Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1894 — GOWNS AND GOWNING. MUCH ELABORATHE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GOWNS AND GOWNING.

MUCH ELABORATHE.

WOMEN GIVE MUCH ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY WEAR. Brief Glance* at Fanelee Feminine, Frivoloo*. Mayhap, and Yet Offered in the Hope that the Reading May Prove Beetful to Wearied Womankind. Geesip from Gay Gotham. New York correspondence:

EVEN the most rabid dress reform fiend must weaken at the spring display of frivolities. Never were there such dainty colors, never such feminine fripperies in fanciful profusion of fashion as just now. The tailor-made girl may content \ herself that her \ Frou Frou sister is jK a foil to her own gentlemanly severbut she can’t help a little gnawing notion that the

Frou Frou girl is perfectly sure it is the tailor-made one who is the foil, and may be both are right. One wrinkle which the elaborated damsel exhibits is a sort of satin bodice, fitted without a front seam and opening at the side or the back. These are worn under delicious little guipure coats, the coat turning away at the throat in deep revere and being cut sharply toward the hips from the bust line. A crisp spreading panel of lace is set along the waist line, finishing at the hips where the little coat stops. The coat is sleeveless having spreading epaulette pieces that fall over the puffs of satin. The latter are met by deep cuffs of the satin covered, or not, with guipure. The little coats are marvels of fit and set, being really molded piece by piece to suit the form. An elaboration of the same effect outlines the figures of the laoe with silk to match the satin under bodjee, and the whole makes one of the prettiest fancy waists. For the past few weeks so much attention is given to the outdoor toilets of spring, that house dresses get the go-by pretty effectually. But now, however, consideration may be secured for dresses to be worn indoors, and this second picture portrays a tasteful model made of gray silk and trimmed with black spangled bands. The bodice hooks in front and has a plain plastron that hooks over and leaves the

top open in imitation of a square yoke, on either side of the center. The collar, cape and cuffs are made of brown velvet that has a slight green tinge, and are trimmed with jet spangles. In addition, collar and cuffs are edged with yellowish old lace. The four bands that come down the front are embroidered with jet, finished at the top with small velvet bows and with tiny rosettes and jet fringe at the bottom. The gored skirt is plain. It may be the envious ones who do it. but if so, they are many, for it is very often whispered that the lovely scarfs which are so much worn and which present such an elegant appearance are really one of the most economical of dress devices The reason given is that the scarf is so big and handsome that beside it nothing but the hat is noticed. While black ones edged with white lace are greatly in the majority, both white and turquoise-blue scarfs are shown, edged heavily at the ends with yellow lace. As yet they are not generally worn, but the white ones are sure to gain great vogue for wear with light suits, and already they are counted upon as accessories to the white broadcloth and duck tailor-made gowns that will find their way to the races and to the tops of coaches in the gay summer times that will soon be here. But leaving discussion of the merits and modes of scarfs, we come to a promenade dress, seen in the third illustration, which is certainly beyond the need of any accessory to shadow its own characteristics. Made of silvergray bengaline and trimmed with cherry-red silk, the gown is cut princess, hooks in back, and has a bell skirt lined with soft silk. Across the top, in front only, comes a fold of the red silk drawn through slashes that are piped on both sides, or that may be

buttonhole stitched. The dress is draped at the left ( side and held by a red silk rosette. There is as yet no sign of small sleeves becoming fashionable, only the bigness now tends to the plaintive droop, rather than to the aggressive sticking up and out Of course, the drooping sort accommodate themselves much better to jacket sleeves than do the others, and so it seems like locking the door after the horse is stolen to now propose a jacket which will go

