The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-08-25
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. V.AfeteenerANtNNIe3I
ELLEN OSBOR|NI'S nj.
FASHION LETTER. ~


Special Correspondence Of. Intelllsencer. q
NEW YORK, Aug. 24.-The exposition
aad the American tariff have had d
marvellous effect on Partisan dress
makers. II. t;s;5 s5i y
Never until this summer has an au-
iltnn model been shown by any one OF
the great Partisan houses before Au-
gust 15 and few, indeed, out Of the
hories Of Yankee. dressmakers who
cross the ocean every summer have re-
turned before the Arst Of September
with valuable Ideas. y 4; ~
Autumn fashions, 1t is true. are
shown, In New York, before July is end
ed-between-season freaks, designed to
catch the eye of the buyer from Way.
back; they carry With them no author.
Lty. Z. Il Id
But this summer Is an exception.
Frightened by the; increased customs
duties on gowns imported into this
country and the subsequent falling of
in American trade, Paris has seized the
opportunity offered by the crowd OF
american visitors to the exhibition and
has brought out to tempt their eyes her
newest and costliest and most bcauti-
ful.
The great show is a revel: of clothes.
Society women and dressmakers have
bought, and sketched and sketched and
bought, and the first. fruits Of all this
rummaging and ransaciiing are already
worn at Newport and displayed in New
York shop windows.
The exposition has hurried the sea-
son. 49, =. 4
But 1t has worked no revolution.
Radical changes In fashion are apt to
come in hard times. or when for any
reason women are now buying freely.
To-day women need no spur. to goad
them to extravaganza, and, accordingly.
the autumn offerings are beautiful, Ella
borate and fragile. but quite in line with
recent precedent.
The wise say that fashion Is hesita-
ting. Shall the next plunge be toward
Empire styles or the hoopskirt?
Skirts are growing fuller. What Is
to be done with the extra material now
arranged In plalts at the back of the
gown? Shall It be disposed In the flow
Ing lines OF the pseudo-classic, garments
in which Josephine delighted. or shall 1t
be expanded TO balloon-like proportions
over crinoline?
Everybody knows what Paris wishes.
For years she has coaxed and threaten
ed and pleaded She gave US eelsk!n
skirts because we refused hoops; now
she hopes to see the pendulum swing Of
It's own. accord to the opposite extreme.
Paris hates to refuse dare; and
women have. dared her to burden them
With hoops. But Paris is sometimes
discreet, and so she hesitates.
The autumn fashions are non-commit-
tai: they are worthy OF a political par
~ with platform to enuncIate. They
say everything and nothing. They
swing around the, circle. They promise
all things to all women. They leave the
way clear for move in any direction.
Among the new displays there are
tucked skirts. such as We have seen Al!
summer; there are Empire dresses for
all who will wear them, and there are
grotesquely, bunchily draped skirts,
such as were worn in the early 70s or q
little before that, when hoopskirts and
the big bustles that succeeded them
were in senile decay.
dress was lately made for 4 prominent
woman OF fashion. It consisted OF a
lace skirt with an overdress of q dell
cate green and white silk, swathed
across the front and caught at the LEFT
side at about the level OF the knees with
an enormous black velvet rosette. The
bodice, decked with fiscu OF chiffon
and lace. had a similar rosette on the
left shoulder.
Some OF the best OF Empire dresses
T.. r T.
Promise to be very becoming to slight
women. For her daughter Marion, who
has this week made her debut in society
at Newport, Mrs. Stuvycsant Fish has
had designed an Empire dress which
has a Skin; o. pink satin widening from
about half way down It's length into a
short train.p Over this comes tunic
OF pink Empire tulle embroidered with
small roses ard having deep emf
broldered shoulder.
The lower part of the satin skirt Is
Yelled with cream white tulle crossing
IN lozenges and edged with a wide
ruehe. The short bodice Is confined by
scarf Of yellow satin ribbon which
crosses the bosom. zen Ichur and is