Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1893 — POINTS ON PARASOLS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POINTS ON PARASOLS.

ITS WHIMSICAL POSSIBILITIES NOT ENDED. Qualuter and Lovelier This Season than Ever—Same Tendency to Elaboration as Last Year—Drooping Ruffles No Longer the Thing. Gay Gotham Gab. New York correspondence:

HE parasol has J ’ been the delight 21 of the frivolous 1 woman’s heart for several seasons. It seemed last year ip that the end had come to the whlmsi cal possibilities of the parasol, especially since ' the lamp shades pushed the parasol hard in effects and beauty, and that

this year we should be ordered to the plainest sort But they are quainter and lovelier than ever, and what is more, you can no more pretend last year’s parasol is this year’s than you can make the same pretense with last year’s skirt or hat. There is the same tendency to elaboration horizontally in the parasol that there is’ in everything else. Materials, too, have changed, so far as color and quantity goes. All the old ordinary tricks of trimming are scorned and utterly lack modishness. The top of the parasol is as flat as can be. It can be covered with a lot of ruffles, and it may be a pot-pourri of puffs, but the pagoda effect is all gone. It may have a little fence or hedge built up in the middle around where the stick would be, if you like, of upright laoe and ribbon, but the flatter the more correct seems to be the rule. Drooping ruffles no longer hang about the edge,so that you cannot tell whether a lamp or a girl Is beneath. The circumference of the parasol is increased by a framework of fine wire, but not the spokes of the parasol carried out. On this wire is stretched laoe, ribbon, or flowers, not in solid masses, but in cute little tangent caprices of ends from the main part of the parasol. Of course, they have no visible means of support and the sight of them should make one uncomfortable, but it does not. They look lovely. The oldfashioned tiny parasols of our grand-

mother's day are copied, and then increased to a good size by a ruffle of lace extended out flat all around on invisible wires. Following out the general idea of making things quite different from what they are intended to be, every effort is made in many cases to make a parasol as unfit as possible to keep off the sun. The Idea is evidently to let the sun through, and with this in view, insertion of very delicate lace is put around the circumference, or up and down following the line of the ribs of the parasol. These ribs that used to be endured are now made part of the beauty of a parasol, and they are not hidden by a lining. It is at last realized that the inside of a parasol is the more important part, and now the beautiful gold, silver, or enameled ribs thread their way shiningly through a maze of dainty ruffles that hang down from the roof of the parasol like a fleece of clouds. The stick is now a thing of beauty, and is of fine wood or enamel, or even of gold or silver all the way, instead of having just a handsome handle with the rest ugly. Handles are elaborately beautiful, and no expense need be spared. The girl who is really up in these things will have at least one special stick and handle all together, which is made to screw on to the various parasols she owns. It is not as long as the ultra sticks of last year, nor quite as short as those of the little old-fashioned parasols. . It Is of gold or silver, or pos-

sibly of Dresden. If of gold, It is either perfectly plain, widening a little at the handle part or elaborately chased and set at the handle with gems. Gems may also be set spirally all the way up the stick. If the girl cannot sport a whole stick of tnis kind then she will have a ball handle. These are big or little, and when of gold or silver are jeweled. The sticks of the parasols are then altered so that this handle can be adjusted when the girl wants to be very exquisite. All colors are shown in parasols. Those of rainhowed mull are dreams. Every soft color made still softer and mixed into a confusion of bright ruffles covers the top of the parasol. You think every color is there, and the rosettes of baby ribbon along the outer edge prove it, for they are made of all colors. Inside the ruffles of the parasol are all one color, taking, of course, a shade exactly matching one color used on the outside, or the outside of the parasol is perfectly plain, changeable silk, and underneath are set the myriad mull ruffles that make every use of the rainbow shades. These parasols are really marvels of artistic effect I know you think that parasols which are set thick with ruffles on the under side are going to look very ugly and baggy when they shut up, but they do not The ribs run Into a ring that is fastened around the ■tick at the top, and the place where

the ribs used all* to come together is now an open space, with just a bit of lace, perhaps, and a bow and a patent sort of network, and the parasol closes up on this network, and the ring keeps it a uniform size below. It is a little clumsy, but not baggy. Bags are to bp had of very dainty and soft silk of a color to match the parasol, and with a drawing String at the top in which you tuck the parasol, tying the string around the handle at the top. It looks odd, but it is right, and gives a man something to carry when you take out the parasol. After so much attention to an accessory of summer toilets, the dresses themselves should have an inning. The first picture shows two handsomo and very stylish models. The left-hand one is especially suitable for small informal dinners, and is very airy and dainty. It is cut prinoess from pale-blue crepe. The edges of the fronts are embroidered with a small design in pink silk, and loose piece inserted in front is embroidered with moss roses. It is cut down a trifle at the neck in front, and the embroidered crepe is arranged with

a knot over the bust. The sleeves have two puffs of the embroidered crepe and a long cuff of the plain crepe. The other costume Is in brown faille. The skirt is trimmed with three bias folds of velvet. The round waist is tight in back, but the right front has no darts and laps over, fastening with a velvet rosette. The bretelles are brown velvet, and form a rojind flounce in baok and continue along the right front, terminating in a point with the rosette. At the neck there is a plastron of lightbrown silk, pointed in front and round behind, which closes at the left shoulder. It can be made separately from the waist, if desired. The material used for the next example is silver-gray crepe de chine, trimmed with pale-lavender velvet. The bell skirt may be lined with lavender silk to give a changeable effect, or plain gray if desired. It is trimmed with three bias folds of velvet, the two upper ones are cut round and are sewed to the skirt only on the lop edge, so that the bottom flares a trifle and looks like two skirts. The round waist is tucked inside the skirt and hooks in front. It is trimmed with a gathered ruffle of crepe, which leaves a pointed opening at the neck. The sleeves have a very full puff of crepe tied a little above the elbow with a gray velvet ribbon and a long cuff of gray velvet. Around the waist is an Empire girdle fastened with an oxidized silver buckle. At the neck there is a full Jaow of velvet ribbon. A pretty princess walking dress is seen at the left in the third illustration. It Is for early morning walks in the country and at the seashore. It Is made of pink figured foulard; the back Is quite full and is gathered at the waist, falling from there in loose folds to the bottom. If desired the back can be arranged in lengthwise puffs above the waist line and the puffs separated by narrow velvet ribbons. The lining

in front hooks down the center and has a plastron sewed to it at the neck, composed of embroidery, insertion and strips of velvet ribbon, which gives the dress the appearance of being a cloak worn over a regular costume. The shaw collar and balloon sleeves are of plain foulard. The sleeves are finished with a lace ruffle. A dust cloak, made of pongee and trimmed with brown silk cord passementerie, is worn by the companion figure. The back has only one seam and the fronts are turned back and trimmed with narrow passementerie. The garment hooks in the middle. It has a deep cape trimmed with wide passementerie and a ruffle of pongee edged with braid and sewed on to form a point in back but parted in front. Around the bottom is a wider passementerie, which also forms the belt. The collar and cuffs are trimmed with passementerie. In the last picture are some bandsome parasols in which the specifications already described for next summer’s shades are faithfully carried out. Copyright, 1893.

FOR LAST DAYS IN TOWN.

FOR THE PROMENADE.

FOR COUNTRY OR SEASHORE.

BETWEEN SUN AND BEAUTY.