Iowa County Democrat

What Fashion Says the Widow Shall Wear.
Some dresses of extraordinary beauty were made recently for a widow of thirty who is about to enter the matrimonial state a second time. One was of ivory satin, with long, plain train embroidered in a rich scroll pattern, with pearls, white jet, and heavy silk down the sides and around the bottom, which was edged with a narrow triple plaiting, lined interiorly with a double plaiting of lace. The front was cut out in leaves, in a triple series, embroidered and laid over flounces of pompadour lace, the width diminishing toward the bodice, which formed a very deep point, and the hollows of which, upon the hips, were filled in with embroidered leaves, below which were deep paniers of the lace. The bodice was cut square, embroidered in front, and surrounded with a standing fraise of exquisite lace. The sleeves were formed of a single puff of satin and double fall of lace, the lower one descending over the elbow.
Another dress was a very delicate combination of shrimp pink, with a lovely brocade on a tinted ground. The bodice of this dress was cut in one with the train, which was trimmed with irregular falls of lace at the sides, and softly puffed at the back. The entire front was covered with a network of pearl embroidery as light almost as lace, and forming barred sections divided by twisted ropes of small seed pearls which cost as much in time and labor as jewels.
A dress of bronze satin and brocade, the latter in an olive pattern, is for walking or riding. It is all of a color and accompanied by an immense hat of bronze straw faced with velvet and trimmed with long and wide bronze plumes. A very rich short dress is for garden parties. It is a combination of cream and gold brocade, with old gold satin and beautiful lace. There is a hat for this dress of cream satin, edged with gold, and trimmed with magnificent plumes of old gold.
The simplest gowns in this trousseau are of India silk for morning wear, very much trimmed with ribbon and lace. The traveling dress is of pin-checked surah, lined with strawberry and trimmed with Irish point under the mantle, which formed a very stylish visite high on the shoulders, tied in at the back, but with long ends in front. The bonnet of French straw matched the general tone of the dress, which was a sort of brown bronze, and the feathers, which formed its garniture represented the colors in the minute checks and also the strawberry lining.
A Russian morning dress for present wear was of ivory cashmere lined with ivory surah and bordered with a broad band of black feather trimming. A very delicate one of white India twilled silk had a border composed of several rows of gathered lace studded with tiny white and pink silk pompons which looked like a garden border of English daisies.
The list seems endless, but a black toilet must be mentioned, composed entirely of black satin and lace, the lace mingled with white satin and the whole effect heightened by a mantle formed of deep plaitings of lace with a shower of fine jet down the center of the back, and high plaitings upon the shoulders forming deep epaulettes. With this dress came a small bonnet with sparkling jetted crowns and plaited brim of real lace.—Chicago Herald.