Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 October 1875 — Fashion News. [ARTICLE]

Fashion News.

. the presence of wtrty fl ark, quiet colors modest enough for street attire, black will prevail, as they have done for years. To give something of novelty to these is the object of the modistes, and this is accomplished by combining two or three black nibricsin one dress. Thus, instead of using gros grain for the whole dress, matelasse silk will be used for the overdress, velvet for the sleeves, bows and flounces, and gros grain for the underskirt; striped or plaid velvets —all black —are sometimes used in place of damaskfigured stuffs, but the latter are seen in the most elegant dresses. There is also a renewed effort to relieve these dresses by facings of cardinal or strawberry red faille, but of course this is restricted to house dresses. Square trains separate from the lower skirt are a conspicuous feature of these dresses. The overdresses of these new black toilets have some resemblance to polonaises and to demipolonaises. yet at the same time they suggest a basque and upper skirt. The French modistes seem to have devoted their ingenuity to making undecided nondescript garments that are very pretty to look at, but which the fashion-writer finds very difficult to classify and describe. One good thing to be said of these combination costumes is that they afford admirable plans for making over old dresses, as there is no necessity for matching old goods with the new, since a part-Iv-worn silk skirt may be taken from one dress, enough velvet for sleeves from another, while little new matelasse or striped velvet must be bought for the over-garment. Flounces of new dresses are not flooring volar, tea, as at present, but are attached to the skirt almost as closely near the bottom as at the top. To keep these from looking stiff they must be made very full and Bunchy, and this brings box-pleating into use again. A row of double or even of triple box-pleatings is the tasteful border that edges the skirts of many handsome dresses. Others have a side-pleat-ing, not straight like that worn during tlie summer, but bias, turned in very deeply at top and bottom, arid sewed to the skirt two inches from the top of the pleat, making a wide frill for heading, and also tacked again about three inches from the lower edge. It is the rule now to have but one cluster of trimming, and to trim the skirt alike all around. Since jet has gone outoffashion various netted aprons without jet have been introduced. Thus there are those made of soft silk braid, either colored or black, tied in diamond shape and richly fringed. Others, again, are of chenille, also netted in diamond designs, and these have very heavy fringes of chenille in tassels on the edge.' These are seen on the richest French dresses, and later in the season will be imported separately. , Feather trimmings will be very much worn, and some novel designs are imported, such as a ruche of feathers for a heading, below which is a fringe of the leathers. * This trimming in finely-curled black ostrich feathers for black velvet or silk cloaks costs $8.50 a yard ; in greenishblack cock’s feathers it is $6.50. Simpler than tlie last and much cheaper are narrow, curled fringes of black or of gray ostrich feathers to put under the edge of silk sacques and give the effect of the fur linings, of which glimpses are sometimes seen in this way. These trimmings cost $1.85 a yard. A novelty is a row of gray pheasant’s feathers; these costly bands are $10.50 a yard. Ruches of the tiny tips of natural gray ostrich feathers are very stylish; those with three rows of tips in a ruche cost $6.50 a yard. Simple bands of the natural ostrich feathers in their shaded gray hues cost from $2 to $5 a yard; mixed with gray pheasant’s feathers they are $4.50. Flat bands of cock’s feathers well sewed are $1.25 a yard, while full fiufiy ruches of these lustrous greenish feathers are $2. For $1.25 up to $2 are ruches of short game feathers. The large circulars and long sacques lined with fur became so popular last winter during extremely cold weather that they are again preferred for the coming winter. They are made now of the heavy Antwerp silk that comes of double width, also-of Sicilienne and the ordinary gros grains. They are lined with squir-rel-lock fur and bordered with gray or black fox fur, or perhaps with black Alaska sable. The prices are higher than those of last year, owing to the advanced price of the squirrel furs for linings. A good garment of this kind now costs $100; many are more expensive. The plaid and striped velvets come in all dark colors and in black. Those in colors are from $5 to $6.50 a yard; those all black are $4.50. Even blocks of plaid and repped silk like Sicilienne promise to be most fashionable, though there are many broken plaids. The objection of some ladies is that the blocks look like patchwork, and when of black and white together they are precisely like a checkerboard. The stripes of even width will; it is thought, be tlie best choice. Those in prune-color, myrtle-green and black are especially desirable. Chocolate-color, London smoke and the handsome slateblue shades look very rich in these fine fabrics. Some of the stripes are made up erf many small stripes but these are not as - effective as solid stripes an inch, wide _or even wider. These fabrics are made as soft as Sicilienne and will drape beautifully. Matelasse silk striped with velvet is also an elegant novelty at $6 a yard. Uncut velvet stripes are also shown with a natte silk stripe between. Still another novelty is raised Chine stripes, like chenille, on thick silk grounds. This comes only in brown and gray shades for $5.50 a yarii, and will be used for basques and tabliers with sleeves and lower skirt of velvet

Real mohair braids in loosely-woven tresses, in basket patterns, and in the substantial Titan designs are favorite trimmings for cloth and other wool stuffs. They come in various widths, and the wider they’ are the more stylish they are considered. There are various qualities in these braids. A stylishly-woven braid of pure mohair four inches wide costs $2.10 a yard; prices decrease, of course, as they get narrower. Inch-wide braids trim very I effectively, and may be had from 18 cents up to 75 cents a yard; the pieces vary in length, and there is no re- , duction of price to those who take the whole piece. New galloons of silk for cashmere, silk and velvet garments hate loose basket-woven tresses ornamented at intervals with tufts of crimped braid; these cost $2.50 or $-3 a yard. Thick rich corded galloons are 90* cents to $1.50 a yard. Black silk galloons with threads of gold or of silver cost from $1 to $4 a yard, and are from one to three inches wide. Sometimes the finsel lines are barred or in diagonal plaids. There are also chenille galloons of various widths, and many of the moss ruches of crimped braid that were worn last year. New passementeries do notre present*.! eaves and vines, but are straight bands with the cords in points on the edges and diamond-shaped in the

I 4 center, with the'openings filled up with lace-work in star patterns like English cm broidery. Fringes will be more worn than ever. They are crimped, netted, tufted, tasseled, made of chenille, or of crimped braids, or loops of galloon, with strings of buttons here and there, and are of all widtlis from two to six inches. New chatelaine belts of silver wire links and clasps fasten around the waist, and have pendants for vinaigrettes, fan, or handkerchief; they cost from $2 to $lO. , New French jewelry of blue enameled forget-me-nots on riveted steel is strong, ana also in excellent taste. Pendants of forget-me-nots injures, birds, crosses and lockets cost from $3 to $lO. They are to be suspended from a black velvet necklet that is studded with enameled forget-me-nots. Ear-rings to match cost froih $3.75 to $6. — Harper'» Bawf.