Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 November 1892 — BELLES OF THE BALL. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BELLES OF THE BALL.

WHAT THEY WEAR IN THE METROPOLIS. Some of the Revivals in Minor Fashions for Ball-room Toilets—A Device to Which Stylish Women Will Take Kindly—Powder Balls. New York Fashions. l>ew York correspondence:

OCIETY in the metropolis is getting its clothes ready for thedancing season, and all women will like to know something ' about the fashions that will prevail at the very modish balls. So,when you look at the initial sketch, imagine that the pretty gown has a corsage and sleeves in very pale Nile green pongee silk, trimmed with satin of

lhe same shade, and a black velvet trel-lis-work applique. The skirt is of dark preen merveilleux, arranged with black velvet trellis-work to conespond. Furthermore, when your eyes rest on the second picture, try to realize that the woman is in an ante-room ata ball, and has not yet removed her rich wrap. That showiest of outer garments is, in this case, made of beige-colored cloth, trimmed with lace, lined with whitefox fur, and t mbroidered with a largo bow, holdings multi-colored bouquet of the rococo style. Broad ecru guipure lace forms the sleeves, and is pleated under the triple Watteau bow. A revival in miner fashions for ball toilets is that of the ancient “girdle mirror.” It has been added to the things a woman may bang at her side. It is a more sensible thing, I am sure, than a pair of shears or a bootjack, and we seemed on the road to those. Why should the modern woman be so shy about using her mirror in public? Everyone knows she must have recourse to one sometime. It argues small interest in her escort if she ceases to be concerned about aer appearance just because she is out of reach of her home

mirror. Much more frank and attractive. too, is the old fashion of carrying a hand-glass at the belt, and referring to it frankly whenever one fancies. Such use need not convey vanity, but merely a flattering desire to please. Surely a man cannot but be pleaded to note that a lady adjusts her love-locks while he is approaching. Besides, the details of a woman’s toilet are always fascinating to a man. While she studies herself in the glass, he feels that he can in turn study her, sure that her attention is taken up, and that he can endeavor to satisfy his hungiy eyes without offending or seeming to stare. By all means add the girdle mirror to the trinkets you wear at your belt, and u j e it, too, in the intervals of the dance. A representative ball lo'.let is shown in my third picture, and its ingenious peculiarity is that it has an effect of Watteau short-waistedness without any real sacrifice of waist length. That is achieved by wrapping the lower bodice lightly round with a piece of the goods. Stylish women will take kindly to this device. Not more than one of us in a dozen can wear the genuine short-waist Josephine gown, but all the rest of the dozen will wish to, and if they do they will look like the dickens. It is not a fashion that adapts itself, and the one will look the lovelier by contrast. Positively you must not wear corsets nnder such a gown. You may wear a

soft belt-like arrangement, but it must in no way change the natural figure. It must only support it and give it stability. The average corset pushes the figure up to emphasize its lines and to get all breadth possible away from the waist. The real Josephine gown wants euite a different disposition of figure. Go look at the A enuses—the old-time ones. See that fullness about the body just above where we put the waistline. Well, that is what you have not go’, and what the other women haven’t got, and it is what the one woman in the dozen has got. That is what makes the difference between looking as she will in a Josephine and looking badly. The ball gown here depicted is ‘ a happy escape horn ail those difficulties. The required taffeta petticoat is a serious addition to the- expense of one’s get up, and we can not all afford it Home-making does not reduce the expense sufficiently, especially if we want to have a lot of dainty things. Here is a way out of the trouble. Look over your old party and summer dresses. Many of them are silk. Those that are

