The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-11-14 00:00:00

G-0-SSIP ON DRESS.

THAT excellent writer upon fashion, undel• the nom
&plume "Butterfly," in the Lady's Pictorial, has the
following: With the first week of November, London
is rapidly filling, and in the streets and parks a num-
ber of striking'and elegant winter toilettes meet. one
at every turn. Red in every shade, from brightest
grenat and cardinal, to claret and dark ruby, promises
to be very popular, but undoubtedly the favourite
colour of the season will be green. As this latter
admits of so many varieties in the way of moss,
myrtle, olive, and apple, there seems every chance
that the newest shades of green will find equal favour
in the eyes of both the blondes and the brunettes
among the fair sex. Grey still holds its own, and in
combination with black for the daytime, and silver for
evening wear, continues to be of great use in cases of
half-mourning; while one of the newest and most
startling combinations of colour recently imported
from Paris is a most rare and uncommon mixture of
black with golden brown. Chestnut brown and indigo
are also used in combination for walking gowns, as
well as stone grey, with velvet trimmings in myrtle
green.

So much for the coming colours, among which I see
that I have forgotten to mention the new pale shade
of mauve, a kind of reproduction of the old-fashioned
heliotrope, which will be revived this winter for even-
ing gowns, both in faille francaise and satin duchesse,
and which will be known under the prettily-suggestive
title of violettes de Nice. Although one is sometimes
accustomed to think of this pale lilac as an old lady's
colour, it is nevertheless a tint which is extremely
becoming to a fresh young face, and I think that there
are few things prettier for a girl's ball-gown than an
underskirt of faille in this delicate shade of Neapoli-
tan violet, lightly draped and veiled with lace. The
new embroidered mousseline de sole is admirably
adapted for this purpose.

• To speak now of winter materials. The fluffy and
hairy boucle cloths bid fair to remain in use at all
events until the spring. Kyrie stripes continue
to increase and multiply, being made in a variety of
colours with a foundation of a different shade, as well
as in self-coloured checks and diagonal twills, which
make up very effectively. Astrachan cloth is being
very largely worn both in the way of trimming and as
the material for outdoor coats. I saw a very pretty
coat the other day in brown astrachan cloth, so thickly
curled as to look almost like the real fur. It was
made tight-fitting at the back and cut with a short
basque behind, two large metallic buttons, also brown,
marking out the line of the waist. The front was
loose and rather long, being cut in two sharp points,
and having from the neck downwards two wide reels
of astrachan cloth, fastened back with large buttons.
To prevent any risk of cold, a tight-fitting under-vest
of seal-brown plush was made to wear with this coat,
which vastly improved its appearance, and which
would, of course, be required only in the coldest
weather.

ANOTIIER pretty notion for these short coats is to
have collar, cuffs, and pocket flaps in velvet or plush
of some bright warm colour, which harmonises in tone
with the shade of the cloth. An indigo cloth
brightened by dark ruby velvet, or a stone grey with
collar and cuffs in olive-green plush, would either of
them look remarkably effective. I hear from Paris
that the buttons become larger and still more large,
but in the interests of really good taste, which is
never either excessive or affected, I cannot help
hoping that my fellow-countrywomen will know
where to stop. There should be a reasonable limit
even to the size of one's buttons, and I would have
my readers bear in mind that their pretty faces needs
must suffer from neglect if they continue to adorn
their out-door coats with buttons of such enormous
dimensions and:such brilliant colours as some of those
which I have seen within the last few days. It is
only natural that such remarkable eccentricities of
ornament as these should usurp all the attention of
those friends, relations, and would-be admirers of the
sterner sex whom my lady readers are presumably
most anxious to please.

IN the more costly winter materials, I have noticed
chiefly stripes of varying widths in plush and velvet
upon foundations of either wool or silk. These
plush stripes are sometimes arranged round the skirt,
where, instead of following the lines of the figure
and running from waist to hem, they are placed in a
horizontal direction, and arranged at tolerably wide
intervals apart. Stripes of this description look very
effective when the skirt is finished off with a kind of
deep hem of long-haired silky plush, and this style
will be known this winter as the bayadere skirt.
Needless to add, it is only suitable for tall slender
figures. As Oscar Wilde is never tired of telling us,
horizontal lines have a desperately dwarfing effect,
and should be carefully avoided by all those who
wish to give height and elegance to .heir appearance.

