DRESS OF AMERICAN WOMEN.

Apropos of Godey's Dress-Making publications, we find the following remarks in a notice of the visitors of the Crystal Palace, at the time it was most thronged by the crowd of summer and autumn travellers. The compliment to the ladies of our own city is more noticeable, as coming from a New York writer:—

"We may here properly observe that American women would be a great deal better dressed if they would more carefully consult simplicity and sobriety in the colors and arrangement of their costumes, especially such as are worn in public places. For a ball or evening party, it is allowable to be elaborately dressed, gay and brilliant; but the spectacles of dress we have seen during our visits to the exhibition have often been the reverse of grateful to the eye. Ladies we have seen who, no doubt, fancied themselves very splendid, poor things, because they were arrayed in the hues of the rainbow—a bonnet of pink perhaps, a dress of bright blue, or of some gay changeable silk, or mantilla of yellow, and a parasol of white. We have often longed to advise such unlucky persons to go to their hotel, and put on the neat and appropriate travelling-dress they had discarded for this horrible finery. Let our fair readers then be aware that the well-dressed lady is the one who appears in the street, or in public places, in the fewest, simplest, and least conspicuous colors, choosing, of course, such of the neutral hues as are most suited to her complexion, and having every part of her attire of the most scrupulous fit, neatness, and propriety.

"For perfect taste, the Parisian is unrivalled, and you will often see her dressed in a single neutral color—bonnet, dress, cloak, and gloves nearly the same shade. Next to her in the art of dress is the Philadelphia Quakeress, who has discarded the awkward and angular forms of costume prescribed by her sect, but adheres to its simple and sober colors. No class of American women are so well dressed in the street, and, indeed, no other class of women in the world are dressed better, save only the ladies of Paris, who matchless in taste, and perfect in the most refined science of costume."

A BIT OF SHOPPING GOSSIP.

"On dress, of course," perhaps you say—a safer subject for gossip than the reputation of one's neighbors; but everybody knows shopping is considered a legitimate amusement, from the good substantial purchases of the farmer's wife, who exchanges butter and cheese for her teas and cottons, to the wife of the Fifth Avenue millionaire, whose bill at Stewart's for a single year would purchase the homestead for which the farmer pays by the sweat of brow. Let us see how they manage this feminine accomplishment on the other side of the water.

"When you go to buy gloves in Paris, a young lady not only knows what size you wear by intuition, but actually tries on a pair, putting them on you with her pliant fingers, and, if the glove does not fit, takes it off and throws it by! And you are told what colors to wear in the street—what in the evening; and white kids are never worn here, except to balls. Gloves for evening are made with two and three buttons at the wrist, and never have any kind of lace or trimmings at the top.

"Now, as to prices, I find everything a little dearer here than in New York; a bonnet, for instance, without feathers or flowers, costs from 90 to 100f.; a velvet cloak 350, 400, or 500f.; a simple headdress 50f. I suppose there are common stores, where articles are cheap; but who wants to come to Paris and buy such things as one sees in Canal Street or the Bowery, at home?

"The embroideries are so exquisite! One never sees real Parisian needle-work for sale in America; for there are certain stores which only work from orders, and not to sell to merchants, and it is in these little shops one must go to learn what French embroidery is. For pocket-handkerchiefs, there is a store in the Rue de la Paix, No. 11, where nothing is sold but 'French cambric handkerchiefs, from one franc to 1,500 each,' and where they embroider your name, or 'coronet or crest,' when you have purchased of them. I find mouchoirs, embroidered in colors (blue, red, and violet), are very much used.

"You may tell the ladies at home that curls are entirely the fashion here now, and as long as the hair will admit, even to the waist (in front). There are no great puffs at the temple, such as are worn in New York. The narrow fronts to the bonnets forbid those now. Curls are termed À l'Anglais, and ladies of a certain age wear their gray curls as gracefully as young ones do their ringlets of auburn and black."

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"MISS N. R."—Ermine and its imitations can be cleaned to look almost as well as new in New York. Any order of the kind will be attended to by the editress of the fashion department. A good imitation is well worth the trouble and expense.

"MRS. S."—For reading aloud, we would recommend "The Artist Wife," Mary Howitt; "A Year of Wedlock," Emilie Carlin; "Knicknacks;" Weld's "Life of Franklin;" anything by the "Author of the 'Maiden Aunt,'" or Mrs. Margaret Maitland. Two of the books she mentions are by no means suited to the family circle, one being too heavy in topic and treatment for the interest of younger members, the other a work entirely unfit for a lady's centre-table, certainly for her private reading, although she has "cut the advertisement from a popular family paper." A mother cannot be too cautious in selecting mental food for her children. We will furnish either of the above by mail.

