The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-17 00:00:00

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THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

ALTHOUGH the world of fashion is gradually return-
ing to the metropolis, there are few novelties in dress
to report at present. —The Queen has an article on
"Fashions of the Day," from which we take the fol-
lowing paragraphs :—Straw hats and bonnets have
given way to velvet, soft felt, and chenille ones; and
the short tight fitting jackets and dressy palctots are
being replaced by the long coats and mantles, Though
fashion has decreed that the popular Newmarket coats
have had their day they are still well worn, and .will
continue to be so during the coming winter. Already
several dark ruby ones are to be seen, trimmed with
either brown marabout bordering or marten tail
fur. Long mantles of ruby cloth or tweed, bunched
up at the back and trimmed with brown fur, and
also short ones are likely to be fashionable.
Some of the fatter are ornamented over the
shoulders, and at the cuff end of the sleeves with rows
of very narrow silver, gold, or fancy tinsel Ruesian
braid, sewn on close together, and bordered with fur
or marabout. For elderly ladies' mantles, some of
shot plush with raised black velvet leaves or flowers,
trimmed with marabout, matching the colour of the
ground, are handsome. The ribbed cloth, known as
soleil," India cashmere, and waterproof tweeds, are
favourite materials for more useful wear. Short
jackets of brochd velvet, with round plain basques,
just covering the hips trimmed round with a full
chenille fringe, are to be seen for outdoor as well as
indoor wear, They look smart, and can be worn with
several skirts. The ersey bodices are also trimmed
in the same way, round the hips, cuffs, and throat.
They are worn in black and several dark colours.

VEINETRENs are beginning to be again popular, and
their manufacture is now brought to such perfection
that the best ones can, with difficulty, be dis-
criminated from velvets. The shades are good, and
the new dark grey bids fair to be a leading colour.
One deep shade of it goes well with chinchilla. The
velveteen is made up into long coats, Princesse
dresses, both with inverted plaits at the back,
and also gathered or kilted skirts, with vicuna
and cashmere draped over. A pretty style of
making is to slightly loop up the velveteen
Princess dress, to show a plaiting below of the
same and edge the skirt with fur or feather
trimming, leaving off on each side of the back
plait, or carrying it up the sides. A deep cape
trimmed to match would be a stylish addition; and
the bonnet should correspond, with a touch oi colour
in the way of an aigrette on one side. Dark stuff
dresses, with rather wide box plaits, look well if the
intervening plaits are braided perpendicularly with
close rows of bright red, orange, or gold braid. The
tunic should be plain, but the waistcoat and cuffs
braided to match. Dark grey with gold, and navy
blue with red, are two favourite mixtures in this style.
Plush and velvet waistcoats are inserted into some of
the plain tweed bodices, where, in the autumn, the
white ones were to be seen.

Son, wide ribbon looks well for ties. It is tied
round the throat in a large bow and with very short
ends. Just now it seems to have taken the place of
gauze or lace. The same ribbon is also worn in the
house in a variety of fanciful ways. One is to make a
bow and fasten it near the throat at the left side, draw
the ribbon to the front, and fasten it by a fancy
brooch ; then carry it half-way down the bodice, pinch
it together, and secure it by another brooch or fancy
pin; then tuck in the end, which has a frill of lace, to
simulate a pocket handkerchief. This brightens up a
dark dress. Tk quare coloured silk handkerchiefs
are tastefully arranged as detached vests for the fronts
of dresses by being gauged at the throat and waist,
the two ends of the handkerchief fixed to a straight
collar of black velvet, or coloured satin matching the
;Mk.

TORTOISESHELL hairpins, set with crystals, are use.
ful for they are to be seen in the plaits of hair at the
back of the bead, in the button-holes of dress bodices,
and in the trimming of bats. Humming birds, mounted
on quivering wire. attached to a hairpin, flutter in the
hair; and the little old•fashioned side combs ncw keep
back stray locks at the side. A few of the new muffs
are to be seen with a kitten's head and shoulders peep-
ing from a pocket in the front.

