October, 1896 – The Household

Winter Dress of black and cardinal illuminated woollen material.  Skirt plain.  Round, plain bodice of the material with wrinkled black velvet belt.  The bodice opens over a cardinal silk vest, only about an inch of which is seen between the opening, and is faced back about two inches with black velvet.  It is closed with loops of black cord and ornamented buttons.  A shoulder cape of the material opens from beyond the velvet facing and extends across the back.  It is trimmed with a band of black velvet.

The high flaring collar at the sides and back is of the material, trimmed in the same way, and a plain collar of the material is placed inside of this.  The sleeves are long, close-fitting, and bell-shaped at the wrist, and cut with small puff at the top.

Street Gown.  Material, mixed Scotch goods, showing brown, green, and blue effect.  Plain skirt.  Round bodice, with wide box pleat in front giving the blouse effect, and an added short, circular basque.  Yoke trimmed with blue velvet, edged with a narrow Prussian lamb band.  Collar of blue and green changeable silk, made with flaring side bows.  Sleeves long, close, with an added short puff.

 New Styles For Winter Gowns.Some of the choicest woollen goods that have ever been imported are shown this season for winter costumes, and colored drawings, furnished by the leading designers of Paris, are sent with these goods as a guide in the making up of the material.Scotch mixtures take the lead in these imported goods. They are shown in every conceivable combination of colors, in both coarse and fine weave. One of the choicest and most expensive mixtures shows a rough camel’s-hair effect, which is unique.Covert cloths are also brought out again this season, with much wider wale than formerly, and closely resemble the cloth used for men’s suits. Though they are of comparative light weight, the effect is that of a heavy cloth.Silk threads shot through woollen material is a favorite combination which give the illuminated effect, although so little prominence is given to the silk that the appearance is much the same as that of the woollen material, the silk only serving to emphasize the coloring.A favorite combination for these illuminated goods is brown and black, the black forming the groundwork woven in scroll and figured effects, through which the brown silk threads are shot across it, giving the appearance of a brown background for the black figures, which are somewhat raised.The imported dresses that the leading dressmakers are bringing back to this country as models for their customers, show more trimmed skirts than have been seen for years. We have become so accustomed to the plain skirt, that it will take more than one season for the conservative woman to adapt herself to this change; so that in all probability there will be many untrimmed skirts.Street costumes and tailor-made gowns have the plain skirt as a rule, though there are many that show bands of velvet and braided effects.There are no separate waists shown among the street costumes for winter wear. The waists are made of the same material, and are richly trimmed with velvet and braided bands.The sleeves are snug-fitting almost to the shoulder, the puffed effect being confined to a few inches at the top. Three short circular caps, of graduating widths, are often seen in place of the puff. The puff is as often sewed into the sleeve separately as cut with it.One of the choicest imported winter gowns is a brown, blue and green mixture, made with plain skirt and round waist, belted with a wrinkled green velvet belt. This waist is decorated with a pointed shoulder cape of brown broadcloth edged with a tiny band of black Persian lamb. The cape is cut in a point back, two points in front and a deep, sharp point over the shoulders. It is covered to within three inches from the edge with green velvet, the broadcloth only showing between the velvet and the Persian band.

The collar is of the broadcloth, made high and rolling, edged with the Persian. The sleeves are close and long, with short, high puffs at the shoulder.

Another dress of the Scotch mixture in brown and dull blue, is made with plain skirt, round waist with wide box pleat in the front to give the blouse effect, belted with brown velvet, below which is a short, circular added basque of the material.

The upper part of the waist is made with a brown velvet yoke, trimmed vertically with two bands of black openwork braid set over dull blue silk. These bands extend over the shoulder two or three inches inside of the arm-seye.

The sleeves are close-fitting and long, reaching well over the hand in bellshape. The tops of them are trimmed with three graduated caps of the material, lined with dull blue silk.