& THE MEN WHO MAKE SPELLING-BOOKS.Will not some person start up and make a spelling-book that will contain words that there may be some possibility that one of them may be used some time in the next fifty years? We have before us now a spelling-book in which are some words that in an intercourse with the world of some sixty years we never have heard used; and we will venture to say that we will ask one hundred men in common life, and no two out of the hundred will be able to tell the meaning, and no one out of the same number will be able to spell the word. It is a common complaint, and we hear it every day, that children come from school and cannot spell, simply from the reason that they are kept at words not in use, and not at those used in common every-day life. MANY SUBSCRIBERS.-You have probably seen, by the way the fashion is folded in the December number, how stupid your bookbinder must have been. SOME HINTS. IN remitting, try to procure a draft, and don't fail to indorse it. Address L. A. Godey, Philadelphia, Pa. That is sufficient. If a lady is the writer, always prefix Mrs. or Miss to her signature, that we may know how to address a reply. Town, County, and State, always in your letter. If you miss a number of any magazine, always write to the publishers of the magazine. If Arthur's, address T. S. Arthur & Co., Philadelphia; if Harper's, address Messrs. Harper & Brothers, New York. When a number of the Lady's Book is not received, write at once for it; don't wait until the end of the year. When inclosing money, do not trust to the sealing matter on an envelope, but use a wafer in addition. Mrs. Hale is not the Fashion Editress. Address "Fashion Editress, care L. A. Godey, Philadelphia. When you send money for any other publication, we pay it over to the publisher, and there our responsibility ceases. We can always supply back numbers. Subscriptions may commence with any number of the year. The postage on the Lady's Book, if paid three months in advance at the office where it is received, is four and a half cents for three monthly numbers. Let the names of the subscribers and your own signature be written so that they can be easily made out. PEG TOP PANTALOONS.-We have often referred to excess of fashions among the ladies. Let it be understood that every fashion is supposed to be pretty. The eye gets accustomed to it, and the departure from it is what is remarked. Occasionally a lady may be seen without crinoline; people stare and turn round to look at her. She certainly attracts attention. So with the gentlemen's peg tops; the use would be well, but the abuse is ridiculous. PHILADELPHIA AGENCY. No order attended to unless the cash accompanies it. All persons requiring answers by mail must send a post-office stamp; and for all articles that are to be sent by mail, stamps must be sent to pay return postage. Be particular, when writing, to mention the town, county, and State you reside in. Nothing can be made out of post-marks. E. B. H.-Sent infant's wardrobe October 18th. H. F. B.—Sent hair chain 22d. Miss E. L. B.-Sent velvet trimming 22d. Mrs. A. B.-Sent zephyr by express 24th. Mrs. G. G. P.-Dry goods have advanced here very Mrs. E. B. H.-Sent articles 28th. Mrs. G. F.-Sent pictures for vases November 1st. C. L. R.-Sent hair ring 3d. Mrs. H. C., Brunswick, Maine.-Madame Demorest's Mirror of Fashion is published at 473 Broadway, New York. The number of her establishment is published monthly in the Lady's Book. Mrs. R. G.-We cannot answer such questions. Your family physician is the proper person to mention the inquiry to. Miss D. E. E.-Immediately after nuptials have been solemnized. The waiter gives the signal, and the parties then proceed-as you have stated. Miss E. H. A.-No gentleman would ask such a ques tion. E. C. B.-Sent jewelry 3d. Mrs. J. B. W.-Sent Alicant pattern 4th. Mrs. A. E. B.-Sent pattern 4th. Mrs. M. A. B.-Sent pattern 5th. Mrs. C. W. C.—Sent lace undersleeves, etc., 8th. W. M. of Chicago-Asks us to furnish "a plan for a block of city residences,” etc. It will cost him no more than it will us to have such a plan designed; and as we are not aware that any other of our subscribers want such a plan, we must refer him to Mr. Hobbs, and will, with pleasure, see that Mr. Hobbs gets his letter. M. G. E.-Gentlemen don't wear expensive jewelry; there is a class of men who do, but they are supposed generally to be of the fancy order. Miss M. G.-Sent worsted 10th. Mrs. L. M.-Sent hair ornaments 10th. C. J.-Sent bonnet 10th. Mrs. G. M.-Sent infant's wardrobe 10th. Miss R. L.-Sent pattern of Red Riding Hood 10th. Miss S. N. N.-Sent Chemisse Russe 11th. Miss R.