CHENILLE bonnets, in the " skull " shape, with
bandeau, square crown, and high in front, are in all
colours; and very pretty they are, simply trimmed
with an Alsatian bow and strings of velvet. The
chenille is narrow and coiled round and round. Another
novelty is the coloured horsehair braid bonnet with
narrow velvet threaded in at distances, and also the
soft felt, with embossed velvet flowers. The crowns
of some of the hats are composed of chenille basket
work and the brim of straw or felt. Turkey-red cloth
bonnets, with black velvet trimming and strings are
novel. ThoJgh the straight-brimmed, high-crowned
Henri 11. hat, with its tuft of feather tips to one side,
and band of velvet with buckle, is the hat of the
season, other and mcre becoming shapes are worn,
with gathered velvet edge, and wreath of either cock
feathers, or plume of curled ostrich.

THAT useful item of feminine attire, the apron, is
the subject of a special article in the Queen. Our
contemporary says :—The prettiest aprons of the
season hail from Paris, and they nearly all have bibs.
Some are made entirely of black lace, others of white.
Velvet plays a conspicuous part in nearly all, especially
red velvet, of which several of the bibs are made.
Tufts of chenille appear on many, while some are com-
posed entirely of the petit pole (spotted) lisse, which is
studded all over with tiniest pea•drops. A red velvet
apron with bib was bordered and striped with lace,
and had a lace pocket at one side. The ordinary size
of the fashionable aprons of to-day is three-quarters
square, but closely gathered at the waist, thus dimin-
ishing the apparent width. Some in black lace have a
black lace fichu combined with them, so that quite a
simple morning costume is transformed into a dressy
one thereby.

WHITE silk aprons, with gauze stripes and white
cock feather trimming, forming a heading to Valen-
ciennes lace, is one of the newest introductions from
Paris; while a black lace apron, with handsome velvet
appliqués has a black lace sleeveless jacket attached.
A. much admired apron has a small appliqué bib,
three treble box-plaits of muslin for the skirt,
with a band of applique between each plait, and
this style appears in a variety of combinations of silk
and velvet, jet and velvet, muslin and linen, Those who
are clever with their needle, and deft with their fingers,
would have little trouble in making almost any of the
newest apron models. Many are composed of alternate
rows of muslin and of lace insertion, or of lace in-
sertion and coloured ribbon, which are carried up to
the bib. They are always surrounded by lace, some-
times put on in a double row very fully gathered,
sometimes in a cascade on one side, and gathered
plainly on the other, while a pocket of lace, with a
knot of ribbons, completes the effect. Occasionally,
in lieu of the small bib intended to be pinned on to
the front of the dress, a gathering of lace and muslin
turns down on to the apron in front,

SOME black satin aprons display a large embroidered
sunflower in gold thread or jet. Some, again, have
braces to bibs, as in the case of a black satin ane, with
small plaited flounces, each edged with golrl braid. To
this was a pointed side piece, meeting at the back,
and tied round the skirt with a bow of ribbon.
Madras muslin, trimmed with lace and coloured
ribbon, is worn for bazaar aprons, and also Spanish
blonde, white and black. Cotton aprons are still worn
for lawn-tennis and other useful purposes; but in these
there is little that is new.

PINK, blue, red, and other coloured satin aprons
have the small bib made entirely of rows of narrow
plaited lace. The apron is cut in battlements at the
lower edge, with white lace below, and arranged on
either side, and on the pocket. A piece of soft, ple.in
hemmed silk forms a foundation, on which printed
mousseline de sole in artistic colourings is gracefully
draped. This draping of soft material over silk is a
new idea in aprons, and some are made thus of canvas
gauze with coloured velvet circles appliqutid on, such
as pink and earn, a frill of the same at the lower edge,
and large looped bows of wide satin rinbon at the one
side. This design looks well made in jetted net, with
a bordering of jet lace. There is a great liking Low
for black over colour, and so this can be either made
on black or apricot, cardinal, or any other shade.

BLACK velvet brocade and lace is quite the newest
idea for bibbed aprons of the most fashionable kind,
and these are as much for evening as day wear, the
light silk and jetted lace aprons being now considered
a becoming addition to an evening gown. The Roman
cooking aprons, made of a straight piece of crash or
damask, are embroidered at both ends in cross•stich,
have the ends ravelled and fringed, and are tied round
the waist with ribbon, but are worn for many occasions
besides cooking,