The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-12 00:00:00

Gossip ON DRESS.

Tarn recent hot weather has had ilia effect of in-
ducing many families to hasten their departure front
town. The French capital is also rapidly undergoing
the process of depletion. But numerous receptions
and farewell parties have been given by the leaders of
Parisian society, at which the display of costumes was
quite as interesting as usual. The modistes of Paris
are busily engaged in the production of seaside and
traxelling dresses, some of which are described in the
columnsNof the Queen. We extract the following:
One of the principal houses is making travelling and
seaside costumes in grenat, grey, and blue woollen
materials, with tunics gracefully draped over the
skirts, and bordered with braid, on which there is a
thread of gold. The bodice, with small point, has a
pretty waistobat, with same braid placed slantwise,
the lines crossing each other. The Irish pelisse is a
comfortable garment for carriage or evening wear
over dressy bilettes. It is in serge flannel, plaited
at the neck; it is long and round, and lined with
satin of brilliant colour, and a light hood accom-
panies it.

A Farm seaside costume in navy woollen, trimmed
with blue velvet bows and thick bise guipure, is em-
broidered in small chenille spots of several colours;
jaaet bodice opening over a guipure waistcoat. For
afternoon wear at spas and casinos there are white,
Valenciennes lace dresses with green velvet bows, tho
shade of cooked sorrel; China crêpe bodice with red
flowers, draped as paniers, arid pouf trimmed with
lace; waistcoat and flchu also of Valenciennes. There
are some black lace skirts made of plaited Iwo
flounces, alternating with shot silk flounces, kilted and
vandyke_d at the edges. These lace skirts are emi-
nently useful; and to wear with them and others,
there is a bodice made of jet and black lace, draped
in fichu, and with short lace sleeves; it can either be
worn over a high bodice or alone with the skirt, when
it serves for dinner dress. For young ladies there
are pretty ecru batiste costumes, showered with small
blue spots, and trimmed with blue velvet.

TTIE new bonnets have no strings; they are in net,
straw, kru embroidery, or other coloured foundation,
or light gold wire frames; the fronts are much
ryched with him) or gold guipure, or with bouillouna
embroidery; sometimes they are entirely of flowers
or green wheat, mixed with fruit or red flowers.
Fruit is much worn. The fashionable shape for
these capc.-tei is exceedingly small, the front forming
a point, beneath which is a flower or a bow. At the
back the bonnet is also pointed, so as to adapt itself
to the chignon; there are no strings. Yellow and
moss-green dominate on these bonnets. A pretty
example is black net, with a tuft of roses in green
corn; another is in green tulle, with a garland of
roses and an aigrette of bearded wheat; a third is in
4cru embroidery, the front braided in gold, and
ornamented with a large bunch of the cherries, called
" bigareaux," fastened very high. For garden wear
the-e are rustic straw hats, with turned-down brim,
co-*ered with bows, fruit, and bise lace.

THE Queen has also an article on "Dress at the
leading Dressmakers" in which the manufacturers
of the principal London establishments are described.
We quote the following: A notable evening dress is
as it were three dresses in one; the foundation white
satin, trimmed abundantly with lace, a Pompadour
brocade, and a rod satin, all deftly blended. The
Pompadour brocade has a creamy satin ground,
covered with jardinière bouquets; the front of the
skirt was draped with it, and the bodice made of it.
This dress specially excelled in its drapery. One side
was nearly all cream, the other nearly all red satin,
which was caught up short, and bouffante on the hips.
It was trimmed not only with lace, but with distinct
motifs of bead embroidery, matching in colour the
brocaded bouquets. The low, square bodice had no
tucker, but was trimmed with crepe lisse, caught down
here and there with blue butterflies. A new and
magnificient material has been well applied to another
dinner gown. The ground was red satin, covered all
over. with a biscuit arabesque brocade in terry; the
bodice and front drapery were made of this, bordered
with a novel trimming, the edge giving the impres-
sion of a rope of beads, in colour like the brocade.
The back of the dress was entirely red satin; the
bodice, cut low back and front, had no tucker, but a
soft, falling drapery of beaded tulle, and beaded
sleeves.

