Odds and Ends in Dress

1913 08, page 12

Beyond any shadow of doubt the most important accessory of dress for the woman of to-day is found in her neck-wear arrangements.  She cannot go far astray in waist or skirt, for the ready-made dresses and the designs of the leading paper-pattern firms will keep her correctly attired in this respect, but it is the little things that show the woman who thinks, and who will not have any detail out of the picture.  And so the first consideration is the arrangement of the neck.

Making a tour of the women’s neckwear departments in the leading department-stores of any large city is the best way of getting at the thought of the woman of the moment.   In New York, “where the styles come from” we find a decided preference for low styles.  So strong is the preference in this direction that we find only a small number of examples of any other kind.  This is in direct contradiction to the indications of the earlier season.

The collars of embroidered batiste in ecru and a slightly lighter shade are perhaps the best liked.  Indeed they are really hard to get at all, at this late date.  Some of them are plain and hand-embroidered, and others are put together with little beading hardly wider than a vein in a leaf.  These collars come in sets with cuffs, and often with a hip-belt as well.  The low-waisted Balkan styles brought this last into evidence, and the use of a belt to match the collar was a novelty that met with instant favor.  Fancy eponge was also used in the same manner and, like batiste, it is all but unobtainable at present.

Low collars with fichu-jabots are also liked.  Those which are made of embroidered or plain net are best liked.  The Martha Washington type, made of plain chiffon is the winner among fichus, and as a direct opposite of this type we find the high Medici collar.  This is shown in many modifications.  There is the very high collar, closely resembling the original model, then there are smaller editions, which leave an opening at the front and are only a couple of inches high, and wired so that the upper edge may be rolled a trifle away from the neck.  The lace frill which edges many a neck-opening is another variation of the Medici idea.  Sometimes this lace is wired along the edges, and sometimes it is allowed to fall softly as it will.  It rarely falls becomingly, however, so the idea of wiring it and thus controlling it is a wise one.

The Elizabethan ruff is not exactly a novelty, for it has been used in past seasons as a boa, but it is now made of malines, net or chiffon, and is made an integral part of the dress, wired, and arranged to stand up in the Medici fashion.  Maline ruffs are very popular, and as we have had so much cool weather this summer, they gave continued in evidence in the shops, as well as on women.  Saxe-blue, and the new sand-yellow are much used in the newer ruffs.

Guimpes, with high collars and without, are holding their own.  There are many women who do not boast a neck fit for public exhibition, who are too wise to expose it in the low styles of the hour, and these still insist upon a high collar on the guimpe, and the long sleeve often accompanies it.  Indeed, no matter how pretty the arm may be, it does not look well bare as a rule, unless we except the styles of real evening wear, which display the arm for some distance above the elbow.

In the new low effects in guimpes we find them finished at the sides and back with the Medici and Elizabethan ruffs.  It is not uncommon to find fancy allover lace or net used for the body-portion, and plain net for the frill or ruche.  One highly novel guimpe has a high neck, but is designed and trimmed to have a low or V-neck effect.

Plaitings and frillings are used a great deal on all neck-trimmings, and indeed they are a very popular article in all points of dress.  In fact a ruching craze seems to have struck the town.  Plaited tulle ruchings, about two inches in width are basted in long sleeves both of waists and of coats, and also in the neck and down the front of tailored coats.  Many costumes have the low neck of the bodice finished with these plaitings.  In addition to the flat side plaitings in tulle, rose plaitings and fluted trimmings of net and tulle are in evidence.

No costume ever looks its best unless the hat be given a finishing touch with a smart face-veil.  The governing note in the best class of veilings lies in the preference for neat meshes, and for conservative separated designs.  Hexagon, craquele, and the filet meshes are liked, and make a good background for other designs.

Inquiring of a saleswoman, the answer came: “Hexagons are selling by the mile.  No matter what a customer buys, she is sure to want a hexagon as well.”  While the liking at present is beyond doubt for neat square patterns on simple meshes, there is a tendency toward larger patterns and more intricate meshes.  If hats become larger this winter, this taste will undoubtedly increase, but all depends on the milliner.

Colored veilings are somewhat worn, but not extensively.  White is the all-important color.  Novelty-veilings are worn by the very fashionable, but these require frequent changes, as they are always striking and cannot be worn too continuously.  There is one veil which is called the frame veil.  This is made with a large wreath or other design, which is so placed as to form a frame for the face when the veil is worn.  The effect is unique, but unless one has a more than ordinarily attractive face the attention is draws is apt to be trying, as people do not seem to care whether or not their remarks in criticism are overheard by the wearer.

It is hardly worth while at this late date to announce the popularity of ribbon.  The vogue of sashes has done much for this popularity.  Numerous as are the weaves, moire leads in favor, and we also see numbers of velvet ribbons and of failles.  Fancy warp prints and velours novelties are worn, and there is one ribbon which shows a fancy stripe of ratine.

The brassiere, bust-bodice, or soutien-gorge, as it is variously called, is one of the most important articles of a woman’s underneath to-day.  As the vogue for corsets cut very low around the top has increased, so the bust-bodice has become an essential addition to every figure that is not of the slimmest description.  And how splendidly the brassiermakers have come to Dame Fashion’s aid in the matter, producing and perfecting any number of beautifully shaped bust-bodices.  Of late the fashion of very transparent blouses has further complicated the bust-bodice question, making it essential for us all to possess a few daintily trimmed models.  So at last we have the ideal style, molding the figure into slim lines, and at the same time, by its dainty appearance, rendering a slip unnecessary in warm weather.

We now have these brassieres opening in the front as well as in the back, cut to show a round neck, a V-shaped neck, or a square neck, as desired, and each and all of these in high, medium and low effects.  Then there is the little support that merely crosses the bosom, giving support and preventing any give at this point, greatly to the comfort of the wearer as well as to an improved appearance.

The Trend of Fashion

by Dora Douglas

1913 08, page 10

The most striking phase of midsummer fashion is found in the sudden craze for all white dresses.  It is safe to say that there is never a summer when white is not worn to a great extent, but this season bade fair to prove an exception to the usual rule.  Earlier in the day, say in late May and June, there was very little white worn or exhibited.  Everything seemed to trend in the direction of colors more or less violent, to one-tone frocks and to combinations.  The few all-white dresses that were shown were either very dressy late-afternoon models or tailormade suites of the fancy order.

A change has come over the spirit of our dreams with the persistence of the summer heat.  All-white frocks are now seen in every grade, from the hand-embroidered crepe-de-Chine gowns which are advertised as beach gowns for morning wear, to the simple batiste frock of flouncing that can be made at home in a day, almost in a morning.

It is these more simple frocks that have the greatest interest for women in general.  The use of flouncing does a great deal to simplify the making of them, for the skirt can be made of a single width of the 45-inch embroideries or of two or three flounces of narrower widths.  The lower edge of the skirt is almost always finished with a band of some plain color, and this is an economy as well as a very attractive finishing-touch, for it does not soil as readily as would the plain white and if it is sewed on by hand it can be ripped off and cleansed with gasoline without affecting the rest of the dress.

