The times., 1898-10-23
Heavy Satin-faced Fabrics Are
Her Special FavOrites.
THE KEYNOTES OF FASHION
Gorgeous and Fantastic Wraps VIII
EnveIop All FuII-Dress Costumes,
Patterns of Early Victorian Period
Preferred-TuIIe Boas to Vie With
Feathers and Furs.


serve what a successful warfare she
has waged in defense-of the plain skirt.
This garment has gone through many
phases in many seasons. Ii has been
gOred and ungored to the last extrem-
ity. severely plain a habit, set in
the largest folds and in the closest of
gathers. 1t has been garnished with
braids. ribbons and jets: a deadly on
slaught of ruffies attacked IL at one
time. and fearful rumors of overdresses
darkened the air. but in spite of every
thing it has at no period lost its char
acter of a plain skirt. The modistes
have rallied against its severity. but in
all these changing seasons they have
been unable to effect anything like
genuine revolution. The carriage skirt.
1t Is true. has a train: the walking skirt
sweeps the street and is cut so tight
from hip TO knee that We seem to have
returned TO the barbarism Of the old
fashioned tie-back, still the plain skirt
remains practically intact, and fol-
small mercies We should be duly thank
ful.
a couple of weeks since the gas-lighted
shops were filed with customers who. by
special invitation, had dropped in to look
over the French novelties in evening
dresses. and there again the painfully
close tight skirt reigned all supreme.
Saving this single defect the Partisan nov
elites commanded sincere praise without
inspiring awe over any striking novelties
4uckinSs. pleating, gatherings and gau-
gins showed their familiar wrinkles fire.
quently; there were panels of lace and
passementerie, more exquisite applique
work, ribbon work and. strange but true.
there was plenty Of bright sequin decora-
ton Jet appears to score very high in
French estimation just now, and a charm
ing lightweight silk called moire messa-
line shared the honors with more sub
stantial fabrics. while nice effect in din
ner dresses was achieved by the use of
pale tinted satin faced cloth
The observer carried away with her i'm
pressions of several toilets that might be
easily called keynotes of fashion. There
Fas pale green faced cloth. cut so close
IN the skirt il was marvel how any
wearer could move in it. and decorated
with true love knots done in back lutte
string ribbon. 1t had pointed berthe of
heavy cream lace, studded with jets and
emeralds, falling about the shoulders.
and IN the hair was Set bow of wired
black velvet ribbon as big as the arms
OF a miniature Dutch windmill.
The second keynote for a youngish
woman, was plainly struck in a back
grenadine that was fun of fiounces
fIom shoulders to hem, broken only by
belt of flaming rose colored velvet and a
giant bow Of the same color OF chiffon.
caught through narrow buckle of coral
and fastened on the left breast. up near
the shoulder Every hounce of gG Iadint.
bore an edging Of jet and up in the hair
was perched I monster pompon OF rosy
chiffon
Another gown, that was calculated to
create havoc in the feminine heart,
seemed 10 be the first of a species of
which We are likely to see many copies
later on II was a tender blue moire,
cut with a glorious train. beied with
coral pink passementerie, flounced deli
cately with a gauze of the same tone,
and then entirely yelled, from shoul-
der 10 foot In white silk point d'esprit.
The yelling was gathered in rather full
just under the trimmings about the
shoulders of the bodice and. at back
and front, foated down unconfined TO the
floor.
Fantastic bows. mysterious ruffies.
and collars made of such airy fripperies
as tulle, chiffons and rose petals form
a very important part Of the evening
stock in beauty. There is apparently
an inclination. promising to develop
later the proportions of a craze. for
wearing flowers. both real and artificial.
Some Of the foremost leaders of society
have adopted the fancy of never ap-
pearing In public unless adorned by
some favorite and never varied blos-
som. Smart women will be recognized
later at an opera or theater by the par
ticular rose. violet or orchid worn.
just as marked as this eccentricity is
that of the women who have adopted
the lofty Medici collar Its use with
evening dresses is certainly a graceful
addition. and some of them are lined
with materials of surprising richness.
And now to say something on wraps
Evening wraps this season, to be ade-
quately described. require an unusually
enthusiastic vocabulary. They are at
once gorgeous and fantastic. We have
been going steadily backwards to the ear
ly Victorian period of late and the ele-
CANT evening cape is scarcely more than
a slavish copy of the quaint but often
sadly unbecoming pelerines and paletots
Of Queen Nic's young days Modern art
has done something, however, toward the
improvement of these models. while mod
ern luxury has enriched them with a pro-
fusion of tasteful ornament
fair specimen of the sort of thing
great lady may wear this winter to the
opera is a cape cloak of ivory white sat
in. falling to the heels and most artisti-
cally gauged and trimmed with two enor-
nous fiounces of accordion pleated chif-
fon, one pink and one blue, and inter-
spersed, at intervals of half a foot. with
clusters of sable tails. Endless frills Of
pink, blue and white chiffon lined the
garment, while great square collar
of turquoise blue chiffon reared up
about the ears. Hanging ends of thick
blue chenille tied this wrap under the
chin and then about the waist went
belt of sable two inches wide. This light
ly gathered in the fullness of cape in
the middle and under jeweled clasp the
sable ends were drawn.
So much for hat is costly Less ex-
travagant women wear of an evening at
tractive Monte Carlo capes made of satin
or cloth and fastened under the chin with
a bouquet of velvet roses. When the
cape is doffed at opera or ball boa is
often assumed, and women who know
how to make taste and economy go hand
in hand wear short boas made of pink
or blue tulle and downy with big black
or white chenille dots. Expensive tulle
boas show the tulle accordion pleated
and the raw edges finished with the fine
white furl of ostrich feathers, stripped
from the spine and applied TO the tulle by
some means known only to Partisan
manufacturers
Last years ermine and white fox capes
can be made as smart as possible by slop-
fng off their fronts and whipping on the |
inside edges wide full iounces of chiffon
or rich real lace There by the yay is |