AN original morning dress was made of cr6po de
chine of the vert-de-gris tone—a soft greyish green,
as its name implies. The material itself is thin, trans-
parent, and lends itself admirably to drapery. It is
covered with a crape-like gauffering, and has chenille
skirts of the same tone. The bodice is made up over
satin Merveilleux; the skirt Opens on one side to show
magnificent gold embroidery on net, and gold trim-
ming throughout accentuates the dress. On bands of
satin are also introduced detached motifs of bead em-
broidery in the same shade as the material, which
drapes to perfection, falling in soft folds on the skirt.
The bodice is quite plain, fits the figure closely but is
trimmed with the gold net. Smoke-colour continues
to be worn, and a smoke brocade of velvet and satin
had been skilfully blended with grey satin Merveilleux.
Plain full foundations to cotton skirts are by far the
most fashionable. For example, a Zephyr of the
smashed-strawberry shade has a full-gathered skirt
bordered with lace over a narrow kilting ; but above
this again in front is a full drapery, with quaint fichu
ends on one side. The bodice is made with a square
rever fastened with two buttons, and a double puffing
above the cuffs.

A BRIDE'S dress of cream satin, ruched at the edge,
and falling over pinked-out kiltings, intermingling
with frillings of lace, is noticeable for its elegant sim-
plicity. The front of the skirt was cut in scallops,
the back was gracefully draped and very long, but
caught up in heavy folds on the hips, showing the
richness of the satin. Panders are out of date, but
most of the best dresses are now arranged with heavy
draperies on the hips. The bodice of this bridal dress
had a puffing of satin in front. A pink and blue
cotton was made with a kilted skirt, bordered with a
deep frilling of lace. The bodice had a gikt, with a
rever fastening on one side. A handsome black silk
dresKi was covered with a full drapery of crêpe de
chins, bordered with jet, which vibrated with every
movement of the wearer. The bodiee had the same
rich jet passementerie and fringe.

A LONDON firm has in preparation a bridal
trousseau comprising some notable dresses, which are
thus described :--.A dinner gown was composed of
smoke-coloured brocade in fris6 velvet with a satin
ground of lighter colour than the brocade, which
combined many shades of the same colour. This
formed the bodice and front breadth. Satin Mer-
veilleux of the same tone was draped at the back,
and richly trimmed with coffee lace, the bodice made
with elbow sleeves, and a scarf of piece lice. The
wedding dress was a train of white brocaded velvet,
cut in vandykes in the front, with a heavy fraise of
lace down the sides and beneath the scallops. Below
the waist in front was a satin arapery, bordered with
a fringe of pearls and mother-o'-pearl, and a large
bunch of white blooms at the side, including
orange blossom. The bodice was quite plain,
made in the velvet, with a full bib ; the
sleeve terminated above the wrist, a wreath
and veil completed the dress. The bridesmaids'
gowns were made with two flounces of embroidered
Valenciennes, intermixed with white brocaded silk;
the bodices Of the brocade had lace bibs and an aigrette
of white ostrich plumes on one side, anel a bun& of
beetles' wings and grass. They Wore tulle veils, and
half wreaths of beetles' wings. An evening dress was
made of 'a tender shade of canary-coloured satin
Merveilleux, the skirt draped with deep flounces of
Edelweiss lace, caught up with ostrich feather tufts;
the low bodice trimmed to correspond. A useful
walking dress was a brown velvet brocade, thrown on
a brown and gold shot satin ground, and made up
with Rhadamese, and trimmed with feather trim-
ming; the bonnet matched, and had gold and brown
feathers; and a close-fitting jacket of the velvet
was intended for out-of-doors. A more elaborate
morning dress was of corded verdigris silk, made
up with a shot silk of the same tone, inter-
blended with gold, and trimmed with Spanish lace of
the same shade, and heavy passementerie drops of
the two tones. The kilted skirt was of the shot silk,
And had panels of lace carried up the side, inter-
mingled with the drops; long draperies of the plain
colour, the two blended on the bodice. The bride's
mother was to wear a violet velvet, made in such a
simple fashion that those who have velvet dresses to
make may well take it for their model. The skirt
was quite plain, save that at the edge it was cut in
battlements; across the front a deep three-cornered
Brussels lace shawl was draped. The bonnet was
composed of velvet and gold gauze, with Wits cf
shaded violet feathers.