Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1893 — WHAT WOMEN WEAR. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WHAT WOMEN WEAR.

SOME RECENT DECREES OF DAME FASHION. An Intelligent Ch"»t About I-uce Old Combinations and Odd Effects The Neglige Cape Suggettlotu for Those Who Want to Dress Well. Styles for Spring. New York correspondence:

4 N the oraariientas ■ tion of the garSJ inents that have »■ been sketched for HaH this article, lace played an importer ant part. Its use I is general, yet a few women know how to discriminate intelligently between the many and grades,

Many women think that no lace that is not yellow is valuable; in othei words, that no “real” lace is made now, and that If you have no grandmother to give you some, there Is no chance of your getting any unless you steal it, or, perhaps, get a lucky chance to buy some. As a compromise you could get a good machine lace and wash it In coffee. This will deceive a great many people. Many believe that to refer to lace as “thread lace” is to mean that it is real, j and other women consider that there is ' no real black lace. Of course, it is not 1 necessary to know much about lace, because so few know anything, but if you want to hold your own, it is just as well to know how to chatter a little about | the genuine thing, and to be able to deplore with grace and confidence the use j of machine lace. The class of poople j who shudder at “popular music” used to be very impressive, but as soon us we all knew how to shudder in the right place the other folks ceased to be effective. I First, the mesh or network of real lace is likely to bo irregular, while that of machine lace is absolutely symmetrical. Just this much is enough to get you through to a limited extent in your criticism of lace. A certain value is attached to lace which was made before machines for lace making were invented, because such ago is an absolute

guarantee of genuineness. But some lace is made now just as it was in the beginning. There are only three ways of making all the varieties. First, and probably oldest, with the needle; second, with bobbins or pins on a pillow; and third, with a machine. The last imitates all varieties produced by the other methods. Now for a few terms. You should refer to the net or foundation of the lace as the “reseau,” and io the pattern as the “fleur.” This will be enough to make the average person you talk with treat you and your knowledge of lace with respect. You can fill in by phrases about tho delicate reieau and the exquisite detail of the fleur. If more is needed it will be as well to know that the standard meshes are the square or diamond shaped, which arc used in Valenciennes lace, and the sixsided mesh used In point d’Alencon. Chantilly lace has an odd mesh of foursided big holes with little triangular boles between. Another name for lace made on this reseau is point de Paris. Just study that over a little, for it is somewhat mixing. There are other sorts of reseaus, but these, will do. You don’t want to go into the thing too lar, because you will run the risk of understanding too much about it and being in the position of the musical person who really does shudder at popular music. It is a great deal more comfortable to be able to know when it is correct to shudder without really wanting to. After the reseau is made, the fleur, or pattern, is worked on it. It is In the working of the pattern that the chief difference between pillow lace and needle lace lies. The latter is the choicer. It has the distinctness of outline in the fleur, while the plilow-lace is Smooth and soft in outline. By just remembering this, you can, if. you are sure the other woman does not know anything more than you do, refer at random to a sample as bobbin, pillow, or needle lace. In the last the pattern is outlined by running a thread with (he needle in and out of the meshes of the reseau.

If the outline is to be very much in relief, it is either made with quite a coarse thread, or even corded with horsehair, as is done in the Point d’Aleneon. When the outline of the flpur is all done, then the rest of the fattern is made by filling in the outline. Tne point d’Alencon is ranked the queen of ail laces. It is the very choicest of needle laces. If you are well up in its characteristics, you will get through very well even on quite a detailed discussion of fine lace. D’Alencon has the greatest detail, and has to go through several stages before it is done. First, a design is prepared; then the design is traced through the holes of the leseau, and the outline thus made strengthened and emphasized by the Introduction into it of horsehair. When this is done the reseau is complicated

by twisting the threads of the meshes together here and there to make bigger holes, and thus a variety Is given to the mesh. The outlines of tho design or fleur are next filled in with a sort of button-hole stitoh, thus making a vary rich, heavy effect that is almost like embroidery, and contrasts with the delicacy of the reseau. That is a good sentence to memorize just as it stands. Be sure you are really talking about d’Alencon, though, betore you use it. Another thtng about this espeoial lace is that it is made piece by piece, and then the separate pieces are sewed together by an invisible seam—if you really want tho name of ' it, the “point de raccroc.” The making of all the pieces into one by means of the point de raccroc is called the “assemblage. " If you can get your grandmother to give you a piece of lace, and to tell you, eo that you may make no mistake, that It really is point d’Alen-

