The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-12-27 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS:

Tax present fashions afford great opportunities to
ib vraetical economist. Every one who has the care
of children is aware of their tendency to shoot up and
broaden out of their clothes. Skirts creep up to the
knees, arms poke down far below the sleeve, and last
year's garments suddenly appear much too small for
this. It is not often that fashion accords with
economical expedients, but for once such is the case.
If a dress is too narrow across the chest, let inn vest
if worn or soiled, mend and clean it and add a full
bag plastron to cover the defects. If the dress is too
short, a pleating to match the plastron or veet may be
set under the trimming already on, the skirt thus
giving two, three, or four inches extra length.
Sleeves may be lengthened by means of cuffs, or a
badly worn sleeve may have three horizontal puffs,
one at the shoulder, one at the elbow, and one
at the hand, and thus be made 113 good as new. If
the dress is a solid colour, a plaid may probably be
found in which one of the colours is that same sLade,
and of this a jacket and sleeves may be made. This
is a wise plan where the dress is in good preservation
but has been outgrown. Red, as already observed,
goes with almost everything. If the dress to be
rejuvenated is itself red, shepherd's plaid is a good
contrast for cuffs, vest, and bag plastron. Another
fall arrangement which is quite stylish is made of two
breadths of the trimming material, each a yard mid
a half long, shirred each on one side at the throat
and meeting down the front. At the waist they are
shirred again and held by a satin ribbon; thence they
are carried back, one on each side, forming flat,
panniers, and a sash drapery. Sleeves and gimps of
red may be added to dark dresses—often a wise
expedient when the original sleeves are quite rubbed
out—while the rest of the dress is good. Princess
dresses, made with a deep, kilted flounce, may have
the worn upper part cut off, and the skirt attached to
an underwaist of silesia or drilling for wear with a
jersey.

A WRITER of fashion notes in La Moniteur de la mode
Lays: Young married ladies and young ladies of 18
to 25 still refuse to wear trains at balls. They are
certainly wise, as the train loses its grace when held
up in the hand. Flounced skirts are fashionable,
with flounces of lace or pinked-out faille, or with a
single deep flounce softly pleated; plain skirts of silk
are also worn, magnificently embroidered with pearl
designs and pendants. A toilet prepared for a young
matron of 26 is of Nile-blue velvet and cream satin
embroidered with pearls. The whole front of the
dress, skirt, and corsage is of embroidered satin. The
rest of the dress is a redingote tunic and corsage of
Nile-blue velvet, the neck cut square in front, the
sleeves just reaching the elbow. A high Medici collar
and mousquetaire parements of the embroidered satin
complete the toilette.

Dimmous ball toilettes are made of crape and tulle,
also of cream or white blonde. These are useful
toilettes, especially the lace, as the skirts can be worn
with polonaises of heavier material for soirees and
dinner parties. The draperies of such dresses are
short, and the corsage has a long point back and
front. Very little sleeve is worn, and the neck is cut
low and oval, edged with a wide lace berthe or
drapery of gauze.

LAnras deyote more time to the composition of
graceful and artistic reception toilettes than to all
their other costumes put together. They like them
simple in style, but rich in material, and all ardently
seek an element of originality which will " strike "
and gain the admiration of visitors. A great deal of
eccentricity is allowable, and even desirable, but
it must be tempered with grace and elegance. A
toilette of regal distinction for a lady of about fire-
and-forty is of cisCile black velvet with prune otto-
man ground. The dress is the princess form, cut up
at each side to show a panel of prune velvet. The
corsage has a full plastron of prune ottoman, the
open neck encircled with a Medici collar of prune
velvet. The back has two large box pleats below the
waist which develops into a long and graceful train.
The sleeve has two Zanetto puts of ottoman at the
elbow, separated by a band of prune velvet. The
most charming detail of the costume is a large baya-
dere sash of Algerian silk, with many-coloured stripes
and ball fringe. This scarf starts from the back,
under the dress; it passes through the side openings
and ties on the tablier, the two long ends nearly
reaching the ground.

A LOVELY princess dress for a younger lady is of
ancient brocade, with water-green ground embroidered
with roses in natural colours. The neck is open en
cceur, and is edged with a large Robespierre collar of
moss-green velvet. A scarf of velvet encircles the
waist and ties on the left, tipped with bead fringe. A
graceful and ornamental scarf of lace passes beneath
the collar and crosses on the bust with a jewel; it is
secured with a jewelled clasp at the waist, and falls in
two ends on the front of the dress, where they are
booked together to form a tablier.

TIME scarves are a new and special feature in re-
ception toilettes. They are of surpassing elegance,
but they need to be arranged by an able hand; every.
thing depends upon the method of draping.
Tim dog-collar, a substitute for ordinary necklaces,
is a detail of evening dress which must not be for
gotten. It is a great boon for ladies who do not
possess much jewellery, as, although they frequently
consist of rows of small pearls or diamond stars sewn
upon satin or velvet, yet more frequently they are
made with strings of coral or ordinary beads. The
width varies according to the length of the neck, but
as much as possible the number of bead rows should
be uneven, and the beads should not be too large.

Tnß winter chapeaux are of tasteful colouring and
form, but they are rather too high for grace, especially
as this height is obtained principally by trimmings.
The crowns are inclined to be high and conical. But
the fashionable shape is the Halberdier hat in the
pure Henri 11. style, which is very different from the
flat-brimmed hats known by that name. The crown
resembles the tall, dome-shaped, iron casques worn
by the halberdiers of that time, inclined to lean for-
ward and slightly overhang in front. This is a
favourite form for the cloth hats which are super-
seding felt to a considerable extent. The cause of
this is the fashion that the chapeau must match the
shade of the dress in toilettes de genre. It is im-
possible to absolutely match all fabrics in felt, as the
range of colours is too limited in that material. The
cloth is tightly stretched upon a buckram shape,
and can hardly be distinguished from felt.

MANTLES are long for the most part, and are prin-
cipally made of ottoman and broche fabrics, espe-
cially the last, whether silk or woollen. Visite sleeves
are still fashionable, but less so than the loop sleeve
and the bell sleeve. The popularity of both these
styles is owing to the fact that they confine therms
less than others. The skirts should be long and
pleated at the back; besides the pleats the backs are
always cut up, and very often the fronts are left un-
fastened below the waist to show the dress.

A NBW mantle has appeared for theatre use; per-
haps it would be more correct to call it a pelerine, as
it merely consists of the loop sleeves so fashionable
now for long mantles. It is of plush lined with satin,
and it is trimmed with fringe and pendants of gold.
At the back is a hood of plush lined with satin to slip
over the head. The vetement is stylish and becoming,
but can only be worn by those still young and slender
in figure. Gold fringe and gold pendants are as
fashionable for evening wraps, fiehus, and dresses, as
gold braid and ornaments are for chapeaux. They
look especially well on black velvet, which contrasts
better with the gold than even the darkest colours.