THE AMERICAN FASHIONS FOR SPRING.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 80, 11 August 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE AMERICAN FASHIONS FOR SPRING.

(Trom the New York Evening fast.) The Opening Day— Alarming Developments of Female Fancy— Valuable, if not Agreeable, information lor husbands and fathers. Although the weather was rather morose yesterday, not exactly what 'might be expected for the week before April— yet the spring oppninsr of the fashionable season was quite brilliant. There are startling; novelties in female dress this year, though bonnets arc assuming a slightly mod, fied form. The " skyscrapers " ase reduced in altitude, and the large crowns are considerably depressed. At'the same time, fhe sides of the bonnet swell out, so that, in common phraseology " it's as broad as it's bug." J" trimmings there is one notable change, for, instead of clinging-in drooping masses on the brim, the feathers, flowers, and ribbons, are hereafter to perch on the crown. The vast quantities of inside trimmings are considerably reduced. On the whole, the modified system of bonnet, though fully as ugly as its predecessor, is a. shade more sensible. The natural history phnse of bonnet adornment is assuming unwonted proportions, and this summer fashionable ladies

wi ll carry .011 their hea^sth^ most repulsive feiitures. of. a. pountry^ gajgen,-; foi-in-stnnce imitation wornn ahdbusswilj-^iriv tlie latest Piiris siy le—nest^c among^the Jace and fiowprs ivliich serve us tninmißgs.Grasses and ferns will aUq be laigelv-irni- j tated. Birds liiive'alsb been In rbduced —real staffed birds. They are worn;bpth.l on the bonnet and on the bead, several \ ladies having lately appeard in the boxes i of the Academy of Music* with birds Para- : I disc perched upon them, the.Keak projer.t---i ing over- their forehead and the: tail swooping over the back of the head. Butterflies, both leal and artificial, arc; also ! talked of. The bug mania, however, is the most curious, and if fully developed in as remarkable an extenras is threatened, may lead us to the untold depredation of a coiffure a la cockroach, a "daddy-long-legs" bandeau. " Pork Fie " hats will he in vogue this season more than ever. They look like a small cheese with a feather in it. There are of course, many shades of variety in bonnets, but they are all more or less-alike inform. In material they vary; silks and. straws being the prevailing materials. _ ' Dresses show somedimunition of crinoline, and manifest a curious contempt for the " c\irve of beauty." According lo the fashion plates, a lady of 38L ; 8 will be ful of sharp points, as it' she could suddenly bristle out like a hedge-hog, and impale her enemies. In materials there is a: demand for linen and ahtpacas. and most striking of all, an urgent call for cotton dresses. Some few- yenrs ago. wheta " calico balls" were the »age, our fashionr able dames thought they were doing a very graceful bit <if condescension in consenting to wear for a few hours a printed cotton gown. Now they are proud 10 don the once despised article, and merchants with old stocks of calicos, which they were wont to sell only to Bridget, now dispose of their goods to Bridget's mistress. Of course as soon as calico is scarce, and expensive the ladies wish to wear ii.; and were there to be a sudden famine in the sack cloth and ashes market, there -is- no - doubt that the dear creatures would insist on clothing themselves in that scriptual but at present not prevalent style of garment. An edict has gone fort h against flounces which will be replaced I)3' braid and gimp. Waists, arms, skirls, are all to be highly ornamented, so that the old rags of elaborate embroidery will be revived. Paterfamilias will bear, we trust, with Christian resignation the announcement that prices of all kinds of female gear have gone up prodigiously, hats costing fifteen dollars last springnowoi s.tliirly. Of course cotton goods are rampant as to price; and so with alpacas and linen's. Silks share, but not so notably, in lhe general rise. Kid gloves are a fancy stock, and bring quite fabulous prices. Fashion this year will be an exacting godless, and worshippers must prepare to lay heavy tribute at her shrine.