The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-12 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

THE preparations for the holiday season and its
accompanying gaietieshave almost exhausted the inven-
tive resources of the leaders of fashion. There is con-
sequently a lull in the round of change and variety,
which renders it difficult to point to anything absolutely
new in the productions of the rainier and modiste
The Queen, however, sustains its well-earned reputa
tion as " the Lady's Newspaper" by pre-enting its
readers with a profm,e number of illustrations of the
prevailing styles, with descriptive letter press. From
an article in that journal on "London Fashions" we
make the following extracts :—The fashionable colours
wore durieg the autumn of last year were slate blue,
earmiee, and geranium-red, and grey in all tones,
'tom the palest dove colour to the densest London
Brooke, has been and still continues a prominent
feature of the winter fashicne of .1883-84 This colour is
seen everywhere, and in all materials, of velvet, silk,
cashmere, cloth, serge, net, tulle, and gauze. Red dresses,
walking pelisses, and dolmans are either trimmed with
thick chenille fringes of the same shade, or are bordered
either with fur or black or b:own marabout, and, in
several instances, yellow has been most successfully
introduced in the ornamentation of grey costumes,
pelisses, jackets, and ball gowns, composed of the
many materials named above. A new shade of velvet,
called " watercress" green, is also much used in
millinery, and is fashionably worn on bonnets and
hats, in combination wlth orange, mandarin yellow,
and the varying tints of bouton d'or. These are
trimmed with feathers, aUrettes, and plumage of all
kinds, to the utter exclusion of artificial flowers, the
large velvet or plush roses, pansies, and other blossoms
which formerly adorned our winter head-gear.

THE favourite hats are still of the high crowned,
straight-brimmed type, known as the Henri 11.-111.
shapes, and usually accompany all everyday toilettes
with any pretension to style or fashion. Many
people, however, prefer the more quiet, and,
therefore, more thoroughly distingue boat shaped
hat (so long and becomingly adopted by our fair
American cousins), and this is made in felt of all
shades, in velvet, plush, and straw to match the cos-
tume worn. The black or dark brown felts made in
this pretty form, the crown surrounded with a broad
galloon, the turned-up brim bound with the same, and
with, perhaps, a small fiat ornament of brilliant plumage
placed at one side are at all times well worn, particularly
serviceable for travelling and rough usage, and, to our
mind, far preferable to the hard, round, skull•like
lines produced by the tiny toques, turbans, andy
jockey caps, which often mar the beauty of many a fair
young face and graceful, well•shaped head. Veils, the
same shade as the hat or bonnet worn, are just now
much in vogue, brown, crimson, green, or sapphire-
blue being the colours most frequently used, while
black net, sewn with small gold beads, is donned as a
face coveriw, should the bonnet be composed of gold'
coloured velvet, chenille, plush, straw, or plaited
tinsel braids. We have seen a few bonnets and one
or two hats made of kid or untanned leather, but the
fashion is one that is not likely to become general, as
they are costly and ineffective.

FINE serge, cashmere, fouls cloth, and every kind of
woollen material continue to be extensively used, in
combination with velvet or good velveteen, for house
and walkinF dresses. Whole costumes of stuff are
trimmed with bands of rich-looking Eastern em-
broidery, broad ones being placed between the box.
plaits of the skirt, and forming a plastron on the front
of the tight-fitting bodice ; narrower widths of the
embroidery are used for the shallow all-round collar,
and as revers on the cuffs of the long plain
sleeves. A scarf drapery surrounds the hips,
and falls in folded sash ends at the back of the skirt,
the knot being secured by a large clasp of carved wood
or burnished metal beads. Sometimes the drapery is
worked all over with crewels or silken threads in small
oriental designs, to match the embroidered bands; and
this style, by the way, affords ladies a good opportunity
of bestowing their needle•cr3ft on material to be here-
after worn by themselves, and may be recommended as
a pleasant and profitable departure from the chair.
backs, cushions, and mantel-borders so continually in
the hands of those who devote many hours of their
leisura time to such fancy-work pursuits.

CLOTH costumes are also trimmed with pinked-out
bands of the same material, self-coloured or shaded,
as may be preferred, with the edges cut in large round
scallops or elongated sharp -teeth. A skirt of dark
green cloth was covered with rows of these bands,
placed horizontally round it, in four shades of green,
the lightest b-iug nearest the waist. They were cut
in broad, shallow scallops, with " pinked " edges, and
the lowest one fell over a- narrow border of
dark green velva at the bottom of the skirt, The
plain jacket bodice of dark green cloth had long,
broad eke panels, trimmed with flat bands of velvet,
and short coat tails lined with velvet • the space at the
back, between the panels, was filCd in by shaded
bands, arravg.d as a large box-plait. The front of the
jacket had a small pointed plastron of shaded cloth,
fastened on either side with pretty cold buttons, which
also decorated the deep cuffs of similar pieked-out cloth.
In like fashion, a skating dress of deep geranium
cloth had the entire skirt composed of narrow bands,
with "fish. scale" edges, and bordered with Astrakan
fur, The polonaise was fur-trimmed, and of the same
material ; it opened in front at the waist, gradually
falling away to the back of the skirt, which was draped
on the right side in one large puff, and held by a mas-
sive cordeliere of black silk, finished with balls of
Aetrakan fur.

