Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — NEW SPRING COATS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NEW SPRING COATS.

GENTLEMANLY STYLES SEEM TO PREVAIL. Many Fashionable Models Are to Ba fca B*4 Elaborate Dresses for Home Wear—Meeh Attention la This Meath Gloea to Outdoor Attire. Fashion’* Foibles. Now York oomopondenoe:

ENTLEMANLY styles prevail In spring coats, and one of these, which is especially dressy, is a little covert coat affair made with loose straight front, double breasted or not, and a back neither bagging nor cut to the figure. These jackets are made of smooth mixed cloth, the favorite shade being a slightly grayLish brown. The •tailor-like collar has facing of brown

velvet and the sleeves are only full enough at the shoulders not to look queer. The little garment is in all ways well set up, severe and suited to street use. Many fashionable models are not so severe as the one just described, and two of the more feminine sorts are to be seen in the first two pictures. That of the initial is of green cloth trimmed with wide watered silk revers, and has a fitted vest and basque insertion of cloth embroidered witn darker green silk cord. The skirt is made of changeable velvet, handsomely garnished around the bottom with heavy cord ornamentation. The other is in a still more fashionable color, vandyke brown, and its material Is cloth lined with silk in the same shade. It fastens with three large buttons and has bell basques attached at the waist. The revers are machine stitched and are formed from the turned-back fronts. The turned-down collar is simply stitched at the edge. The circular basque is also ornamented with machine stitching, and the lower parts of the sleeves are entirely covered with it. Sleeveless jackets fastening along the shoulder seam, as well as down the front, are much in vogue for use over big sleeves, that will not go into even the big sleeve of a ccat ana that refuse to pass any ordinary armhole. These little jackets are made very trim.

They fit the figure with military exactness, are cut short at the hips and have several man-like revers at the turn-over of the collar. Some are made double-breasted, with the buttons set wide apart at the edge of the jacket A stylish modification of this same pattern has but one row of buttons, the garment crossing double on the breast, fastening along the right shoulder seam to the armhole and crosswise over the bust to the opposite hip. This is very military-looking. The fastening on the other shoulder seam is invisible. The idea of this shoulder fastening is that the armhole may be opened and the necessity of pushing the dress sleeve through be thus avoided. These little coats are made in rough dark cloths of natural shades calculated to go with any shade of sleeve the gown may have. The frock coat is too established a favorite to be omitted from a program of the season's coats. A late device is the cutting of the edge in scallops to emphasize the effect of its fullness. The frock coat of the present season is made by the dressmaker and matches the gown, and as it is likely enough not to match any other gown, it is an extravagance. There is a fancy for the employment of strong colors in such garments, and black moire silk is much used. A very swell frock coat made to go with a gown of the same material is carried out In eminence broadcloth. The skirt is flaring and lined with black moire, the sleeves are of moire and the lapels are faced with the same. The corners of the skirts are turned back to show the lining, in Continental fashion. This is some-

thing of an anachronism, but that is the way with dressmaking. Green, almost an emerald shade, is used for this style of garment, and the new mixed goods having a general silky gray effect and a marvelous detail of all colors. In the third picture there is shown a promenade suit of thin brown cloth having a plain skirt and a jacket-like bodice. The latter is finished with a long basque whose corners are turned back in front and faced with a light shade of silk. The bodice hooks in front beneath a full silk plastron, and is trimmed with large draped revers >nd turned down collar, ornamented

