Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-08
FOR UP-TO-DATE WOMEN
The Rare and Happy Knack Of Making Over
Old Gowns.
RemodelfnE Last Winters skirts and
Sleeves-COats That Are m
Good as New.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

special correspondence Of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, January 6, 1898.
Nothing is quite so satisfactory as a well
made-over gown, and nothing is rarer This
is so truly a winter in which gowns can be
ntted to prevailing modes, provided taste
and skill are not lacking, that it is worth
while giving the subject some time and at
tention. For not money alone is saved by
an economical use of materials. One may
have more gowns for house and evening af-
fairs
About the first of the year one begins to
long for something fresh. Usually ones
street gown is provided for, and is salts
factory. If of good and strong material il
should be suitable for all occasions this sea-
son and in a condition to remodel for shop
ping and travelling next winter. / am
speaking, of course, of the large majority
OF women who have not legionS of gowns,
half dozen for every different occasion
So we may assume that street gowns are
well out of the way. This is as 1t should
De, Tor tailor-made gown should be re-
modelled at home only upon the rarest &C.
casionS.
Presenting, then. that We will only take
for making over those of our gowns which
are of soft material, or such as may be
dyed or cleaned satisfactorily without great
expense: We must start with good cutter
and litter. and some knowledge of our own.
to bring about the required Result. One of
TIE LlOSl Important 10 a MADE
over gown is the paper pattern. For if it is
made at home one must be used.
RemodeIing the Skirt.
Skirts are much narrower, and it takes
only little ingenuity to adapt the fuller
skirt of the last few years to the model of
today. Once in while one may be cut
over without taking apart eEtirely-that
is, the pattern may be so laid on that the
unnecessary fullness may be taken out at
the sides, the back gathered into as mar
row space as the weight of The material
Will allow, and the bottom not changed at
all. But one must be clever. indeed to do
this. and it depends upon the fuilness OF
the skirt Just at present skirts are much
longer and to make the old ones touch
depends upon the adjustment of the pat
tern to the material on hand.
Sleeves seem to be a problem to many
women, and to a novice this is ineXplicable
as 1t would appear that such an enormous
amount of material would cut over most
acceptably into d smaller size. Such how
ever, Is not the case, and although one
clever woman of my acquaintance does
simply rip up her old sleeve, press ii and
lay the pattern on it somewhat higher than
the wrist of the old model not every one
would md this success Indeed, some
dressmakers and tailors. too. contcrd that
though they can take out some of the full
ness, they are powerleSS to greatly alter
the shape of an old sleeve. This depends
entirely on whether 1t very small or
rather narrow from the elbow down and
whether it is a material with a pattern in
IL winch must run exactly up and down.
1T Is quite true that one cannot make the
fanciful styles of new sleeves from the old
ones, but In many instances they can be
made very much smaller and quite "A DIFF
ferent shape, and long enough to droop over
the hand If need be. simply by putting the
pattern high up on the Old sleeves instead
of trying to make the elbow and wrist
come in the same place. If you insist upon
this the next time you are confronted with
the complaint that sleeves DO not make
over well, you may be able to convince
your modiste that there is a rick she has
not learned. This, however. is an opti-
mistic view TO take of her desire to learn
your methods.
Hints for the Sleeve.
Many sleeves this winter are of material
to match a vest and collar, with an Elton
jacket, or other over-jacket effect of a
different material In fur, for instance
one sees velvet sleeves and a Russian
blouse of Persian lamb or a royal purple
velvet blouse may have heavy tucked
Tin or silk sleeves. Yokes and sleeves
of white tucked satin. with bodices Of
black and white. have beer mentioned in
this column. One woman of ingenuity
took the large sleeves of her Persian lamb
coat, ripped them out first and cut them
off little above the wrists, enough to
leave a generous cuff. Then she took
the jacket and tops of the sleeves to her
1urrler and emerged soon after in q Per-
sian lamb blouSed coat, with fitted back
JeWeled belt and silk sleeves with wide
cuffs of fur. Her coat was now in the
fashion. but it had not been an ineXpen-
sVe affair. although the cost was trifing
compared to that of a new garment. No
one would have suspected that the bloused
front of her coat had been a pair OF enor-
nous sleeves, and she thus triumphantly
obeyed Dame Fashion and escaped the
pricks which conscience would have given
had she ceased wearing costly fur SIM
ply because it did not conform to the mode
of the hour.
Stylish Garments.
The tight-fitting coats with circular
skirts can be easily made over into new
and handsome garments. 1t requires only
the changing of the sleeves to more mod
est dimensions-very much more modest,
in fact-the addition of a belt of jewels
or ribbon or leather where the circle joins
the body of the coat and the facing or
trimming Of the rather large lapels with
lace, silk or something which will hide the
fact that the coat is somewhat tighter
than those worn now.
The making over Of evening gowns is
always simple matter, so little need be
said on this subject. They should be
flounced and fsiled and the bodice covered
with lace, net or some even more brilliant
trimming
AS for the separate waists which we
have worn for the past few years. they
may be refurbished year in and year out
and no enc will be the wiser. A woman
of my acquaintance who was brought I'D
to utilize all her handsome BELONGINGS
although the family purse is full, has worn
for three consecutive winters bodice Of
rCSe-coored satin. No one would dream
this. for each winter it has been yelled in
a different chiffon or net, which was cut
according to the prevailing mode. Thus
it las been consecutively green. black and
ecru, and l confidently expect to see ii
many winters more. always a different