THE Paris correspondent of the same journal writes:
—Among novelties I may mention the thick triple
ruches of black, white, and coloured laces that are
worn round the throat at home, at the theatre, &c.
They are made in Chantilly, and in imitation lace, in
pearled and beaded net, and in blonde of all light
shades. I have seen them in pink, blue, sulphur, and
lilac. It is not obligatory that they should match the
dress; on the contrary, it is considered better style to
wear a black ruche with a white dress, pink with blue,
and white with black. They form a fraise round the
throat, but should only be adopted by slender women;
those with thick, short necks are too prone to patronise
large, full fraises. Ruches have also found their way
to the tops of long gloves; but I believe the simpler
both gloves and shoes are, the better they are in style.
Gloves of dark shades are worn in day time, and fre-
quently over the sleeves; bii I with evening toilettes
tan, pale yellow, pearl grey, and even white gloves
with white dresses are worn; they reach the elbow if
the sleeves are demi-long, and above the elbow with
short sleeves.

FEATHER aigrettes in the hair are more worn than
flowers this winter ; if flowers are preferred, they are
mounted en aigrette. The favourite idea is a tuft of
three or four little feather tips, gracefully curled with
true Parisian art, and then [the slender filaments
springing upwards from their midst. Some of these
pouf•aigrettes coat as much as three pounds; but then
the feathers are exquisite, as they should be for the
head.

As an accessory Of personal adornment, jewellery is
almost as important as dress, and on the subject cf
recent novelties in this branch the last quoted writer
remarks :—Narrow bracelets, not in pairs and to
match, but different on each arm, and a single bracelet
is now considered better style than a group of bangles.
Flexible bracelets in links and curved chains of gold
are popular, and there are wire bracelets that fit any
arm ; these last are the merest wire of gold to support
a row of precious stones that are seen on the back of
the wrist. Co,.•tly bracelets consist of coloured stones,
alternating either with diamonds or with pearls, which
form slender bands all round the arm, and quaint
stones, such as tinted diamonds and sapphires that are
almost purple, are much affected. Brooches are in the
form of slender bars, and there are all sorts of lace pins,
those in enamel, in which such flowers as violets,
forget me-nots, daisies, and single carnations are
closely copied from nature, both in colour and form,
are the most successful.

FRUIT designs are, however, newer, and we have pins
on which blackberrie4, a pomegranate, an apricot, or
a plum flourish in enamel; insects, birds, and animals
are also copied in jewels. A very small cord of gold
and platinum together is used as a necklace when there
14 a valaable pendant of coloured stones, such as the
tinted pearls, sapphires, rubies, and diamonds. A
necklace made of strings of pearls or a riviere of
diamonds usually has no pendant, and is fastened by a
diamond clasp. Silver or gold dog collars, worn close
and high around the neck, are the only necklaces or
chains worn in the daytime. Earrings for full dress
have a large coloured atone in the centre, with a frame
of diamonds around them; these are chosen in pre-
ference to solitaire diamonds, though the latter are by
no means out of fashion. For earrings a pigeon's blood
ruby, a tintei pearl, an opal, a sapphire, or an
emerald, is backed with gold, and surrounded with
dia,nonds that are held on by silver claws. When gold
earrings are worn they are in hoop shape, either very
slender, or else with thicker hoops that have Indian
'devices upon them.

TURNING to the ever-interesting subject of bridal
outfits, we extract from a contemporary the following
description of an elaborate trousseau, which has re-
cently been prepared :—The bridal dress has a plain train
of Ski Henna with two wide Brussels lace flounces on
the front. These are beginning to be used in lieu of
narrower lace. A dinner gown of cream pompon satin
had a bodice cut square back and front; while a pink
satin dress was made with a low bodice of brocaded
ciseh6 pinih, and trimmed with Mechlin lace and
ostrich feathers. Most of the richer morning
dresses had wide flounces of fur on the skirt, as
in the case of a green velvet trimmed with otter,
the long paletot•jacket of stamped plush being
shot with red and lined with red satin, the
snot material blending well with the otter. A
grenat velvet had robinge down the front of marten
tail, carried also round the skirt. This was all plain
velvet, which by degrees would seem to be superseding
brocade ; heavy chenille ornaments hung on either side
ot the skirt, and plaited satin was introduced on the
front of the bodice. Like all the other costumes in the
trousseau, it had a bonnet and muff to match. A use-
ful opera mantel was made in red plush to the waist,
plain at the back, havihg shoulder pieces and a ruff
jabot of black lace, a peculiarly nseful wrap for
theatres, easily slipped on and off. Most magnificent
was a long cloak of brown velvet and fawn broaded
plush, with embroidered pines on the velvet, and heavy
chenille fringes round the edge of the cloak.