The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-09-13 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS

Tnn approach of the "turn of the season" is in.
nicated by.the tone of the articles on dress topics in
the columns of our fashionable contemporaries. The
Paris correspondent of the Queen says that a leading
house in the French capital has already prepared
some new autumn dresses, using much plain velvet,
called "velours pleins," combined with embroidery,
silk, and woollen, in shades to match the velvet. The
drapery on the skirts is simple, and generally arranged
at the back, the fronts being in flat panels or straight
plaits; the bodices have a small point in front, are
short at the hips, with either small postilion or point
at the back. Other bodices have waistcoats either
plain or full. A shade of heliotrope (almost violet)
will be much worn. Some of the new dresses are
trimmed with gold braid, woven into the woollen
mohair. Among the new moth's of rich short
costumes, for either calling or small dinners, are the
following: Violet velvet skirt, with deep cross-cut
tucks at the back; bodice and tunic of violet velvet,
studded with tiny dots of old gold, the revers on the
bodice being plain velvet. A black velvet skirt, with
cross-cut folds of black ottoman in front, and trimmed
with bands of astrachan; velvet bodice, with zigzag
of astrachan on the chest. A moss-green velvet
skirt, studded all over with small beads; moss-green
cloth tunic and bodice, with beaded velvet waistcoat.
There is no great change in the sleeves, with the ex-
ception of the fullness and padding at the top, which
have disappeared, as the high shoulders had become
too exaggerated.

THE same authority says that woollens will be worn
in preference to silks for walking dresses, and in them
there are some novelties, such as the wool velvet, which
hasia twilled ground of hard twisted wool, on which are
raised figures of uncut loons, some 'of which are fris6
(curled) and others smooth. Then there are rapped
woollens and tricot Cloths, and a rough bison cloth
known as " bourrette bison." A new effect is given to
these last by arranging the rough threads in small
crossbars, by either couching them or holding them
down with cross-stitches taken at intervals as in
needlework. The new shade of grey blue in which
these cloths appear, is called Gordon blue, after the
English hero, and there are bright greens called
"Little Duke green," and the cresson or watercress
green. But more than all others are shown the mor-
doro, or golden browns, the dahlia and the prune or
plum shades, some of which are the red plum, and
others the blue plum or damson tints. Plain
materials are shown to match all figured materials
which proves that the fashion of combining two or
three fabrics in one costume will still obtain.

SMALL figures or patterns will be preferred for
dresses, but for mantles there are large detached
flowers, interlinked palms and rings, and, above all,
stripes, either lengthwise or crossed from selvedge to
selvedge. Prise figures on cloth or on velvet or satin
grounds will be the feature for the new materials for
all mantles. The trimmings threaten to be some-
what incongruous, as fur or feathers will be used with
lace. For coloured cloth jackets there are velvet
ornaments cut in quaint designs, and outlined with
gold or silk cord.

A LONDON morning paper has a special article on
"Travelling Dress," from which we make the follow-
ing extracts: The tailor now makes the travelling
costumes of Englishwomen, and they are conse-
quently shorn of all flimsy flouncings, irrelevant laces,
and even, to a great extent, of ribbon itself. The
woollen materials in most favour are serge, vicuna,
cheviot, and the fine soft sort of cloth known
as "ladies' cloth." A new kind called " Vene-
tian "is also much in favour. It is close in
texture, but very light, and has a rich gloss upon the
surface, which displays to advantage the beautiful
colours and tones in which it is made to suit the sub-
dued taste of the day. An instance of its use is found
in the followine dress, the oolour of which is navy-
blue. The skirt-is made quite plainly, but has a kilt-
ing, showing from beneath. At the left side it opens
over a long pleating, the folds of which are wide at
the edge, but narrow towards the waist. This inter-
lude, as it may be called, is made of cream-coloured
cloth, and is edged all round with cord of the same
tint. Narrow strips of navy blue cloth pass over the
pleatings at regular intervals, appearing to keep the
latter in position. The drapery is short and round-
shaped. being folded under at the sides and falling in
loose folds at the back. This, too, is edged with
cream-coloured cord. A tight-fitting Zouave bodice
opens over a vest of cream-coloured cloth, and is
edged all round with cord to match. Buttons
resembling pearls are used to fasten the waistcoat, and
harmonise with the cream-coloured trimmings.

ANOTHER tasteful walking or travelling toilet is
made of fawn-coloured vicuna, in a rich and warm
shade. The skirt is made with deep and wide box-
pleats, at each side of which is a number of very fine
pleats, the fulness provided by these serving to throw
out the wide pleats. On each of the latter is a pointed
strap of ruby velvet, the deep tone of which seems to
accentuate the suggestion of ruddiness in the fawn
colour. A long drapery falls in drooping folds at the
back, and is caught up high at the sides with straps of
ruby velvet. The pointed bodice has three straps of
ruby velvet, back and front, as well as collar and cuffs
of the same.

BRAIDING still remains in favour, and an endless
variety of braids are supplied, chiefly from foreign
markets. As an example of a braided costume, the
following may be quoted. The material is cloth, and
the colours are crimson and navy blue. A plain
skirt of the 'latter is cut out in scallops, and falls
over a deepi killing of the crimson. On each scallop
is a I*.ndsome design worked in crimson braid.
The short round tunic is braided round the edges
to match this design, and the plain, short-basqued
bodice is crimson. This contrast of colour, like
poppies and cornflowers, is, if possible, more
popular than ever this year. Brown may still be said
to be the colour of colours, so far as general
popularity is concerned. Grey runs it closely, but
for some reason, the latter goes more completely into
oblivion, when it does disappear, than brown does.
Perhaps it is because grey is a colour seldom chosen
by the unrefined, and therefore, when the cultured
classes cease to wear it, there is no one to keep its
memory green. In its darker shades, it is exactly
suited for travelling toilets, but it is more of a
summer colour than one that commends itself in
winter weather.

•••••......•••••••

ANOTHER of our London contemporaries has an
article on "Jackets and Mantles," from which we
quote the following: Plain velvet is now again fashion-
able for mantles, which are lined with satin or silk,
striped in the most brilliant colours. A long brown
cloak, in this material, is lined with clouded silk,
shaded from deepest nasturtium red up through the
gradations of the colour to the palest yellow with a
faint suggestion of red in it. A dark blue velvet
mantle, edged with feather trimming of the same
hue, is lined with gold coloured satin striped with
blue. Horizontal stripes are in great favour
again, not only for linings but for costumes.
The fashion of having the mantle of the same
fabric with the dress is a pretty one, and likely
to remain in favour for some seasons to come. A
dress of Louis velveteen in the lovely shade of warm
red known as Burgundy is accompanied by a cape of
the same material, trimmed with thick chenille, and
lined with silk in a soft tint of salmon-pink. Most of
the capes made thus to match the dresses are deep
enough to come below the waist at the back, but are
sloped towards the front, so as to cover the elbows.
They fasten up the front beneath the trimming, which
is often of marabout. The smaller capes are useful,
as protecting the region of the lungs, but they leave
the arms, always sensitive to extremes of temperature,
exposed.

BEADS are in such favour for trimmings that their
manufacture must now form an important commer-
cial item. They are supplied in all the new colours,
such as ruby, peacock and sapphire blue, brown, grey,
and green. When fine and well-cut, they form an
artiatio trimming akin to jewellery in their glow of
colour and in the fineness of their response to the
light, but when cheap and inartistically applied, they
suggest nothing better than the childish adornments
of the squaw. Bead embroideries are heavy, but their
weight is much lessened when the beads are hollow, a
mode of manufacture which adds appreciably to their
cost.