Show I n H I i > 1r 1 r IC J I I I I 1 SPRING STREET GOWNS 1 TailorHade Costumes For the t New YearThe Triumph of Braid SMART SPORTING CLOTHES Bishops Violet Trimmed With Black Is the Newest and Happiest Happi-est of Color Combinations NeckBands Neck-Bands Should Be Finished With a Tiny Satin QuillingPheasant Brown Pine Green With Black ° Watch Gordon and Fife Tartans Are Novel Spring Shades New York Jan 8It is already full 0 time now the old year is safely over r to begin not only discussion but active I preparation for tailor suits with which Ito Ito I-to open the spring of 97 If you con suIt any tailor at the moment you will be apt to find him singularly intelligent intelli-gent on the question of cloth costumes I for as long as a month ago to the I It very last detail every point for he I walking dresses of the new year was talked over and decided upon Above f all things will the man dressmaker demand that no garment can leave his workrooms unless it be most extensively and elaborately braided He is in sistant and eloquent on this point for braiding is not what it used to be An infinite variety of silk cords have been introduced and the patterns into which they are wreathed and twisted defy enumeration in numbers Suffice it to sav that the braid is brought into prominence by the fact of always applying it in black on some rich or daringly brilliant color and by boldly copying for its patterns the handsomest Persian and what are in tailor parlance called Bourbon designs de-signs The whole effect is to get away from the past severity of simplicity thai has governed the making of these < dresses and to give them more the air of rich and gay costumes A HARMONY IN VIOLET AND BLACK To very fully illustrate how far this new movement is gOing the first picture pic-ture is given of a very splendid creation cre-ation worn at a Waldorf musicale by i Mrs Jack Astor This represents above all things a new color a most lovely bluish purple called technically bishops violet On the front of coat and skirt and lower halves of sleeves of the smoothfinished spring weight of camels har a larse Persian figure is cut out and natched with cream wool twill Where the edges of cloth meet each other fine black silk braiding is dune in loopings and then the twills face is well covered with ornamentation ornamenta-tion m i vet finer and more intricate braiding Where the most delicate tendrils ten-drils of the vinelike figure run off black silk embroidery is set in and under the first collar of camels hair a second of twill folds out over the bust its points and edg s graced with braiding braid-ing At least threp dickeys and neckbands neck-bands accompanied this suitone of white satin sparkling with jet headings head-ings another of violet velvet decorated decor-ated wit a double row of closeset small cutsteel buckles and a third of black satin In such a gown as this its wearer is I suitably dressed for any occasion whatsoever what-soever short of an evening function I iflr j I i 9 f TgI < as I 1 i j I rl f I I U A SPORTING COSTUME I though in reality she appears in the Conventional coat and skirt which by the way are lined either with figured taffeta or the skirt in black silk the coat with white satin BRAIDED CREATIONS But ir their valiant efforts at adding to the gaiety of nations the tailor has s not stopped short of some wondrous and to hear orf them alarmingly vivid combinations For example the very smartest of spring walking suits has i just been done in a shade of clear leaf green cloth with a vest of true turquoise i tur-quoise blue satin and will be seen very shortly when worn by Mrs William Whitney Of course the green is largely toned down with shadows of grey among the folds and then the inevitable braiding comes in to further dignity but the braiding goes exclusively ex-clusively on the front panel of the J skirt taking the form of a framework of a rococo panel or mirror that certainly r cer-tainly commends itself to the eye r 3hi Is seen on many a new skirt r but if no panel or large figure effect is adopted what is designated as a rose anddart design embellishes the bottom bot-tom of the petticoat It is noteworthy that not one in 50 skirts goes out innocent inno-cent of any hem decoration and that there are two new and admirable braids one a broad satinfinished band which when applied looks like a wide satin piping and another rough halfsilk halfwool weave known as porcupine soutache Before quite leaving the question of skirts it is well to warn the watchful that they are almost as full as ever but that the wealth of material comes I in behind The front breadths are not gored to flare and with the new d Yw i M II tt N l I i 1 1 t e I I READY FOR GOLF spring goods only a stiff quality of grasscloth lining is laid in high behind be-hind but below the knees in front Not a solitary tailor skirt unless it is meant for golfing or cycling shows front pockets and the sensible walking length Ik adhered to in spite of the fact that trains are threatening to disturb dis-turb our longenjoyed comfort SEVERE TAILOR STYLES It is pleasant to record that all through the early spring silk shirtwaists shirt-waists or satin or corduroy ones for that matter will be worn with coats and that coats are going to let fall their skirt well down over the hip joints I short bell turn back from her hand I Buttons are used ever so sparingly and those employed not large nor very I conspicuous while later on when it I grows too warm to wear a corduroy j shirt with a doublebreasted cloth i coat a horde of irresistibly attractive j I little bolero jackets will be down upon 1us They promise to be braided hot to meet by three inches over the bust I I and to exploit smallpointed revers But this i is all in anticipation of dis IIF 4 N r t i t L uT Q J I l l r 1 1 I Sr t r L Z o FEBRUARY SHOPPING TOILETS