The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-08-02 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

_lx an article on "Paris Fashions," a writer in a
London daily paper makes some useful and opportune
observations on travelling outfits. We extract the
following: The most important points in choesing a
travelling costume are that it shall be exactly suited
to the circumstances under which it is to be worn;
that it shall not crease easily, or have a superabund-
ance of draperies to retain the dust; that it shall be
of not too delicate a colour, and yet pleasant-looking
withal, and shall serve at a pinch to dine at a table
d'hOte. For short excursions, where there is a pro-
spect of meeting friends, black may be of immense
service. The best black gauze does not crumple, nor
does satin merveilleux. A fichu of lace or surah
transforms it immediately into a simple dinner gown,
especially now that sleeves are worn so short. Black
or dark coloured foulard, figured with some bright
hue, is likewise useful, and by carefully matching the
surah a very charming ensemble is obtained for the
evening, after the plain linen collar has done duty
during the day.

servi

TRAVELLING hats, although debarred from flowers
and feathers, may be made to look very smart by
means of silk handkerchiefs of brilliant dye secured
to the straw with long gold pins. A piece of ecru
canvas worked in cross-stitch is a capital decoration
for a brown Pailla3son, while variegated straw has its
various colours reflected in the bows of double-faced
ribbon in which it is trimmed. No need to trouble
the milliner for such head gear; the brim requires no
lining, and the bows may be made to perfection in the
following manner. The operator, however, must
borrow a second pair of hands, which are held upright
about a quarter of a yard apart; round these the
ribbon is folded—two, three, four times (according to
the number of loops required), and the ends being
knotted tightly across the middle, a bow with four, six
or eight loops is the result.

Corroy; is a very bad material for travelling
costumes; it shows every crease, but it serves as well
as a more expervlve one for the seaside. The dress-
makers are producing very pretty gowns in crimson
or cornflower-blue cambric, worn with a scarf of ecru
canvas embroidered with flowers in bright colours and
gold thread. Also casaquins of the same figured
canvas, combined with plain cotton skirts. Other
cotton materials—sateens with delicate sprays of
flowers, Indian calicoes covered with great splashes
of roughly-designed blossoms, leaves, and stems, or
coarse canvas woven with small blue and red stars—
are made up into draped skirts, composed of one deep
flounce and a tunic, and worn with tailor-made jackets.
These may be of slate-grey, or gendarme blue cloth,
with deeper grey or blue velvet collar and cuffs.

ON the topic of dress in its more general significa-
tion the same writer says: The picotees and carna-
tions have been peculiarly fine this year,
and have suggested a gown made of gaily-striped
silk, cut up into a profusion of narrow, gathered
flounces, pinked out at the edge like the petals of the
flower. A. bodice made of China crape embroidered
with carnations is the necessary complement of
this attractive gown. Milliners also use picotees
to trim some of their smartest bonnets, none of which
have for the last month been worn with strings.
It would almost seem as if some mischievous
imp had gone round with a pair of scissors and
cut away every bonnet string, so clean a sweep has
been made of this appendage. It has, however, con-
fined its snipping to the ribbons; bonnet crowns are
higher than ever, and the decorations are tall in pro-
portion; but a large majority of bonnet brims have
been pinched, as it were, between finger and thumb,
while the back is turned up like the curly tail of a
drake. These manipulations have seriously modified
the aspect of the fashionable bonnet; the fashionable
hat, however, still retains its pointed or cylindrical
crown and narrow brim.

