Omaha daily bee., 1898-11-13
FASHIONS NEW COQUETRIEs.
Distinguishing Features of skirts,
Stockings and Jewclry.

Stockings and Jewclry.
NEW YORK, Nov. 10.-Was there ever a
time when the doctrine that beauty un-
adorned is adorned the most was more dis
counted than in this autumn OF fashionable
grace? The prevailing theory of modish
beauty is not only to walk in silk attire. but
to actually ransack the ages and spoil the
chimes In order to add one more nounce or
spangle to that hopelessly complicated prob
lem, the smart toilet.
AT the present moment women are max.
ing their final, and to be sure its a feeble,
protest against the oyerdress, which from
an omlnous promise has grown all at once
into a mighty fact. There are dressmakers
SO secure in their faith that the overdress
has come to stay that they will turn away
n customer rather than make n skirt without
train and drapery. Their argumen Is that
to turn out SO old-fashioned a garment as
n straight, undecorated, short skirt would
be equal to an admission of tagging In
fashions rear, and 1t is better 10 lose a Gus
toner than suffer so deep a disgrace. The
customer usually goes off In a rage and i'm
agining n vain thing, to return humbly in
a few days and order the inconvenient trap
pings that the old tyrant Fashion has de-
creed.
There is no denying that. the overskirt
is a pleasant relief to the eye grown tired
Of straight lines, and that a good many
women are the better in looks for the
kindly IL uncomfortable draperies. So far
no hard and fast rule has been made for
the hanging Of the overskirts. 1t may take
the form of f%lounces, put on in the Louis
XIV mode, 1t can be a redingote, or you
can attach your extra frills to the long
tolls OF your basque, and thus cast the
extra weight Of wool or silk on your shoul-
ders. You can If you like revive the polo
naise in whose honor, as an all around
scrviccable and graceful garment, too much
can hardly be said, and you are advised to
have your polonaise, redingote. or whatever
you use, of a figured goods over an UNDER
skirt Of a solid tone. Tailors are elated
over effects In checks and scotch plaids
upon plain material, or they braid the over
skirt until it must be confessed that some
of their new dresses are intolerably heavy.
1t Is better on the whole to rather fight
shy Of the tallors and trust to the dress
makers art, for in silk or the lighter woods
the overdresses are not so hard to carry,
though many are loaded with Jet on velvet
and the exaggerated embroideries Of the
season.
Aids to Home Millinery.
In justice to modern art and extravagance
in dress, 1t must be confessed that the in
ventions for aiding women who have not
long purses or the benefit of accomplished
artisans in the building of hats and gowns,
are multiplying without limit. 1t Is per-
fectly easy to drop in at any good shop these
days and purchase not oaly a hat but the
wired shape and sewed velvet facing, or
brim fold or binding, also to procure all
the bows needed, and those made up by
the most skillful hands and hold at a reason
able rate.
Ostrich and other feathers are set forth
on counters made UP In charming panaches
and clusters and caught by jeweled orna-
ments or velvet knots at their bases. At one
counter it is quite possible to buy a black
brlr1 rade OF a felt braid and at another
a pudding. Holbein or Ruebens crown of any
col red velvet, or embroidered silk. TO put
these two together, to aflx the requisite
bows and place the plumage is the simplest
m%aneuver, and no expenditure Of labor or
taste is required; the hat fairly grows Of
itself and the price is just about half that.
OF a chapeau trimmed by a milliner.
An enterprising hat designer is interesting
the women with a theater bonnet that de-
serves consideration. 1t Is a rather fiat
capote. OF velvet bows and flowers, and at
one side Is q handsome oriflame OF ostrich
feathers. When the wearer Of such a bonnet
settles In her orchestra chair she Is apt to
create CONSERVATION In the playgoers behind,
but as the curtain goes up she relieves their
suffer!ngs by calmly uprooting the cluster OF
feathers and holding them in her lap until
the curtain drops on the final tableau. At
this she settles her feathers once m3re where
they belong and 1t Is all done by means Of
a simple catch somewhere In the velvet bows
md a fguy nrnnuo al th, ho,a - Ala A---
OF plumes.
For a long period violets have had undis-
puted reign as the flowers to be used in
touching up black hats and in the making
OF little bonpets. In the last week or two
pansies have begun to assert themselves, and
In a sort OF joyous surprise over the posi-
bilities Of this flower women are wearing
them on all sides. A black velvet hat with
a knot OF yellow and black pansies against
the hair where the brim fits Is a most ac-
ceptable novelty. Lovely crown bopnets,
made all OF shaded blue or purple pansies,
are seen at the play and the art OF the
Hover maker has never been seen at greater
perfection than in the ~colorlng and shaping
OF these blossoms.
Flower BOnnets.
The enterprising attitude of the pansies
mas set the violets on their mettle and II
one wears them at all this season one Sc.
lects the tender blue Pyrenees violets or
those strange reddish purple ones that are
copied after the Persian violets grown in
but small quantities in America. Most at
tractive among the little flower bonnets are
those made wholly Of begonia leaves and
blossoms. Coral b~egonia, with its polished
foliage, Is exquisitely initiated in silk and
velvet and more than ever Is emphasis laid
on the heads OF pins that fasten on such
gorgeous little topknots. With some OF
these bonnets they sell pins with enarneled
flowers heads to exactly match the bios
SONS in the toque. A Mauser bullet OF
highly polished gold or silver and tipped
With a diamond spark is another oddly.
while most interesting Of all are pieces Of
agate, selected and cut to resemble as
nearly as possible the ball Of the human
eye and surrounded by a fine line Of dia-
monds. Gold beaks OF birds with a pebble
OF jade caught in the points and tiny tigers
heads In the most brilliant enamel are. in
true or mock gems, the most popular of the
hat skewers.
Last year gun metal was easily the dom
inant novelty in jewelry and some hand
some effects are still achieved by sinking
In its polished dark skin on umbrella ham
dies, buckles, buttons. etc., tiny colored
Jewels or diamonds. Very soon, however,
the public VIII find q new treasure in col