Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1893 — TOGS FOR LITTLE TOTS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TOGS FOR LITTLE TOTS.

AN ARRAY OF VERY BECOMING STYLES FOR CHILDREN. The Na*Mt Skirts Are Having Their Ruffles Lined with Crinoline—ls Only We Could Dc Sure the Fad WUI Go No Fur. therl Gotham. Fashion Gossip. New York correspondence:

. ABEFUL dressing *is as evident in case of the children of t the stage as it is in their elders of the profession, the opera and tragedy queens. The initial illustration portrays a young exquisite as attired for public display, and just as mothers take pattern after the costumes of stage adults for their own r wear, eo they take ' the dress of stage

'children as models for their own little ■ones’ garb. Fashions for boys are now very handsome. Maytoe the boys don’t like their new styles as well as the mothors must, but that has nothing to do with their looking perfectly distracting. The original of the second pioturo was a boy of eight or so, sturdy and well put together. He had on his wellset curly head a visor cap of the admiral kind. His knee breech* s fitted well to his sturdy legs and a perfectly distracting “reefer" jacket finished the rig. The whole was in bright blue cloth, the buttons wore brass, and shone like the smile on the boy’s merry face. Just above the top button of the reefer a scarlet necktie showed. From the pocket in the jaoket tbe corner of a crisp handkerchief peepel, and his stockings were black and his shoes sturdy and boyish-looking. I can’t say he encouraged the admiration which his appearance created. He gave one young lady a reproving glance and then looked the other way with a smile, quite as if he were saying to himself, and meant her to know it, “You can't make any impression on me, my young person.” The little fellow just described was attired like, and looked, a little man, but many mothers prefer to dress their boys more elaborately. Such welcomed the Little Lord Fauntleroy costumes, and, now that they are out of style, they continue their rage for his sash and curls and a general notion

of picturesqueness for their small boys’ get-ups. Several little fellows have confided to me that in consequence they wish they were dead, bat they are a delight to any woman’s eyes notwithstanding. The last boy who confided in me can be seen in the third picture. He wore black velvet knee breeches, a very short Zouave sort of jacket edged around with a jetted braid, and that was worn over a shirt of fine white muslin, very lull and with a ruffle all down the front. The ruffled cuffs of the shirt turned back over the velvet sleeves. On his long wavy hair a Scotch cap was set, with a feather to delight any boy’s heart sticking up in front A bright tie was at his throat, and his stockings were silk. Yet this ungrateful small boy stood thrashing his switch about over his head and said that if his “man” did not take such awful good care of his togs, “girl things, anyhow.” he would have abstracted and buried them long ago. “And if he didn’t take such good care of me, I’d drown myself, I would, the next time ma had me put into the things. Why, there isn’t a boy on my block who will speak to me. The fellows who are got up tho same way by their mas are as ashamed as I I am, and the other fellows, of course, won’t know me. You can’t blame them, now, can you?” For Woman'* Wear. Turning from the little ones, the next picture shows a dress of white Indian erepon suitable for a young or middleaged woman, It has a bertha of mousseline de sole, embroidered with a satin stripe, plastron of white mousseline de soie. and flounce, collar and belt of maize velvet. The skirt is lined with silk or alpaca, and trimmed around the bottom with a gathered flounce of ribbon velvet to match the corselet. When skirts made of double-width material are lined with silk or alpaca, or any other lining of less width, the .lining is usually wide enough to cut the .side pieces, but not those of the front and back, A good way is to place a

whole width of the alpaca or other lining in the middle of the front, and add a sufficiently broad piece each side. This plan uses less lining than the usual method. The flounce and balayeuse can be gathered by dividing them in quarters and then dividing the skirt in the same manner, when the fullness can be easily arranged. A» the basque