-Learning to write is like learning to draw: you have only to take a good copy and try to imitate it. You will soon find your writing improved. Avoid flourishes. E. H. B.-Sartain's and Graham's magazines have been dead for many years. Mrs. J. L. E.-Sent cigar-case 12th. Miss M. H.-Sent gloves, net, etc., 12th, Miss S. M. D.-Sent kid gloves 12th. Miss D. R.-We know of no remedy for freckles; and we advise you not to try any of the advertised nostrums. Mrs. A. V. S-Out of time-cannot attend to it. Mrs. H. D.-Soap and water is the best remedy, well applied. Anna, New York.-Seam, ribbed, purl, and turned stitch, are all terms having the same meaning. A seam stitch is made by bringing the cotton before the needle, and instead of putting the needle over the upper cotton it is put under. Or, bring the cotton forward, and knit the part of the -stitch which is next to you. Mrs. W. S. T.-A mother's feelings should answer your question about mourning. Miss E. R. N.-We shall probably commence paper flower making in our next number. Fashions. NOTICE TO LADY SUBSCRIBERS. HAVING had frequent applications for the purchase of jewelry, millinery, etc., by ladies living at a distance, the Editress of the Fashion Department will hereafter execute commissions for any who may desire it, with the charge of a small percentage for the time and research required. Spring and autumn bonnets, materials for dresses, jewelry, envelops, hair-work, worsteds, children's wardrobes, mantillas, and mantelets, will be chosen with a view to economy, as well as taste; and boxes or packages forwarded by express to any part of the country. For the last, distinct directions must be given. Orders, accompanied by checks for the proposed expenditure, to be addressed to the care of L. A. Godey, Esq. No order will be attended to unless the money is first received. Neither the Editor nor Publisher will be accountable for losses that may occur in remitting. The Publisher of the Lady's Book has no interest in this department, and knows nothing of the transactions; and whether the person sending the order is or is not a subscriber to the Lady's Book, the Fashion editor does not know. Instructions to be as minute as is possible, accompanied by a note of the height, complexion, and general style of the person, on which much depends in choice. Dress goods from Evans & Co.'s; mourning goods from Besson & Son; cloaks, mantillas, or talmas, from Brodie's, 51 Canal Street, New York; bonnets from the most celebrated establishments; jewelry from Wriggens & Warden, or Caldwell's, Philadelphia. When goods are ordered, the fashions that prevail here govern the purchase; therefore, no articles will be taken back. When the goods are sent, the transaction must be considered final. DESCRIPTION OF STEEL FASHION-PLATE FOR JANUARY. Fig. 1.-Dress suitable for a bridesmaid. White silk under-dress, with over-dress of white crêpe, made with two skirts. The second skirt is quite long, and is finished with scallops bound with white silk, and is elegantly trimmed with puffs of the crêpe arranged in a linked Grecian pattern. The same design forms the bertha on the corsage, also trims the sleeves. The corsage is made with a deep point both behind and before. Etruscan ornaments and coiffure of cherries with foliage. Fig. 2.-Dress of white reps, with five narrow flounces on the skirt, trimmed with violet velvet. Above this trimming are three black thread lace flounces. Corsage pointed both back and front, and trimmed with lace and violet velvet trimmings. Sash of violet velvet, embroidered and fringed. Coiffure of Parma violets. Fig. 3.-White satin dress, trimmed elaborately with groseille velvet and black lace. Bertha and corslet trimmed to match the skirt. Coiffure composed of white ostrich plumes and groseille velvet. Fig. 4.—White glacè silk, with plain skirt; corsage trimmed with folds, and the sleeves one large puff. Breast knot of green velvet, with bullion tassels. Sash of green velvet, with pointed ends, finished with heavy bullion tassels. Coiffure of green velvet and Solferino flowers. Fig. 5.-Dress suitable for a bridesmaid, composed of white muslin, with six gauffered flounces on the skirt. Bertha formed of three gauffered ruffles. Full body and puff sleeves. Pink sash, with heavy fringed ends tied behind. Coiffure of rose-buds, with foliage. HEADDRESSES. (See description, page 18.) Fig. 1. The Coralio Headdress.-This headdress is formed of a torsade of cerise velvet and a point lace barbe, with a large bow on the forehead, and white plumes on the right side. Fig. 2. The Eulalio.