The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-03-21 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

WHETHER it be that many families, says the Queen,
are in mourning or that Lenten dress is more than
usually adopted, certain it is that black is very
generally worn both by day and night. In the morn-
ing it is in neat cloth or serge tailor-made cos umes ;
in the afternoon in cashmere, velvet, or broche".; and
in the evening in tulle, lace, and brocades of all
kinds, profusely trimmed with beaded embroideries,
lace, clusters of feathers, and velvet flowers. The
departures from black are dark reds, greens, and a
new shade of dark brown. A handsome material.
with broad alternate stripes of canvas and velvet, is
beginning to be used for skirts, with the plain material
draped over it, and velvet cuffs and waistcoats. When
used for smart toilettes, a narrow gold braid, plain or
in rings, is sometimes arranged up each side of the
velvet lines, and the bonnet is trimmed to match.
In two shades of brown, in red and dark gendarme
blue, and in rich green, these costumes look remark-
ably well.

Tiitsu striped materials will be fashionable this
season. The delicate pale green, with a yellowish
tinge, entitled "Chartreuse," is a new colour, which
will probably find more favour than its rival, apple
green. Feathers and grasses, ribbons, and even straw
for hats and bonnets are prepared in the former
shade, so that later on, when the hot summer requires
a cool colour, we may expect to see it in its beauty.
Pink, so dear to many hearts, and so becoming to
fresh young beauty, will he worn, but in a different
shade than we have hitherto seen it. Navy blue will
be as popular as last season, either plain, or with a
variety of red, white, or grey designs over it, and the
smart little mantelettes that have been, and still are,
so popular in plush, will be made of the dress material,
and trimmed with woollen lace of the same colour.
Also short, tight-fitting jackets, with a chain-stitched
design in the same coloured silk all over them, sleeves
and all.

THERE are several new makes of Bonnet's silks, viz.,
veloutine, faille valours, which has a more velvety
effect, and faile Francais, which is soft as bengaline
and drapes to perfection. It is admirably woven, so
that it neither pulls at the seams nor wears greasy.
Veloutine is a distinctive novelty of the season. It is
as soft as bengaline and Sicilenne, only of a firmer
make, more glossy, and with the sheen of satin. Arrn tires
still are a la mode, particularly mascotte, as it is called,
with a satin-like effect, not unlike satin de Lyon with
ribs. Cashmere Parisienne is another variety. Most
of the most beautiful specimens of these new silks
have been dyed at Coventry and woven at Manchester.
Some of the most fashionable colours are leather,
stone, or, as it is now called, café au lait, bege, bright
violet or petunia, salmon pink, bronze, and olive,
yellow shades, from canary to old gold, Indian sky,
lichen, moss, myrtle, mahogany, navy blue, and all
shades of brown.

Tim fashion writer in the Lady's Pictorial says,
inter alia, that the mushroom-coloured silk long
-
cloth, so strongly recommended for under-wear, is
now prettily decorated, and relieved with wee birds
or berries in blue or red, with stems either contrast-
ing or tan-hued. With this fanciful addition, the
washing material is made into dainty and hygienic
costumes both for lawn tennis and boating. For
these sports are also prepared brilliantly striped twill
flannels, which are besides largely employed for
morning wrappers. The most conspicuous patterns
have a white or cream stripe about 1. inch wide,
alternating with another one of the same width but
displaying close together small gaudy stripes such as
red, blue, and yellow, or sometimes a quieter mode is
obtained by shading; for instance, dark red to light
pink, and navy blue to 814 blue. A princess morn-
ing gown looked very homely made in flannel,
checked white and red, and fitly ornamented with
white lama lace embroidered with red and strewn
with knots of flying loops in narrow red ribbon. A
good way to utilise odds and ends of deep flounces in
the woollen guipure is to place one above another
like a ladder, in graduated breadths, to form a loose
plastron extending from throat to feet. The scalloped
edging overlaps the straight heading, and under each
are threaded two ribbons tied in a bow, after slightly
drawing the fulness together.

Tins arrangement was concocted by a lady, who
had met with an accident through which the guipure
flounces on her serge tunic had been rather spoilt,
and, not. to throw them away, she cut them up and
applied them to the front of her white cosy and warm
robe in the material known as " peau de mouton,"
and specially sold for children's coats.

FOR the sake of a change, ladies who are tired of
the comfortable princess shape, frequently adopt a
house jacket with a detached skirt. Very dressy
negliges are often constructed in this way, but I do
not think they ever look so stylish or elegant as the
old-fashioned robes. One example of this style had
a long loose jacket and a square stright tunic in pale
blue cashmere, bordered with a double deep flounce
of soft whits embroidered lace. One of these flouncbs
was sewn flatly on the fabric with the border up-
wards, whilst the other, attached to the very edge of
be tunic, fell over the white kilted skirt, the front of
which was covered with three kiltings, enhanced with
two rows of blue ribbon. Plain turned down collar
and cuffs in white cashmere completed the matinee.

I the

How far are we from the ugly and heavy flannel
petticoats of our grandmothers! There is nowadays
scarcely a young lady who would not take a pride in
embellishing with embroidery that unseen and
formerly neglected garment. I will describe two
models, rather fussy, may be, but very fashionable.
The first one has the two usual tucks, each headed
with a wreath of feather stitch wrought in white
silk, specially prepared for flannel work. Thejtilted
order, button-holed before the material lificr been
contracted into pleats, was cut in such a way as to
allow the small scallops to describe a slanting line at
the edge of each deep fold, so as to meot at the point
of the crease. From the top appears to droop a deli-
cate tendril of minute fancy coral stitch, and over the
half-vandyked edge shine two or three tiny spots or
stars. The other petticoat, white also, has less
embroidery but the folds and pleatings are replaced
by three two-inen flannel flounces very scantily
gathered and finished off with a rolled hem and a
torchon edging.
THE everyday top petticoats, on the contrary, are
plaiinly made, but very loud in colour. The most
radant stripes have been selecte6l for skirtings in all
different widths, from the 2 or 3-inch band to the
hair-line. Many are conveniently manufactured pur-
posely reversible. When a deep kilting finishes the
skirt, it is generally arranged so as to leave the plain
broad stripe inside the folds to better display outside
the multicolour bands. The mania for stripes even
prevails in ladies' and children's stockings, and the
best black silk stockings have actually mauve and red
toes and heels, just as if we were bound to have a
dash of colour imparted to the most insignificant
items of our toilette.

IT is interesting to note what a conspicuous part
natural flowers are playing in fashionable dresses. At
the recent drawing room—where the Princess of
Wales wore a dress of ivory satin duchesse over a
jupe of gold and silver embr3idery trimmed mara-
bout; corsage to correspond, with train of ivory broch6
velvet, lined with satin, and bordered with gold and
silver. Head dress, a tiara of diamonds, feathers,
and veil—spring flowers were especially pro-
minent. Daffodils were in much demand ;
nor were wall-flowers, primroses, or violets for-
gotten. These were in many instances preferred
to hothouse blooms for their inaggressive odour.
White lilac and lilies of the valley were the principal
flowers in some of the bouquets; but they soon
drooped and faded in the cold air, nutured as they
had been in artificial heat. Snowdrops were adopted
by many dlbutantes as their especial flower for the
occasion. Small clusters of these flowers were placed
in the tulle flounces that, covered the skirt, as well as
upon the train, where groups of them were tucked
cosily into nests of whitest tulle, resembling snow.
Small clusters embellished the folds of tulle that
trimmed the low bodice, and a necklet of snowdrops
gave a finish to the whole.