The goodstyle coat is double breasted but the buttons concealed while the I new basquemade suits are every one draped A tight plain basque signifies I a last years gown and of infinite popularity is the double boxpleat drapery falling from the neck to just over the point of the bust In place of I this double diminishing pleats some times appear and this arrangement I has greatly encroached on the long loved rever It still is in evidence but I how reduced in size and no longer j I overlaid with satin and lace and re I I splendent with buttons j Excepting where a whole skirt is I worn no white line serves to freshen I the stuff dress Linen dickeys and col lars are off somewhere on furlough and the tailordressed woman uses a straight neat narrow turnover band of bright satin or she lets according to latest advices a perfect doll baby of a geraniumsatin quilling to peep out all around the circle of her high datkstuff neckband Her sleeves are set with three box pleats into the top of her armhole and at the wrist They are invariably finished In one of three wayswith braided lines a flaring drop cuff clear to her knuckles or a j taut March and Easter finery I EARLY SPRING STUFFS Familiar fabrics among the fresh bolts on the tailors tables are blue and black mohair serges face cloth in pheasant brown and pinegreen cam els hair These two last are new shades and not a novelty but almost the most popular goods for traveling suits are BlackWatch Gordon hunting hunt-ing Stuart and Fife tartans Their sober stripings are enhanced by the gayest of plaid linings and the voyagers voy-agers toward Southern Californian or Canadian climes wear with coats and shirts of them highbuttoned bright satin waistcoats that have their own collars and flaunting plaid silk neckties neck-ties SPORTING COSTUMES There is a department of the tailors showrooms separate from all others and where women are already crowding crowd-ing for of even more importance than ones calling and street suit is the wherewithal to be clothed on the bicycle bicy-cle and golf links Now fashion and I comfort have undoubtedly had a mighty struggle for supremacy in the sporting field and its delightful to say neither has quite come off the winner win-ner Concessions have been wrung from both for if golf skirts are still short and waists still easy the fabric of the most alluring onts is tartan or checked tweed in mixed brown and I blue and a deal of braiding is used also a modicum of leather trimming In the extreme of fashion and yet a perfect outfit for a woman who wants everything simple and easy is the mixed green yellow and darkblue plaid dress sketched The skirt is kilted behind while the straight panel front is outlined in triple rows of alternating al-ternating dark green and blue and clear yellow soutache Similar lines of 1 soutache run along the hem of the kilts and on the left hip in front the skirts placket hole buttons At the right side under the lines of braid a pocket is set in and the body part is cut on the pattern of a shirt waist At the left I however under the triple lines of braid crossing the bust buttons and holes are found and the fullness is held at the waist by a darkblue leather belt and buckle varnished in the same color Those two decorative caps of green leather upon the shoulders extending ex-tending like a collar across the back are however mean for something more than ornament serving as a protection from the chafing strap of a cabby bag or cape when they are carried car-ried to and from the the now snow covered links where red balls arc used A white linen collar and black satin tie trims the neck suitably and in intervals on the links of waiting for a stroke a short cape of hunting i I scarlet cloth lined with heavy plaid flannel is drawn up over the shoulders by leather straps and caught in hooks at either side of the belt ON THE BICYCLE Bicycle suits are brown and a refined I re-fined ennobled grade of the homely brown horsecloth is the goods tailors are making them of for the omen who alternately use the same suits for wheeling in the academies and skating in the morning in indoor rinks Horsecloth is rough of surface and its unlined skirt is heavily stitched about the bottom the front placket hole reinforced 1 by a broad band of brown leather and it is worn with a shirt waist of brown gamekeepers corduroy The very slim women have adopted the most becoming of military outfits in combination of bluecloth jackets or skirts of Prussian blue army cloth and black serge coats To simulate the braiding that decorates a soldiers trousers there runs down from hip to hem a line of straight or fantastic black cording Looped frogs are laid across the front of the short close fitting jacket that is held in at the belt by a black leather belt The sleeve cuff and the collar are braided while over the shoulders fit epaulette straps of black braid which fall into a shower ofpretty dangles in the fullness full-ness of the sleeve tops These coats and skirts are all lined with silk the shade of that scarlet flannel which appears ap-pears in soldiers cloaks and the trig little hats are still Alpines They are of black camelshair felt braided round the brims edge and banded with a wreath of braiding applied to the crown itself To the left side a flashing gilt cut steel or bright enameled buckle is fixed and straight up from it stands a very full osprey of mixed black and white or many tall loops of stiffly wired black braid NINA FITCH < I I 9 i R cyi 1 d i r t vn j w 1 i t tI j O r l I I sl I 9 f r A CHARMING CONFECTION I Jj r 1 Q j r y l ar x v r NEAT 4ND PRETTY j r J C i i t r A J r 1 s d 1i i I I I I w E a f I S 1 t FOR AN AFTERNOON TEA 1 FAMOUS FRENCH BEAUTIES OF FORMER YEARS 5 I k L MARL MME ou pFlpi 1N t 40 j J 55 ANTOIN6TTtC JO EPH j t l lt IlbIlq l 1 I I f I I a L 1 0 jatNt l > L > 1 c ac |