The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-10-18 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS

Tlll3 Paris fashion correspondent of the Omen
(Eliane de Marsy) says the best dressed Parisiennes
are wearing morning and walking costumes made of
soft coarse woollens, but which are light in weight
and supple. These new tissues have appeared under
various names, such as Trappistine, &c., but they
closely resemble coarse serges, and are both plain and
broch& Another new woollen is called the Stuart;
the bodice and draperies are plain, the skirt checked.
Some of the plain woollens—notably the bronze, fir-
green, dark blue, and gull greys—are woven with a
gold checked border down one selvedge, and this is
used for edging skirt and tunic.

Tun usual style of making woollen costumes is a
kilted skirt, a tunic on the cross mounted in wide
plaits, close fitting jacketrhodice, opening over a
narrow waistcoat of either fine broche woollen or dark
silk dotted with colour. The buttons for fastening
these jackets are generally of engine-turned wood,
matching the costume in colour, and representing an
animal's head, a fleur-de-lys, a marguerite, a geome-
trical figure, &c. The favourite trimming is guipure
de laine, a coarse woollen lace with large meshes for
groundwork, and the flowers embroidered in chenille.
This lace, which is produced in all shades, is arranged
as flat flounces and also as tabliers, with a row of
velvet between each flounce. Another trimming is the
mohair galoon, interwoven with gold or steel threads,
but the best houses use these braids with a very
sparing band, as, although they are bright and
effective, they savour of tinsel.

A SIMPLIS plan for making a woollen costume is to
use double width material for the skirt. This is
passed round the figure, and has only one seam (that
at the back), instead of the usual gored breadths; all
the fulness is massed in layers of plaits that fall in
with the placket hole behind. Darts are taken in the
top of the front and sides to make the skirt fit
smoothly over the gored foundation skirt, and there
is a cut cloth fringe around the lower edge, falling on
the trimming of the foundation skirt, which trimming
consists of two pinked and gathered frills of the cloth.
The polonaise over such a skirt has a round waist in
front, and opens diagonally from right to left, a broad
velvet sash encircling the waist; the sides are flat, the
fulness being massed at the back. To make a dress
light in weight, silk is the best material for the foun-
dation skirt, although alpaca and Silesia are often
used. The padding at the top of the sleeves is now
frequently omitted.

Hats are certainly less exaggerated, and lower than
those vorn during the summer. The brims are
narrow, and they are trimmed with enormous bows
of either watered or light velvet ribbon, with fancy
birds (whose feathers and claws are tipped with gold),
with embroidered galoons, with woollen lace, and
with lace embroidered in gold, and, above all, in
steel. Bonnets are worn without strings. The brim
has either one or two points, and the crown, in either
velvet or felt, is medium-sized and conical. Small
capotes are always in vogue for carriage wear, and
evening bonnets are made of white velvet or white
Sicilienne, and trimmed with a pretty tuft of shot
feathers. Coloured veils are much worn, but are less
elegant than the simple tulle osies. The variety in
the shape of hats is endless. There is the gondola,
the halberdier, the Tyrolean, and the casque do
chevalier.

FOR morning costumes supple woollens are being
used, some flecked with tufts, such as the bure de
Carmelite and Cromwell serge; but the generality
are plain and combined with beautiful new em-
broidery. Plain velvet, veloutine, and rich corded or
ottoman silks are for dressy toilettes. The special
embroideries at this house consist of fris6 and em-
bossed velvets, the foundation being cut away, and
the flowers, &c., worked round so that the edges do
not fray; these are arranged on rich silks, and form
an exquisite style of ornamentation. For trimming
woollen costumes there is the thick guipure called
" Karthoum," which is made with mohair braid and
arranged without fulness on both skirt and bodice.
Astrakan fur, and a pretty imitation of the same,
likewise woollen lace, are also used as trimmings.
The guipure de laine is made in black with red
flowers, or to match the costume, also in bands. The
following models are made with these new materials:
For morning wear, a blouse in dark red Cromwell
serge cut with a yoke loose in front, gathered at the
back, with band and bows of black velvet; skirts
mounted in wide plaits and bordered with guipure de
Karthoum, the same on the yoke and cuffs.

A CARRIAGB costume of plain red velvet, trimmed
with a deep flounce of black and red woollen guipure.
Punier tunic in the same guipure (woven as piece lace
in breadths), and draped on the right hip with a
large black velvet- bow; bodice to match over red
silk; the waistcoat and pointed collar at the back are
velvet, and there is a red velvet waistband. These
waistbands are composed of velvet, ten inches high in
front, rounded off, and diminishing in size towards
the back, where they are fastened to the bodice with
a velvet bow. They form a few plaits in front, are
very novel, and will be worn with the new bodice,
which is short and cut square at the waist in front.
A rich dinner dress is in black velvet and pink silk.
The narrow pink tablier is plaited and framed with
black Chantilly lace; the panels and waistcoat are
frig velvet flowers cut out and embroidered as de-
scribed and mounted on pink silk; the small square
train and bodice are in plain black velvet. Prune
velvet, combined with pale lilac, which is appliqué
with these Mae velvet flowers, also forms a beautiful
reception toilette.