over these huge affairs without missing them. Yet not till now have we hw a jacket that will do thia It fits with great precision front and back, and is made almost in two pieces, one front and one back. It gees on queerly enough, because it fastens along the shoulder seam on the right aide and under the arm on the left side. This does away with the necessity of putting the big undersleeve through any armhole of the jacket To accommodate this queer cut the jacket sleeves are, of course, slit all down the puff at the shoulder, though the cuffs are whole, so the jacket goes on through the sleeves first and then is fastened for all the world as men get into their trousers. The fastening of the gigot part of the sleeves is not hidden and very handsome buttons are displayed. The sleeve on the right side opens on top. while tnat on the left opens on the under side, but buttons are put on the top of each and the fastening beneath is “blind." Every effort is made to simulate the usual fastening for these jackets, and some are actually provided with practicable buttoning down the front, that the jacket may be worn open to the wonder and dismay of the beholders. But woe to the girl who fails to fasten the front when she removes the jacket, for in such case the

garment straggles off into a Chinese trick thing that will make a lunatic of the coolest-headed escort who attempts to “assist you with your cloak.” The blouse waist seen in the fourth picture has the huge d rooping sleeves which are now so fashionable. The blouse's material is yellow and blue striped silk, and it is full in front, but fitted in back with the tullness laid in a few pleats at the waist. All the fullness of the sleeves is drawn toward the outside of the arm and held in place with a stuff rosette. The standing collar and the cravat bow are made of black satin, and the jabot is white lace. Around the waist comes a black satin belt, tying in a bow at the side. The skirt is made of blue serge, is very wide around the bottom and is lined with blue silk.

A long search will find no more handsome gowp than the one portrayed in the last picture. The fabrics composing it are red mousseline chiffon and black satin duchesse. The garniture consists of velvet in the same shade of red as the chiffon and jet embroidery. The bodice has fitted lining and hooks in front, the fastening concealed by draped fronts of mousseline chiffon. The latter is ac-cordion-pleated and comes in back and front. The sides are made of figured satin duchesse and the bretelles are of velvet, embroidered with jet They are slashed on the shoulders and form two tabs behind, one falling over the sleeves, the other just beside the armhole seam. A belt of satin duchesse fastens in front with a large fancy jet ornament having a deep jet fringe. The full puffed sleewes have a drapery of scalloped chiffon frills that continue down the front to the point formed by the bretelles. The latter must be wired at the edge, besides being stiffened. The skirt measures five and a half yards and has a panel front of gathered

chiffon trimmed with two bands of appliqued tulle lace. On either tide of this front are plain pieces of the figured satin lined with taffeta, to which the train is attached. The latter is finished around the bottom and UP the sides with a twenty-inch band of velvet, a chiffon niching and jet passementerie. If desired, the train can be thinly wadded, as that would make the folds heavier and richer. The back breadths of gowns are to be slightly stiffened, and therefore you should know that the average crinoline washes with no effect except that of increased stiffness. Another thing which not everyone knows is that really good satin washes as well as does wash silk, and adorable little summer gowns are made of daffodil satin with lots of lace insertion. Yellow is one of the colors that washes well in almost any material. Copyright, ISM. The internal temperature of trees has been investigated in Belgium by M. W. Prinz ; who finds that, as a rule, a large tree is warmer than the air in winter, and a little colder than the air in summer. The mean annual temperature of a tree is practically the same as that of the surrounding air, but the monthly means differ by several degrees. Heat changes are transmitted slowly to the heart of a tree, the temperature of the interior differing sometimes as much as 30 degrees from that of the air. When the air temperature is below freezing point the temperature of the tree appears to. remain just above the freezing point of its sap, and in the hot days of summer the internal temperature was not known to vary more than 8 degrees from 59 degrees. A few years ago a number of scientists of New England made a calulation as to Jhe amount of water given to the atmosphere by the “ Washington Elm, ” Cambridge, Mass. They calculated that the leaves of that tree would cover over 200,000 square feet of surface, and that they gave out every fair day during the growing season 15,500 pounds, or 7f tons, of moisture.

HOW'LL THIS DO FOR INDOORS?

SOMETHING NEW FOR THE PROMENADE.

SLEEVES WITH THEIR BIGNESS ON THE OUTSIDE.