This little lower edge is sometimes duplicated at the end of each flounce, when two or three are used, and of course a similar color is placed somewhere on the bodice to hold the dress together, as it were.  The most usual place for it is around the outline of the neck, which is almost always low, or down the line of the closing, if the surplice-closing is used.  Somewhere on the cuff also must a touch of the same color be placed, and perhaps a girdle of it added, and the dress is complete.  The new manner of making the skirt, with gathers at the waistline, also has its share in simplifying the manufacture of such a dress, for the wide flouncing is soft and can be neatly gathered without producing any impression of bulkiness.

While we are on this subject we must call attention to the importance of the belt to-day.  A rather prominent society bride the other day, when questioned about her trousseau, remarked that all she was going to get was a number of belts, nothing more would be needed.  Of course she did not foresee the laugh this announcement would cause, but she struck the keynote of the situation: inasmuch as the belt, if cleverly chosen makes an entirely new costume out of an old one, by changing its character completely.

We must admit that the fashion of belts is very economical.  All that is necessary is to have a varied collection of belts in order to give quite a different appearance to the same frock or to rejuvenate completely a last-season’s dress.  This famous feminine accessory, which had such an important signification in antiquity, occupies our attention as much as it occupied that of the woman who lived thousands of years before the Christian era.  Indeed it seems that the belt was born with woman.  The earliest girdle on record.  Eve’s invention of fig-leaves, was a very light and fanciful affair, no doubt.  Later we find it ornamented with claws of beasts, shells and incrustations of fish-bones, which were, I suppose, the only substitute for the jewels which women of to-day take such delight in using.

But nothing is lost and nothing is new under the sun, especially in matters of fashion, and although we have ceased to wear fishbones, we will love shells, and the little pearly ornaments gleam charmingly from leather or silk, just as the shone on queens in days long gone by. For at one time only queens were allowed to wear belts.  To-day the poorest little maid may use a belt to brighten her old tailormade costume, and this simple accessory, which the queen of Sheba might well have copied with advantage to herself gives the wearer a decided piquancy.

For this new and striking fancy we put under contribution all the peoples of the east and west; classic and modern alike.  We go to the antique frescoes to study the knotted belt that confines so gracefully the folds of our modern robes and from the Assyrians we borrow the sumptuous embroideries and gold-weighted fabrics that form our principal trimmings to-day.

We have the Egyptian, the Assyrian, the Japanese, the Zouave and the Bulgarian belt.  We have the ecclesiastical belt and the sash of the bayadere.  We may choose the Arab or the Greek belt, or we may have every kind mingled.  According to our beauty or dress, or even according to our passing fancy may we choose it.

For the simple costume there is the simple cord, finished with a tassel, dangling to our ankles, like the girdle of some severe monk, or copied exactly from that which the oriental priesthood wore on days of high festival; for other frocks there is the wide, flat band of the priest of to-day; still other styles are found in the beaded and broidered tissues which we wind about our no longer slender waists when wearing transparent and clinging fabrics.  Yet again there is the wide Empire girdle of many different fabrics which is worn to give tone to the lingerie gown.

The charm of this lingerie frock is a very potent one, and there are many reasons why this should be so.  Few things are more becoming alike to old and young wearers.  Again, these frocks are easily cleaned and consequently, in addition to being delightfully fresh-looking, are economical in wear.  One cannot imagine anything more appropriate or charming on a hot summer day.  To see the lingerie gown in its most chic and fascinating form one has only to look over the models displayed in the large city shops.  There is the simple linen dress with hemstitching or embroidery done by hand; there is also the frock of cotton crepe, richly embroidered by hand in some one color, Nattier blue or Mell rose, or in shades of brown, now so fashionable.  The material is lined with net; net tucked horizontally, appears at the front opening, and real lace medallions and other insertions add to the beauty and to the cost of the dress.

To wear with lingerie gowns there are cunning little coats made of brocaded cotton eponge, a very handsome and modish fabric, yet quite light in weight; these coats are usually cutaway in shape, and are usually of bright colors with white collars and cuffs.

On some of the white frocks a little colored embroidery is introduced; this is very effective, worked in light tints directly on the dress.  Very simple, but particularly attractive are the summer dresses of voile and lace.  The models with short tunics are extremely popular.  These draperies are now shorter in front and longer in the back, and are thus more becoming to the average figure.  Smart outing-dresses of ratine and linen in white are touched up with colored collars and cuffs, and show white buttons with colored rims and centers.  These dresses are just the type for outing-dresses and for morning wear.

For all these simple white suits we find the greatest favor accorded to ratine in fine, medium and heavy grades.  Closely following in popularity are the crepes plain and printed, in cheap and medium grades.  The fancy for printed crepes has come late, but is very pronounced, and we find the brilliant colorings known to us as Bulgarian, and the very dainty Pompadour effects with small flowers on a faintly tinted ground.  Favor is equally divided between these two types.

Printed voiles are also very popular, and silk and cotton fabrics in sheer, medium and heavy weights.  These have the appearance of a silk charmeuse.  They are among the best of the printed materials, and are widely used for trimmings.

Jacquard designs, however, are perhaps the most used.  They are so very effective in suits in which two styles of material are used.  The jacquard material is usually employed for the skirt, and the plain for the coat or blouse, although the reverse arrangement is my no means uncommon.

House-dresses have this season made a high place for themselves in the favor of the feminine world.  There was a time when they were relegated to the wrapper-departments of the large department-stores.  To-day, however, they are to be found in the regular suit-departments, sometimes even in a division devoted to them alone.  This is doubtless owing to the fact that as the popularity of house-dresses grew their quality improved also.  Among the best liked of these dresses are models of percale in stripes, plaids and checks, also chambrays, piques and figured lawns.  Ginghams are also used in a variety of effects.  Some of these gingham dresses have ratine collars and cuffs, and leather belts. The more pretentious models have fancy collars, in simple embroidered patterns and with scalloped edges, and narrow leather belts.  Black-and-white checks are often finished off with white pique bandings, with embroidered scalloped edges worked out in blue.

The finer-quality percales have machine-embroidery and ratine collars and cuffs in contrasting colors.  Fancy collars, cuffs, buttons and vest-effects are often seen on the better-quality percales.  Handsomer house-dresses are made of imported tissues embroidery-trimmed, natural linen, madras cloth in plain, check and stripe effects, and the finer grades of white pique, Bedford cord and ratine.

The waists which now seem to be the favorites are the white models in shadow-lace and net; also those of crepe de Chine, China silk and messaline.  Prejudice against the sharp contrast between white waist and dark-colored skirt is now a thing of the past.  It was necessary, however, to educate women to the broken line by the continued use of contrasting materials in the waist-section of dresses.  This change in the color-lines began with the use of colored chiffons over white lace and net.  Then came the partial veiling of the colored lining with contrasting diaphanous fabrics.  Gradually the colored overdraping has been lessened until now the plain white stands out as a thoroughly popular article.

