Year: 1878

Ine graceful dress with pleated basque and
retrousss oVer-skirt, is one Of the most popular
Farisian designs for fall dresses that may be
worn either in the house or street The
french modistes use this model for various ma
terials-for silks, for cashmeres, wooleu mix
lures, and especially for the plaid wools that
are to be so largely used this winter The new
pleated basque is far longer than those worn
last season, and is laid in lengthwise pleats all
around, not in the front and back merely, bat
out also under the arms. These peats are
turned toward the middle of the Cor
sage, and this brings q box pleat under the
arm. The yoke Is improved in shape by being
pointed before and behind; it is quite short on
the shoulders and fits the shoulders smoothly.
while the more bulky pleats are added below to
give graceful fullness to the bust A wide belt
OF stiff belt ribbon is added or else some stiff
lining is covered with the silk used for the
trimming. Plaid and striped belt ribbons will
also be used on dresses of plain material.
These pleated waists will be found pleasantly
warm for the fall and winter, and their warmth
can be increased by lining of thin paper
muslin in the pleated parts aad of thick
twilled cotton in the yoke; this also adds to the
durability and indeed, is necessary to strength
en- loosely woven goods. In some instances
the English standing collar with turned-oyer
points is used, in others the turned down
Byron collar, and it is not considered bad taste
to use both. The sleeves are close coat shape
with a neat cuff.


The retrousse overskirt has long apron with
simply draped sides and back. The pretty
effect of bell drapery. like the pointed folds SO
often seen in upholstery, is given to the sides,
and the back spreads out In wide curve on
the fan train. A wide band of silk or of the
dress material is cut the shape of the lower
part of the overskirt, is lined with thin crino-
line muslin to stffsn it and is turned upward
and sewed in place. Sometimes the top of this
band is piped with two or three pipings of silk,
but the lowed edge is never trimmed, as that
would spoil the effect, and make 1t too much
like an ordinary border. Still another pretty
way of trimming this retrousse band is that Of
putting row of large buttons aud mock but
ton-holes near the upper edge. A band of en-
broidery or of galloon may be laid near the top,
or else standing ruffle will be used as finish
for it. The long walking skirt with fan will be
retained for carriage Costumes and for house
dresses, but short skirt escaping the ground
will be added to this overdress when the suit is
designed solely for the street.


The earliest importations Of fall wraps show
sacques or coats for plain garments for general
wear, and mentles for dressy wraps. The new
loosely woven cloths called cOatngs, containing
several colors blended into one will be made
into cut-sway coats for early fall weather and
very simply trimmed. India cashmere and
camel's hair cloths will be chosen for mantles;
black, steel gray and dark blue will be the COL
ors used. The trimmings will be marabout
passementeries as fluffy as feathers vet made
of silk, and sometimes frightened by beads or
0rnamented with tiny pendant drops, balls, and
buttons. These will form the headings for
pleated laces and for the new fambsau frnges
of crlmped tapes twisted in spiral shapes, like
so many small cockscrews


Merchants differ about the use Of beads.
They all think fine jet will be worn again, but
more carefully than Of late, but they differ
about retaining the rainbow and garnet beads.
Very handsome inlaid buttons are being i'm
ported in color5 to match costumes Very
small jet buttons will be sold by the gross for
trimming single dress of black silk or of
wool.


Heavy square shawls for early fall use have
the smooth centre of black, brown, or gray,
with broad bourette or other rough-fgured
borderiin which appear the gay colors of In
dia Cashmeres. Others are all of one color
and are finished with handsomely plated fringe
and on some the deep fringe is in bright Scotch
plaid colors. The reversible shawls, different
on each side, are very thick and warm. Striped
shawls have richly shaded borders. The trav-
elling shawls, long, fine and soft, are in clan
tartans, and are most liked in combinations Of
green and blue.


A novelty for morning wrappers is very
fine quality of flannel, which is called camels
hair flannel. 1t is In the dark colors now worn
in stripes on white ground; the most effective
shaded stripes are grenat, blue, bronze, gray
or black. For still handsomer wrappers Is
loosely twilled cashmere In stripes of Persian
colors and various Oriental designs. Prune,
garnet, sapphire, bottle green, and ashes Of
roses are the colors of plain esshmeres now
being made up al wrappers at the furnishing
houses.


The plaids most largely imported for ladies'
short walking dresses are of dark grave coors,
arranged IN what merchants call fancy plaids-
meaning that they belong to no special clan.
These will probably be most popular here but
Parisennes have caprice this season for wear
ing the regular Scotch clan tartans that Worth
has been makingi all summer for Exposition
dresses. In these tartans every line, bar and col
or follows design that has been in uss for gen.
erations, and which is never varied. The tartaus
that are most used in Paris are the Forty-secoud
with its combination of blue and green the Ar
gyll plaid, the gay Mackenzie tartan, with lines Of
red and yellow amid green and blue, the Fobes,
the Malcolm aud the Macleod. In the pleated
waists and kilt skirts of short suits these plaids
ate disposed in most effective ways; sometimes
q certain bright part OF each plaid is brought
out on top of each kilt pleat or single broad
square forms the yoke, the cuffs or the pocket
OF the dress. The only trimmings are buttons
and pipings Flat gilt buttons the color Of the
yellow Etruscan gold, and engraved like pure
gold, are used on plaid dresses. The belts are
wide-indeed, rather too wide to be becoming
to the figure-and are fastened by square gilt
buckles.


The merchants who have returned from
Paris are unanimous on one matter at least;
they all speak with enthusiasm Of the short
walking dress, and of the graceful designs in
which it will be brought out this
fall. The short skirt is by no means
confined to thepleated kilt which win
be most used for plaids; this skirt is heavy
when made of winter goods, and consequently
many ladies will use instead the round gored
skirt, cut short enough to clear the ground.
For the waist double-breasted coats will be
worn, fastened by from three to six buttons and
cut away at the top and below the waist line to
show vest of different material. Dealers
show various materials that are design es-
pacially for vests, such as corduroys, quaint
small figured brocades and Oriental stripes
For the house, dress skirts will be longer and
wider, with the fulness forming paniers and
bouffant effects Conservative ladies will be
sorry to give up the graceful princesse dresses,
hence they will be more abundantly
trimmed with drapery in the way of scarfs and
aprons, to give them an appearance Of fullness.
Polonaises OF new design are shown, and there
are basques with overskirts and others with
single skirt trimmed to simulate an overskirt.
Two materials will be again used in new COM
binations, and the economical reader will be
glad to know that most of the dresses of last
season can be remodelled easily and without
great expense.