Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1892 — FOR THE LADIES. [ARTICLE]

FOR THE LADIES.

That changeable diamond. The Marquise Lanza has a large number of exquisite and eostly jewels, among which may be mentioned a diamond pendant of thirty-two stones, a ring with two flawless white diamonds, three carats each; several beautiful garnets obtained by her father, Doctor Hammond, during the Mexican war, and last but not least, the stone purchased at Tiffany’s. This gem weighs five carats and glows pink at night, changing to a warm, scintillating yellow in daytime.—[New York Herald. THE EVENING CAPE. The evening cape is the latest freak of fashion, or rather the latest bit of our grandmothers’ apparel that we have appropriated to our own use. They are without question the most sensible bit of oddity that the eccentric dame who rules over womankind has ever advocated, for think what draughty places are all the halls and theatres in town. Nor are private houses guiltless in this respect. These capes are made of the same material as the dresses. They just cover the • low bodice and usually have high collars and are trimmed with either fur or feathers. They are also worn in neutral tones, not to match the dress, and look remarkably well.—[New York Press. VARIETES IN SUNSHADES. There are parasols in black satin, brocaded in wreaths of peacock feathers, also in black, others in bow-knots, and for light mourning some extremely pretty effects in black point d'esprit shirred in soft folds over India silk. The “little women” are provided for liberally in dainty little sunshades of silk in all colors, with pinked-out ruffles, some alternating with net of the same shade, and others entirely of net with flounces on their outer edges. Then, again, there are pretty and inexpensive sunshades made of imported sateen, with interesting little “Kate Greenaway” figures stamped as a borJer upon a solid color.— [Frank Leslie’s Weekly.

IT MENDS GLOVES. A very useful industry is that projected by a woman of ingenuity. She is going to have a little depot in a central west end street, where gloves can be mended (neatly and beautifully) “while you wait.” She also undertakes, for the benefit of people who want evening dresses in a hurry or who do not want to spend a ruinous amount in the making of a dress whose stuff is comparatively inexpensive, to drape, by the aid of needle and pins, these at her depot on the owner. All sorts of styles—Greek, empire, etc. —can be done for a moderate sum. She will also be ready, for a modest fee, to advise on all matters of dress. She will, in fact, be the editor of an “answers to correspondents” column galvanized into vitality. —[Pall Mall Gazette. SECRET OF A SWEET EXPRESSION. Perhaps the secret of the sweet expression and habitual serenity of the Japanese women can be found in their freedom from small worries. The fashion of dress never varying saves the wear of mind over that subject, and the bareness of the houses and simplicity of diet make housekeeping a mere bagatelle. Everything is exquisitely clean and easily kept so. There is no paint, no drapery, no crowd of little ornaments, no coming' into the houses in the footwear worn iti the dusty streets. And then the feeling of living in rooms that can be turned into balconies and verandas at a moment’s notice, of having walls that slide away as freely as do the scenes on the stage, and let in all out-of-doors, or change the suites of rooms to the shape and size that the whim of the day or the hour requires. The Japanese are learning much from us, some things not to their improvement. We might begin, with profit to ourselves, to learn of them.—[Newport (R. I.) News.

THE BELT. SKIRT. Fashion has declared positively in favor of the bell-skirt, but those who look over last with a view to the alterations by which they may be adapted to the present styles will find it necessary to change the skirts even more than the bodices of their old dresses. The fan-pleated skirts of last season are very much fuller, and require much more material than the tightly gored skirt with the slight train. So after the necessary alterations are made there is generally a good deal of the material left over, quite enough for new sleeves or any.changes in the "waist.” If a seamstress in the house is to "do over” these old gowns, the best way is to get her a good pattern of the skirt desired, and she will have no difficulty in arranging the old material to suit the newer lines. Luckily for one’s comfort, the old foundation skirt which added so much unnecessary weight to a gown has completely disappeared, and all skirts are now lined. Barrjig the length, there never has been a skirt cut that is so absolutely light, warm and comfortable as that of the present mode. By a simple arrangement on the three back seams of hooks and eyes, the extra length may easily be disposed of while walking.— [New York Tribune. FASHION NOTES. No girl of the period’s wardrobe is complete without an English box coat. Red feather boas are the newest, and, too, the most becoming thing in that line. A number of materials beside leather are used to make women’s shoes in these days. Chinese and Japanese dress materials would seem to have a strong hold on popularity. Toques as headgear are literally on top, with the big flare beavers a close second. Those very long coats give to small, stout women a somewhat ridiculous appearance. The best novelties in fabrics for the coming season have tucked, piped, corded and shirred effects in the weave. Short-trained sheath skirts have the trimming all around, while the longtrained skirt has trimming only on the fronts and sides. Jet was never more the vogue. It is used in great prof usion and in an infinite variety of forms on all sorts of gowns and millinery. Gold and silver passementeries are no longer the vogue and bead trimmings are taking their place. When the effect of gold is desired pure crystal beads are lined with gold color. A new material for tailor gowns is silk .serge so finely woven that it does not fray at the seams. It is usually in black and is made in a severely plain style without trimming and with all the edges finely stitched.

Round waists promise to be worn in all kinds of material. They are belted in closely, or curve with the taper of the waist, and have plastrons or vests, whichever are most becoming. Dresses for older schoolgirls are made almost exactly as they were last season, with plaited shirt waists or jacket waists, and plain and simple skirts, with or without a cluster of tucks above the hem. Dainty and dressy little muffs, hot often of fur, have been a very fashionable portable in bridemaids’ hands this season, superseding flowers and the white kid or satin prayer-books. Plain shawl-shaped tabliers, or those with shorter points at either side, have been made by two or three of the leading Paris dressmakers and may find favor for dressy Spring toilets. Ginghams in white, with hair-lines of color, and durable French cambrics in the same dainty effects, are shown for children, and there are many gay Scotch plaid ginghams, which are usually made up with trimmings of white embroidery, or to be worn with a white guimpe. In London the best tailors are making n decided-stand against the “scavenger skirt,” as they call the long skirt for street costumes. The skirt they recommend just escapes the ground and is made fuller than the present scant skirt. Many of the French ginghams are trimmed either with fancy cotton gimp in rows or points or with strong linen lace. Plain, unpatterned zephyr ginghams are trimmed with ruffles or the same fabric, daintily embroidered or edged with lace. An art gown seen at a recent dinner party was of black tulle decorated with narrow, fringed ruches of pale-blue silk. The sleeves and the deep frill about the low neck were of blue chiffon. About the very short waist was a wide sash of gale-blue silk falling to the skirt hem A recent novelty is the Watteau skirt, which has a broad triple plait in the back, flaring widely at the foot and extending longer than the skirt at the top. The portion of the plait extending beyond the skirt top gradually narrows to a point and is carried half-way up the back, where it is attached under a bow or chou of ribbon. The coming season will see the apoth- ’ eoeis of the button. They are in all dimensions, from the size of a small bullet to as large os a half-dollar. The richest buttons for dressy uses are in imitation of Roman, Venetian and other miniatures, and in their way are works of art. They are set with imitation rubies, pearls and diamonds, which gleam and glitter in a way that makes them very effective on rich fabric!.