Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1892 — WELL-DRESSED WOMEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WELL-DRESSED WOMEN

TO BE FOUND IN NEW YORK AS WELL AS PARIS. Gowns Gamltured and Set Off In the Most Simple Style—Very Handsome Ball Dress for Young Person—Elegant Dinner Costume. Etc. Fresh from New York.

may be the recognized center of the world of fashion, but it is no longer true, as Mrs. Trollope no e remarked, that it is necessary to go there ; to see the perfectly dressed woman. There is quite as muoh wealth and luxury, quite as much refinement of manners and physical B race ln the cap- “* ital of tho now f**- world, writes our * New York corres-

pondent, as in that gay and frivolous city, which constitutes the Mecca of those who pursue pleasure. Tho fashionable American lady is rarely willing to accept the latest French styles without considerable change and modification. This fact proves New York to be a genuine capital with modes and manners of its own. Now that the season is at its height, the woman of fashion is to be seen at her very best, and I can’t help noting that ball, dinner and reception dresses have steadily maintained their simplicity of make-up, relying upon the elegance of material to attain fine effects. In my initial illustration, for instance, you will possibly be struck by the simple style in which the gown is garnitured and set off, and yet the effect is altogether charming, for it would be difficult to find a more lovely gown than this very one —a pale-blue satin with a collar in pleated ’cream silk gauze, and ruches of the same on the sleeves and bottom,of skirt, the ceinture being of cream satin. Besides satins, Louis XV. brocades and the heavy Louis XVI. failles are extremely modish for evening wear. These elegant fabrics are often set off with fronts of white tulle embroidered with floss silk, or with multicolored pearls In Byzantine style. The overskirts worn with evening costumes are either of silk muslin in two colors, black or white tulle sparkling with spangles or stars, or of gauze dotted with metal butterflies. For young persons, crepons and silk muslins trimmed with lace and

set off with satin ceintures In delicate tones are in great vogue. In one instance I saw an exquisite toilet for a young person, which, contrary to the usual dictum that flowers belong to the twenties, feathers to the thirties and lace to the forties, was beautifully trimmed with a light fluffy feather ruche encircling the bottom of toe gown and running up toe side to toe waist. You will see this ball toilet partially pictured in my second illustration. At the shoulder there was a bunch of the feather trimming which was in cream-white, while toe gown itself was in a delicious pale-green. The floral ornaments of gowns are usually geraniums, Persian lilac, heather, eglantine and hydrangea. When I hear the men railing against the elegance of our toilets I am reminded of the Abbe Gobelin’s protest against the beautiful gowns of Madame de Maintenon, who,however, was not yet toe famous woman she was destined to become, but plain Widow Scarron. Said the Abbe: “ You should dress more simply and in this way overcome your inordinate desire to please.” To which the lady replied that she was really dressed as plainly as a little country girl. “I couldn't make my costume any plainer; there is not a ribbon or a piece of lace that I could do without.” But the confessor refused to be convinced. “I don’t know what it all is,’’ said toe priest, “but when you come to confession

I see a mass of material sink down in front of me, and it is altogether too graceful and becomes you too well.” To return to that fascinating subject, ball dresses and their concomitants, I shouldn’t fail to remind you that pearls have been all the rage this season. If you can afford the real gems, so much the better for you, but toe imitation are good enough for some of us. Anyway, you can’t very well use too many of them. They should be worked into toe berthas and twists of thin material which are applied to toe edges of corsages, and they may also be sown over the dress itself. A pearl necklace made up of three or four strands is very good in its way, but the modish thing is toe dog collar, and it brings out the beauty o' a fine skin in a most delightful manner. I don’t suppose I need warn the brunettes against the use of pearls. They are the exclusive privilege of the children of the North, With whose blue

