Evening star., 1898-05-21
DRES SES FOR CHILDREN
Much in the Style of Those for Grown Up
People.
Sailor Suits Again the Rage-Shfrt
Waists for Little Girls-Made-
over Clothes.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

special Correspondence of The Evening Star
| NEW YORK, May 10. 1s9s
| The up-to-date woman cannot nowadays
| pay quite all of her attention to her own
| gowns. making for her children simple slips
| of gingham for morning and white slips for
| afternoon. The children of today are
| dressed very much as their elders are
| Their fashions, for this year, indeed fol-
low so closely the trimmed models preva-
lent among grown ups that they lose al
| most entirely the sweet simplicity which
| one associates with childhood.
| As long children yearn for the posses
sions of their elders and Dame Fashion
| aids and abets them by the models she puts
| forth for their wear the sensible mother
| will have difficult time reconciling her
! own ideas of the fitness of things with the
| eager plea for advanced styles which will
| reach her from the nursery. For children
| are often more critical and more observing
than their elders, and also keenly SEN
| sitive to the comments of their playmates
upon their apparel
| The blouse waist for little girls was most
charming, and fortunately it has not disap-
peared from their fashion plates as it has
| from ours. Little frocks with plain skirts
and blouse waists of light woolens are
found among gowns for girls from eight to
| fourteen years of age Girls under eight
| are apt to be chubby. so for them a ga
brelle effect is more popular
| The skirts of gingham, cotton lawn or
silk gowns are made with a gored front
and side breadths and plain back or a
gored front breadth with straight breadths
| at sides and back, or plain skirts simply
| fuled in at the waist 1t will thus be seen
| that in skirts there has been little change.
Pretty Waists.
| The prettest waists are made with
| yoke, and this yoke may be of the most
| elaborate material, or it may be of plain.
sheer muslin, embroidered, plated, shirred
or tucked. 1t is a good plan to have one
| little skirt with suspenders, rather the
effect of suspenders simulated by straps of
the material across the shoulders to be
worn with muslin waists. This convenient
and sensible fashion is as popular as here
| tofore. and is of great advantage during
the summer months If laundering is a mat
| ter to be considered.
The sailor suit well knowp and beloved
of children at least dozen years ago is
again to the fore. and in it the little sister
may dress much as her little brother does
and thus follow the example of sisters of
an Older growth The sailor suit of today
| is made of serge or cheviot, and is braided
not only about the collar, but round and
round the blouse. well as round and
round the skirt. The sleeves are made
very small and over them is a round or
pointed can. also ornamented with braid.
For chlldren's gowns there will never be
anything more becoming or youthful than
the Sunnpe and the yoke and that
euimpes, yokes and ssshes are very pep
ular most mothers will have many of the
little gowns made with either one or the
other and a sash adjuncts. The yoke
ana sasheS, however, are quite as hecom-
ing to girls who have passed their four
teenth year. One of the prettiest models
shown this spring is of Yale blue CASH
mere. with a yoke of dark red silk The
sleeves of the silk, ard the skirt is plain
and rather full About the waist is a sash
| OF tho silk. which may either be knotted at
one side, with ends hanging TO the hem of
the gown, tied in bow in the middle q
the back.
Seem So Grown Up.
The shirt waist is a perfect delight to
growing girls. One Of them who received
one lately on her ninth birthday rapturous-
ly showed it to every one as my first real
shirt waist" She preferred it to several
handsome ornaments which had come from
a generous cousin, because it seemed so
grown up" Shirt waists for children MAJ
be bought in any size. and a great
dea! of bother on the score of dress, for
they can be worn endlessly with a skirt
and coat These skirts should always have
wide belts, which may be cut in various
pretty and ornamental ways, pointed for
Instance. And from the belts there should
be straps of the materials going over the
shoulders. The straps may be buttoned on
with fancy buttons. and will prove a great
help in keeping the weight of a chiId's
skirts on her shoulders instead of about
her tender waist.
Chiidren's coats are usually made in
either REFER or Eton jacket effects. Open
blazer coa-s are not protection enough in
case of sudden changes in the temperature
Double-breasted coats, half-fitting in the
back. with strap from one under seam
to the other, buttoned down to hold the
coat in, are very popular Like their ell
ders in these days of silk lining little folk
have their coats lined with taffeta of some
gay weave. Children under ten years of
age do not, as a rule. wear these coat and
Cly yirf ncfrr hx,< fIaxr
ready-made for children from that age on
ward, and they solve a great problem for
the anxious mother. They can be bought
quite reasonably, but. of course, they can
also be most successfully made at home
Re ady-made garments for children have
solved a long-mooted problem, ana now
adays there is more leisure in the house
holds Of busy mothers who were once
children.
An Eye to Economy.
But If economy is to be considered. 1t is.
oe course far better to have a seamstress
and make the clothes at home One can
secure excellent patterns for every model
shown in the shops.
Dark blue linen is much used for chill
dren's gowns, and the sweet old fashion of
lawns with insertions of lace over slips of
a contrasting shade are again to the FORE
These slips are usually made of lawn al
though one can have them OF lining in any
desired shade. and some extravagant moth |
ers think silk none too good for their pets.
With many mothers the good old fashion |
of making over gowns for children is |
still much practiced. This is an excellent |
and sensible way in which to make MANY |
OF their clothes. But looking back at her |
own childhood. and remembering now she |
hated ''cut-down'' clothes, may be a whole |
some reflection for the thrifty housewife. |
Ia the days of her youth she probably die |
not know the ways of economy She can /
obviate all discomfort to sensitive child !
however, and still attain her ends by sim.
ply having the materials to be made over
dyed. They can be dyed at home with /
great success, or. at an expense not very |
great. sent to the dyer's This will give n |
freshness to the cloth to be used and paci- |
~ any rambling feeling against left overs,