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THE TOILET .
FASHIONS
the following lotion : Acetate of iron, ten grains ; tincture of nux vomica, two drachms; rose-water, six ounces. To be used night and morning. One more word as to dry scalps. If there be any feverish ness, and the skin of the head be hot and uncomfortable, a cooling lotion should be applied, and on no account should any stimulating lotions be used. The following is a capital cooling application : Solution of the acetate of ammonia, three ounces ; spirit of camphor, half a drachm ; spirit of sal volatile, half a drachm ; spirit of wine, one drachm ; and water six or eight ounces ; the scalp should be kept moist with this. Another point deserves notice. The too free use of stimulating washes to the scalp may actually produce a debilitated state of the hair follicles, and thus premature thinning by overtaxing their powers. The first effect in such cases may be to increase the growth of the hair for awhile. Nature responds to the increased demand made upon her-she always does when she cankeeping an extra stock of power on hand ready to meet an emergency, but she cannot always live at high pressure rate. It was never intended that she should ; if we persist in using her willingness too freely and injudiciously, a break-down always occurs. This is exactly the case with the hair. If we rouse the hair-forming apparatus, it will increase its work; but unless we are careful, we shall exhaust it in the end. The use of stimulants may seem, for the moment, to effect good, but in the end oftentimes, especially in debilitated subjects, produces a good deal of ill result. Hence, to treat all cases of loss or thinning of hair by local stimulation, is an error of philosophy. Get the general tone up, and we may then call upon the local { power to aid our endeavor and to further our wish.
FASHIONS FOR APRIL. FIG. 1 -WALKING DRESS OF BLACK SILK, over a dark-blue silk petticoat embroidered in black. Short black silk paletot, with long, loose sleeves. FIG. 1.- HOUSE DRESS OF GREEN-AND-WHITE STRIPED SILK, piped with white. FIG. III -WALKING DRESS OF RICE-COLORED POPLIN, over a blue poplin petticoat. Short black jacket and sailor hat. FIG. IV. WALKING DRESS OF MAIZE-COLORED LINEN, over a red silk petticoat. The sacque is rather deep, pointed at the sides; has a small pointed hood at the back, and is of the same material as the dress. FIG. V.- CARRIAGE DRESS AND PEPLUM SACQUE OF BROWN SILK, trimmed with heavy jet fringe. FIG. VI .- EVENING DRESS FOR A YOUNG LADY.-It is cut without a scam at the waist, is of pearl-colored silk, trimmed with pink silk, edged with a narrow jet gimp. The body is very low, with a low, white under body and sleeves. FIG. VII.- NEW STYLE OF BALL-DRESS FOR A YOUNG LADY.It consists of a pink silk under-dress, with a deep fluted ruffle, and a full tulle over-skirt, looped up with bands of pink ribbon, on which are placed wreaths of roses. The body is low and square, and has short, puffed sleeves. This style of dress has become very popular in Paris with ladies who dance, as it obviates all the difficulties of managing long trains. GENERAL REMARKS.- For the house, skirts are still made with very long trains and excessively gored ; no fullness is seen i front, or at the sides of the skirt: but either one very large plait, or three smaller ones, is placed at the back. WALKING DRESSES are made in the greatest variety of styles, and look very picturesque over bright-colored petticoats. Yet we think that the petticoat will disappear, and the short dress, just escaping the ground, take its place. To have a walking dress stylish, the jacket should always correspond in shape ; thus, if the skirt is cut in points, the jacket should be cut in points also; or if the
FOR APRIL.
dress is square, back and front, and looped up at the sides, the jacket should be square too. SHORT BALL-DRESSES, as will be seen in our illustration, are introduced for ladies who dance ; and though not as elegant as the long trains, they recommend themselves to all sensible people. WAISTS OF DRESSES are still made quite plain and short ; but the long, loose sleeve will be much worn during the coming warm weather. BROCADED SILKS are too heavy for spring and summer wear; but chene silks take their place. Nothing, however, can be prettier than the pretty little check silks, which have been worn for years; and they come in the most delicate and greatest variety of colors. THE MANTLES, SACQUES, ETC., which have appeared in such wonderful varieties during the winter, are still undecided as to style. Almost any pattern may be worn, and yet be in fashion. BONNETS are in almost as many styles as wraps, though the Marie Antoinette seems to be rather establishing itself; it has a very large, round crown, small, stiff cape, and a brim which slopes back from the ears. The " Chaperon" is almost like the Marie Antoinette, and is almost entirely composed of a large, flat crown, about an inch in depth, a wreath of flowers being placed on the front, and carried down the strings toward the chin, thus forming, as it were, a cap, and proving very becoming to the face; an extremely narrow curtain, slightly full, surmounting the chignon finishes this stylish bonnet, which has little or no brim. JACKETS are cut square in front instead of round, as formerly. Many are fastened down the front with bars of gimp or braid. Others are made without sleeves and are left open, so that the waistband and bodice are plainly visible. These small jackets are either made of the same material as the dress, or else of light-colored cashmere, embroidered with silk of various colors, or with gold. GLOVES, for evening wear, are now made with five battons ; indeed, the elegantes are wearing them as high as the elbow, in the style of our great-grandmothers. Fashion seems daily to return to the character of things worn during the First Empire. HEAD-DRESSES, also, frequently recall the portraits ofthe Empress Josephine. The hair is dressed very high at the back, and frequently very low on the forehead, with only a single rose, or an ornamental comb. Long plaits, with beads entwined round them, falling at each side of the face, are very much worn; they are convenient during damp weather, when curls generally cease to be curls at the close of an evening. Some ladies, who have hair of more than ordinary length, have hit upon a singular manner of displaying it ; instead of either plaiting or curling it, they wear it behind the ear, straight down each side, until it terminates below the waist, simply looping it across with strings of beads. Some ladies wear their chignons ridicu lously high, and of an exaggerated size, with two extravagantly long curls at the back in the place of ribbons. It is far better taste to accept the decrees of fashion in moderation instead of adopting these eccentric extremes.
CHILDREN'S FASHIONS. FIG. 1.- KNICKERBOCKER SUIT OF GRAY CASHMERE, ornamented with wide black galloon, for a young boy. FIG. II. SUIT OF DROWN CASSIMERE, FOR A Boy, trimmed with black braid. FIG. III -A LITTLE GIRL'S DRESS OF BLUE POPLIN, with a ruffle around the skirt, and a black-and-white silk peplum. FIG. IV. DRESS OF WHITE PIQUE, BRAIDED IN CRIMSON, for a little child. FIG . V. DRESS OF WHITE PIQUE, trimmed with heavy white embroidery.