This does not mean that the colored chiffon waists are not good style, but it does mean that they are no longer the only style.

In the matter of separate skirts, choice is practically unlimited.  There are attractive models in eponge, linen, and pique.  Fancy eponge skirts in woven stripes or with plain grounds and pencil-stripes in colors, also brocaded eponges are high class and novel.

For all practical purposes the plain skirt, fastening at the side or center-front, and with a few gathers in the back, is the best liked.  Among the novelty eponge skirt are many with draped effects, some on both sides, some on one side only, and others again with the drapery caught up in front in Oriental effect.

The favorite trimming is undoubtedly buttons.  Crystal is the favorite, plain white, plain colors, or white with colored centers and the reverse.

In addition to white washable skirts there is quite a fancy for check material in lightweight woolen goods.  The sizes of these checks are varied, ranging from pin size to an inch check.  Black-and-white is the favorite combination, but some blue and brown with white are also see.  Striped skirts are also seen, but the stripes are not aggressive in type and the fine, almost invisible line on a solid ground is perhaps the most popular.

The summer suit is a source of endless delight in its variety.  For morning wear there are the smart suits of linen, eponge and cotton corduroy.  As a rule these are made with a cutaway coat, the fronts crossed well over each other and fastened with one or two buttons.  The skirts are of a simple type and there is rarely any trimming except the buttons and buttonholes.  These are not always placed where they are needed, but where they will add most to the appearance of the suit.  The shirring of the back is universal in the tailored skirts, and there is usually some attempt at a belt, fastening with a buckle.

The more elaborate models for afternoon wear are made of Russian linen and also of ramie, of plain and brocaded eponge, cretonne and hand-embroidered linen.  The coats of dresses of this class vary far more widely than those of the suits for more informal wear.  They are cutaway, Russian-blouse, Chinese-coat, Balkan-blouse and other dressy shapes.  In all the more elaborate models we find the fancy vest and ornamental collars and cuffs.  Cretonne and printed eponge are frequently used as a trimming, and they are very effective.  Plain colored eponge is also used in the newer designs, and the nets in the new futurist designs make very effective trimmings.

The skirts to these more dressy suits usually show a suggestion of drapery.  In some there is a little fulness at either side of the front panel, and others are draped at one side or directly in front, as with less dressy models.  In the matter of color all the brown tints lead, but Saxe blue, white, tan, gold, rose, leather, and Paquin green are all favored.

With these suits the more dressy styles of waist are worn.  Those of lace or chiffon, richly embroidered, are the best liked.  Of course there is an immense variety of styles in waists to choose from, not only for dressy suits but for all other purposes.  In silks white crepe de Chine leads, especially in designs which have a frill-finish.  The familiar double frill is still a feature of popular waists, and we also find many narrow frills, which outline the front plaits, or follow the side-fastenings.  Narrow plaitings to match the frills are used as a finish to the flat collars and turnback cuffs.  Among the semitailored waists we find the button-through collar and cuffs, and the long shoulder and plaited frills.  In the novelty waists we find crepe de Chine in combination with printed net or printed silk.

No waists are more popular for general wear than the China-silk waists.  These also show the frill-finish, but the designs are more conservative, more akin to the tailored cut.  These are the practical waists, and are used for outing-purposes and also for office wear by the girl or woman who works for others.

For traveling, striped wash-silk waists are especially popular, and these are also much used for morning wear.  In some cases these waist show the white groundwork, with broad or narrow stripes in purple, gray, blue, rose, yellow or brown.  Then again the groundwork sometimes shows a soft shade of gray, blue, rose or tan with white stripes.  These models are usually made on the general lines of a man’s shirt.  Silk-and-linen materials are also much used for waists in this same class.

Lace and net waists are also extremely popular, and are shown in such a wide range of style and price that anyone can find some model to her taste.  The unlined net waists are also popular, and this largely because they are so practical.  They can be laundered, whereas the lined models cannot, and this does away with both inconvenience and expense.

So many inquiries come to us with each month as to the correct millinery to wear with one or other style of dress selected, that a word on this topic will not be out of place in these columns.  There are very few large shapes worn at present even in the evening.  The small hat is the thing for the daytime, and the half large hat for the evening, if a hat must be worn, or a little fancy cap of embroidery, with an aigrette or other ornament when the hat can be dispensed with.

Colors in hats have followed those in dresses, and we find a wonderful increase of the all-white hat.  This is very pretty in its way, but we cannot help thinking that a hat that has something striking about it makes the best possible finish for an all-white costume.  Thus black and white, strikingly places, not mixed together, is good, and a touch of bright green or red or blue on a white hat will all be enlivening and effective.  Many women prefer an all-black hat with a white dress, and this is also extremely effective.  Some of the new black hats are of medium size with a frilled brim, in the baby-hat style, and with malines covering the crown.  Sometimes such a hat will have a band of colored ribbon across the crown or a bunch of some very bright flowers at one side on the brim.

The sailor-hat in its original form is one of the season’s arrivals, and it is good to see it once again, so trim, so stylish and so youthful.  It is perhaps the one girlish had that the gray-haired woman can wear without being accused of trying to get up mutton in lamb fashion.

The Panama shapes are in excellent style for wear with the simple tailormade suits, the plainer one-piece dresses and the traveling-suit of simple serge or other cloth.  These hats are usually simply trimmed with a scarf of bright colors, the ends of which are allowed to hang loosely down the back or side.  Sometimes one finds merely a few narrow folds of colored ratine, or a band of feathers, of the flat varieties.

The tall trimmings, sharp pheasant-feathers, manufactured aigrettes, and the like, are all much used; and they are variously placed either directly at the back of the hat, or directly in front; rarely, but sometimes, they are seen at the side.  The use of large wired bows is not uncommon.  These are always placed across the back of the hat, and sometimes they are made of ribbon, at others of net or lace.  Plain black, plain white, and black and white mixed, are the most popular colors.

The curled ostrich bands which surround the crowns of hats are very much used even on simple hats, and for dressy occasions a short plume or two can be added.  I am happy to say that the willow plume is not used at all.  Of course one sees it, but so does one see wide skirts and other things that are none the less “not worn.”

The ornaments which are made of ribbon and which are very upstanding are extremely popular.  Some of them look as if they were knotted around a stiff bit of wood or metal, and have generally a bunch of short loops at the end.  These bows stand up smartly, and take the place of feathers or aigrettes at the back of the hat.

The small hat is most popular of all.  It is no longer pulled down over the face like an extinguisher, and it is therefore a hundredfold more becoming than formerly.  It is possible now to show the hair, whereas a year ago the hat would have looked just as well on a bald pate, so completely was the head extinguished. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midsummer Fashion Notes

By Dora Douglas
August 1913 page 1

Summer is here, and the final authoritative word has been spoken regarding tailored suits, gowns, blouses and accessories.