with passementerie vandykes, lue balloon aleeves have long pointed cuffs similarly trimmed. A combination of cape and scarf results in a very ornamental light wrap. On a short shoulder yoke of elaborate design Is run a straight scarf of lace. The scarf is wide enough to fall nearly to the knees, Is set on full and finished in long ends in front. These ends are disposed as suits the wearer. The yoke secures smoothness of effect about the throat and upper shoulders and all the grace and ease of the scarf is rer talced for the rest of the garment. A charming model of this design has a black satin yoke, fitted with a high ruche about the throat The satin is thickly enriched with jewel beading and sequins. The scarf is of delicate Spanish net, overwrought with a vine tracery followed in gold threads. It is drawn closely over the shoulders and tied in a great breast knot the ends hanging softly to the edge of the gown. The same idea in white is especially suitable for summer use over a gown cut low at the throat So much attention Is given to outdoor attire in April that house dresses remain at a standstill and few are the novelties offered for wear indoors. One of the prettiest new designs is shown in the next illustration, and would have been called a tea gdwn two years ago, but now the rose must bear another name, so it is simply a house dress. Yellow ribbed silk u its material and its bodice has a fitted lin-

ing of white silk, to which the very wide skirt is gathered. The bodice is finished with a white mousseline plastron and a tiny figaro jacket that ends three inches above the waist and is caught in side and shoulder seams. Both lining and stuff hook in front. The plastron hooks over and is bordered, with an accordion-pleated chiffon ruffle. The skirt has a plain panel of white mousseline chiffon and Its front breadth is trimmed with a ruffle similar to that on the bodice, but wider. The jacket is garnished with plain bands of point lace that form a point in back, at the top and bottom. The skirt is gored, ana may be lined with silk or satin, out if the material it-elf is very heavy, it needs no lining. Around the waist comes a belt of soft yellow satin liberty that ties at the side with the ends hanging down to the bottom. The sleeves are puffed at the elbow and may be made longer or shorter by means of an elastic in the seam. They are also trimmed with pleated ruffles. Two other neat dresses for home wear, each of which shows ingenuity of design, are placed together in the last picture. At the left is a dress of cocoa brown suiting garnished with fancy chenille. The gored upper part of the skirt is finished with a deep ac-cordion-pleated circular flounce, or, if desired, the skirt can be the requisite length and the pleated frill put on only in the front breadth. The bodice hooks in front and is trimmed with two rows of fancy chenille braid down either side and the same appears on the epaulettes. The sleeves have fitted lining, large puffs and t'ght cuffs, and the epaulettes are draped as shown. Both sleeves and collar are ornamented with chenille braid. The yoke of the other dress is an oddity. It is in front

only, is made of white leather and the straps radiating from the neck are fastened with paste buckles at the yoke’s edge. They also are leather. Similar straps and buckles are placed on the collar and belt. The puffs of the sleeves are made of suiting, the cuffs of white leather. The outer edge of the skirt is trimmed with a pleated ruffle, either of silk or of the dress goods, which is partly covered by a second drated and festooned frill, that is held in place by paste buckles. There fs a fancy for handsewing on all light wash goods for summer wear. Dresses of mus'in are to be all done by hand, and underwear is to be tolerated in no other way; Tucks and hand-run ruffles will be the rule, with hemstitching for variety. Outfits, or say underfits. of body linen are made with the utmost simplicity of design—no lace, no ribbon; only exjuisite handwork. Whole, sets are made with hemstitching finish. An initial may be inconspicuously but very finely embroidered, or the initial flower may be dme in natural colors, and is the only bit of color allowed. Perhaps you do not know what the initial flower is? Choose a flower whose name begins with the initial letter of your own first name. Pauline will take the pansy, Carrie will take carnation, and so on, and the girl who is Rose, Lillie, or Violet can, of course, make her selection with double fitness. This flower is embroidered very small on all linen, it appears on your note-paper, and is even strewn on your Dreed n cups and saucers. Copyright, ISM.

Blazer ‘ suits are male of hopsacking and serges of different weaves and degrees of roughness, and black is the most fashionable color. Blazer coats are short and have a broad turnover collar and wide lapels, which may be faced with moire to make them more dressy. There are rumors from reliable sources that sleeves are diminishing, but the importing houses show none but the most extreme shapes. Drooping downward, however, they appear much less aggressive than heretofore.

ALMOST MASCULINE SEVERITY.

OF DISTINCTLY FEMININE FINISH.

AN ELABORATE HOUSE DRESS.

TWO NOVELTIES.