"MISS M.," of Ohio, will find a chitchat article on the topic named in her very clever letter. We are sure she is a dutiful, affectionate daughter, and will make a good wife.

"NANNIE" can have stamped bands sent to her by mail, and will find cambric embroidery a very pleasant parlor work. By this means she will get a set, sleeves and chemisette, at one-third of the importer's price. There are but two stitches generally used for them, button-hole and the plain eyelet, or over and over stitch; the variety is produced by the different styles of arranging the eyelets.

"L. M. J." should remember Mrs. Hentz's story of the "Mob Cap." It is not well to trust the purchase of jewelry to an inexperienced person, particularly in the matter of stones, unless they are directed to a well-known, responsible manufacturer. We recollect to have seen a set of cornelians surrounded by pearls, which proved to be glass colored by sealing-wax on the under side, a perfect imitation, but worthless in themselves. We would refer her to Bailey or Warden, in Philadelphia, Ball & Black, Tiffany, or Rait, in New York.

"MUSIDORA" has chosen rather a fanciful name for her correspondence, but we do not seek to penetrate her secret. The best remedy for the strain that she complains of is to quit reading in bed, the worst possible practice for eyes and head. If mischief is already done, we would recommend bathing them in fresh rose-water, plain cold water, or a simple mixture of camphor eight ounces, distilled water sixteen ounces. Worsted-work in the evening should also be avoided, especially any difficult pattern that requires much counting.

"AN AMATEUR GARDENER" will find Saxton, Fulton Street, New York, to have the best works on the subject. With regard to the economy of a kitchen garden, it is a matter of doubt still to our own minds. At any rate, there is a great pleasure in having fresh vegetables, sweet peas, and corn, and unwilted cucumbers, that have not lost their flavor by lying half of a week in market.

"M. S."—The "Musical Gift" contains all of Jullien's music, simply arranged. Price one dollar, and the postage is but a trifle, as the binding is very simple. As she wishes it for a person not very far advanced, we think this would be better than buying difficult arrangements, separately, at fifty cents a piece.

Fashions.

FASHIONABLE BONNETS,

FROM THE CELEBRATED ESTABLISHMENT OF THOMAS WHITE AND CO., NO. 41 SOUTH SECOND STREET, PHILA.

(See Cuts in front of Book.)

No. 1.—Opera Bonnet.—Material, white tulle; face, pointed satin wire, wreath of pink satin pipings around the front; rows of pink pipings, edged with white blonde lace. Trimming of green crape leaves; face trimming composed of bouquet of rosebuds and mazarine blue flowers; strings on the left side, with bouquet loops.

No. 2.—Spring Fancy Bonnet.—Material, lilac glacÉ silk; pointed edge, with blonde lace fall. Trimming, tulle ruches, intermingled with violets. Face trimming, lilac and white flowers.

No. 3.—English Straw Bonnet.—Trimming, white flowers, mixed with a bouquet of rosebuds and green plaid ribbon. Face trimming, wreath of the same. Strings same as in No. 1.

No. 4.—Miss's Flat.—Material, white glacÉ silk; front edge, blocks of wire covered with tulle. Trimming, half wreath of white flowers; ribbon carried across the crown, finished with bows at each side.

CHITCHAT UPON PHILADELPHIA FASHIONS for THE JUVENILES.

Taking always as our motto that comfort and simplicity are the first principles of dress for children, we have, like a careful mother, to consider the spring outfit of the little ones, a task which many mothers dread, because they have not the tact to manage it rightly. In the first place, comfort cannot be insured without cleanliness, another of our previous axioms, and here, as in an infant's wardrobe, it is best to choose plenty, rather than fineness or elaboration, if both are not to be had, particularly in the matter of underclothing, which would form a separate chapter by itself.

For a little girl just emerging from babyhood, the change is almost insensible; but very few mothers know what to do with a boy under similar circumstances. The present styles are more available than the little close cloth suit of jacket and trousers, so long in fashion, transforming the little urchin into the semblance of a monkey in his hand-organ costume. All mothers have reason to bless the invention, or rather the revival of sacques—for the prettiest, and at the same time most comfortable and convenient summer dress we can recommend for boys from two years old to five, is a loose sacque, girt, by a belt, over white linen jean drawers or "pataloons," as the young gentlemen will be apt to call them.