The semitailored suit of silk moire, crepe and poplin has taken the place of the heavier worsted one for general and more dressy wear.

Moire coats are combined with skirts of plain crepe de Chine or charmeuse and quaint little coats of flowered taffeta are worn with skirts in contrasting colors.  There are lace coatees for wear with the finer lingerie frocks and smart models of eyelet-embroidery to accompany the one-piece cottons.  Striped and checked materials are favored for the separate skirt, which is more popular than it has been for many seasons.

One-piece frocks in the printed silks, poplins, or fashionable crepons, hold first place in the summer wardrobe.  They are suitable to wear for almost any occasion.  Shantung is very much used for these dresses in Paris, but has not become quite as popular here, although it is considered smart.

Most of these frocks are fashioned on simple lines; the long, straight skirt, or one showing just a touch of drapery in front or at the side, a plain set-in sleeve, and a softly draped sash.  Sash, collar and cuffs usually are of contrasting colors and materials.  These add a distinctive touch to the dress and are one of the seasons’ prettiest notes.

Two charming examples of this style of frock are here illustrated.  A soft terra-cotta crepe broche with collar, cuffs and girdle just a shade lighter is used for number 6253.  It is decidedly plain, but shows excellent lines.  Number 6257 and 6258 has a novel panel-effect down the front, terminating in a bit of graceful drapery.  The long sleeve fits into a normal armhole and has a broad, close-fitting cuff.  One of the season’s decrees is that the long sleeve shall fit closely at the wrist.  Another pretty touch is the novel arrangement of the sash.  The gown is of silk poplin in a soft shade of taupe, with collar, cuffs and sash of Chinese-blue figured charmeuse.

Those fetching short tunics which stand away from the figure are also effective in these silks.  The underskirt falls straight and narrow, the tunic is either bound around the bottom with a heavier silk than the gown or is boned with a light feather-bone to get the desired effect.

Thee frocks depend a great deal for trimmings on the novelty buttons and buckles which are so much used.  New ideas in these are being evolved constantly, with some charming color-schemes as the result.  Porcelain sets in soft blues and green are new and very pretty.  A set of buttons and a buckle formed by a bar of rose coral set across round rims of dull silver, trimmed a charmeuse frock of dull old-red with wonderful effect.

For sports and rough wear, suits and dresses are fashioned of the heavy cottons, duck, ratine or eponge; more elaborate materials, such as khaki, tweed, homespuns, corduroy and serges are also used, but the heavy linens which were so popular for this purpose in seasons past have been almost entirely displaced.

The one-piece outing-dress for tennis, rowing, etc., is built on rather severe lines but is generally becoming to the figure.  Many of the suits show the divided skirt which may be unbuttoned, front and back, and used for riding.  There are numerous convenient pockets.  A favorite model for these outing-dresses is the coat top dress with coat of bright colors and skirt of white.

Filminess is the first requisite for the fine lingerie frock, and the summer evening gown.  The cotton and silk crepons, voiles and etamines meet this requirement easily and are charmingly cool and dainty.  Nearly every shade may be found in them as well as quaint flowered designs which remind one of “The long ago.”

Entire gowns are fashioned of net and lace.  The wide lace flouncings lend themselves especially well to the popular two-tiered skirts.  Many of these gowns are draped quite full around the hips, but the softness of the materials dissimulates the fulness (sic) , and the siluouette (sic) remains the same, the skirts tapering if anything, until they are narrower than ever around the bottom.

Despite all rumors to the contrary, skirts have remained narrow.  Women have learned to walk gracefully in them, and find that they are more far comfortable and pleasing than the very wide ones of former seasons, and although it has been denied, the slash is still favored.  If it is not a direct slash it is a clever arrangement of folds and drapery which open at front or side to reveal a daintily shod foot and slender ankle.

Futurist and Cubist sashes, while still smart, have been displaced somewhat in these light frocks by plain soft tints in taffeta or satin ribbon.  The soft Roman-striped sash is a very pretty accompaniment to the simple white dress, and is also effective with the dark tailored suit for a young miss.

The nifty little bolero is one of the pretty revivals of the season.  They are usually worn over a blouse of net or shadow-lace.

Owing to their exquisite daintiness, blouses of net, chiffon and lace became popular immediately.  With the hot days at hand their coolness will lend another charm.  Tiny, hand-run tucks trim many, some are beautifully embroidered in white and colors, and there are numberless simple little blouses with just a frill of lace at the throat and cuffs.  Many of the pretty shadow-lace blouses are effectively veiled with chiffon.

Chiffon forms the bodice of most of the summer evening gowns, the skirts are of charmeuse or an equally soft clinging material.  One of the new shades for evening is a wonderful red.

Fortunate indeed is she who has bits of old lace, Chantilly flouncings, etc.; they can be utilized to advantage this summer.  The fichu is seen in one form or another on many gowns and blouses, and the wired Medici collar is very modish; it gives an extremely smart touch to the collarless waist.  Ruffles of tulle, chiffon and point d’esprit also give a dainty finish to neck and sleeves.

The wide Chantilly scarf has taken the place of the scarf of chiffon for throwing around the shoulders, to a degree; and tulle is also used for this purpose, with charming effect.

The diaphanous note is also carried out in the summer millinery, and tulle and lace-trimmed hats are seen everywhere.  Plaitings of lace or tulle stand up around the crown, or drop over the brim, giving a wonderful softness to the face.  Small tulle turbans are chic, and the large mushroom shaped hat, with a wreath of osprey is a graceful accompaniment to a light frock.  Small bunches of flowers and fruit are seen on many.

The parasol is a very effective addition to the summer toilette; more attention is being shown to it than for some time past.  Handles are fascinating, and the sunshade itself is developed in many new shapes, some queer but effective.

Handbags, too, are important and are fashioned in many odd, pretty shapes and designs.  Clasps and rims are often set with semiprecious stones.  The effect is rich when not carried too far.

Bathing-suits and accessories show greater variety, perhaps, than ever before.  There is every imaginable device and novelty, most of them very practical as well as attractive.

Checked skirts are seen with blue or black cutaway coats, and the effect in these waterproof fabrics is quite as smart as the street-suits of this design.  Brilliant sashes and frilled caps and hats brighten the suits, and are most appropriate.

The hats and caps are very alluring; some have frilled rims, others narrow straight brims which afford the eyes protection from the glare of sun and water.  A broad-brimmed waterproof hat is especially practical, having a fitted lining which gathers closely over the hair.

Charmingly colored bouquets of rubberized silk are pretty touches, and there is a vanity-case of the same material for the handkerchief and for powder-puff.

