The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-02
GRACEFUL SUMNER FROCKS DESIGNED ON \

especially interesting. These silks.
though they have never been entirely
laid aside. are truly Victorian In char
acter. and the turn Of fashions wheel
has accorded them modishness in place
OF the tolerance they have received for
many seasons past.
With the modishness has come
variety. The manufacturers have
given us all sorts Of designs in these
silks--no. not all sorts Of designs.
That would mean entire loss Of their
essential character. They keep their
neatness. their primness. The designs
are minute diminutive checks. very
narrow stripes for the greater part, al
though occasionally a large check or
plaid comes along. There are wide
stripes too. but these even when In
taffeta belong to class other than
the one We are considering.
These little checks and stripes are in
black and white. blue and white. gray
| and white. almost any color with
white, in black and color and In two
tones OF one color or in two contrast
| ing colors. A rather dark blue and
| sand color is popular at the moment,
and We have seen one delightful frock
| In a tiny check OF warm green and
! creamy yellow. Mulberry and ciel
| blue were the colors In piece Of mar
row stripe taffeta shown by a Forty
I sixth street dressmaker, and scattered
through the weave was a wee sprig
| showing only like a shadow on the
surface and not in contrasting color
a deliciously old time pattern that
called aloud for Victorian treatment.
These silks at their smartest are
made up quite plainly so that they
would he available for morning or
street wear. though chic enough to
give good service for informal after
noon wear. The idea that silken ma
terial relegates a frock to dressy uses
went out long ago and Is one of the old
ideas not revived along with crinoline
but the ubiquitous one piece frock Of
black or dark blue charmeuse is now
replaced by the frock of plain or
figured tafYcta. relieved perhaps by
wolfe or chiffon cloth.
The little checks or stripes are
usually made up without combining
OF other material. Their skirts nare
more or less emphatically. though
some Of them trust the widest fiare
to very long overskirt, while the
underskirt. though amply wide. MAIN
tains a certain reserve.
This type OF skirt is more becoming
to many women than the wide ski-t
all in one: and the overskirt model
that figures in our large picture is an
excellent one for tho woman who
wants the overskirt with her checked
taffeta. In this case. the silk was OF
gray and white.
Seif-trimmlng Of cords and silk
covered buttons was all that was used
but the ball buttons hanging from the
buttonhole by cords. the correspond
ing balls finishing the cords that
mark the high waist line in front, the
princesse sides. the high collar. are
all smart and good details. And. by
the way, this high collar and the cuff
frills are Of very sheer white muslin
and "A narrow black velvet ribbon acts
as cravat and ties at the left front.
Rather more sporty In it's severity
was frock OF much larger black check
in black and white, which also an.
pears in our central group. Here the
skirt was very full and flowing. the
lower part being set on a shallow hiy
yoke less full. though It too was full
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