The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-05-09 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

Tun Queen, has the following items of fashion
notes: In dress there are many classes of fashion;
some so distitcgue and piquant they appeal only to
those who have mastered the art of dressing to per-
fection, making their toilette a study; others are
quiet and in good taste, worn by the less ambitious
women of the day; while, going down in the scale,
there are various gradations of mediocre styles. Just
now douillettes—garments which we hardly under-
stand in England—are certainly the handsomest style
of wrap or loose outer garment for race and carriage
wear. One was made in a coarse knickerbocker cross-
barred woollen stuff called villageoise, bordered with
red velvet. It fitted to the figure at the back, with
two red velvet revers from the centre of the waist to
the shoulders, and the sleeve, which was of the
Bernhardt style, was curiously gathered into the
neck, and formed a ruche, edged with velvet at the
throat. It had double box-plaits at the back reach-
ing to the hem of the dress. Another was made in
woollen lace, with handsome jet drops and gimp;
while a third was of dark green poult de soie,
trimmed with dark green velvet, edged with loops of
gold and brown braid. The front is always loose;
the backs vary. This one described a point at the
waist, and had the fulness gathered to it.

A BEAUTIFUL stone-coloured faille Francaise was
trimmed with fine gold and drab passementerie ; but
at the sides it had panels formed entirely of owls'
feathers, with an owl's head at the top. The skirt
had a slight puffed fulness at the waist, but was other-
wise plain. A garden party gown was made of cream
canvas, having open-worked stripes, the drapery
arranged in unique fashion; a scarf went across the
front, falling in long ends on either side, with a tassel
at the point, while along the front, at the edge of the
skirt, was a band of brilliant green lophophore
feathers, and the birds' heads at intervals. A most
perfect Court dress of cream satin had the lace across
the front of the petticoat draped over gold gauze, and
the sides of the satin embroidered with mauve grapes
in raised velvet shaded; the satin train was bordered
with this embroidery and bands of ostrich feathers.
A black velvet and satin gown had rows of gathered
black lace, the sleeves and plastron over red satin,
and heavy balls of jet hanging at the side. The little
Figaro jackets are some of the most elaborate addi-
tions to modern fashions; they are veritable Spanish
jackets cut up in the centre of the back, in a rounded
form, made either of white cloth worked in gold, or
they of jet; the epaulettes on the cloth ones are of
loops of cloth; in the jet they are either of a wired
band of beads to match the same sort of collar or of
soft Spanish balls. Sometimes they are converted
into mantles by the addition of piece lace, fastened
with a belt round the waist, and lace sleeves.

A CHARMING little mantle—for mantles are all very
small now—made of mousse velvet, worked in bronze
chenille with gold satin drops, was bordered with
chenille fringe tipped with satin drops, and alternate
strands of plain brown chenille and zebra stripes; a
large turndown collar of velvet completed it. A
green cashmere mantle was worked all over in silk of
the same shade, and bordered with an appliqué of
terra-cotta pink flowers and green leaves, being lined
with pink silk to match. A bright red velvet mantle
was trimmed with large leaves of jet appliqué, having
a straight jet collar and a puffing of the velvet at the
waist. The contrast of the brilliant red velvet and
the black of the jet was a happy one.

ONE more evening dress was cream satin train and
sash of absinthe velvet crossing the front cloae to the
waist, but caught down with motifs of gold guipure,
and forming large sash ends and loops. This absinthe
is a new light shade of the purest tone. The front of
this dress was entirely veiled in gold and outlined
embroidery on tulle.

IT would seem to be almost a difficult matter to be
badly dressed at the present moment, judging from
the number of pretty, stylish materials and garrn,ao.B
to be seen at he fashionable dressmakers. We will
describe a few of the dresses minutely, for they are
exactly what those who desire good gowns for the
season would be glad to have. As, for example, a
new and stylish black dress made with a plain front of
striped black velvet and faille Francaise, the edge cut
in leaflets and bordered with lace, the train piece arid
panier drapery of faille Francaise trimmed with lace
and large jetted balls. The arrangement of this
drapery was unique. At the back it formed two
wings. On one side it was tied up high at the back
of the waist with a bow. The bodice was of the striped
velvet, with a plastron of jet. A dress of this kind
could be worn on any occasion. Canvas carries the
day, and especially of the tan shade. A pretty tan
canvas was arranged in knife-plaits, with the tunic
caught down by broad perpendicular bands of grenat
velvet. The material was left plain at the edge, and
it is becoming more and more the fashion in Paris to
utilise any selvedge there may be in this way. A.nother
canvas dress of a similar make had a rough knicker-
bocker stripe. The bodice had a puffed vest of satin,
with a velvet collar and cuffs. Any apparent simplicity
in dress now is a snare and a delusion, for, on investi-
gating any simple arrangement, it proves to be really
complicated—as in the case of a black faille Frau-
caiso bodice, having rows of lace insertion let into the
back with so much skill that it tends to diminish the
size of waist; the front is double-breasted, with a
puffed lace, gilet half the length, and revers and jet
drops. A black and white striped silk skirt, with a
black bodice and tunic over, was particularly stylish,
the sleeves very liberally jetted on, lace over silk.

CANVAS materials are particularly happy in com-
bination of colour, as in the case of a striped red,
brown, and yellow canvas. The back drapery in this
was cleverly managed; it had the same butterfly
fulness at the waist, but on the one side the stuff
showed the stripes horizontally, on the other perpen-
dicularly. Great care is bestowed on showing the
figure to advantage, and all plaits in front of the waist
in these soft wiry stuffs are stitched down. As the
summer approaches, the string-coloured canvas will
no doubt be much worn. One of these had horizontal
white brocaded stripes thrown up by a luiot of dark
blue velvet, to match the drapery and cuffs and
collar, but it was very cool-looking. A dark myrtle-
green brocaded canvas, bound with velvet of the
same shade, is just what women who have passed their
first youth require—a dark, cool, dressy gown. A
novelty is a plastron of white painted lace on a string-
coloured bodice.

SOME of the Byzantine canvas, with the medimval
and gold-coloured stripes and squares had watered
silk stripes, and make most distinguished-looking
evening gowns. A rich cream faille had a design of
flower baskets brocaded, in faint gold colour, the
spec:es of brocade most closely allied to embroidery;
the same sort of material was a striped brown silk,
with bunches of the tiniest roses. A black canvas had
a sort of darned pattern in cashmerienne colours all
over it; a string-coloured canvas, largo brown velvet
stripes. A rich silk brocade displayed a bold Gothic
design outlined in gold, and the very faintest eau de
Nil brocade large bouquets of self flowers. These
will give some idea of the new stuffs.

A VERY pretty washing dress was a soft pink batiste
embroidered in white, as though it had been intended
to cut out the scallops for trimming; it had, how-
ever, been used for the tunic, bordered with deep
Valenciennes lace, and crossing in front to the left
side; three narrow plaited flounces round the skirt;
it was indescribably soft and pretty. The parasols
sold with the dresses are large and transparent on
gold frames, with frills of lace inside, and large
velvet bows on the handle. One of the flat mandarin
shape was made of cream lace over Chartreuse gauze,
tied with green velvet,