The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-07-07 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

IN London, last week, the most important event in
the fashionable world was the State Concert given at
Buckingham Palace by command of the Queen. It
was a very brilliant affair, and a choice selection of
music was performed by a band and chorus consisting
of 160 performers selected from the Royal Italian
Opera, the Philharmonic Society, and the Sacred
Harmonic Society, together with Her Majesty's
private band. Her Royal Highness the Princess of
Wales wore a dress of cream embossed velvet and
satin embroidered in pearls. Head-dresa—a tiara
of diamonds. Indian ornaments. Orders—Victoria
and Albert, the Crown of India, St. Catherine of
Russia, and the Danish Family Order. Her Royal
Highness Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
wore a dress of very pale yellow satin brocade, the
front of the skirt covered with Honiton lace, trimmed
with pear embroidery and red poppies. Head-dress—
a tiara of aiamonds. Ornaments—diamonds and
emeralds. Orders—the Victoria and Albert, the
Crown of India, St. Catherine of Russia, the Saxe-
Coburg and Gotha Family Order, the Portuguese, the
Prussian Order for the Care of the Sick and Wounded,
the Order of Louise of Prussia, and the Order of St.
John of Jerusalem.

ANOTHER occasion which excited considerable in-
terest was the annual summer evening fête held in the
gardens of the Royal Botanical Society in Regent's.
park. The gardens were profusely and brilliantly illumi-
nated, and it is not too much to say that never has a more
brilliant spectacle of its kind been witnessed. The
lake was especially attractive, with its shores and
towers ont•lined with parti•coioured lamps, and stars
of divers hues floating on the surface of the water,
while the music in the pavilion provided the additional
charm of sweet sounds. At intervals coloured fires
were lighted amongst the trees, which also illuminated
by French coloured lamps. Her Royal Highness the
Princess Mary Adelaide and the Duke of Teck (pre-
sident of the society) visited the gardens, and remained
till nearly midnight. Every corner of the grounds were
thronged throughout the evening by an unusually
large number of visitors.

IN noticing the fashions for the month Le Follet
slays :—The most fwhionable materials of the season
are admirably adapted to the historical and picturesque
styles which are being selected for the modes of the
day. The Larnballe and Trianon types show to the
greatest advantage the mousselines de sole with
large patterns, the printed voiles and foulards, and
thin Chinese crapes with exquisitely paibted flowers,
80 much in demand this season; the latter and the
mousselines de sole are always worn over silk, and,
profusely trimmed with lace, cannot be surpassed for
elegance and lightness in wear. Dresses entirely of
lace, such as Chantilly, over black or colour—or
white lace over fraise, mauve, pale green, or blue—
are very fashionably worn. Cut out silk chicorees
are much used for trimming these; they are placed
In the centre of full lace, and have the effect of gar.
lands of flowers. Drooping bows of ribande of two
shades are also arranged effectively in the lace
flounces, and to raise the draperies.

ACCORDING to the same authority, Lyons grenadine
is in very great favour, and is univeraally admired;
the silk stripes embroidered in many colours, with
insertions of chenille network and buds, show charm-
ingly as pouf and panier over skirts of plain grenadine,
rose, lilac, and amber, s ith sous jupe of silk the same
colour. There are also very pretty simple toilettes of
woollen grenadine—grenadine canevas, muslins and
light veilings, baptistes, and zephyrs; these are also
trimmed with lace and coloured ribbons, and are effective
though inexpensive. Many dresses of limousine, sum-
mer cachemire, fine serge, canevas, with short pleated
skirts, with a broad scarf round the hips, are used for
morning wear, the bodice being a little jaquette. The
more elegantly made skirts, of rich brach& and satins,
failles, rize., with embroidered or painted panels, are
for toilettes habillees. Raised polonaises of handsome
materials, casaquins, and corsage habit are worn for
dinner and ceremonious afternoon dresses. White,
cream, and light neutral shades in veiling.; are trimmed
with dark ribbon velvets, claret and ruby being tres
hla mode for the purpose. Some of the leading
modistes make polonaises, or bodices and tunics, of
these veilings, over plain skirts of dark velvet; cream
or pale grey, with violet or ruby velvet, are the
favourite combinations of colour. White dresses in
all materials are much worn by young women and
girls. Several white voiles have been made lately,
and trimmed with cafe au lait coloured lace, which
has a very diseingue effect thus used. Black is also
very fashionable for married ladies of all ages, and is
profusely ornamented with beads and jet. Bright
coloured ribbons and white lace may be used to
enliven these dresses ; but for elderly ladies, Vene-
tian guipure and Chantilly are the principal orna-
ments.