SOME very lovely materials for ball gowns are
promised us for the coming early season of small
dances before Christmas, and it seems to me that the
toilettes de bal become more and more gorgeously
elaborate every year. For very 'young girls white
tulle, net and crepe de eine, with trimmings of white
ribbon in a mixture of gauze and satin, will be very
much worn; while for their elder sisters there will be
an endless selection among shaded tulles and Brussels
net, marvellously embroidered with tiny shining beads.
I saw a wonderful piece of net the other day sewn
Over with those,pierres rastes, so much worn just now
in Paris, and presenting at a distance the exact
appearance of polished precious stones. Each little
coloured stone is bordered with a ring of bright beads,
and the whole effect is picturesque in the extreme.
Of course, one could only use a small piece at a time
of such a material as this, but inserted as a narrow
vest, in a bodice of white poult de soic, or used for
elbow sleer.,s, or as a narrow side panel to a skirt,
this jewelled net, as it is called, will have a wonder-
fully brilliant and beautiful effect at night. SL z ings
and pendants, as well as passementerie ornaments
of seed pearl will also be very much worn on white
ball gowns this winter.
*
OuTnoon mantles are either very long all round,
covering one's gown completely from neck to feet, or
they are made in that smart little shape, short at the
back and long in front, which has been popular noW
for some time. The prettiest variation on the
long stole fronts which are generally characteristic of
these shorter garments, consists in an arrangement of
the sleeves, which leaves the arms free, and which
forms two deep points over and under the sleeve in
front. Brown seal plush appears to be the favourite
material for out-door mantles of every shape and
size, and the popular brown rosary beads with bronze
and gold silk braid, help to form the handsome pas-
sementerie, which is so very generally used at the
present time by way of ornament for outdoor
garments.

I KNOW that my readers sometimes find great diffi-
culty in purchasing suitable cloaks and mantles for
girls of ten or twelve years of age. I saw recently
a very pretty long paletot, such as a girl of twelve
might very appropriately wear, which I think is well
worth describing. It was made in myrtle green
Kyrie cloth, the back quite plain except for two full
box pleats in the skirt. The front of the coat was
very pretty, two narrow revers of myrtle cloth being
turned back from the throat to the hem, and disclos-
ing a shaped piece of myrtle green plush, narrowing
at the waist and widening afterwards towards the
feet. These revers were connected at the waist by
two steel clasps, hooked together by a small chain,
and the cuffs and pockets were trimmed with plush
to correspond. This is a pretty coat, and one which
would look equally well in almost any other colour.

WITII regard to other winter mantles, seal-brown
plush and velvet, with trimmings of clipped marabout,
and furs of every sort and kind, seem to be as popular
as ever. One speciality, consists in garments milde in
plush, to the exact shade of beaver, and trimmed
with beaver, toning admirably in colour with the
plush. A handsome trimming of this fur is carried
across the back of the cloak saddle fashion, starting
from the waist and hanging down in deep points on
either side. Another mantle in plush, in the shade
known as golden pheasant brown, has a puffed pleat
at the back of the skirt, fitting in just below the waist
in a point, and is made with a deep dolman sleeve. A
wide border of natural beaver passes round the throat,
down the fronts, and also trims the sleeve.

A LONG cloak in seal-brown plush with trimmings
of natural beaver is made with a sort of sash arrange-
ment, which passes round the figure and terminates
in long wide ends at the back. A novel feature in
this -cloak is that it is opened up the side instead of
at the back, altogether a far more picturesque fashion.
Mixtures of pla'n and striped plush will be very much
worn, and one handsome long cloak in black plush
was arranged in this combination, trimmed with
skunk and lined with quilted shot silk._

BROWN wooded beads of various shapes and sizes
are largely used for the trimming of outdoor cloaks
made in brown seal plush. One very effective cloak
has a pointed trimming in mahogany beads, this
handsome garniture being used to form the cuffs as
well as a kind of plastron at the back. A short mantle
trimmed with the same kind of beads had a deep
collar of skunk, the fur being afterwards carried down
the front, and tails of the same fur introduced on the
long stole ends. The loveliest of the new opera cloaks
destined for the coming season are made in cream
plush, with elaborate ornaments in white iridescent
beads and seed pearls, and a delightfully becoming
trimming in the shape of a cream niche fornied en.
tirely of threads of narrow silk braid fringed out at
either end. These smart little cloaks are made short
at the back, with very wide deep sleeves, which, when
the arms are in a natural position, forth a graceful
point in front.

Impromptu definitions have often the merit of
being amusing, whatever may be said as to their cor-
rectness. "What on earth can that mean ?"asked
Hicks of Thackeray, pointing to the inscription over
a door-way(" Mutual Loan Office." "I don't know,"
answered the novelist, "unless it means that two men
who have nothing agree to lend it to one another."
Said Lord Wellesley to Plunket "One of my sides-
do camp has written a personal narrative of his
travels; pray what is your definition of personal?"
"Well, my lord," was Plunket's reply, "we lawyer 4
always conoider personal as opposed tci