on this week, made from
stuff manufactured at a Georgia cotton
factory, for 10 cents a yard. The small
checks of green. white and black were
artistic and effective. Many thought she
wore a silk gown. for the iron gave it a
sheen after laundering hat enhanced it's
effect.
The skirt had a shaped fiounce put on
with three rows of shearing and a head.
At the bottom of this feunce Were three
narrow ruffles. The bodice was like a
sailors blouse, the best of tucked white
muslin. without lining. Two round, deep,
unlined collars went about the shoulders.
to the vest. and were edged with white
lace. Below the vest, at the point, was a
huge bow of white lace-edged null.
r,1,1 ~loo..a 49,, ~ a M IOno with
cuffs of white muslin
Imagine this gown topped with a broad
green straw hat, lined with white straw
and trimmed in black gun's wings and
you have as pretty a costume as one
wants to own.
Twelve yards of cotton at 10 cents a
yard is $1.20 for the goods; muslin for
vest and cuffs and bow. rs cents; making.
s.. by a dressmaker in the house, and you
see the gown only cost 1885. Add IS cents
fer hooks and eyes, stiffening and thread
and the gown goes up to $3.50.
.sYes." said her father, "and you paid
So for tina blue silk thing you call a
foulards or fool something, with ruffles
and biases and bands that will never
wash. and it isn't as pretty as this one"
What to wear when travelling is a ques-
ton that interests the minds of women
who only go away for a day or two at
a time Just as much as those who are
fortunate enough to be regular travellers,
says Harper's .sBazar.1 1t is quite as
necessary to look we'll for a days outing
as it is for a long journey, and nobody
likes to be appropriately dressed in
these days when it is possible to dress
wen. 1t is not wise nor desirable to put
aside some shabby old gov with the idea
that anything is good enough to take a
journey. for there are few places where
a gown shows more thoroughly its good
and bad points than in a railway car or
on a steamboat.
The day is gon by for the people to go
about with any amount of hand-luggage;
everything is put in the trunks that is
possible, and only enough left out to make
one perfectly comfortable.
Gray mohair is especially pretty for
travelling gowns. An exceedingly novel
and very smart fashion this year is to
have a sort of polonaise cloak belted in
and finished to look like a gown. One of
these made in a figured brihantine or
fCtAS toS q dtNR tOhO az LII DdtAs anu
several small pleats tapering in at the
waist line. The front is full, and, in fact,
looks much like q shirt-waist. as it is
finished down the front with a straight
band and shirt studs. The skirt is plain,
but usually full, SO as to cover any dress
SKIRT; the sleeves are of medium size in
bishop shape. finished with a cuff. There
is a belt of black leather studded with
steel points. The skirt and waist are fast
ened together SO as to look like a cloak or
o polonaise. In may respects this gar
ment is not unlike a glorified linen buster,
burt it possesses all the good points of
that garment with mono of its objection
able ones.
Tho coat and skirt style Of gown is a
very useful one for travelling, because the
coat can be taken off in the car and is
still at hand IL the weather changes suf-
f~iciently to make it necessary.
These suits should be as plain as pos
sible. The gored skirt is better thar that
with an attached h~ounce, because it does
not get out of order so easily. The coat
should be made as simply as possible,
without any fancy r~evers-those can be
added II necessary-should fit well, and
not be of too heavy a material. A light
gray serge or tricot is very good, and
dark coiors are better than light ones.
The best style Of hat to wear when