Ladies’ costume

The waist-pattern of this costume, No. 6257, is cut in sizes from 34 to 42 inches bust measure.  To make the waist in the 36-inch size will require 2 3/8 yards of 36-inch material.  1 3/8 yards of edging, 7/8 of a yard of 36-inch lining for the guimpe.  Price of pattern, 10 cents.

The skirt-pattern, No. 6258, is cut in sizes from 22 to 30 inches waist measure.  To make the skirt in the 24-inch size will require 3 ¾ yards of 36-inch material.  Price of pattern, 10 cents.

Ladies’ Dress

The pattern, No. 6253, is cut in sizes from 34 to 42 inches bust measure.  To make the dress in the 36-inch size will require 4 yards of 44-inch material, 3/8 of a yard of 27-inch contrasting goods.  Price of pattern, 10 cents.

 

Fashion Review

1912, November, page 2

There is one very noticeable feature about the styles of the present day – their infinite variety, various indeed as the moods of a woman.  No two women need dress alike.  Every woman is a type, and each develops her own personality in dress.  Nearly all adhere to the general style-tendencies, but individuality in the matter of apparel seems more marked from month to month.

There has never been such a variety of materials and colors as this year.  There is a reversible peau de soie, one side dull and the other satiny, out of which some very successful tailored costumes are made.

The new French moire is as soft as the finest satin, and is used extensively for long cloaks both for day and evening wear.  In fact, the most remarkable feature about the materials this year is their extreme suppleness.

A fabric which has the advantage of being as easily washed as lawn, is a kind of silk tissue very closely woven, in cream shade sewn with small bouquets woven in the stuff.  This fabric, however, is not as soft as the other silks this season.

As for Shantungs they are to be seen in every variety of flower-designs, and with small scattered bouquets of flowers.  Then there is the Japanese silk which is very light, and soft, and slightly transparent, the only thing Japanese about it being its name.  It seems to have something of the character of silk voile and of satin.  This material is striped on the bias in such colors as sky-blue and black, line-green and black, or again there is a wide band of printed flowers along the bottom of the material.

Among the most successful in the silk damask and brocaded dress-goods for the coming winter, those having a taffeta foundation are quite important.  White striped black taffeta chiffon is represented in very large ranges, the foundation being usually sprinkled with small dots and trefoils or stars.  Grenadine damasks have the white stripes placed about two inches apart, and the small figures made in a soft satin weave.

Many lines show the combination of damask and brocade weaves.  Important among these is a pale-brown taffeta foundation with delicate, corded stripes, placed about an inch apart.  Small blue square brocaded figures are repeated at intervals of eight inches between the stripes.  Again there is a dark-blue, plain Duchesse foundation with widely scattered pairs of flowers, having gold contours.  One of the flowers is in the color of the foundation, while the other is in pale blue.  These pairs of flowers are placed diagonally, but far apart.

A dark taffeta foundation with wide marbled stripes contains various diamond and crystal shapes, executed in damask.  A navy-and-white striped foundation has brocaded rings having stems, each placed over two stripes appearing in alternate colors.  Rosettes composed of brocaded dark and pale-blue half moons appear over a changeable blue-and-gold foundation, while many among the latest lines show damask effects produced by gold and silver threads interwoven with mousseline foundation.

Among the novelty shades of this year are a new Persian blue, something like the Gobelin blue, which has also been selected this season as a novelty shade for trimmings; a leather-brown, a reddish violet, a light taupe, a cherry coral, and chartreuse-green.

Such shades as seal-brown and nut-brown are considered very good for the suitings for fall, with champagne as a third.  Eggplant-purple and very dark heliotrope are the purple representations for this fall.  A linden-green is shown in novelty dress-goods, while the wild-thyme-green and dark reseda are the greens selected for street suits.  Taupe, which is the French for moleskin, and the color of the fur, dark and light, for street- or for reception-wear, is a very good color, and there is a silver-gray which is very good, and a new blue-gray lynx, another fur color.

Every season there are new fashions in colors and color-combinations, just as there are new styles in the cut and make of the garments.  One of the most popular combinations of the fall is the navy-blue serge suit with the piping or trimming of chartreuse-green.  Blue and green, carefully used in shades that balance each other, make a very effective combination for the new season.

Speaking of green reminds one that a popular idea is the use of bright-green collars on suits of dark blue, of black, of black and white, of gray, of dark green in the same tones, and even on the reddish mixtures.  It is sometimes used even when there are trimmings of another shade.

Leather-color is another trimming color that combines with a variety of shades.  It is suitable for trimming dark blue, black and white, green and dark browns and wood-shades.  The Persian blue, and king’s blue are especially good as trimming for taupe material.  The cherry-coral and Roman red very sparingly used, may combine with taupe or dark mixture.

In a general way the colors and color combination for women’s tailored suits for fall and winter are mannish.  The tendency in suitings is toward darker colors, and mixtures of the sort that have been used for men’s tailored suits.  The trimming colors, like the styles in trimming, are kept within strict mannish limits.  There is, at the most, only a touch at the collars and cuffs or the vest, corresponding to the touch of color in a man’s necktie.  The vest may add a touch of color to match collar and cuffs, for it may be of white or leather color, or it may be flowered velvet and brocade in many colors.

Gray is to be one of the most prominent colors for the coming winter, and its more or less extensive use is shown in many of the smartest models so far shown.  Sometimes it appears only a trimming or as an underlining of the garment, but it is seen everywhere.  The selection of gray is regarded by dressmakers as a very happy choice, as it blends to perfection with the staple colors, like black, dark navy, white and brown and – a prime consideration for the winter – it accords with every kind of fur.  Among the many shades of gray, the brilliant shade will be used chiefly for trimming, in binding or in some other similar capacity, while a dull-toned gray is used on dress-goods and silks for street costumes as well as for elaborate toilets.

Gray has been adopted by the millinery trade for winter hats, either for the shape itself or the trimming, or for both.  Other toilet accessories, like belts, bags and shoes and hosiery are also featured in gray leather, silk or other fabric.

With the short and narrow skirts still in vogue, the importance of smart footwear is increasing with the demand for a perfect match or harmony in every detail of the toilet.  The high-heeled, low-vamp French shoes of gray leather, velvet or satin seem to fill this want admirably.

Low shoe will be worn during the winter more than ever to satisfy the eye, and openwork or plain silk hosiery of the flimsiest texture will accompany them.  However this cobweblike silk hosiery is for nothing else but ornament, as another pair of flesh-colored silk hosiery of substantial thickness will be worn underneath.

Much variety is displayed in the long coats for winter.  Among the many models seen in a recent fashion display was a coat of gray striped zibeline, piped, trimmed and lined with leaf-green.  The garment was cut to contrast the striped material by making the upper part of the coat the lengthwise of the goods, and the lower part, as I to cross the skirt in a suit-effect, the crosswise of the material.  Velvet piped the long cutaway of the upper part, the broad revers and scallops of the cuffs and collar, which buttoned back of the shoulder-linen on each side over a group of plaits which extended to the waistline.

