THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
139 
NEW YORK FASHIONS. 
I N walking up Sixth avenue from Macy’s to Twenty- 
third street, one sees such a variety of costumes, hats, 
wraps and dress materials that, unless a lady knows what 
she wants to look for, she may return home, after a whole 
morning spent in the stores that line these nine blocks, as 
puzzled in her mind and as plethoric in her pocket-book 
as when she started out. 
In the matter of hats and bonnets, for instance. Bon¬ 
nets are mostly small; some of them fit so closely to the 
head that, from the front, it is hard to see any foundation 
for the enormous bunch of roses or gilded wheat that 
decorate the tops of many heads. Some, again, tower up 
in front so much that one is reminded of an old-fashioned 
book which says somewhere, “ Set not up your horn on 
high.” The peak of this remarkable structure, which 
rises over the forehead of the wearer, is usually filled in 
with flowers or bright ribbons. 
If a lady can get a lot of gold tinsel, gold lace, gold 
braid or jonquil yellow flowers on her bonnet, she is a 
made woman. But let her be careful of the shade of 
yellow, the quantity of gold lace or tinsel, and also see 
that it accords with her style of face and general appear¬ 
ance ; for if the face has marked features, the yellow is 
one shade too deep or the gold lace too profuse, or the 
shape unbecoming, the whole effect will be bizarre in the 
extreme, and what was intended for style degenerate into 
vulgarity. 
Therefore we say to our fair friends: Be careful in your 
choice of a milliner; either have a first-rate artist or be 
more simple in your taste; have no milliner, and make 
your bonnet yourself. 
But if a lady wants a hat, the variety is overwhelming. 
High crowns, low crowns, no crowns; wide brims, narrow 
brims, cleft brims. Hats made of gold lace, of black lace 
and of white lace. Brims twisted high on one side of the 
front, and drooping low on the other side behind ; trimmed 
with enormous Alsatian bows that almost hide the hat. 
Scarfs of gay colors with gold stripes twisted around the 
crown, with the ends arranged to stand up in front like 
the wings of an enormous butterfly. Feathers, tips, 
aigrettes, and jeweled pins. Can any woman fail to find 
among all these something suited to her peculiar style ? 
In dress goods the prevailing fashion for street wear is 
plain materials for one part of the dress, and figured or 
striped goods for the other. Some ladies prefer to use 
the plain for the underskirt, and the figured for the basque 
and overskirt, or the polonaise. By the way, we are glad 
to note the reappearance of our old friend, the polonaise. 
It is made in most graceful and becoming shapes this 
spring, and is vastly improved by its temporary retire¬ 
ment. 
We would advise our fair readers, if they are inclined 
to embonpoint, to take the plain goods for the upper 
part of their dresses, as the tendency of figures always is 
to make a person look larger. If the plain goods is used 
for the underskirt, it is usually laid in plaitings of one of 
the many varieties, and the draperies are long, that is, 
long on one side, and very high on the other, always long 
in the back. If the underskirt is made of the figured 
material, it may be almost plain—for instance: cut in; 
deep squares, opening over a plaiting of the plain goods. 
Then with a Greek drapery, or even the simple round 
apron overskirt, one has something very stylish and 
pretty. 
Almost all basques have vests of the companion ma¬ 
terial. For stout figures everything is flat and tight to 
the form: but for slender ladies vests are laid in plaits 
or puffed; and the jackets are either laced across with 
cords below the bust, or fastened by several pairs of the 
ornamental clasps that are the caprice of the hour. 
For evening wear and dress occasions nothing is 
prettier than the lace dresses. Black lace, made up over 
black, or, for a lady of gayer taste, scarlet or yellow, and 
trimmed with a profusion of ribbons to match. Ecru 
lace with seal brown threads outlining the designs, made 
up over brown silk. White or cream lace, made up over 
pink or blue. These will all be worn at places of sum¬ 
mer resort. 
Dresses for evening and party wear are made with very 
bouffante draperies, very long waists, pointed back and 
front, very low necks, no sleeves at all, a mere strap over 
the shoulder, and often no lace either on neck or armhole.. 
We do not recommend this style, but, as faithful chron¬ 
iclers, we must notice it. The styles seem to look back, 
about a hundred years for their models, especially in. 
coiffures and evening dresses. Are we, in 1885, going 
to celebrate their centennial ? Who knows ! 
Meluzina. 