eyes and golden hair they accord deliciously. My third illustration pictures another charming ball gown, made up in crepe de chine and gamitured with ribbons. There must be a foundation skirt of taffeta or silk of the same color out very bias and lined half way up with muslin or a thin woolen stuff. The crepe de chine is caught up on both sides, as shown, with small bouquets. The skirt is gathered at the waist, with most of the gathers thrown to the back. The puffed rucking of the bottom of the skirt is made of straight bands of the crepe de chine gathered on both sides and sewed on with reversed seam. The ribbons which spring from the ceinture are tied with bows, as indicated.- The corsage consists of an adjusted lining covered with the puffed material, the decollete being edged with a small ruche made of the head of the upper puffing. The gores are only made In the lining. The ceinture, composed of interlacing ribbons, doses invisibly on the right with hooks. The puffed sleeves are ornamented with ribbons. The right shoulder has a bow, the left a small bouquet. Lace continues to hold its place as a favorite garniture, and the modes of using it are many; the only restriction being, don’t get too little of it on the costume. It takes the shape of Louis XIII. collars, berthas, flounces, panels, jabot effects, torsades, and draperies. With a white gown you need a white nainsook or surah underskirt trimmed with Valenciennes. For full dress the

silk stocking in harmonious tone with the costume is rigorously insisted upon, the black stocking being üßod only with the street toilet. For evening dress the white glace glove, with fourteen or sixteen buttons, leaves a portion of the upper arm visible. Gloves which are worn under the sleeves havo this in their favor; they conceal absolutely all the defects of plumpness. In my fourth illustration you will find represented two charming toilets, the one i n the left a dinner dress and the one on the right a ball toilet. The dinner dress is made up in black tulle with pompadour figures over a silk foundation. There is a deml-train which is trimmed with a ruche gathered in tho middle and fastened at the top and bottom. The skirt is caught up in such a way as to produce a wavy effect. The corsage is polntod, lined with silk, laced at the back, cut square in front and partially covered with a velvet ilgaro ornamented with pink feather trimming; short velvet sleeves over those of tulle. The fronts of tho flguro are hooked to the corsage, and may either constitute part ol it or be put on separately. Tho ball costume is mode up in Persian lilac satin, a shade of pink mauve. The high, flaring collar is in silver embroidery, stiffened and fastened to the neck with reversed stitching. The tabller is in silk muslin, embroidered with silver, and is sewed on one side and hooked on the other. The tablier also forms tho plastron. It is lined with white silk, and the scollops at tho bottom are orna-

mented with a silver fringe. The long train has a thickness of flannel or thin woolen stuff between the material and the silk foundation. Tho girdle is of silver filagree, and has two long pendant ends at the front. It has long been a mooted question whether a lady of fashion went to a grand dinner party to please the host or herself. Certainly thero is no particular pleasure In attending such an entertainment; rather Is it from start to finish a stiff, ceremonious and unsociable proceeding, interrupted by awkward pauses, long waits, and the arrival of thoroughly Indigestible food. Therefore, would it seem more logical to claim that tiie lady of fashion goes there to show her dinner dress, a gown which, barring the low neck and short sieves, often surpasses the ball toilet in magnificence. Even If you never have an opportunity to wear one of these elegant gowns known as dinner dresses, yet you will not be disinclined to examine the beautiful creation pictured in my last illustration. It is the genuine thing, rich, harmonious and intricate, and is made up as follows: A straight skirt, a corsage with paniers, both richly embroidered, and a train trimmed with swan’s-down, tho corsage also being trimmed with tho swan’s-down, which frames the Vshaped cut-out at the back after it leaves the front. The embroidery consists of an applique and gold stitching. The folds of the train are supported on the underskirt by a ribbon band. The train itself is made up of the back pieces, with the round sides turned toward them, they furnishing the requisite fullness. The Watteau fold springs from the middle of the back. The pointed corsage hooks in the middle, one side crossing over the other. The leg-o’-inutton sleeves are embroidered et the wrists and are tight from the elbow down and puffed at the shoulder, but not much raised. The band of swan’s-down which ornaments the side that crosses Is not sewed to it, otherwise the corsage could not be put on, but it Is fastened at the lower part of the waist. In putting on the dress pass the band of swan’s-down over the head. The population of America increases by 7,000 persons a day.

BALL TOILET FOR YOUNG PERSON.

CREPE DE CHINE BALL DRESS.

BALL COSTUME AND DINNER DRESS.

FOR DINNER PARTY.