—Net composed of gold cord caught with black velvet and gold buttons. Three white plumes are on the left side. Over the head is a roll of black velvet, which is finished on the right side by a large bow with ends trimmed with gold and lace. DAISY TRAVELLING WINTER HOOD (See plate printed in colors in front.) Materials required to make one hood: An ounce and a half of single white Berlin wool; two ounces of a very bright shade of Alpine rose; half an ounce of single Partridge wool; six skeins of white sewing silk; half a yard of Alpine rose ribbon for the bow behind; a d'oyley frame, with brass pegs, twelve inches square, and one four inches wide and twelve inches long. This pretty hood, which is so useful for travelling wear, or for putting on in coming out of a theatre or place of public amusement, is made in the same manner as the daisy d'oyleys which used to be so much in vogue. The hood has a white and speckled head-piece, bordered all round with a bright rose-colored border, with strings of the same. The head-piece is not cut after it is removed from the pegs of the frame; but the border and strings have half of the wool cut in the same manner as the daisy mats, to give it a fluffy, soft appearance. The wool is wound on a frame, and each square is secured by a cross-stitch in wool. The head-piece consists of a simple square, the wool being wound crosswise en the frame, from corner to corner, so that, when finished, the diamonds lie in the proper direction. Four rows of white wool must be wound round every other peg, and over this three rows of white sewing silk; the other pegs require two rows of white wool and two of Partridge wool When all the wool is wound, the squares must be secured with white wool, threaded in a long netting-needle, slipping the wool on the wrong side to form a square underneath; or, to explain ourselves better, securing the squares the straight way of the frame. When this square is completed the head-piece is finished, and the border must be commenced on the long, narrow frame. The front border and strings are made in one piece; and, as the frame is not long enough, it must be accomplished by four separate windings. Take seven skeins of the rose-colored wool, fold each skein into five lengths, fasten each skein on to the pegs of the long side, winding the wool that is to be continued, round the opposite pegs, to keep it secure. To form the squares, loop two pieces of wool in and out the short way of the frame, and over that three pieces. It will now be seen that the squares are formed, which must be secured with the same colored wool; and, when this portion of the work is completed, three of the threads cut on each side of the stitch, to form a little tuft, or daisy. When removed from the frame, the border is finished by the loops on each side, which make a pretty edging to the strings. Three more lengths of border must be done in the same manner, until the wool is used up. Half the quantity of border is sufficient for the hood behind. The border must now be sewn on in front, holding in the cap a little at the top, to give it a round appearance. After it is sewn on behind, a piece of plaited Partridge wool should be run in between the stitches on the wrong side, so that the hood may be drawn in to the required size. In the colored illustration of this hood, our readers will see that the border is composed of four windings of wool only. The reason for this is that, if there had been seven rows shown, the character of the work would not have been so easily seen, on account of its minuteness. CHITCHAT UPON NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA FASHIONS FOR JANUARY. WHILE the month of January brings with it opportunities for using the elegant evening toilets, for which our ladies are famous the world over, it none the less brings mud and mire and stormy days. But notwithstanding mud and mire, business must be attended to and exercise taken in the open air. For these purposes, there is nothing so useful as the Jupe Pompadour; and we cannot recommend it too highly. It is very easily made: Two rows of rings are sewn at regular intervals on the inside of the skirt; through these rings pass cords, fastened to the bottom of the dress, which come out at the top of the skirt. By these cords the skirt can be drawn up in graceful folds to any height. With this Jupe should be worn the colored or Balmoral skirts, of which there is an endless variety. Some are elegantly braided and trimmed with velvet, others are of black material, with bands of scarlet cloth pinked on each edge and stitched on them. Again we see them alternately striped with black and white, with a deep Grecian design embroidered in black. Sometimes they are