con, you can easily study up these points in its making, and you uro sure to get credit for knowing just us much about all the other laces. Besides, if you really get a clear idea of this queen of .laces—it is as well to become used to calling It that—you can make a fair stagger at talking about most any needle lace, because tho d’Alencon hns all tho possibilities of ail the other needle laces eomblnod. Different specimens of it will, of course, vary in beauty or vulue, according to age, delicacy of the dlflerent parts, and intricacy of design. So, even if you strike someone who is proud of having a piece of d’Alenctn you may, perhaps, crush them by remarking that were it not for the lack of graco In the fleur, the spoolmen would indeed he a lino one, or that it Is a pity that greater delicacy in the reseau had not made the beauty of tho assemblage more a matter of marvol. It is a great comfort to make a person feel mleerable that way when they ba\ e started to feeling good, and when you are sure that they don’t really know a thing more about the matter than you do. If you will read all this again and then spend a little time coaching up on some specimens, you can talk very safely about any one piece of lace, but if you wish to be more practical you will be interested in tho way tho garniture is employed in tho models sketched. A neglige cap mado of pale-blue surah, white lace, and narrow blue ribbon is the first of these. The ribbon is drawn through the crown three times, and looped behind as shown. The crown is full, and the shape is regulated by the ribbon. A pretty dress for a young matron follows. As designed, It was of grayblue sicilienne, the girdle of velvet a few shades darker, and the whole garnished with old, yellowed lace. The skirt was trimmed around the top with strips of velvet put on lengthwise at regular intervals, and trimmed with narrow lace. The lace fichu was held by a velvet bow in front and ihe ends behind fastened by tiny stick-pins. The sleeves were in two largo puffs and

were trimmed with a wide lace ruffle laid in pleats at the inner seam. The pointed evening bodice of the second picture had a full ruffle or Empire cape around the neck and the sleeves were full puffs trimmed with a wide ruffle of lace, or of the same material.

Further on the seated figure wears a neglige made of pink silk with fine white stripes. The skirt has a wide flounce at the top coming down almost half the length of the whole and edged with lace. The jacket is tight-fitting behind, but the front is loose and the lullness is confined by a ribbon belt. It is trimmed with lace und has a yoke-like arrangement of alternate strips of silk anc lace insertion, in ftont, finished with a gathered lace ruffle. The lutter forma a jabot in front and then continue! down the back, where the ends meet ic a point at about the center. A rlbbor is pas ed under the turn-down collai and is tied with a bow in front. Tighi cuffs of silk and lace insertion, trimmed with a lace ruffle, complete the sleeves The final example is a spring toile: with just a suggestion of the airiness o: summer about it. It is cut princess, and has a skirt which betokens a sensible wearer, as it clears the ground. The material is tan-colored whipcorJ. Then is a collarette of black velvet, short behind, but having tabs reaching to the bottom of the dress in front, and edged with a gathered ruffle of black lace about five inches wide, a narrower lace finishing the high standing collar. The skirl is trimmed with two ruffles of tan-cloti around the bottom and the whole costume is lined with silk. With the costume is worn a bonnet of tan straw, th< inner trim covered with black vehet It is trimmed with primroses, black lacc and an aigrette. Copyright. 18iM.

The Countess Louise Cianciana, it ii stated, now sells matches on the steps of the palace of Monte Citorio, where the Itailai meets, a body over which i,er husband presided as speaker some years ago. The Count was also one of Garibaldi’s most distinguished associates, Mayor of Borne etc., all of which is duly set forth upon a placard which the Countess wean around her heck while having matche? for sale. It Is not generally believed that Mr Gladstone smokes, but be does. It ii true that Le draws the l!ne at a cigarette.

D’ALENCON.

GUIPURE

VALENCIENNES.