The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-26 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS

IN spite of the fact that the holiday season is now
in full swing, many of the elite still remain in town,
and fashibnaole,gatherings continue to be held. But
the resources of the leading houses at the West-end
are chiefly- devoted to the production of costumer for
the seaside or for more extended tours. In an article
on the "Fashions of the Day" the Queen says:
Cotton materials are wonderfully popular this season.
Costumes mposed of zephyr and sateen, trimmed
with quantities of lace and loops of ribbon, have been
thought worthy of being worn at races, fetes, and
afternoon parties. Tufted zephyrs are among the
novelties, and are to be had in all black, in colour, or
with tufts of colour on a white ground. These latter
are made up for quiet home evening dresses, with
white washing lace, and loops of the same shade as
the tufts. They are also most popular for lawn-
tennis wear, being light and cool. Vyeing in popula-
rity with them is the tufted nun's veil, for tennis
playing, the prettiest being perhaps the blue-grounded
ones, with large or small ruby and scarlet tufts
shattered over. These are worn with red caps or
' mushroom-coloured straw hats, trimmed with red
, ribbon.

MAN/. costumes are made with sailors boctices,
showing a red shirt, high up the throat, or with a red
waistcoat, hidden at the waist by the overlapping
jacket, buttoned across with large red buttons. The
skirts are often quite plain, put on like a very full
gathered flounce on to a plain hip piece, with a sort
of fishwife tunic, turned under, instead of over,
fastened far back on each side, and allowed to fall
long down the skirt. A number of loops of ribbon or
velvet, about 3in. or 4in. wide, are placed on the left
side; the skirts are also often flat and plain in front,
but very full at the back, and mounted in large plaits,
falling straight down. Thesq plaits, when taking the
place of puffed drapery, are fastened underneath and
kept in place by tapes or elastic, the latter being the
best, as it gives to the movement of the figure;
other skirts are arranged with two deep gathered flounces
or two puffs, commencing just below the hips with
a very short folded tunic or scarf of merino, surat,
velvet or the dress material, looped at the back,
sometimes without ends, and sometimes with long
dependent ones. Nearly all skirts are now mounted
with a few gathers at the waist, the foundation is
made as closely fitting as possible by means of plaits
or goring, but this is no longer done with the real
dross skirt, which should fall easily from the waist all
round, without any apparent tightness or straining.
Two yards and a half is the usual width, and four
and a half to five yards are generally put into the
foundation to allow for the distention of the steels and
the horsehair pad at the back of the waist.

THE same authority says that an eccentric novelty
in a tight fitting jacket has made its appearance, con-
sisting of coarse brown Turkish bath towelling,
trimmed with a full twine fringe, and ornamented
with large brown wooden buttons, in the semblance of
dogs' heads. The newest aprons have full bibs,
reaching up to the throat, with a two inch band
fastening round the neck. Down the left side there
are graduated rosettes of lace or narrow coloured
ribbon, the largest being at the side of the throat, and
the smallest at the waist. The skirt of the apron is
long and wide, completely covering the front of
the dress. These aprons are now given as birth-
day presents, enclosed in a square scented case
of quilted coloured satin, which afterwards does
duty as a sachet for handkerchiefs. Another
fashionable little gift is a small sacliqt, containing
three fancy bordered handkerchiefs, or two pairs of
gloves. These sachets are often ornamented with the
delicate Bulgarian embroidery on cream Turkish
crepe, that is being utilised for so many purposes,
from a toilet pincushion to the crown of a bonnet, or
a set of d'oyleys to a parasol. The last idea is to
ornament the insteps of bedroom slippers, by insert-
ing the embroidery, in a diamond shape, into the kid
or satin. The divisions of a parasol, the centre of a
square pincushion, the crown of a bonnet, cuffs and
revers of a dress, are all decorated in the same style,
with the square pieces of embroidery, sold in sets for
plate d'oyleys, and laid on in diamonds.

REFERRING to the coiffure we are told that turning
up the hair at the back still continues to be the
favourite style of hairdressing, and now that hands have
become more skilled in twisting and turning it to suit
the face, it is more generally approved of. The style
suits the fashionable small bonnets and narrow backed
hats, and looks particularly well at night with
feathers, dainty bows, and jewels deftly fitted in.
There are several ways of arranging hair, and with
most a small frisette is inserted, either just above the
nape of the neck, where the hair is drawn up over it,
or on the top of the head, and hidden by rolls or
twists. Sometimes the hair is divided down the back
of the head, and each strand drawn away from the ears,
coiled separately towards the centre, and carried to the
top of the head, leaving a division down the back. The
ends of hair are often hidden by a etar, a rosette, or
some fancy ornament at the top or side of the head.
A ribbon passed round the "top knot," tied in a bow
in front, after the fashion of our great grandmothers,
is also seen on youthful heads. Soft little
fluffy curls are often cultivated at the nape
of the neck, below the turned up hair,
while on other heads the hair is waved
before being turned up, which looks very well, espe-
cially with fair hair. To some faces, the hair worn
low at the back of the head is recognised as being
the most becoming, and wisely adhered to, and with
this style, the one curl to one side has lately been (in
a few cases) introduced, and with good effect, a few
smaller curls being lightly arranged above, pinned
very closely to the head. To those who possess that
"glory," beautiful hair, is afforded great opportunity
for displaying it, for in rivalry to the turned up
coiffure is the mass of coiled plaits covering the entire
back of the head. Under the smart little toques, the
riding hats, and the different straw hats with their
short- brims, these plaits are beginning to be very
generally seen. Another fashion is to divide and
twist the hair, if long, into two twists, leaving a third
strand in the centre, then coil them round the back
of the head, using the loose strand for filling in the
centre by dividing it, curling it round and round the
first fingers of both hands, and securing the two curls
close to the head by long hairpins passed in and out
in a slanting direction.

RIBBONS form a great feature of dress nowadays,
and those introduced this season are very beautiful,
and in great variety. Parasols have been profusely
trimmed with narrow satin and velvet ones, put in as
loops among the frills and puffs of lace. Tulle ball-
dresses have countless yards of gauze ribbon, run on
horizontally, and massed in cascades; and on tea
gowns and full dress, silk petticoats, muslin dressing
growns and jackets, a great quantity is used in
different ways. The revived gauze ribbons are to be
seen in several colours, widths, and designs, some of
the prettiest having minute flowers scattered over
them; and others with broad satin lines. Then there
are the gold fibre epingle ribbons for bordering and
trirnming hats and bonnets in alternate lines of
narrow gold tinsel network and frise-coloured silk,
fluffy and full, and in every shade, from black and
gold to , pale blue. Little round felt hats for baby
boys are being bound. with this new ribbon in white
and gold, with a few loops nestled among lace or
feathers. The sash and narrower ribbons of satin
with tinted birds in raised cut velvet are quite works
of art, the background being printed with desians of
fruit and leaves.

Tint new, broad-ribbed terry ribbons in ailterent
shades and widths are satin faced on one side. A satin
ribbon with shot ottoman face is much used on rich
dress materials and bonnets, and also a very effective
one with a raised i surface called Terry and Barathea
broche, which resembles a rich figured galoon. ChinS
ottoman, and satin and ottoman spot, with reversed
sides, are among the many novelties. On many fully-
trimmed evening gowns, ribbon loops are used so
profusely, that the longest almost touches the edge of
the skirt at the sides. The fronts of gowns are some-
times composed of alternate rows of these beautiful
ribbons and insertion of lace, with the bodice and back
of brocade or satin.