An aviation coat of heavy striped polo cloth had the buckles and buttons covered with chamois, the color of the coat.  A gray diagonal corduroy cloth was piped with black satin, and has a cape-collar of gray velvet to match.  The yoke back with long back panel turned up and buttoned over about eight inches above the hem.

A dark-blue ratine striped black, had collar and cuffs of the coat of the reverse or striped side of the double-faced ratine, black and white.  A coat of red-and-black velours, changeant striped, had deep scalloped collar and broad revers and cuffs of white ratine, edged with black braid, and enormous red-rimmed buttons with cloisonné centers in flower designs.

There is a wide choice of materials for tailored suits.  Serges are in the lead, and there is a strong tendency for the corded, ribbed and twill goods, such as Bedford cord, whipcord, diagonals, plain illuminated and two-toned.  Corduroys and velvet are other good considerations.  Striped goods are favorites, and mixtures that have the new illuminated and rough-surface effects.

The trimmings are those already referred to, such as the large use of twist stitching, heavy twist in contrasting colors, and embroidered points of the silk, also of chenille; pipings of velvet, satin or cord, or cloth, tailored braid for edging and binding; novelty velvets and brocades for vests, collars and cuffs, broadcloth in all fashionable shades, such as the tans and chartreuse-green; suede cloth that looks like leather; and a large use of artificial fur or fur cloth is indicated.  Buttons in bold, simple styles, large-sized and medium, in celluloid, ivory, crystal and crochet continue to be important trimming-features.  Crustal buttons are very strong; also buckles are used and mannish belts.

Bright-color contrasts provided by means of sash or girdle, are noted on many of the new dresses.  And, for example, a beautiful white charmeuse draped with a short tunic of needle-run lace has the corsage also draped with the lace forming a fichu, and then tucked away beneath a wide belt of emerald-green satin.  The two ends of the belt are gathered slightly at the back, and are carried almost to the hem of the skirt, though they are looped up in the modish manner at about the line of the knees.

It must be noted in passing that a subtle shade of gray tints the white lace; and this shade, though so subtle, is important; for it gives a softness to the effect of the draperies that otherwise might be hard.

There are some very charming models designed in black or dark-blue charmeuse or taffeta.  A black charmeuse is designed with a quaint bodice embroidered at the edges with ruby red silk.  Inch-wide braids of the same silk fall from the shoulders in front to below the waist, where a narrow band of black varnished leather holds in the folds of the corsage.

At the back there is a shawl-collar of the charmeuse, worked in the ruby silk; and the basque which is short in front, is longer at the back, and is cut in one with the corsage only two or three rows of gauging marking the waist.

A tunic of black crepe chiffon falls in straight folds below the basque, and the under dress is also perfectly straight and narrow.  The corsage is charmingly finished with a vest of finely tucked net, decorated by a single frill, and fastened with berry buttons in ruby red.  A dress of this type is equally attractive if designed entirely in black.  It may or may not be granted the relief of a white chemisette, or the pretty contrast of a touch of green, in the berry buttons, which, by the way, should be of crystal so that they may reflect the light.

Many black-satin dresses are seen, and there is a wide scope for ingenuity to obtain a distinctive touch.  The neck can be finished with hemstitched lawn or with tulle, while a belt of red or king’s blue is very chic worn with these toilettes.

These belts are no longer tied at the side, but in a new style which consists of one long, wide end, which is fringed, passing around to the back, where from the center it falls low on the skirt.

A black taffeta dress with the skirt buttoned in front, had a draped corsage of white tulle, with a narrow border of zibeline.  A new idea in the present rage for embroidery was seen in a skirt of blue plaited voile, which had a deep band of ruby embroidery around the hips; the same embroidery appeared around the end of the short sleeves.

In the draped-effect a novelty is the holding in place of the drapery my means of a cord with tassels.  This was seen in a costume of blue cloth; the jacket in satin of the same color was fastened in the center-front with one button, and was trimmed with silver-gauze epaulets.

A jabot was used to finish the front of the coat, which is not cutaway, a black-velvet butterfly fastening the lace at the neck.

The style of veiling the hat in tulle to match some detail of the toilet is popular.  A black robe with fuchsia piping was accompanied by a black hat with fuchsia tulle.

Among several models in blue charmeuse recently noted, was one, the skirt of which was narrowly plaited from the normal waistline to the bottom.  The waist was also made of the plaited charmeuse, and had a white-satin panel, about three inches wide, extending from the rounded neck to the bottom of the skirt.  This panel was buttonholed crosswise and was trimmed with white pearl buttons.  The neck had a colored embroidered collar, finished with a small lace jabot, Robespierre fashion, at the front.  The sleeves were long, and were finished at the bottom with lace frills.

A foulard panier gown was in old-blue, with an allover design in white lilies.  The waist was made with a round neck and V yoke of the net; the waist was plain in back, and slightly draped in front, with three-quarter-length sleeves, showing a band of plain blue satin, corresponding with the color of the ground of the foulard, around the bottom, below which short undersleeves of the net were seen.

At the slightly raised waistline here was a crushed girdle of the plain blue satin, finished with a crushed girdle of the plain blue satin, finished with a corded ornament of the same at one side-front.  The skirt was made with a panier drapery, reaching just below the hips, showing more fullness at the back than at the sides, and at the left side-front from the panier to the hem, was a narrow inset of the plain blue silk.  The foundation skirt of the foulard was caught together over this in two places, and decorated with blue-silk tassels.

Many delightful waist-models are being displayed.  A pretty example of transparency was a blouse of plain white muslin in little sets of pin tucks, with a plain space between, and a turnover collar and cuffs made up of ruffled rows of Valenciennes.  Under this were revealed bretelles of rose-pink satin and a double band of the same ribbon going around the bust, and finishing at the side in a large, flat plaque of pink satin and Valenciennes lace, with a ring of tiny pink roses in the heart of it.

Ecru lace composed another bewitching bodice, a dainty thing with a basque.  The blouse itself was made of ecru net with a pretty floral pattern of applique, and it was bordered all around by a scalloped insertion lace to match, the scallop only serving to edge the bolero from the waist.  This was high and in Empire style, and underneath the basque came a folded belt – encircling the ordinary waistline – of blue satin.

The note of sky-color was repeated in a flat vest of blue satin, cut out in heart-shape, with a neckless yoke of plain net.  Then came a pretty detail, the neck, vest and Empire beltline being indicated by a fine silk cord, in which violet and blue were charmingly intertwined, while the buttons down the front, which were of pale-blue satin, were crossed with the velvet cord.

A waist of white net has kimono sleeves.  The shoulders and sleeves are tucked, and down the center is a broad band of antique insertion, finished each side with a narrow band, which extends across the shoulders.  The front band extends beyond the waistline, and is trimmed with fringe.  On the sides is a short peplum of lace; and the normal waistline on the sides is defined with a narrow folded belt of lavender silk, while the round neck is piped with lavender silk.

