The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-07-05

which it has enjoyed for several sea-
sons past; a popularity which it has
well merited. Manufacturers have
succeeded in giving to these cloths q
softness, fineness and suppleness which.
will insure them for long time to
come the preference over other mate
rails intended for the same purpose
Moreover, cloths have an infinitely
varied gamut Of colors. For the spring
the range of colors known as pastel"
have been abandoned Their bril-
liancy would appear insipid amid the
spring yerdure, and brighter, more
pronounced shades, more in harmony
with the gold and silver embroidery
which will be the principal trimmings,
will be preferred to them.
Shining Embroideries
These shining metallic embroideries
are also borrowed from the Louis XVI.
period, and there is no fear that their
use will bring back the stupid fashion
OF "parflage," the most ridiculous pas
time in which idle people killed time
in the past. 1t consisted in separating
the gold threads from the silk threads
IN the gold braids then in use, and
selling them for profit The mania
spread to such an extent that people
used to buy new braids for the pleas
ure OF picking them to pieces, and, of
course, the profit" amounted to loss!
Absurd as this may appear, the fash
ion ragged with fury as long as it last
ed; and there yet remains testimony to
the fact in the shape of some pretty
"navettes" of gold and silver, artis-
tically turned out, which were the
tools devoted to this futile work, and
are the delight of collectors.
These gold and silver reflections on
our modern toilets may shine with the
ephemeral fash of a season. But pref
ty women of the world are quite aware
that their cast off clothes will never
increase their income. There is no
| need of durability, or of tho intrinsic
value formerly required Of dress ma
terials or trimmings, which often con-
stituted their sole beauty. Fashion
has rated these solid virtues very low,
preferring to them the Thousand pretty
and fragile graces, delicate in all their
| details, precise, finished with that lie
ma sails quoi Parisien," which gives to
woman a superlatively harmonious
line" and a perfect gable"
Description of Dresses.
Up to the present, what fashion in
dicates as probable is that corsages
will be worn extremely tight, and the
blouse form to which we have been to
some extent accustomed will be no
longer the order of the day. The cor
set, which plays so important a part
| in feminine toilette, must, consequent
ly, be absolutely impeccabIe in cut,
with the same tendency as hitherto to
be perfectly straight down the front
! and curved at the hips, at the same
time f1attening them as much as pos
sible. Fashion requires a woman to
be slender, flexible and tall How
many are laboring to obtain this type
OF outline; what coquetries, what sub.
terfuges are developed to achieve the
result!
A very pretty costume is of pastel
blue cloth. The corsage stops at the
waist, being cut pointed both before
| and behind. 1t is composed of two
parts, one, in cloth, forming a short
bolero opening On one side, with lapeI
kept down by Louis XIV. bow in mar
row black velvet, and fastened in
| front by a dead gold buckle. The I'D
| per part Of the sleeves, as far as the
elbow, is also of plain cloth. The re-
mainder Of the corsage, the apron and