The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-10-27 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

AUTUMN and winter dresses continue, as a matter of
course, to furnish the chief topic of the fashion
journals. The last number of the Queen gives prolific
Illustrations of the prevailing styles, and under the
head of "The Fashions in Silk and Velvet Materials"
devotes a lengthy article by a highly competent writer
to a description of the appropriate materials for wear
during the coming season. The following extracts
therefrom will be interesting to lady readers :—Vel-
vets will undoubtedly be the great fashion for autumn
and winter, for nearly every costume, if it is not
entirely made of velvet, has some of it in its composi-
tion, if only for collars and cuffs. Plain velvets are
woven in much the same manner as silks, with the ex-
ception that there is a second warp, which in the
weaving process has a flat wire placed underneath it,
and after being tied down by the weft, is cut by a very
sharp little instrument called a knife, although re-
sembling a glazier's diamond; the wire is thus re-
leased and the pile is formed. The other warp is
used in conjunction with the weft, in making
the back of the velvet ; of course, the
height of the pile depends entirely upon the height
of the wire. Thus we have plushes with an ex-
tremely long, or a very short pile, the latter is called
"Velours du Nord," and can easily be employed as a
velvet. The lower qualities of these goods are manu-
factured to an enormous extent in Germany, and
have now reached a very high standard of perfection.
In frise or terry velvet, the pile is left uncut. This
effect is very handsome when introduced into fancy
or figured velvets, although it is not so much sought after
this season, excepting with those used for the making of
mantles. For example, satin, or some armur6 effect
for the ground, the design (say a leaf) of cut velvet,
and the veins of fris6, and, if well executed, although
exceedingly costly, is magnificent in style.

FOB the beat dresses all silk Lyons velvets will be
generally used. In these there are several qualities.
An excellent one can be bought for 163. to 18e. the
yard, then ranging downwards, introducing cotton for
the weft, to 10s. 6d. the yard; after which there are
Schappe velvets, the better qualities thing used for
dresses, those inferior for trimming or millinery pur-
poses, and can be bought as low in price as 2s. 6d, the
yard. Velvets under 5s the yard, if not made by
power-loom, which are rougherlooking than' those
made in hand-looms, have, as a rule, a loose pile. This
can be easily detected by scratching the back of the
velvet with the finger nail, und, if loose, the pile
comes out.

IN figured velvets the variety is simply wonderful,
and this season will certainly be remembered for the
elaborate designs that manufacturers have placed
before the public in such quantities ; in fact, I am not
at all surprised that ladies complain of not being able
to make their choice without great consideration, the
multitude of different articles being perfectly bewilder-
ing. A few of the beat are "Velours tapis," a rich.
looking material, the grounds of dark tones, such as
black, grenat, Havanne, bronze, &c., a design in
which the pomegranate plays an important part in
such a variety of shades that the ensemble is very
much like a carpet of Eastern origin. " Velours
fac )nne camsteux " is extremely handsome, the
flu wer (a dahlia) in two shades of velvet upon a satin
ground of the lighter tones, in a series of eight
exquisite colourings, such as Cassowary, Lory, and
Mine de plomb. " Volours faconnd lisdrd fried"
is quite a novel style—ground of satin, with
design representing a leaf in velvet, either of
the same shade as the ground, or of one
that blends well with it; the edging is of uncut
velvet, or fried, of another colour; the ground is dotted
at regular intervals with a little motive similar to a
" fleur.dulis." "Velours broderie " has the appear-
ance of an embroidered velvet; the pattern belongs to
the class known. as "flour ornament," which is gene-
rally associated with house decorations. The combi-
nations of colour are good, especially dragon and the
new shade lory ; it may be used either for dresses or
mantles, "Velours armure perse "in certainly quaint
ip style, and perhaps not to everyone's taste. It has a
ground of an inegular armure, composed of three or
four different colourings; the shades are those to be
found in Cashmere shawls, and the velvet design like
those motives in Persian embroideries, putting one in
mind of the ornamental toilet combs that our grand-
mothers had such a veneration foe. Although un-
common, it will be a very stylish material for mantles.

