The Gazette

Today's Fashionable Furs

The fashionable designs in furs for this season take back in fancy to the days of our grandmothers, for they are nothing if not picturesquely quaint. We see on the streets now the very same models that had existed for the younger generation only in the pages of some accidentally preserved old fashion-plate, some musty old Godey's or like one-time arbiter of what was to be worn.

And very well do the present designs in furs accompany the costumes of the moment, for picturesqueness is the ruling feature. The broad shoulders, the small waist, the voluminous skirts harmonize with the odd-looking pelerines that are now worn—that is, worn by those who can afford the outlay.

For they certainly do cost a pretty penny, these deep capes and ends reaching anywhere from the belt clear down to the hem of the dress. It takes a good deal of material to make them, and it takes a very skillful hand to fashion them. But they are a garment in themselves, not a mere accessory, and can be worn many of our mild winter days as the only wrap. Perhaps the most approved fur employed in the construction of these grandmother furs is mink, which seems to lend itself best to the rather stately pelerine style.

Of course, we have coats and muffs not noticeably different from those in use the last few years, but this year's distinction for these is given by a short cut, sizeable sleeves, and a good touch, a vest very narrow but of exceptional richness of material and color. Not many of these jackets extend below the waist-line, usually a sort of girdle finishing the wrap at the bottom. A deep cuff and generous storm-collar gives a look of luxury and warmth, and the latter does away with the stole or boa.

Fur hats are worn more or less, but not recommended, so far as comfort is concerned; for they are too heating, considered very bad for my lady's tresses. But one must acknowledge they are exceedingly effective and generally becoming. The other day we noticed a lady whose costume was of marked distinction, and observed that the brim of her hat was of chinchilla fur, matching the chinchilla stole about her neck and the muff in her lap. The crown of the hat was of black velvet, and the hat had absolutely no trimming but the rich gray brim, which, for the wearer's beautiful gray hair and dark eyes, made the very best background possible.

About muffs. They are bigger and bigger, and take about as much fur as do the long-tailed capes they accompany. The flat ones are the approved style for the larger sort, and they are ornamented to a degree that seems extreme; for evening occasions lace is used in their trimming, and to-day chenille fringe ornaments muff as well as collar. Chenille ornaments decorate the furs sometimes in addition to the border of fringe. For those who do not like to bother with carrying a muff, the stores are showing gloves designed to take the place of the more or less cumbersome muff. They cost a goodly sum, do these warm gloves, but they are very durable and really make the good substitutes they are advertised to be. The most luxurious, and at the same time most convenient, are those of simplest cut, the ones that do not have to be fastened or coaxed on. They come in black, tan and gray undressed kid, and are lined with the very softest, silkiest of gray fur. They are extremely pleasant to the touch, keep the hands clean and are absolutely cold-proof. A new glove offered this year for those that do not favor as heavy-looking a glove as the fur one necessarily is, is lined with silk plush. The dealers affirm that these also can be worn in the coldest weather without a muff.

A good substitute for the too-warm fur hat is that made of long-haired beaver, and the effect is even better than in fur. Recently we had brought to our attention a large black beaver to be worn with a sealskin coat. The hat was very large and drooping, on the conventional picture order, but its lines were so simple and graceful, the one plume that constituted the trimming, so sweeping and handsome, there was no suggestion about it of affected picturesqueness. The furs and beavers must match the costumes, and we notice nowadays the people who already possess handsome furs are buying their cloths and materials and hats with reference to the color of their fur property. A brown beaver coat looks exceedingly well with a costume of brown broadcloth or voile, brown gloves, a waist of perhaps a lighter shade than the skirt, and a hat that shows in its make-up all the tones used in the toilet.

ELLEN OSMONDE