Year: 1861




in the form and trimming of dresses, and one
which will create some commotion among ladies
short and ladies tall, ladies stout and ladies small.
This change has not been brought about without
struggle. For year past the lelding queens
of beauty and of fashion-those women who look
lovely in any bonnet and every dress-have en-
delvored to introduced the gored skirts, formerly
worn by their stately grandmothers Their eff
forts were unavailing for a time, and many ladies
hoped the thing would fail. But the devotees of
gored skirts persisted, and the year 1861, spring
and summer, will witness their triumph. The
gored dress will soon be the rage, aud from spec
linens seen Yesterday, one feels compelled to say
that it must be extremely becoming, especially to
tall figures. A strange fact in relation to these
gored dresses is this they have not been worn
since the DAYS of the American Revolution. Our
patriotic grandmotlIos of those glorious days
wore them and now this unique fashion has re-
turned to adorn the daughters of another day
of revolution. Truly, this is noteworthy freak
of fashion.


But the gored dress of our time is slightly diff
ferent from those of the past. The dress of
eighty years ago had but two breadths in the skirt
and the waist was directly under the armpits,
while the one of 1861 has from six to seven yards
width aroud the bottom of the skirt, and a cor
sage elegantly fitted, being neither too long nor
too short. For morning negiige. the skirt and
corsage are cut in one piece with tight or half
bishop sleeve. For dinner dress the corsage is
detached in front, thus relieving it OF its morning
robe appearance. The sleeves and skirt are richly
and elegantly trimmed. From three to eight
small hounces are worn on the bottom of the
dress-the corsage very high and plain, and some
times open at the throat, surplce fashion. Ladies
must remember that all elegant dinner and even
ing dresses will be made with the open flowing
sleeve. All negli9e and promenade dresses viii
have the tight 2uffed the half open coat tsleeve.
The mousquetaire collar and cuffs will be very
much worn for morning costume, but small linen
bands will be more fashionable.


The new dress goods for the coming season are
very chaste and beautiful in pattern. In silks
and bareges the ground colors for promenade are
various shades of gray, brown and green; but the
grays seem the favorite colors. English bareges
will be made in gored dresses, having one large
founce on the bottom of the skirt. English
grenadines-a much more elegant and expensive
fabric-will be made in seven or eight founces.


A lovely silk, entirely new, is one called the
Prince of Wales Plume. The design is a white
curled ostrich plume, with a few leaves of "for
get me-not' entwined, very royal and showy, and
certainly very tender, on plain ground. These
silks may be had in all the favorite colors. The
color of the "forget-me- not" leaves varies with
the color of the silk, and is always the same as
the silk, but the plume = white in ALL This is
the silk of the season, and many pleasant rccoi-
lectons doubt, will revive in the hearts OF the
wearers of the gracefel youth it will recall TO their
minds. Another new feature in silks is, the mar
row stripe-the pin stripe, as it is called-which
will be IA decided favorite: This silk comes also
in the various leuding colors. A very handsome
fabric for late spring and summer is the Mozam-
bique cloth. This will be worn a great deal for
travelling dresses 1t will be made up, of course,
in the gored pattern, and will make the neatest
and prettest little gored mantle 10 match that
ever delighted an elegant woman's eyes. The
color of the Mozambique cloth is a soft gray with
a siken gloss, and the material is of that most
desirable kind for ladies', which never looks
tumbled-a sort of wiry softness. This cloth is
nearly two yards wide, and is only 81 80 yer
yard.


THE BoSSErs-These beautiful things-the
bonnets--are, thank Heaven, no smaller than
those worn in the past season. The new Paris
shape is very distingue, but it will disappoint some
of the ladies who are trying to introduce the fiat
Marie Stuart fronts. Ladies have tried very
often to introduce the Marie Stuart, but must
yield to fashion, and console themselves with the
thought that the Marie Stuart bonnet is only be-
coming to young and handsome faces. and that
, is the reason they will not take. The new shape
| for the season is worn very high, close TO the
lower part of the face and slopes very mucl, from
the tip to the crown. Ruches will be worn
STILL but not generally. The hair will be worn
in curls and in oraids, in the bonnets, was the
fashion before rnches came in vogue. They will
however, still be worn in some of the most stylish
bonnets. The trimmings for the bonnets will bs
simple-lace and small flowers, in clusters and in
loops on the top. or nearly on The top of the
bonnet as it is possible to Get them. Fancy straw:
will be very much worn this spring and summer
A great many costly ones have been imported
~ Y Tribune


The CLoAKs AND MASrLEs.-The cloaks fol
the season will have nothing startling or new ex
cept bias circular, very long and very full
which has hood or an indescribable shape, anC
which, as the saying Is, must be seen to be ap
preciated. The ladies may, however, form som,
idea of it by supposing large circular cape
gathered in fan shape in the centre, and havin.
the ends folded up and trimmed with very larg'
rosettes. The garment is'the Princess Mantle.
Black silks and ladies' cloths will be very mucI
worn in paletots, with deep plain capes. a new
article for summer wear is the Grenandne shawl
There are not many Of these pretty shawls i'm
ported, but they will form a very gay feature il
summer fashions. They are to be had in pur
white, black, with brocade border and raise
leaves of the most striking colors, and also il
blue and hrowu