Furs this winter will assume the soft and supple styles.  The popular enveloping lines in gowns have inspired furriers to make a wonderful triumph in furs, so that a chic woman can envelop herself in a fur warp that appears almost as soft as supple satin or mousseline.

Moleskin or taupe, is said to be the popular mode for long mantle coats, which are made of whole skins, and have the furs arranged in novel designs, and fashioned to drape the figure in a mantle of no weight but great warmth.

Black caracul and baby lamb, made in the softest of furs, and draped in long mantle-coats are among the new models for the winter.  These soft caracul coats have wide shawl-collars of fox or ermine, and are lined with soft brocade satin.

Ermine will be worn again, as well as sable and fox.  Short coats are coming into vogue again, but in fancy effects.  Russian blouses and Spanish jackets will be sued to some extent.

Long coats are made 52 and 56 inches in length, and are box and semifitting, with straight liens and side effects.  Many of the models are being trimmed with reversed and combination furs, and crochet buttons with single frogs are sued for fastening.

There is nothing especially new about the muff, except that passementeries and fringes are sued to trim them quite extensively – that is, in the short-hair skins, the long-haired furs are made into muffs, using the whole animal.

Very handsome fur boas three to four yards long are lined with soft silk in high color.  A fur is being used which when dyed, closely resembles the Fitch; and the raccoon, when dyed, cannot be told from elk, and is very popular.  Coony when electrified, takes the place of beaver or nutar.  American weasel is used extensively for trimming, substituted in many instances for ermine.  There is also a great demand for Persian lamb, and pony will be used to a large extent.

Tan shoes are quite the smartest thing this season – they are leather-color, and not the red brown, which was fashionable last year.  With these shoes, stockings of all colors are worn, even green, blue and violet.

A novelty in neckwear is the Dauphin collar.  This is generally made in fine lawn, and is flat with broad embroidered revers, and is edged with lace.  It is worn without a high collar.

As a result of the present fancy for low-cut gowns, the ordinary one-sided jabot effect is not cultivated as it was, and two new forms of ruffle have made their appearance very daintily.

The first is meant for wearing with a gown that is collarless and fairly low, but not open in front.  It is of delicate Paris tinted lace, plaited, as a rule, in three fans of graduated length, and sometimes, instead of lace, the fall is of finely embroidered lawn.  There is no neckband visible, but a plain band of lawn goes around the neck under the yoke of the dress, and fixes the fall in place.

The second of these novelties shows a sailor-collar of black satin, with softly draped revers of fine creamy ecru net, and lace, which leaves the throat open in that long V which is so attractive.

There is another new jabot which traverses the length of the corsage, and descends to the skirt, the result being both novel and attractive.  A model was displayed made in the following manner: the skirt and vest of taffeta, the skirt high-waisted, the tulle blouse closing in front, with a soft jabot, which falls over the bust, and extends along the side of the skirt to the height of the knee, thus following the line of the fastening.

Soutache or silk-cord trimming is to be used in profusion during the present season on afternoon and evening gowns.  We shall see it allied not only to cloth and velvet, but to satin and chiffon as well.

It is generally noticed that where buttons play an important part, soutache closely follows, and such will be the case this season.  On evening gowns this trimming will take the form of flowers as well as scroll designs, and the Grecian-key pattern will adorn even the lightest and flimsiest of materials worked with this silk cording.
    
Gold-color on white is a favorite combination for evening wear, but self-colored soutache will be more used than contrasting shades.  It will also be in evidence on lace and silk blouses, in motifs, buttonholes, loops, etc.; in fact, it is safe to say that as a general trimming it will be in the first ranks of popularity.

Enameled “pomanders” are quite the rage among the toilet-accessories, and these tiny balls may be seen dangling from milady’s neck-chain or bracelet.

The top unscrews, disclosing a minute sponge on which to drop your favorite perfume.  This perfume gives off an agreeably faint odor through the little holes pierced in the trinket.  The pomanders are enameled on sterling silver, in pale blue, Nile green, lavender, and other pretty colors.

There are signs on the horizon that jet will be extremely popular during the ensuing months.  Large jet brooches are seen alighting on chemisettes of filmy materials, and the long chains of jet beads are making a bid for popular favor.  Then there is nothing that enhances the whiteness of the neck more than a collar of flat jet beads with a medallion in the center, of imitation jewels.

An interesting point about the new corsets, is the fact that we are returning to the curved side pieces instead of the straight, and the latest models are all showing this feature.  The straight side corset is losing its prestige with the corsetiere, so that the line of the hips will be more accentuated in future.