ADDED to the above there is an immense asso) t
Ment a the usual figured velvst4, which have been in
vogue for some sewona past, the only novelty about
them being the designs and the colourings, with
neither of which have purchasers any reason to com.
plain, either in point of taste or quantity. There are
various kinds of new grounds coming under the head
of armures ; but the satin is still the greatest favourite.
The designs mostly in vogue for dresses are small and
detached ; but for mantles the larger ones are pre.
ferred. They are °lithe fruit, geometrical, or arabesque
style floral not teing so much sought after. A new
quality, of figured velvet Is now being introduced for
making entire dresses. The designs are minute, and
the finish is exceedingly bright and soft. They can
thus he used in the same manner as any ordinary
dress material,

IN fancy bilks, the variety is not so large as in
f rmer seasons, the great demand for brocaded velvets
ib some way accounting for this; still, there are some
beautiful things in all kinds of deigns and colourings,
those in plain and camaieu shades being the favourites.
As a rule, the designs are smaller than last year, and
similar to those in figured velvets. The most striking
are "Dames moyen age," with a ground of a serge
nature and an arabesque design; upon this is woven a
pattern imitating fruit, the whole in art colourings.
"Pekin reps faconno has an alternate stripe of satin
and reps, upon this is a pattern of a leaf; the colour-
ings are very good. "Ottoman faconne " is a very
handsome figured bilk a ith a. c,rded ground. The
mixtures are new, and of excellent taste ; for example,
bronze and citron. Acajon and cresson, Bedouin and
mandarin, prune and bronze; and, in the lighter tones,
gris camsieu, and bouton d'or and creme In nearly
every instance, silks are made to match the grounde
of the fancy materials, with the ilea of the two being
used together, a great boon to those who have hitherto
had the trouble of matching the various materials in
making dresses.

PLAIN coloured silks are increasing in favour with
the many, and I certainly anticipate, in the very near
future, that all silk dresses will once again be fashion-
able ; and really, upon consideration, this is hardly to
be wondered at. A woman looks her best in a rich
plain silk ; added to this, silks can now be bought to
suit all purses ; therefore there is no reason why they
should not again be worn as largely as they were some
ten years ago. Merveilleox, Rhadames, Muscovite,
Ottoman,-,Armures generally are much in favour.
Satins astill used. but not to so large an extent as
JorpierlY; Gros grains or failles are used for the
Iskiffeto velvet bodices, and at the Drawing Rooms of
*next year trains of poult de sole will undoubtedly be
worn.

THE new colours are, of course, all-important with
regard to plain silks; and this season, if they are not
quite so numerous as last, are, nevertheless, extremely
beautiful. Slates of all kinds are the rage, The
principal are: Pharmium, rather a smoky tint;
moulik, a bluish tone; galene, a medium grey;
parrot, Bessemer, and asphalte. Next in importance
are blues: Beresford, a bright marine, not quite so
pinky in tone as the royal blue so fashionable a few
years back; Corneille, a very dark blue ; meeauge, a
new tint of the peacock family; lory, a bright red
similar to the colour of a geranium; mtire (mulberry);
fork, a green resembling the foliage of a forest; prune,
tomate, maman moucb, a golden brown; Havanna,
cigar colour; noyer, a nut-brown; palme, a greenish
bronze; cresson, marocain ; cassowary, a bricky red;
pastor and barbet, mahogany tints. The principal
light colours are abricot, nacre, citron, bouton d'or,
and gris perle.

DESCRIBING some "Seasonable Novelties," another
writer in the same journal sass :—Bonnets are difficult
to bring before the eye by any verbal description. A
few of the newest are very distinctive. We quote for
example one of ruby velvet, with a Quakerlike up'
standing crown, formed by means of two box-plaits at
the neck. Inside red cook feathers, outside a border
plume of dark metallic green, surmounted by a red
osprey aigrette. A black terry velvet bonnet had
loops of black velvet at the edge, interplaited with
gold; an aigrette at the side. A capote was made
entirely of small wings, nothing else being visible on
the outside ; the inside lined with blue terry. Felt
hats are made in many forme, but generally with a
broad brim. One, the chapeau Louis IX., has a nar-
row brim at the back, which widens and broadens in
front, is high in the crown, with a largo peahen's
breast and head nestling upon it. A green felt hat
has a dark brimstone•brown velvet torsade in front,
through which a gold pin, in the form of an ordinary
hairpin, is thrust. Fantastic birds—which, being
translated, means head, wing, tail, and aigrette all
massed together—take a prominent position in mil-
linery. Veils, the exact colour of the bonnet and
spotted, are the newest idea; some are tulle, some
gauze. The new petticoats, both in silk and muslin,
are made with a deep vandyked flounce, bordered with
lace, the flounce itself being closely tucked per-
pandicularly. A new shoe is introduced, very high at
the back of the heel, cut square at the side of the
ankle, and tied in front of it with a large black satin
ribbon bow.