The struggle between old Winter a young Spring has been very fiefee this century, but Spring has conquered and last the weather is such that heavy clot ing van be cast aside. now sce some of the newest creations of the world-re-ni owned Paris dressmakers displayed out-of-doors in this 3 ity which causes the Female constitution to sigh for new clothes as soon as spring comes gaily to the fore. The craving for light clothing attacks us pretty much in the sume manner as longing for green fields, bicycle rides, and salads. This year the dressmakers, and more particularly the lesser lights, are especially anxious for custom. "They say the Exhibition has done them a great deal of harm, ax all spare cash was spent in the grout show and, more recently, the tailors? strike was not calculated to improve things. Doubtless the strike is responsible not only for the amount of novelty displayed in the tailor-made gowns, but also for the plethora of silk and lace mantles which the big shops are disp ing. Tucked black taffetas, boleros and Jong, loose jackets, made of coarse net applique with fine cloth in black and fawns, are the thing this season. The long jackets are much befrilled and ruched the neck and round the wrists, where the sleeves are a little wide. The bolero sleeve, on the contrary, is puffed slightly above the wrist and' drawn into a tight band. Combined with tucked taft fe is narrow ribbon velvet round wristlets and collar, h rosettes of the sune fabric at the throat and down the front. Rosettes of narrow braid and velvet. appear on dresses also just now. Another kind of mantle, styled by the French a redingote" is becoming more and more bionable. It resembles the ancient dust cloak, reaching to the ground. This redingote is very becoming when rade in plain taffetas with a few pleats down the front: the collar set well over the shoulders and fastened in front by a bow of broad ribbon with ends nearly as long ax the mantle. In light cloth it rather resembles a well-made English waterproof. Indeed that garment has very nearly (hut not quite) been worn in Paris during the past winter.
In dress materials, as in mantles, the up-to-date article is taffetas or _ylacé silk. It takes the place of the voile for which there was such a rage in 1900. Voiles are rarely seen as new dresses, though naturally they cannot yet he extinguished altogether. A good dress is much more lasting than one made of taffetas silk. As everyone knows, any rustling silk very soon cuts and becomes quite ragged in places where the wear is hardest. "Still, a first-class taffetas, even when in holes, looks a good article and dressy to the last thread, En passant, coloured taffetas wears asa rule very much better than black. Foulards hare been produced in new patterns, larger and more striking and with lighter grounds than formerly. Dots must take a back sent this summer. Crepe de Chine and nondescript soft materials of an Oriental kind are very plentiful. One of the he= firms in the Rue de la Paix is now displaying a bewitching gown made of dead "white silk draped over what is, when uncovered, an ugly brick-red silk. The erdpe is applique with flowers in black Chantilly lace round the skirt and down the front of the bodice, which is cut square and has elbow sleeves. Skirts are made plain' and clinging over the hips but wide and tram-pet-shriped round the fect. They are cut in two pieces, the lower portion being rounded and covered vitiier with one deep tucked ficance or several small ones.
On the whole light colours and delicate shades are being the most used for dresses. The all-important sleeve is rather undecided. Dame Fashion is crying out and struggling to produce the old-fashioned wide or ell sleeve, but the gay Parisienne, although she loves a decided change, hates anything unbecoming, and the—intermediate state between the tight and wide sleeves certainly comes under this head. It seems to change the whole figure. One lady who has just had a rather wide sleeve sent home from x good dressmaker's, declares that she looks and feels like an idiot in it.
Hats are rounder and flatter than ever, in consequence of which the hair must be dressed in the neck. The puff at the front and sides is retained by neons of combs. One of the assistants at Paul Virot's establishment wears her hair in this style expressly to suit the hats, and certainly, before she puts one of them on for you to admire, her head has very much the effect of a priest's "en tonsure." The hats, mostly made of fancy-coloured straw, are also trimmed fiat with very large flowers, roses predominating. A decided novelty in hat trimmings iv chintz, or a sort of dull cretonne with a small design, which is cut out from the background and placed between projecting folds of the supple straw of the brim, or is folded round a sailor hat. The effect produced is like old embroidery. This chintz on a bodice is to be admired, but on a hat it looks more curious than anything else. Many hats will appear after Easter made entirely of Deep scarlet is the latest colour. One hat T saw at Paul Virot's was. all scarlet' flowers, immense poppies, ribbon, straw, and everything matching in this vivid colouring. It could be seen miles By the side of it was a similar pro-on in blue cornflowers with straw and silk: to The tide of dress which has undergone the least change is the pettit coat, exceedingly important item in Paris. " Rustling silk has returned into favour somewhat, but still. the majority are rather silent, and on the wide they are more substantial; that is to say they are made with fewer ruchings and cordings, but more stitching. Nor are we confined to silk as material for a smart Aressy petticoat. Moire has been brought to such perfection nowadays that, in black and white especially, it is difficult to distinguish from silk.
The very latest novelty in dress is a new fine leather or kid belt, curved somewhat like a collar, with the back nearly twice the width of the front. The object of the curve is to prevent the api ice of the skirt band below the belt. Very broad belts are still quite in vogue with Zouave bodices, but the ordinary medium ceinture is on the shelf for the time. The shops are still displaying dainty little collars and cuffs in cambrics and muslins. The prettiest are all made with some colour introduced either as embroidery at the corners ov narrow bands of mauve or pale Lime batiste put as an edging or Jet in just above the hem. These two colours predominate, but pink, scarlet, and black are also used. Some very practical collars for shirts are to be had. A broad piece of stiff muslin, the size of an ordinary dress collar, is taken as a foundation. To the upper edge of this, and turned down over it, is sewn the real collar, of cambric, made in one piece. To zch end of the foundation is attached a long cambric string, decorated at the and to match the turned-orer collar. These inet are tied in a neat bow noder the chin.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.