I not worn out are too short skirted for the present fashion, but the foundations are just right for petticoats. Have them cleaned il need be, and remake them if they do not seem to be hung just right. i You will find yourself with a pale-blue skirt, a rose-colored one, a pale-green one, an ecru one, perhaps. If-you want a particular cne, or if the silk seems faded, have it dyed the color you wish. Dyed silk is always a little stiff, but that is that much more like taffeta, by the way, as far back as in the reign of Charles IX. the underskirt was made very handsome. It was called the cotillion. Presently came the dance in- ; tended to display this petticoat. So it I you want to be quite right and very fine besides, I am sure you may call your taffeta a “cotillion." My readers may like to know that powder balls will be fashionable this season. This is a very pretty variation of a fancy ball, and is far less trouble to get up. It-is not everybody who wants to go to the expense of an entire

fancy costume, but no one can object to paying a little extra attention to the way they do their hair. Powder is so un,versal)y becoming that ladies are always pleased to have a chance of assuming it, and every one seems to look their best at a party of this kind. The origin of powder is uncertain, but it has been arcribed to the fact that when the court ladies went to see the country fairs at St. Germa’n they noticed how becoming was the flour with which the players used to cover their hair, so as to give themselves a droll appearance. The ladies notice ! how the whitened hair set off the coloring of the cheeks and gave an added brilliancy to the eyes, and they borrowed the fashion from the players, rowder was worn for neatly two centuries, so that there is a great variety of choice in the style of hairdressing one adopts at a fancy ball. The last two sketches show toilets suitable for powder balls, and at Iho same time good for other occasions of full dress. The s'ngle figure is in a lovely toilet, with a petticoat of white gauce, embroidered with bunches of mauve flowers and a plain plisse white gauze bodice. The trimming, as designed. is made of pansy, pearl-gray, fresh butter, striped faille, and of pale mauve ribbon ruche also on the Watteau court train, which comes from the shoulders; the gloves are gray. One of the other pair is seen in white-spotted tulle, with white roses and white satin ribbon as trimming; also a white satin bouilienne along the lower hem of the petticoat and train. The sash is of iron-gray surah. The final example is a gown of pale-blue damask trimmed with sapphire velvet; white lace plisses complete the pett coat. At a powder ball you may wear the towering head-dress of the days of the King George whom the Yankees whipped, or have the hair turned back over a cushion like the Watteau shepherdess, or comb it back from the face and tie it at the nape of lhe neck with a bow of black ribbon. Then there are the beauties of

Sir Joshua Beynolds’ time, including the coiffure of I’Angelica Kaufman, with the pale-blue ribbon or ropes of pearls twined carelessly in the flowing tresses. The process itself is not very agreeable, but the result repays the trouble. The hair must first be dressed very firmly and covered with grease, and the powder should be thrown down adundantly from a height Sometimes a white wigis preferred to powder, and in this case the natural hair must first be combed away from the face and secured in assmall a compass as possible at the topof the head, a little cosmetic being applied so as to prevent it from slipping down. The face must be slightly made up, or the effect of the powder will be tootrying. First, cover the face with glycerine or cold cream, next rub in some rouge with a piece of cottonwool, beginning at the cheek-bones and working gradually downward. Now powder well, and outline the eyebrows, if requisite. • The patch gives the finishing touch to the toilet, and requires tobe adjustea with care. A patch must never be put on a line of the face, or it will appear to extend it. It should leput near a dimple or under the eye. on the upper lip, or near any feature which happens to be especially prettv. The patch may be circular or crcsjen'tshaped, or the wearer may pationize some of the quaint designs of goodly size wh eh weie indulged in by the belles ot your great-grandmother’s time. A coach-and-six or a ship in full aa 1 was a comm n object on a lady’s face, and birds, cupids, or even demons, were all pressed into the service. Excellent patches can be cut out of black stickim: plasie - . Modern dress is worn at powder balls, ijrd while, lavender, pink, or black look particularly well with pow dered hair. Grntlemen wear ordinary evening dress, but a white waistcoat and a flower in the buttonhole are imperatively required at a powder ball. copyriKhtea, i.nrJ. The first book issued by the Institution for Savings in Newport, Mass., on the first day the bank was opened, Apr ! 5. 182 P, and still in the possession of the family of the ueposcloi', Was received at the banking rooms recently lohave the interest added. The original deposit was S2O, and no more deposils were made. The interest to datr amounted to sß9s. E. F. Scott,one of the wealthiest colored men in Virginia, went to Clifton Forge several years ago without a dollar. He now owns eighteen houses and lots, a hotel and a large amusement hall, and is putting up a large buildin ; on Main street. He also runs 1 a wood and coal yard.

A BALL WRAP.

AN EFFECT BY DEVICE.

FOR A FOWDER BALL.

TWO MORE.