AT the wedding of Mlle. Yvonne de Kerhaeven with
M. Hubert de Poulhoet, which was celebrated at a
château in Brittany near Chateaubriant, some beauti-
ful toilettes were worn. After mass there was a dance
in the meadow, and in the evening there was a dinner
in a tent, lighted with exquisite coloured lamps and
decorated with flowers. The tent opened on the
garden, which was illuminated far into the park with
Bengal fires. The bride's dress was white broch6
damask, the skirt cut out in battlements that fell upon
a wide tulle and satin ruche, and in each battlement
there was a spray of orange blossoms that nestled in
the tulle; the train of plain satin formed a large
butterfly bow at the top. High bodice, with a simple
cordon of orange blossoms across it. Her hair was
arranged high in loops, with small sprays of bridal
flowers, and the long tulle veil fell over the
train and dress. The bride's mother, the Com-
tesse de Kerhaeven' was in myrtle-green satin,
the train ornamented with large appliqué of multi-
coloured jet; black lace bonnet on a gold foundation,
with a tuft of moss roses and aigrette, strings fastened
with enormous emeralds mounted as pins. Mme. de
Poulhoiit, the bridegroom's mother, was in violet
velvet striped with moire; the waistcoat, revers, and
cuffs were violet velvet ; the bonnet entirely of shaded
violets; the earrings were remarkable, they were
amethysts surrounded with pearls, and the waistcoat
buttons matched. Mlle. de Moneau wore a cream
and pale blue costume; the skirt consisted of narrow
cream lace flounces, the voile tunic was broche with
blue flowers, the jersey bodice was dark blue silk with
thin lines of silver on the waistcoat, collar, and cuffs ;
the blue flowers on the high hat were veiled in cream
gauze; long Suede gloves, pale blue stockings with
dark blue shoes trimmed with silver braid.

WA learn from another wr!ter in the same journa
that there was a grand gathering of la jeuttesse dor&
in Auvergne last week. The Comtesse de Lastic gave
a fancy ball at the Chateau de Parentiguat. Some of
the guests—including the young master of the house,
who conducted the cotillon with Mlle. de Dreuzy—
wore the national dress of the Province, as well as his
partner. For the rest, there was the usual sprinkling
of Watteau Shepherdesses, Follies, Spanish dancers,
and Marquises. At Biarritz the aristocratic denizens
of the place have been dancing for the benefit of the
cholera. Vicomte Henry, with his young bride, in
pale pink, honoured the ball with their presence;
also the Duchesse de la Torre and her daughter; the
Duchesse de Pammames—the niece of the Empress
Eugenie and the mundane Comtesse Jean de Monte-
bello—all of whom reappeared a day or two later at
Mine. Mellar's villa—modestly styled "a cottage
in fancy dress. A party of roving players, headed by
the Duc de Pammames, made a great sensation.
There was the Comtesse Via Gonzala as Esmeralda,
tho Comtesse de Santo Venia as Polichinella, and the
two Mlles. de Santa Maria as Colombine.

Tall following is quoted from an article on the
fashionable trimmings of the season, under the head
of Dress and Fashion, in the fie..en One of the best
and most economical introductions of the day is
whaleboneine, sold in lengths of 9in.,
13in., 151 n., and 17in., but is really as
easy to cut as whalebone itself. It is half
the price, but looks the same, except that it is very
much polished; it does not split or unduly bend, but
is quite pliable; it is made of buffalo horn, and will
not splinter. The enormously high price of whale-
bone makes this a really valuable introduction.

VIIIIITABLB cream lace, not. tea or saffron
colour, or twine, is now In vogue. Most
of the fashionable laces, black and cream,
are Made sufficiently wide to cover a skirt
entirely. The great novelty of the year is worsted
lace, made really of wool, and to be had in black,
cream, and most colours and widths, the patterns of
the torchon order. It is used on dresses. Black
Spanish lace is not quite out of date; but Chantilly is
much more worn, also Melange, a mixture of the two
—the ground Chantilly, the patterns both Spanish and
-ntilly—in the same place. Guipure lace is made
in iit. colours, and there are a good many inexpensive
cotton laces. The machine-made Valenciennes has
been produced at much lower prices and far better
patterns. One of the prettiest laces is the &felines,
with silk ground and cotton pattern, which appears
to have no ground at all; this is spotted, and also is
celebrated for the maidenhair pattern. A new imi-
tation lace, brought out under the name of " Honiton
point," is as unlike Honiton as can well be Imagined,
but has the design outlined with silk, which brightens

"A red nose," says a noted physician, "is one ot
the signs
..of insanity." It is not unfreqnently a flip
of an insane desire for eometbinsr to drink

ME NILE EXPEDITION.

be following telegrams have been received througn
Reuter's Agency:

_
SITAKIM, Oct. 14, 4 p.m.
General Fremantle has received intelligence from
Kassala stating that the Beniamer and Ashraff tribes
are friendly. The Kaibala district is open, and crops
are abundant. The Amarar tribe appears to have
temporarily come to terms with the Hadendowas, and
has returned the cattle captured from them.
Osman Digma has issued a proclamation ordering
the neighbouring tribes to join him under pain of
death, and asserting that most of the Amarars are
willing to do so.

CAIRO, Oct. 14, 8.40 p.m.
Railway communication near Alinieh is inter-
rlpted owing to the collapse of a bridge. It is,
however, hoped that traffic will be resumed this
evening.
Telegraphic communication is totally interrupted
beyond Assouan to-day.
WADY HALPA, Oct. 13, 5 p.m.
Lord Wolseley will to - morrow witness the
hauling of a nugger through a gate of the second
cataract.

Surgeon-Major L'Estrange left-to day for Debbah,
taking with him 100 beds for the field hospital
here.

There was vivid lightning here last night, accom-
panied by a high wind and some rain.