STRIPES, which are vertical on the silken robe millet,
are worn horizontally on woollens for the seaside.
Skirts of navy blue, seal, brown, black, or beige
woollens, with bright blue, scarlet, or golden stripes
of challis, are among the latest novelties. Tucks and
velvet are mixed sometimes, a fold or row of velvet
being placed beneath each tuck. Thus sapphire blue,
grey, or mignonette green on cream white—combina-
tions to be set against the violet contrasts of the
striped materials. Rows of braid are not con-
fined to the horizontal position, they are sewn
vertically, both on skirts and tunics. Very
wide mohair braid, cut off somewhat shorter
than the skirt, and with the last three or four
inches unravelled, makes a very pretty, and withal an
inexpensive trimming. These stripes may be spaced
out and divided by intervals of kilting. Gowns of
white serge are also half covered with rows of
inch-wide mohair braid, turned up in a loop on the
bottom edge. They are for morning wear. Smarter
cream-white costumes have deep edgings of white
mohair guipure; handsome Renaissance patterns are
reproduced thus, and look like delicately carved
ivory. It must be sewn on without any fulness.
On the occasion of an Imperial dinner party at Ems,
the Queen of Greece wore such a robe. Cream-
coloured woollen is in high favour with all, from
bourgeoise to princess, and_as a, country or seaside
material it has no rivaL

Writing on "London Fashions" the Queen says:
Dresses for evening wear, for dinners. receptions, and I
balls, are made for the most part short, though half
trains are frequently seen not more than a foot on the
ground. Satins of all pale shades, reseda, blush-rose
and grey, are greatly in favour just now, trimmed
with side panel of lace, and front breadths of rich
brocade. Many smart toilettes have skirts of brocade,
and the separate train made of satin; but, unless
these be long and trailing, the effect is in no wise
good. A handsome costume for an elderly matron
was of self-coloured vert-de-gris satin and brocade of
a pinkish mauve; the bodice and back of the skirt
were of satin, the edge of the latter cut up in points,
and in each a full fan of brocade resting on a narrow
band of very rich purple-red velvet. The front of the
skirt was composed of a narrow plastron of brocade,
framed on each side by a ruching of lace, mixed with
pansies of every shade; a similar ruching surrounded
the basque and the berthe of the low-cut bodice,
which was covered in front with a pattern of leaves
worked in one mass of green beads. The back of the
skirt fell in close-gathered folds from the waist, and
immediately beneath the point of the basque was a
large spreading fan of green satin, square-cut, and
lined with dark velvet, the edge trimmed with narrow
pe.ssementerie and fringes of green bead tassels. A
dinner dress recently seen, and worn by an old lady,
had a half-long but free-flowing skirt of tender grey
velvet, bound with a heavy silk cord, and lined with
pale coral-hued satin. The skirt was quite plain in
front, and both it and the bodice were trimmed all
round with a band of most exquisite bead work, silver
and white and pale pink. The high bodice was cut
with a short round basque; it had a bag waistcoat of
coral satin, veiled by some rich old lace, which was
caught down with diamond stars.

In the same article we are told that bathing-gowns
for young girls are made of a loose make of wool
stockingnette, a combination garment, admirably pro-
portioned, and outlined with bands of deep crimson.
"Voile de Bison" is the name bestowed on a novel
materials much used for seaside costumes. In appear-
ance like serge, it is not at all harsh. It is made in
all shades of colour as well as in cream, white, and
black. A dress of this pretty stuff was trimmed in a
very original way with small "fishing bags" of black
mohair braid, with handles and turnover flaps. Pass-
ing through the handles was a straight piece of
crimson braid, and at one end a small raised circle,
the one representing the wheel and the other the
base of the rod. The trimming was well displayed on
a costume of rich cream voile, and was placed round
the edge of the apron front, arranged in a short
festoon. The skirt was kilted and bordered with two
tiny tucks, and the back drapery was pointed,
stitched at the hem, and looped up in well-managed
folds. The jacket bodice had a rather deep basque,
cut straight, and trimmed with the "bags "of black
braid, and was fastened with round black buttons.

Tim Queen also says that bonnets are certainly 1
larger, in shape more eccentric than pretty. The
"hansom cab" and " helmet " form are the latest and
quaintest varieties. A head-gear obbserved one day
at the " Healtheries" came under the latter term. It
was worn with a moss-green cashmere and lace
costume. This "bonnet" was simply a mune flat
basket of brown tinted plaited grass, with shallow
turned-up brim, resting on a narrow frill of dull brown
velvet. The basket was filled with a pyramid growth
of grasses and way-side weeds, mingled with poppies
(full blown and in bud), and daisies and other field
flowers. At the side of the brim were two feather bees,
and the ecru lace strings had a small bee brooch.