The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-07-03 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

Loomxci round the other day, says a writer in the
Qlteen at an assemblage of some of the most fashion-
able women of the day, who really understand—the
majority of them—the art of dress, I came to the
conclusion that their success was not so much owing
to the costliness of their clothes, or the perfection of
the making, as the knowledge of what to wear and
how to put it on.

AT the present moment the bodices of dresses are
cut so high in the throat that lace ties, silk handker-
chiefs for the neck, and all that class of adjunct is
little affected by women of fashion; but the cut of
the collars of the gowns is all important. The dress
itself must be cut high ; the collar must not start
anywhere near the neck bones, but exactly at the
throat, encasing it thoroughly, and mecting well in
front, where it is generally fastened by a small
diamond brooch, or, at all events, by a brooch in
which there are diamonds.

THE pro7,er mode and seasons for wearing jewels is
a great and important item in good dressing. Some
time back no one ever thought of wearing diamonds
in the morning, now every one does who has them,
such as earrings and brooches; and at some of the
smartest weddings lately I have seen a rivire looped
over a feather or bouquet at the side of the bonnet,
and occasionally worn round the throat. But the
putting on of the small brooches about bonnet strings
and the throat certainly demands a good deal of style.
Many women who wear bonnet strings fasten a little
brooch on the left side of the dress collar, so that it
may be seen. For young people it is more it la mode
not to wear strings at all; but those who still cling to
them have simply a small bow under the chin, often
secured by several small pearl or gold-headed pins.
In the high collars there is generally an almost in-
visible plaiting of narrow black lace, or if they
are made of velvet, there is no attempt at
tucker at all. The most fashionable tuckers
for the moment are folds of silk on the cross,
starting from a gold braid, headed by gold
bails. There never was a time when women who
understood the draping of lace and soft folds
benefitted so much thereby. A woman with deft
fingers might this year be well dressed throughout
the season with a black, cream, and a biege-coloured
dress, if she could Only dispose about the front of
each, the soft white or red handkerchiefs, or the
black lace now so much worn. A friend explained
to me the other day a simple arrangement of a soft
white handkerchief. It was gathered at the throat,
and formed a plastron of soft folds to the bust ; it
was then tied in two loose knots, and three buttons
of the dress fastened over it; then.it was pinned to the
lower edge of the bodice in two straight folds, as
though it were a waistcoat; the effect was decidedly
dressy. Another plan is to border two corners of a
handkerchief with lace, pin one as a revers on the
right side of tho upper part of the bodice, the other
and much smaller one on the left side of the waist,
butt6ning all the rest inside the dress.

EYERYONE should have on the toilet cushion a lar4e
collection of small black and white headed pins, arid
some just long enough (and on no account too long)
to pin the bonnet on securely, for they all require this.
Flowers are worn in small bouquets, smaller than last
year; happily, women have given up those
long wreaths on the left shoulders, which had
the effect of making the wearers IGok lop-sided.
The bouquets are put on more as the Prin-
cess of Wales always wears them immediately
in front, and not low down. I live in
hopes that ere long the charming bodice bouquets
worn in America by ladies may find their way over
here; they were placed when I was in New York just
above the waist, immediately in front, so that they in
no way interfered with the lines of the figure, being
arranged to the shape of the wearer. It is not easy
to insert the ends of (he flowers in a bottle, and thus
preserve them, for the bottles cannot be hidden.
Faded flowers, however, are a disfigurement, therefore
it is well to try wrapping the ends in a little MOFS.
and then in oil silk; by this means they may be made
to last over one day; burning the ends will often have
the same effect.

HARDLY any gems are fashionably worn now but
diamonds and pearls. The diamonds should not be
heavily set in clusters, though a variety of ornaments
are placed on the front of the bodice. It is considered
in setter taste to have a number of diamond bees,
butterflies, stars, and devices than those somewhat
heavy clusters of flowers in which brilliants are some-
times set. Many people wore diamond:, in such pro-
fusion at the recent Drawing Rooms that they lost
their charm; you almost forgot they were real, and
they even looked theatrical. It is not the fashion
now to cover the throat up much, or rather the neck,
in the evening, but women who have passed their
first youth, and the flesh of the throat I,4neath the
cheekbones has begun to droop, will find that it is
most becoming, and shows off diamonds to advantage
too, to wear a broad band of black velvet round the
throat. A new and pretty fashion this year is to
have a row of natural or artificial blooms round the
front of the top of the low bodice, and in the petal of
the flower to insert a single diamond or a small dia-
mond ornament, Long gloves are worn, and bracelets
over them, but not too many, or the effect is de-
cidedly bad. White gloves are best worn in the
evening, but Sukles of the beige tone, being con-
venient, are also much worn. For day, nothing would
seem to be so fashionable as silver-gray and dark
grey Suedes. I imagine there is hardly a fashionable
dame in London who has not at least one grey dress
in her wardrobe.

Tun transparent lace parasols are still used, but not
so much so as red silk ones. The former are costly
to buy, and should any of you have one by you a little
cht:frone, I can tell you how to trim it so that it will
still took well. Place a bard of narrow velvet from
the top to the edge at intervals outside, and a black
velvet bow to fasten it down at either end, and then
quite at the top, round the point, place a wreath of
leaves and roses. A novelty in parasols are the
Sevres china handles, placed at the top, some that
once graced a Louis XV. stick they appear to be ;
when not put up, they thus convert the parasols into
good walking sticks.

Tim most fashionable waterproofs of the moment
are covered with shot and brocaded silk, and they are
so pretty, they serve also for dust cloaks; there were
many of these to be seen on the chairs of
.the royal
inclosure at Ascot. The newest stockings worn at
the recent gay gatherings were exactly the shade of
the dress, with black lace insertion let in the front.
Sometimes this insertion is embroidered; but it is
the shape of this front trimming which is now im-
proved upon, it exactly follows the form of the shoe.

GREY alpaccas are perhaps the most fashionable
revivals in materials of the year. This is a stuff
which our Bradford mills produce well, and when
Lady Bective and other promoters of the use of home
fabrics tried to induce her compatriots to wear alpaca,
public opinion would not be influenced, for it was sup-
posed it could not be made to drape satisfactorily,
but now that long straight folds have come in again
its merits are recognised. There is no fabric that so
satisfactorily repels the dust or keeps its freshness so
long, and with light blue it ivharmingly pretty. It ia
being worn with all the new Nfbite waistcoats and neck
scarfs, which look so piquante on a pretty woman,
although borrowed from masculine dress. A white
piqué waistcoat and a white folded tie are the most
fashionable dress adjuncts just now, and many stylish
tailor-made gowns are being thus made for the coming
election campaigns in the country for the women who
work in the political world.