ECRU is again very fashionably worn, in Chinese
foulard, Tussore, and soft Indian silks, and trimmed
laces—fine embroideries added or woven in the material
in the same shade, or several colours. Russian ern.
broidery is also very effective on ecru. Sea green,
resida, silver green, "fading turquoise," nemo•
phila blue, and two or three pale pinks—such as
rose chair and nymphs—mauve, lilac, and helio-
trope, are the most fashionable light colours. The
peacock blues and greens, moss green, and two or
three rich shades of brown, violet de Loraine, and
Louis green, being those generally selected for
darker shades. There are also many charming tints
of very soft effect in what is known as the "smoke
shades "—blues, browns, and greys; the latter are
particularly attractive, trimmed with silver braid.
130=-0....t0d elairto, edged with laoo haw°
44..46..16 pr 16,30, 1211,4 allauo lly abb.
the leading dressmakers ; in many cases, a stripe of
velvet, ribbon, or lace covers the space between the
pleats, or this may be occupied by consecutive loops
of ribbon. Ribbons are also passed under the folds,
appearing between. In fact, there is hardly any way
of using this pretty trimming that has not already
been adopted, and many dresses appear as a mere
foundation for loops and bows of ribbon.

THE long redingotes are as fashionable now as they
were in the winter, and are made in all materials,
from the richest brocade to the finest muslin lined
with silk. Some with short fronts and long sides and
postillion basques, or these replaced by a handsome
bow, and those with long pleated backs and short
fronts and sides, are very elegant, but should be con-
fined to good figures. These redingOtes in pattern
material over plain, or vice versa, pattern skirts and
plain redingOtes, are popular in washing fabrics also.
The tabbed boAces are still in great favour, many
are worn in coloured velvet over various skirts; a fall
of lace unner the tabs is a great improvement.

A VERY elegant fashion of wearing lace scarves has
been introduced lately; the scarf is pleated at the
throat, drawn out a little over the bust, narrow again
at the waist, continuing down the front, and forming
a curve en panier at one side; the other panier is of
silk or satin. Nothing can be prettier than the beaded
corselets so fashionably worn; they are of jet, gold,
or steel beads, in latice pattern, and are called the
" Donna Paz" clreelet. The dark ones are worn over
black and dark colours; the blue steel over grey, black,
and sea blue • and the gold over black or brown; those
of gold or silver cords, or pearl beads, are charming
over white or light•coloured satins and silks.

A LONDON contemporary says that tulle and net
still bear away the palm among fabrics for evening
dress. Flowers are used in large quantities for trim-
ming them. A flounce of blossoms, such as poppies or
roses, is not unusual. Fruit is also popular. Long
sprays of cherries, shaded from black to brightest
cerise and mingled with the foliage, adorn with good
effect a gown of white or pale-tinted tulle. Straw-
berries are imitated with tempting truth to nature.
Pendant by long stalks, mixed with the fair white
blossoms and relieved by the triple leaf in sll the
atural shades from yellow-brown to vivid green, they
form an effective ornament. Painted dresses are still
occasionally seen. The best are those on which a few
lines running horizontally along the hem represent
water, from which reeds, grasses, and lilies spring in
not too crowded groups. Poppies and corn growing
up in this way from an imaginary ground are also
effective, especially if painted on white or cream-
coloured, or pale blue moirts, the shifting lights of this
material forming an artistic background.

THE Queen remarks that pocket-handkerchiefs are
great features of dress adornment now, and the last
place for displaying them is in a pocket on the left
arm ; of course only a small one can go in, and it
always matches the colour, or one of the colours of the
costume. Those with coloured muslin borders, plain,
or ornamented with delicate little flowers are fashion-
able ; also those with full borders, buttonhoied in
undulated pattern, with close-worked dots of
colour, Evening ones are vandyked and button-
holed, or all ef lace, with a very minute
cambric centre. The most costly are naturally
the hand embroidered, but the most general are the
cheaper, printed or machine worked fancy ones.
Coloured silk borders are liked. It is generally the
custom now, when purchasing pocket handkerchiefs,
to select those with different borders and different
patterns, the white ones being reserved for evening
use. Aprons are constantly sold with a fancy hand-
ke.rchief in one pocket, fixed in with a bow. They are
still much worn, put into the front of the bodice as
crnament, not for use.

THE last-mentioned authority also says that the tan
Suede gloves are as popular as ever. They are worn
with every colour and kind of costume; but white and
cream are becoming every day more fashionable, and
are much worn with the morning cotton, as well as the
full-dress silk and lace gowns. A pretty shade of
dove-coloured Suede is also in vogue. Young ladies
wear in the evening the long silk gloves, finished off
with armlets of gathered satin above a fall of lace.
Sometimes three or four bands of velvet are fastened
up the kid gloves at distances, with a small bow in the
centre of each, or strings of single pearls. The
gauntlet doe gloves, in grey, tan, or white, will be
worn for the country by-and-bye ; they are neat.
looking, moderate, and well-fitting,