The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-05 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DBES&

A NOTABLE event in the fashionable world last week
was the marriage of the Hon. Hallam Tennyson,
eldest son of Lord Tennyson (the Poet Laureate),
with Miss Audrey Boyle, only daughter of Mr,
Charles John Boyle, which was solemnised in
Henry V 11.% Chapel, Westminster Abbey, by special
license. The bride was attired in rich white satin,
simply but elegantly made, the front being draped
with flounces of Brussels point de gaze; and over a
few sprays of orange blossom in her hair was
arranged a large handsome lace veil, which nearly
concealed her features and fell in graceful folds about
her. Her veil was fastened with diamond stars, and
she carried a lovely bouquet. The bridesmaids
looked exceedingly well in dresses of ivory-white silk,
covered with Indian muslin and trimmed with lace,
and lace bonnets trimmed with large blue feather
aigrettes; the children wearing dresses to corres-
pond, made after Sir Joshua Reynolds, and hats to
match. Each carried a bouquet of pink and white
carnations and maidenhair fern. Mrs. Charles
Boyle, mother of the bride, was attired in grey satin,
trimmed with Brussels lace, and osier bonnet with
grey feathers. Lady Tennyson wore French
grey moire and white lace, with close white
Quaker - like bonnet. Lady Sarah Spencer's
was a handsome dress of bronze satin, trimmed
with ribbon velvet and lace, and a lace bon-
net. Mrs. Gladstone was in blue velvet and satin
trimmed with white lace, and wore a bonnet to match.
The Countess of Selborne wore plum-coloured satin,
with bonnet to harmonise; and Lady Sophia Palmer's
dress was composed of coffee-coloured lace over white
silk, and lace bonnet to match. Lady Wolseley
looked well in a steel-grey satin skirt, draped with fine
black lace, and jacket bodice of grey broche velvet,
with steel buttons; bonnet and feathers en suite; her
daughter also being simply dressed in grey broche
with large grey straw hat and feathers. Lady Mar-
garet Browne's was a tasteful dress in two shades of
smoke-grey cashmere, and bonnet to harmonise; and
Lady Wm. Compton was becomingly attired in silver-
grey cashmere trimmed with satin of the same shade,
and a deep red bonnet. The bride's travelling dress
was of white cambric, handsomely trimmed with em-
broidery, and white lace bonnet with white aigrette.

FLOWERS continue to be held in high favour for all
purposes of decoration. The Queen, in its weekly
fashion article, says: Garlands of white giant stock,
and others of blush-tinted peonies, are handsome and
novel as trimming for ball gowns of white and all pale
colours. The scent of the former is found most re-
freshingly fragrant, and the blossoms look lovely when
tastefully mingled with plenty of light " quaking "
grass. An exquisite natural trimming consists also of
long trails of delicate foliage, grasses, and ferns, and
closely-set knots of bluettes, near which are placed
gay-coloured butterflies of feathers or painted velvet.
A ball dress of stone-grey tulle and a bodice of corn-
flower satin was trimmed in this way with striking
effect. The skirt had lcng lines of the flowers and
ferns, which fell from the waist to the edge, each one
finished with a cockscomb rosette of grey satin ribbon,
a single row of which connected the bows all round.
The bodice was trimmed with a ruche of grey tulle
and cornflowers singly placed. The berthe was
entirely of natural blossoms and foliage, with
epaulette loops of grey ribbon. Yellow butterflies
appeared to disport themselves among the flowers on
bodice and skirt, and were poised on the closely-curled
hair. The handle of the palm-leaf fan (flower-
decked to match the dress) was tied up with grey
satin ribbon.

IN an article on "London Fashions" the same
journal says: Flounces of lace or embroidered net
over skirts of some bright soft silk, and worn with a
bodice of plain gros-grain or satin brocaded with
velvet, are the toilettes now usually donned for after-
noon calls or "At homes ;" but here is another still
newer material which is used for entire costumes, and
at present is much in demand— merely fine muslin
curtains in white and all shades of bege, and covered
with patterns of Persian design in silks of true
Eastern dye. From several examples of these
original toilettes we selected one which we now
describe for the benefit of those of our readers medi-
tating the acquisition of yet just "one more" dress,
and in search of the "last new thing." This, how-
ever, was not of the curtain stuff only, but was made
as an overdress with a skirt of shot silk—slate-colour
mingled with gold, which was composed of a number
of flounces slightly fulled on, and each one pinked at the
edge. The muslin overdress was beautifully draped,
the material apparently lending itself to indes-
cribably artistic "effects " in the matter of folds and
gathers, and was everywhere trimmed with cascade
frills of bege-tinted scale pattern lace. The bodice
was cut as a Zouave jacket, with a loosely-held
blouse front of silk, which fell to the waist in folds.
At the back was a short plaited tail, cut up and
showing the silk; the sleeves were made half length
and plain, and the cuffs were of shot silk and lace.
The charm of the costume lay in the novel material
used, its pleasing and subdued colouring, and it:
draperies, deftly arranged, which can be but faintl
indicated through the medium of pen and ink.