We prefer the sack buttoning on the shoulder, with short sleeves, and rather full in the skirt, reaching a little above the knee. It may be made of any material—for spring, cashmere or mousseline de laine, plain colors or small plaids—brown Holland, with an edging of linen bobbin sewed on flat in two or three rows, as the weather grows milder, and finally, for summer heats, cambric in solid colors, as blue, buff, pink, or green, also very prettily finished by rows of bobbin or coronation braid. Needlework scalloping is also a suitable finish. Nothing could be more simple or inexpensive. Plaid ginghams might also be made up to look well, with pearl, linen, or porcelain buttons on the shoulders. There are porcelain buttons, as most of our readers know, with edges of different shades, pink, purple, etc., that will match nicely. The thin sacques might be low in the neck, with short sleeves; for a thicker material, as cashmere de bege, or mousseline, they should be high in the throat, with a narrow cambric ruffle or edge basted in the neck.

The drawers are short, coming a little below the knee, and not very wide. For ourselves, we prefer them finished with a plain hem, about an inch in width, but it is much the fashion to have a ruffle of twice that depth, of embroidered cambric flouncing, double the trouble to make and keep in order, of course. They are slightly full on the hip, opening on each side, trousers fashion, and gathered into a waistband, in turn buttoned on a plain low-necked waist, like the lining of a frock body. Of course, if circumstances will not admit of the care and washing necessary for white clothes, the judgment of the economical mother can substitute any suitable material for the white linen. Belts are worn of morocco, or broad silk, and linen belting—a kind of galloon—with brass buckles of different styles. They should be loose and low on the hip, to give the figure grace and freedom of movement. This dress has, at least, the merit of convenience and simplicity. Pinafores are, of course, indispensable, whether of bird's eye, or brown linen. They are made very much in sacque fashion at present, the sleeves being long or short, as the health of the child or the season demands. Many belt the pinafores over the drawers and waist we have described, without anything else beneath, in warm weather.

Straw hats are, of course, the most suitable covering for the head, and there are an infinite variety to be found at Genin's and Oakford's the present spring, from the costly Leghorn, with its snowy plumes, to the simple braids of China pearl, or even coarser varieties, the brims varying in width. The bands are of Mantua ribbon, white or green straw and galloons. Straw caps are still worn, but are not so comfortable, as they afford very little shade to the eyes or neck. They are more intended for boys from five to ten.

Fig. 1 is a sacque of a more ornamental character than that we have described, and is intended for a little girl's out of door dress. It is of white cambric, trimmed with embroidered flouncing, and may be worn with or without a sacque. Of course, it is calculated for weather several degrees warmer than March; but a spring wardrobe includes summer garments as well. Little coats may be made of nankeen, dimity, or cambric, with a rather full body and round cape coming to the waist, and are very much in favor the coming season. If of nankeen, the trimming is a hem headed with rows of bobbin, plain linen, or coronation braid; if dimity or cambric, the flouncing as given in the cut is much used, or wide cambric edging.

Fig. 2 is a walking-dress for a little girl of three or four years, and is considered very simple and childlike. It is of a light plain cashmere, any shade that will suit the complexion of the young wearer. The skirt has two broad folds, or they may be imitated by two rows of trimming, a simple braid, galloon, or gimp. The waist is plain, with a basque opening on the hips; a cross piece is made to imitate a tiny pelerine, when worn on the street. The usual objection to a fashionable costume—overloading of ornament—cannot be urged against this extremely neat dress.

Fig. 3 is still another style for a child of the same age; it is the simple infant's waist, with a basque and sleeves of cambric embroidery. The waist has alternate rows of plain plaits and a narrow puffing; it may have the same effect if plaits and three narrow tucks alternate, and can be more easily done up. The skirt is of plain cambric, with a deep hem. The dress without the basque, and with an elongated skirt, is very suitable for an infant's wardrobe. A belt of insertion takes the place of the trimming on the hip.

For the street, children of this age wear drawn bonnets of white or blue silk, of a very simple style, or a delicate straw braid, with a ruche of silk lace or blonde encircling the face. Flats of straw and Leghorn will be worn, as the past season, with bows and flowing ends of white ribbon, or the addition of a white plume, in some cases. Satin ribbon is much used. Sacques, coats, and sylphides of dotted, cross-barred, and plain Swiss muslin, cambric, or summer silks, are used for surcoats. Fine printed lawns, French chintzes, brilliantes, cambrics, etc., are the favorite dress materials. Checks of cashmere, mousseline, silk, and French gingham are very pretty for spring wear. Gaiters, or morocco slippers, with a strap around the ankle, and white stockings; pantalettes are still worn rather high.

FASHION.