in brilliant colored merinos, with arabesques of black silk or cloth. They are also made of Poplin. But we object to these expensive styles, for a colored petticoat in our eyes, is only suitable for unpleasant weather, and should not, under any circumstances, take the place of a white one, with a handsome dress. Dress skirts are now rarely seen perfectly plain. They are generally much ornamented, but in excellent taste. Soutache or braiding seems to be the order of the day. We have lately seen at Stewart's some very beautiful imported dresses of Empress cloth, braided or rather tamboured in a very deep and rich design. Other styles for misses, with Sautes en barques to match, were of blue, green, or brown reps with two rows of the Greek pattern woven on them in black velvet, the velvet about one-eighth of an inch in width, and the designs complete for the entire dress. The same style of robe was in the mourning department, black and purple velvet on black materials; also other rich designs on different materials. At Mme. Pinchon's, Lord & Taylor's, and other establishments, were dresses with sack or Camailes to match, richly braided with fancy braids. Dress skirts are worn of a moderate length on the street, but for a reception, visiting, or evening, they are made exceedingly long. Sleeves generally are of the coat style, and dresses are either made with jackets, many of them with box-plaits at the back, or else trimmed to give the appearance of a jacket in front. The vest postillion, basquine lancier, and vest Impératrice are all fashionable. The taste for solid colors seems to prevail, and never were such greens, purples, modes, and garnets, as those of this season. Changeable silks are being introduced, and moire antiques and watered silks are much worn. Merinos like the silks are of the most brilliant dyes this winter, and as they are a very pretty medium dress, and susceptible of much ornamentation, no wardrobe is considered complete without one. Indeed there seems to be a perfect rage for them, and as they hang in such soft graceful folds, we should prefer them rather than poplins for misses. Mrs. Ellis, of 880 Broadway, contributes some very beautiful styles to our chronicle of fashions for this month. A very stylish dress was a wine-colored moiré trimmed at the edge of the skirt with a narrow plaited flounce. Above this plaiting were a series of semicircles or coquilles of black lace, in the centre of which were bands of black velvet. These coquilles, which were carried quite round the skirt, and ascended half way up the skirt on the left side, were headed by a narrow plaited flounce corresponding with that on the edge of the skirt. The corsage was trimmed en zouave, and the trimming of lace and velvet was carried under the arms to the back, where it was finished with a bow and long ends. Another was of wine-colored silk, with chestnut leaves of velvet, caught in pairs with a jet ornament and carried round the skirt and up one side to the waist. Spanish corsage trimmed to match, and Spanish pocket. Another dress, quite novel and in excellent taste, was a silver gray silk, ornamented round the bottom with a very deep band formed of black and violet ribbons, so arranged as to form checkers. On the corsage was a plastron of the same, and the sleeves with revers were trimmed to match. Among the numerous merino dresses, was one of rose de chine, with velvet oak leaves, chain-stitched with white, running all round the skirt. Another of green, beautifully braided with thick white silk cord, a brown braided with gold color A travelling dress of Humboldt purple, with Camail to match, both elegantly braided with fancy black braid. Black alpacas are being made up with fluted ruffles, and trimmed with colored velvets and braids. Velvets are to be had narrow enough for braiding and so up to a finger in width of all colors; the black with white edge, however, seems to be preferred for everything. Plain black velvet ribbons come one-quarter of a yard wide. Black and white fancy braid is very stylish, and black mixed with tinsel we see used. Beads worked in with braiding add much to the effect. Short plaid silk scarfs are very much worn by misses, tied in a large bow under the chin. Camel-hair scarfs are worn in the same style. For in-doors, lace and muslin lappets or scarfs are now very generally worn round the neck, to the exclusion of collars. They are also tied in a large how, and, when well tied, are very stylish. When made of lace, and arranged with taste, they are very becoming. Handkerchiefs are worn very simply ornamented › some have five rows of small spots in black silk all