The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-31
f Fashions DEGREES on What to Wear;
Gossip on Subject Of Pretty Gowns

been in the direction of more snowy effects.
The extreme stylishness Of ermine has
helped toward this end, and the fashion for
the use of braids and passementeries on
furs has done the rest. The latter trimming
is overdone at times. for putting heavy
braids passementeries that are rich with
gold or with brilliant and contrasted col
ors on fur garments must be guided by a
trained eye, or the results will be unhand-
some. and suggest that the wearer went in
for display at any cost. Pretty samples of
current Jackets are put here by the artist.
In her small picture is a sealskin held with
SNOWY buttons, and IN the next picture are
a squirrel jacket trimmed with sable and
black ornaments. and a looser jacket of
squirrel, trimmed with ermine and black
and gold passementerie. A long wrap of
Russian sable appears in the concluding
picture. 1t was one of those garments
whose price seems almost fabulous Its
richness so evident that the only trim
ming needed was lace at the cuffs.
1t seems curious that in this season of
especial elegance in furs there should be
obtained particularly fine lot of goods
woven in imitation furs, and that these ma
terals should have secured good stylish
standing. Some counterfeits of ermine are
passable in appearance. but they hardly
rank as high as do others, probably be-
cause the real ermine is so very stylish for
trimming. The limitations of chinchilla and
astrakan are not only close. but the goods
are Endorsed by stylish dressers, and APP
pear in the best of company. There is shown
in the second of to-day's pictures wrap of
chinchilla cloth, trimmed with martin fur
and chantilly lace. Such a wrap compares
very favorably with one of the real fur
when new, while the counterfeit is said to
wear better than does the real pelt
New silks are marked by luster and soft
ness. VelvetS of the admirably light
weights are to be made up into spring
gowns. and those who can afford such
dresses should rejoice, for certainly the
current fashions in velvet dresses contain
much that is worthy of continuance. The
newer velvets include great many striped
weaves. but there also are numerous fig
ured sorts, the figures large and standing
out pretty clearly. for the most part. Dur
ing winter stylish dressers have preferred
the figured to the striped weGves, but for
spring costumes it is expected that the sit
uation will be reversed. Certainly the
striped velvetS are handsome lot, and the
like can be said of the soft silks put for
ward for wear in the warmer weather.
Surely, if slowly, tightneSs of skirts about
the hips is disappearing. Throughout the
current season concession has been made TO
admirers of tight skirts, but this has les
sened steadily and it looks as if before very
long she who insists on sticking to this
style will only adverties her independence.
More and more of the new forms of skirts
have included establishment at their tops
that increased the bulk there, and as model
after model was advanced. the bulk became
franker and increased in amount. Now the
skirts in which a woman with hips of the
outlines counted for the past few years as
fine cannot have wide choice of models
IL she is bent on displaying these outlines