A Talk on Juvenile Styles

January, 1912
page 17

    While styles in children’s clothing do not vary so often, or in so great a degree as do fashions for grown-ups, still, even in the making of theses diminutive garments, one notes a slight difference season by season.
     There is, of course, no season in children’s clothing, that is in the accepted meaning of the word “season.”
     With misses and women we have spring raiment that differs in marked diversity from the clothing of the wither, and summer costumes that change greatly from those of the fall, but the small child wears her summer frocks all wither, and her spring dresses in the autumn.  Now that we have taken to making most of our children’s every-day clothing of wash-material, this passing over of the season is observed.
     The use of wash-fabrics in the making of garments for the little ones has become a popular institution.  Not only are wash-garments more practical, as they admit of frequent tubbing, but they are far more simple of construction.  In simplicity lies the chief charm of children’s clothing.   Simply fashioned, neat appearing little frocks of tub-material stand an infinite amount of wear and tear, and now that the styles of making these garments present such a splendid variety, and all of them, from the very plainest, have some individual charm.  Mothers of small children need not spend much time or money in fashioning the little ones’ clothing.
     For the small tot, good taste and suitability play an important part.  A very young child must never be overdressed.  A neat little frock that may serve as a model for an infant of six months and a girl of five years equally as well, with each in-between year provided for, is made in the French fashion that is universally becoming.  On the very little girl the garment hangs from the shoulders, while on the older child the dress may be gathered in Empire style.  The fronts and backs of garment are gathered to yokes which may be made in high- or low-neck style.  The sleeves may be long or short.  Such a dress is simple enough for general wear, yet tasty enough for special occasions.  For the latter it is nice to use flouncing, which is always in good style for the making of frocks that make some pretense at being dressy without losing one iota of their characteristic simplicity.  For the development of a plain garment, swiss, batiste, lawn, chambray, madras, and gingham may be considered.
     On the very small child nothing can take the place of all-white garments.  Indeed, when we consider how inexpensively dainty effects in white garments may be achieved, we would not hesitate to discard colored dresses altogether for a while.  Lawn, dimity, batiste, and similar materials cost very little, and are sweet and dainty with touches of Valenciennes lace or embroidery.  For the woman who wishes a little color, pretty pink and blue baby ribbon could be threaded through the neck and sleeves of a special-occasion frock or a slip of lawn or thin silk in similar colors could be made to be worn under the white dress.  Hand-embroidery is used to a great extent for the trimming of baby dresses.  The woman skillful with the needle can do wonders on these tiny garments.  However, very little trimming is required on baby clothing, and the dainty white slip with a frill of Valenciennes lace or embroidery at the neck and wrists is far nicer than a fussy garment with tucks and ruffles, and ribbon rosettes.
     For the small child, the rompers are the most comfortable and practical garment ever devised.  A new version of this popular garment is cut with body and sleeves in one, which greatly simplifies the making.   The neck is cut round and buttons closely.  The sleeves are long, and fasten close around the wrist with a neat band-cuff which insures warmth for the little wearer in cold weather.  The leg portions are gathered in at the knee in the usual style.  Flannelette is the best material for winter rompers, as this fabric has softness and warmth, and is so easily laundered,  Seersucker is another good suggestion, and a point in its favor is that it does not require pressing.
     A little dress that will find favor among discriminating mothers has the fronts and backs tucked to simulate box plaits, the stitching terminating at about the waist-line.  This dainty garment has a pretty sailor-collar, and long sleeves and for wear, for play, or school purposes fulfills all requirements of a practical frock.
     The French dress continues a premier among costumes for the small girl.  One sees them in every wanted material.  For home and school wear they are fashioned of gingham, chambray, and similar wash-goods.  Serge and cheviot, and soft woolen materials are utilized to a great extent in the fashioning of “best” dresses for the girl over six years.  The vogue for stiff silks, Henriettas and satins, for making children’s frocks, is past.  Nothing that savors of age, or suggests mature ideas is used.  When woolen goods or silk are used, they must be of the very softest, most pliant quality.
     Sharing favor with the French dress is the Gibson model, the popularity of which never diminishes.  Another ever stylish and becoming garment is the sailor dress.  The middy blouse that slips on over the head has as many admirers as the other style that closes in front, both being equally attractive.  Plaited skirts are good form for a sailor dress, but the gathered style is just as girlish and appropriate.
     The middy-blouse dress is being made of any number of wash-materials, linen, rep, and poplin leading in favor.  For winter, serge is a favorite material, blue with white trimming, or black with read trimming, being especially desirable.
     The Empire style so much in vogue at present finds a following even in little girls’ dresses, and many models displaying clever adaptations of this fashionable style are noted in juvenile garments.  One-piece dresses sometimes have sashes arranged high in Empire-effect, which give a particularly picturesque air to the little miss.
     Frocks that are worn with guimpe are an excellent type for the growing girl.  A smart design shows a tucked overblouse constructed along surplice lines, and important feature being the cutting of the overblouse and sleeve-caps in one.  The guimpe is made with a standing collar, but the French neck can be used, if that style is preferred.  The attached skirt, which is plaited at the top, is straight, and is therefore excellent for plain or bordered material.
     A plain dress for general wear is made of blue diagonal serge, flecked with white.  The garment is in one piece, with the front of the waist in panel style, and the attached straight skirt, box plaited.  A round, flat collar finishes the neck, and the long sleeves have band-cuffs.  This design is also suitable for all of the commonly used wash-materials, and cashmere or challis can be utilized equally as well.  Braid trimming can be applied to make an effective embellishment.
     A winter dress that has distinguishing characteristics is developed of Scotch plaid worsted, and is such a garment as can be worn for dressy and every-day occasions with the same style and good taste exemplified.   The type is becoming to girls from six to fourteen years, the dress having a full blouse waist and a graceful kilted skirt.  The belt and cuffs are made of broadcloth in a contrasting color, which gives a most effective tough, and are trimmed with rows of black silk braid.  Fancy brass buttons impart a clever finishing touch.  The dress buttons invisibly down the back.  This tasty little garment, which is pretty in plaid showing blue-and-red or brown-and-red predominating stripes, can be made at home very inexpensively.
     For the young miss to whom a party-dress is an event, some consideration of these especially designed garments will not be inappropriate.  As in the fashioning of clothing for children, so in the making of dresses for the young girl, care must be taken to preserve simplicity.  The dresses must be designed to emphasize the youth and charm of the wearer, and not in any manner to detract from that idea.
     There are so many beautiful fabrics suitable f or evening dresses that the making of the young girls’ party-frock is a special pleasure to the home dressmaker.
     A simple little frock that can be developed very reasonably is made of soft silk mull in baby-blue.  The model is cut with a square Gretchen neck front and back, the latest style for dancing- and party-gowns, and elbow-length kimono-sleeves.  Fine tucks ornament the full blouse-waist and sleeves, and an attractive effect is given by a chic little vestee of white allover lace.  The cuffs are also formed of the lace.  The skirt is a plaited style, with a single broad tuck taken up above a deep lace insert.  A fancy crushed messaline girdle finished with a rosette and long ends is a handsome embellishment.
     Another dress suitable for evening or afternoon wear is fashioned of messaline satin.  This costume shows the new citoyenne blouse with a deep plaited frill and fancy girdle at the slightly raised Empire waistline.
     The waist is cut in the popular kimono style, with a “Peter Pan” collar and turnback, scalloped cuffs edged with fancy braid.  Pretty trimming is afforded by a fancy chiffon bow tie and chiffon undercuffs in a strikingly contrasting shade.  The six-gored skirt has a fancy cut panel down back and front.  This gown is elegant in old-rose, electric-blue or salmon-pink.
     Net is used very much at present for girls’ as well as ladies’ evening robes.  A splendid model noted at a reception recently was of embroidered Brussels net over a pink China-silk foundation.  The peasant-style waist of embroidered net was cut in bolero effect.  The round, low-cut neck and elbow sleeves were trimmed with Val.-lace insertion and edging.  The undersleeves were finished with tucked cuffs, Val.-lace, embellished and further enhanced with a band of narrow coral-pink velvet ribbon.  A sash of coral-pink velvet encircled the waist and ended at the back in a flat tailored bow and streamers.  A row of German Val,-lace insertion joined the lower part of the waist to the silk foundation.
     The upper part of the skirt was fashioned of net tucking, and the deep flounce-effect was of the richly embroidered Brussels net.  The silk underskirt was finished with a gathered ruffle edged with lace.
     Worn over this gown was a “Mandarin” coat of coral broadcloth, and the effect was strikingly picturesque and charming.  The coat was cut on appropriately loose, graceful lines, so that it could not crush the dainty frock.
     Novel features of this coat were the new deep “hood” collar and smart flaring front revers.  The loose, three-quarter length “Mandarin” sleeves had deep, cleverly rolled cuffs.
     The collar, cuffs and revers were made of a rich black messaline satin which afforded quite a fetching contrast, and enhance the beauty of the garment.  The hood-effect in back was finished with a heavy fancy silk tassel, and the closing was made with two large satin-covered buttons.  The coat was lined with white satin.
     A garment of this nature is not difficult to make and no more admirable style for an evening coat for a young girl could be conceived.