Is covered by the skirt, it is sufficient for it to be two inches to two and a half long. The plastron starts at the Bhoulder, touching the collar, anmstops half way between the collar and the top of the darts; it Is covered with pleated mousseline de sole. The crepon fronts usually finish at the plastron, but they may be continued underneath if It is wished to alter the dress at any time. A bertha of gathered mousseline de solo follows the outline of the plastron, and is continued arouud the back of the neck and down the edges of the fastening to the corselet. The military collar is of the material, and is oovered with a piece of surah on the cross. It fastens in front. The corselet is made of ribbon velvet_wound twice around the waist; or a fcMidntlon may first be made of Victoria lawn, well boned and lined on which the ribbon is as though wound round the figure;!* can be fastened under the arm at the back. The. trimming of this

dress, viz., tho collar, plastron, and bertha, may be made separately in surah and lace, so that it may be used with any plainly made dress. The sleeves are puffed. A handsome evening dress of cream crepon, witih sash of satin ribbon, is sketched in the last Illustration. The bodice is made low-neoked and fastens over the skirt. It has a basque one and one-half Inches deep on the hips, two to two and a half Inches at the bock, and about three Inches In front. It is easy, however, to alter these dimensions aor •cording to the figure, and either to lengthen or diminish the length of the back and front points. It fastens In front, the hooks and eyes being hidden by the folds. One width should be allowed for the baok and one for the front. This would be sufficient for a person of medium size, but if the stuff be very narrow the width must be augmented. The bottom of the bodloe Is oovered by a ribbon forming a sash. The sleeve lining is narrower than the material and has two seams. The bottom of the sleeve may be drawn near the arm, with a piece of elastic run through the hem: the material is out In oa»e "piece and is longer' than the lining, so that it falls over at the bottom, and it should be draped with a few stltohes. A tomad piece of elastic holds the bodice tightly on the shoulder, the sleeve being fixed on the other side of the elastio, which it entirely covers. The skirt is trimmed with a little gathered flounce, the material for which ie used double, forming a pretty heading. The newest salrte are having their ruffles lined with crinoline, .and there is certainly a welcome crispness of effeot. If only we could be sure the fad will go no further than just crispness? But fashions never stop at their first pretty effeet; they go on and on tUI the hideous exaggeration is upon us. Then we are slaves to the fashion, amfl every one forgets the start of the thing,mnd groans under .what seems an unreasonable tyr-

anny. The exaggeration of the crispness is, of course, the awful hoop skirt and the yards and yards of stuff in skirts. Let us cling to the Empire, or, perhaps, It is better to say let the Empire cling to us. Of course, short walsis are no guarantee against hoops, for, in tact, hoops are bound to come. They came as a reaction the last time fashion took to clinging gowns for a time. So, if your mother has given you any old dresses, pause in your mad career and don’t cut up the wide skirts. Keep them a few months longer and you can wear them just as they are. At the sight of the first models jou will have to admit a charm of graciousnese in the fashion, and a suggestion of band-boxiness that is very alluring after our close-cLng ng, damp-looking notions of lato. A shabby silk petticoat can be made really swell again by running its ruffles with narrow ribbon in rainbow combinations. Not only will the rows of ribbon give fresh color, but they will lend a crispness to the skirt and to the dress over it. Copyright. 1893.

The Ice crush in the Ohio River sent $250,000 worth of coal, It is estimated, to the bottom of the turgid flood. Which Incident the thrifty gentlemen of the Reading coal combine will doubtless view as a ray of light from out the dark’ningclouds of courts. Injunctions and legislation leveled at combines in general and their own air-tight affairs in particular.

Some enterprising people propose to start, near the World’s Fair, a saloon that shall be decorated with death’s heads, skeletons, coffins and crape. The idea of furnishing a ready-made case of delerium tremens of the most somber type with every drink is certainly unique. If its novelty can obscure its idiocy it may succeed.

A MARLY GET-UP.

MORE PICTURESQUE.

DRESS OF WHITE CREPON.

A HANDSOME EVENING DRESS.