Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1876 — Beautiful and Economical Fashions. [ARTICLE]

Beautiful and Economical Fashions.

Never within the memory of even “ the oldest inhabitant ” have our fashions been so beautiful, so becoming, so exquisitely dainty, as now. Even paterfamilias, that confirmed grumbler, finds little cause for complaint, for economy enters largely into fashion this year, and extravagance is a matter simply of choice, not at all of necessity. Many of the elegant toilets that challenge admiration are “madeover” ones, sometimes, but not alwrys, with the additional advantage of portions of new material. Some handsome new toilets show charming contrasts in a polonajse of some light-colored summer silk, with a skirt, an inserted vest and front, pockets, cuffs, collars and trimming of some delicate check or stripe in two or more colors, one of which is the same as the polonaise. A handsome street toilet has a long plain skirt with smooth front and sidefores, while the fullness is brought to the ack by a cluster of gathers at the belt. Am a wide train is desirable, the back breadth is cut perpendicularly up the center, and a wide gore is inserted between the knees and the hem. A double row of shirrs holds the skirt in place. The polonaise is remarkably elegant. In front it is fastened with buttons and buttonholes to within a foot of the hem. At this point is a showy arrangement of loops and ends of ribbon. The back and side bodies are extended to form a basque, which is exceedingly graceful. It is rounded up in a curve in the back, and cut iuto a long point on each hip. At the extremity of this point is a large bow of wide ribbon. The drapery in the back is very beautiful. The back breadth is cut in a large point on the left, and rather short on the right. Instead of being attached to a belt, this breadth is disposed in a burnouse fold. An extremely elegant toilet is made of this by the addition of a very deep fringe around the polonaise. A handsome dinner toilet for a cool day is of cream-colored cashmere and black velvet. Tlie skilrt of the latter material is long, without any ornamentation; but with a full, sweeping train. The polonaise is of, the cream-colored cashmere, finished around the bottom wiih a fringe of similar color, with which is mingled a profusion of black, velvety tassels. The polonaise is closed down the front with square bows of black velvet, each having in the center three little tassels of cream and black. Collar and deep cufts, and a pocket of velvet, complete this very handsome toilet. Some dainty morningrobes of organdy are very beautiful, and the material is m great demand for this purpose. A lovely one is of rose-pink organdy. The front is half tight-fitting, and the back at the neck is laid in a doable box-pleat, and hangs loose. The bottom of the middle breadth has a narrow gore inserted, which gives the train a full and graceful sweep. Up the front a fine and and narrow knife-pleating forms a spiral arrangement, narrowing to the waist and becoming broader again as it reaches the shoulders. Another charming morningdress is of sheer blue organdy with skirt and sacque. The skirt has a deep ruffle qf white Swiss surmounted by two fall, wide puffs. The sacque tits closely to the figure in the back and is short. Before, it is long, reaching to a point at the knees, and is quite loose. Swiss ruffles similar to the skirt, but much narrower, are the trimming. t Some pretty nofelties in the way of dressy little sacqnes, with or without sleeves, are of puffs of black net and stripes of velvet or ribbon. These are finished around the edge with a ruche or pleating of net. With a white dress, or one of bright-colored silk, these little jackets are very elegant. A pretty and new materia], which is appearing for the first time, ,is a large meshed silk net, in cplor a rich yet delicate cream. This is 'designed solely for polonaises. A handsome

one, elaborately trimmed with knotted fringe, is worn over a skirt, and with sleeves of black silk velvet. This Is almost the only fabric used in combination with this cream-colored net. A grenadine dress of striped light and dark blue has a trained skirt with three pleated ruffles, and the upper one, as a heading, has an upright ruffle of blue silk. The overskirt is a long polonaise fastened diagonally across the front, and finished here and around the bottom'with two narrow pi hues of grenadine headed by the standing ruffle of lace. Tlie sleeves, which reach only to the elbow* terminate in a pleating of grenadine, below which is a full ruffle of blue silk with a fall of blue silk lace. An extremely stylish toilet. Fichus are quite “the rage,” and the ingenuity of modistes is taxed to tlie utmost to achieve some fresh and bizarre triumphs in this line. A verypretty one is of seagreen China crape. The crape is laid in two broad folds, and each of these is edged by a triple row of narrow Valenciennes insertion and edging A knot of seagreen ribbon, two inches wide, mingled with lace, confines the flcliu on the breast, midway between neck and waist. Another odd but very attractive fichu consists of six folds so arranged as to form a pointed cape in the back, where it is fastened to the Belt. Three of these folds are of corn-cog)red silk. The other three, alternating; are of black silk net or tulle, dotted with straw. A ruffle of silk, edged by a tiny plisse of the net, borders both sides, and in front this pretty little affair is fastened by a jabot of tulle and silk, and tiny tassels of black and yellow. A simple fichu for morning is of dotted white Swiss, three-cornered in shape, and made over a blue silk piece of similar shape. A gathered ruffle of the Swiss, edged with narrow Valenciennes and two pretty bows of blue ribbon and Swiss back and front, complete a tasteful addition to a morning toilet. The fancy for becoming little breakfastcaps grows apace, as they should, for nothing makes a pretty face still prettier, or a plain one more attractive, than one of these lovely little caps. A pretty one of white Swiss is gathered so as to fit snugly to the head, and stand a little above it, as does the* Normandy cap.- A box-pleated ruffle of Swiss, bordered by narrow Mechlin lace, falls over the hair, while a similar one stands up against the cap. In front, between the ruches, is a double bow of scarlet ribbon, the ends of which pass around the cap, and tie at the back in loops and ends of the same. For a brunette, and on a cool, breezy morning in the mountains, nothing could be prettier. Another dainty little cap, odder than the former, is even more lovely. A gathered crown of white silk net is surrounded by a puff of the same. From this drops a gathered fall of Valenciennes one and onelialf inches wide. Dried grasses and little vivid barberries twine gracefully around the crown, just above the puff.' This is a charming little affair, and, perched on the head of its even more charming mistress, attracts much admiration.— N. T. Cor. Chicago Tribune.