round, and trimmed with a narrow ruffle, with similar black spots worked upon it. Others are chain-stitched, or braided in colors, with a medallion and initials on one side, the handkerchiefs being generally round. The more elegant are trimmed with insertions and flutings of Valenciennes. Sashes are much worn, and as it is rather expensive to have them to match every dress, many are made of black silk, with either a ruche all round, or else braided and the ends fringed. The most elegant are of black thread lace, and add much to the style of a dress. The accepted style of bonnet is very high, rather square on top, and straight, shallow sides. For misses the tabs are generally very small. The trimming is placed on top, and consists of plumes or fans, fold, or flutings of velvet. We noticed at Miss McConnel's, of Clinton Place, New York, an exquisite bonnet of Humboldt purple velvet, with the whole of the front covered with the green blossoms of the American linden. We should remark, en passant, that the Humboldt purple has the peculiarity of looking well in the evening. Another of the same shade was trimmed with velvet flowers to match, and black lace. We have not space to describe the many beautiful bonnets we saw at this establishment; but we were particularly attracted by a new veil styled Loup de dentelle. They are suitable for round hats as well as bonnets, and, we have been told, have been adopted by the Empress, and will be much patronized this winter. They are made in different sorts of lace, rather oval in shape, and held in their place by a black velvet, or ribbon of a similar color as the bonnet, which is run through a beading, and tied with bow and ends just over the mouth. The veil is then trimmed with a lace เ about two inches in width. Brodie's cloaks are as usual very stylish and of great variety in shape and trimming. A number of the rich velvet cloaks are long sacks without trimming, except on the revers of the sleeve, on which there is a coquille of lace. Others are rounding, with several seams from the shoulders to the waist, causing them to hang very gracefully. They have armholes, but no sleeves, and are trimmed with jet passementerie running up in pyramids. Some have a large plait in the centre of the back, and are ornamented with rich crochet medallions, and fastened at the throat with crochet ornaments. Ball cloaks are now being made of exceedingly rich and handsome material, and really form part of the evening toilet. Some are of white silk, bordered with bands of black and gold, others spotted with gold. New designs appear daily in the show-rooms. At Mme. Pin chon's we noticed a number of cloaks made of blue cloth, thick, soft, and velvety, richly braided or trimmed with passementerie. Others were darker, almost a blue black. At other establishments we have seen sacks made up of army blue cloth, and trimmed with gilt braid and buttons; but these are entirely too prononcé for the street, and the style will not be adopted by ladies of good taste. We were shown some very elegant dresses, just finished by Mme. Demorest, 473 Broadway. One was a Russian leather colored taffeta, the skirt trimmed with five bands of black velvet, edged on both sides with quilling of the same taffeta, and finished with black lace. The body was open and trimmed round over the shoulders with three rows of the velvet and plaiting, the centre band being the widest, which was also the case on the skirt. The bands ended in the girdle, which had broad, long ends, fastened without a bow. An evening dress we admired for its, novel and appropriate use of crêpe as the trimming. This was a mauve silk, trimmed with three rows of crêpe ruches in three shades, the inner one the darkest, and the outer one lighter than the dress. Low body, with Marie Antoinette fichu, trimmed to correspond, and terminating in long ends behind. Another silk of Mexican blue had three fluted crêpe flounces, the same shade as the dress, and edged with black lace. A very beautiful carriage dress was a fine poplin, in shaded tints of maize color and black, with five undo lating black stripes. This dress had a hemmed flounce of changeable silk, the same shade as the foundation color of the dress. Above this was an application of guipure four inches wide. The body was trimmed en Zouave, and the sleeve shaped at the elbow with trimmings of guipure lace and flutings. One of the latest novelties is the Spanish pocket, a very pretty and dressy little affair. It is worn on the outside of the dress, and is very like a Zouave pouch. It is suitable both for ladies and misses, and, we think, will be a favorite this winter. FASHION. |