DINNER dresses of black Chantilly lace are still a la
mac and well worn, the skirts fully puffed and en
paniers over petticoats of coloured Merveilleux, Surali,
silk serge, or shot silk, the lace caught up with velvet
ribbons and tassels of faceted beads. A shot silk of
bronze and red had the plain round skirt bordered
with a narrow kilting, and veiled with black piece
lace in a pattern of roses and leaves. The festooned
overdress was caught up high on the left hip, and
fastened by a cluster of long hanging velvet loops of
black, bronze, and dull brick red; the close fitting
bodice was of broche silk, the red ground displaying a
pattern of rose leaves in shades of green; it was
trimmed with ruches and frills of black lace, and bows
with long ends of velvet. A second dress, an elaborate
combination of mushroom and blue shot silk, withlace
over cheese-yellow silk, and lace covered plastron of blue,
was a very remarkable study of colour, and both new in
conception and make. The front of the skirt had a
graduated plastron of very pale chalk-blue silk, which
served as a lining to cream-coloured lace, both folded
in fine narrow plaits, which spread out from the
waist to the edge. On either side were horizontal
flounces of pinked-out yellow silk beneath others of
gathered lace; and further back yet were long looped
draperies of fawn and pale blue shot silk, caught high
on the hips with bows of mushroom velvet, the ends cut
in cockscomb points. Down the centre of the back
was a succession of knife-kilted flounces, each cut in
dents at the edge. Just below the point of the jacket
bodice, which was of shot silk, with yellow waist-
coat, bag-shaped and veiled with cream lace, was
a wide scarf drapery, folded in front, and carried
behind to the edge of the basque, where it was tied in
a loose knotted bow at the top of the flounced
back breadths. A third was of similar design,
though elegant, of tambour-worked Tussore silk, and
plain silk of the same quiet tone. At the edge of the
skirt was a gathered flounce of finely sprigged Calais
lace, and the apron front was of figured lace, with
streamers of satin-lined ribbon, which fell from the
waist at each side. The overdress, festooned on the
hips and draped in long loops at the back, was also of
Tussore silk, but thickly embroidered with small
groups of vine leaves, with stalks and tendrils of
bronze-tinted silk French knots. A bodice of crimson
satin, high to the throat, was worn with this pretty
skirt; it was profusely adorned with bege-coloured
lace, and finished with bows of red ribbon. This silk
is worked also in various colours—in sapphire, myrtle,
and brown. The bodice and ribbons would therefore
accord with the darkest shade used in the pattern.

IN an article on "Paris Fashions," a London morn-
ing paper says: White nun's veiling is one of the
most favoured materials for smart carriage dresses.
There are many ways of making them look novel and
pretty. One gown of this kind has a broad band of
"new born-leaf" green velvet on the bottom edge,
and is tuckered above. Over this again is draped a
long plain polonaise tunic, the bodice full in front and
secured round the waist with a folded band of velvet.
Another white dress is embroidered down the front
and round the bottom of the skirt with gold, after
the manner of some of the Russian national costumes,
while others, of a more simple and less expensive
description, are plentifully decorated with ivory-
white mohair lace—a very recent introduction, in-
deed. Ribbons improve the effect of these dresses—
wherein velvet does not enter—immensely. Some-
times bands of satin ribbon are sewn upon them,
either perpendicularly or horizontally, the gown being
made with full gathered skirt, like those in tulle, so
much worn for dances. There is no more economical
wear than these gowns of white veiling. They servo
a double purpose, as the more simple robe of evening
and the smart afternoon attire.

IF coloured veiling is preferred there is a long list
of colours and shades to choose from. Maize with a
dash of green in it, golden beige, terra-cotta pink,
telegraph blue, musk green, raspberries and cream,
Narbonne honey, Malaga, moonstone, lavender,
mignonette, and dove colour being perhaps the most
in request. Some of the names are far-fetched, but
they tell their own tale. By far the prettiest are
more or less trimmed with velvet—velvet bands on
the skirt and velvet collars and trimming for the
sleeves. Different shades of the fashionable reds—
from brightest scarlet to deep maroon—are considered
to suit them indifferently; but blue may be chosen for
those of greenish tinge, and moss green is not so bad
a harmony for the others. Tunics that fall low on
one side and are gathered up on the other have the
merit of novelty, besides being really pretty in them-
selves. The edge which traverses the tablier diagon.
ally is often lined with a band of the silk or velvet
with which they are trimmed. This style of tunic
and the form of some of the sleeves are, with the fresh
variety of colour-contrasts, the most novel points
about these as well as other dresses. Sleeves, cut
wide and straight, gathered to ths arm-hole and again
just below the elbow, promise to become very fashion-
able.

NORTH WARWICKSITTILTI ELECTION.
The declaration of the poll for North Warwickshire
took place on Tuesday at Coleshill. The polling
closed on the previous evening at five o'clock, and
by nine o'clock all the ballet-boxes were in; but the
counting did not begin until ten o'clock on Tuesday
morning. At ten minutes to two the numbers were
announced as follows, amid land cheering from the
Conservatives present:
Muntz
Corbett ... 3538

Majority 1744
There were 8875 ballot papers, of which fifty-five
were rejected. Although the result of the election
had been generally foreseen, neither party was pre-
pared to find Mr. Muutz returned by so large a
majority. At the last contested election in 1874, the.
numbers were- Newdegate (C.), 4672; Bromley
Davenport (C), 4322; Muntz, G. F. (L.), 3189, show-
ing a majority for the highest Conservative candi-
date of 1483, or 46 per cent. This time the majority
amounts to 49 per cent., and nearly 9000 polled out
of not quite 12,000 on the register.
Mr. Philip Albert
.Muntz, of Dunsmore, near
Rugby, who has been elected in the Conservative
interest in the place of the late Colonel Bromley-
Davenport, is the youngest son of the late Mr. George
Frederick Manta, of Umberslade, Warwickshire, who
sat for some years as M.P. for Birmingham in the
advanced Liberal interest, and was born in the year
1839. Mr. Mtmtz, who was educated by private
tutors, is a magistrate for Warwickshire, and married,
in 1859, Rosalie, daughter of Mr. Philip Henry
Muntz, M.P., of Edstone-hall, Warwickshire: He
now enters Parliament for the first time, and is the
112th new member returned to St. Stephens since the
last general election. His return on the present
occasion leaves the balance of parties in the House of
Commons unaltered, the late member having also
been a Conservative.