The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-02-13 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

A WRITER upon fashions for February &lye : At this
season of the year there is but little change observable
in waling costumes or visiting toilets. Sealskin
trimmed with beaver, or seal-brown plush, edged with
the same costly fur, is so generally worn by the well-
dressed that it almost takes the character of a livery.
It is not often that the weather permits the abandon-
ment of fur-trimmed coats and mantles, but when it
does a few well-thought-out walking dresses are to be
seen. One of these, which appeared in Piccadilly on
a sunny afternoon of last week, was of brown canvas
cloth, cleverly draped so that the folds were artisti-
cally adapted to the lines of the tall, slight figure they
draped. The whole of the front of the skirt was cut
out in the new open-work style, formed by drawing
threads out of the material horizontally, and then
working them into a design by interweaving with thcmi
a few stitches. Through the interstices thus made
showed a lining of soft but vivid red, which harmonised
agreeably with the nut-brown tint of the canvas. The
sides were draped with plain cloth, but up the back
two bands of the open work lined with red
served as edging to the folds. The bodice was made
of plain brown velvet, and the small capote reunited
in itself all the materials of which the costume was
composed.

AT recent fashionable weddings it has been observ-
able that all the best-dressed women wore dark tints
relieved by touches of pale, bright colour on bonnet
and muff. Sapphire velvet appears to be especially
popular. Dark tones of ruby are also favourites. A
pale pink or yellow aigrette in the bonnet serves as
relief to the rich darkness of plush or velvet, which
need only a strong light to bring out beautiful tints of
brightness where the folds catch the rays.

Tun union of woollen fabrics with velvet or velve-
teen is a prominent feature in the dress of the day.
Englishwomen no longer need to patronise the pro-
duce of foreign looms so far as woollen textures are
concerned. England has in this matter caught up
and, in some instances, outstripped the competitors
who were some years ago so much ahead of her. The
Darlington cross-warp serges are an instance of this.
The texture is as soft and refined as anything we
ever had from abroad, and the union of warmth with

lightness, so necessary to health, is in these materials
brought to perfection. The fineness of the wool of
which they are composed—English wool, be it clearly
understood—imparts to the serges the admirable
quality of draping in these soft folds now so essential
fron. the point of view of fashion.

A PRRTTY Costume is composed of mouse-coloure d
serge over a skirt of mouse - coloured Louis
velveteen. The bodice is made with a gathered
front of silver-grey satin, while the out-door jacket is
of the serge, trim lied with beaver. It is more than
probable that this season will see the basques of
jackets considerably lengthened. They grew so ex-
cessively short last year as to be very unbecoming,
and, in several instances, ludicrously grotesque.
These abbreviated basques, on a very tall figure, espe-
cially when the jacket was dark and the skirt light,
had the effect of making the limbs appear long orit of
all proportion with the body. On a short figure a
short basque is to be recommended, but it must not
be so short that the trimmine, appears to lean up
against the waist, hiding all the fmo lines of graduated
smallness.

BALL-DRESSES are a more fertile topic just now, since
they occupy much of the attention of the leading
milliners. In Paris, it is true, there are no balls, a
melancholy fact which is sadly exercising the minds
of Parisian tradesmen, and bringing despairing
thoughts to the young girls fresh from their convents,
who had been looking forward with brilliant antici-
pations to the social saison d'hiver. But the dr,?sses
are all ready, and not a few find their way to
London.

TILL, following is a good example of the present
elaborate style: The short skirt, composed of apric)t
tulle, is covered in front with a network of tulle, into
which fine pearls are fastened, forming a floral design
in which the leaves are embroidered in silk and gold,
after the manner of the Louis XVI. period. On
each side breadth a deep flounce of apricot silk
forms a panel which is trellised with ribbons of mari-
gold velvet. On the hips bunches of large tea
roses are fastened with knots of marigold velvet
ribbon. The bodice and train, the latter
turned back on one side in a wide revers, are made
of apricot silk and trimmed with wide ribbom of mari-
gold velvet, Instead of sleeves there are drooping
epaulettes made entirely of tea roses and buds.

A HANDSOME dinner dress is in seal-brown velvet.
The skirt is cut out in tabs round the edge, and opens
liberally at the left side to show a citron-roloured
gauze skirt, dotted over with steel spangles, which are
so brightly y,onshed as to sparkle like jewels. A dark
red silk dinner dress is made with panels opening
upwards almost to the waist, and displaying between
them a brilliant cherry-red satin skirt veiled with
black tulle, from which myriads of steel tassels droop
and scintillate. A lovely dinner dress to be worn in
St. Petersburg is made of saffron-coloured cr4e
draped over s. short skirt of satin of the same tint.
The bodice and long Directoire basque at the back are
composed of Pompadour brocade of the colour of
Parma violets, on which the design is as of bunches of
roses in their paler tints. The skirts of the Directoire
bndice are tustell back with a revers of danl. violet
velvet, whose deep tone of colour serves to give to
the roses and the brocade the full value of their
tender hues.

AN opera-dress, also for St. Petersburg, is of
apricot velvet, striped diagonally with insertions of
silver lace, which is starred with the new beads known
as "diamonds." The skirt is short, and is pleated
from the waist at the back, where the insertion is not
utilised. The bodice consists of alternate stripes of
apricot velvet and silver lace. Small constellations
of the "diamond beads" glisten upon either shoulder

A BALL-DRESS is of brocade in the tint of green
known as absinthe. The train is very elaborate. One
side of it is of absinthe velvet, embroidered in gold.
The other is of brocade, and is turned back to show
long lines of pink marabout. The front of the skirt
is also of green velvet embroidered with gold, and on
either side of it are draperies of absinthe satin and
pale pink crepe. The low bodice is of velvet, with
gold epaulettes. The shoulders are encircled by folds
of pink crepe and small groups of pink feathers are
fastened on either shoulder. These dresses are all
intended for a married lady.

Tim following is suitable for a girl. The material
is crepe, the colour that soft shade of greyish pink,
poetically named by French milliners " fadirs rose."
A wide satin ribbon in the same colour is run through
the hem before the skirt is pleated at the top. The
bodice is folded like a ficbu in front, the folds cross-
ing each other on the bust, and being held at the
waist by a narrow moire ribbon, matching the dress
in colour.

A BEAUTIFUL dinner dress, designed by an English
firm, has a full skirt of yellow tulle. A Zouave
bodice of green velvet, embroidered richly in gold, fits
closely to the waist at the back, while the fronts
follow with fidelity the lines of the figure. A long
piece of embroidered yellow crêpe-de-41in° is fastened
at the point where the fronts of the Zouave diverge,
and falling thence in such pliability of fold as only
crêpe-de-chine can take, it droops a little below the
waist, forms slight paniers on the hips, and is then
caught high at the back, only to fall again in well-
draped folds over the skirt of yellow crêpe.
• • •

Tim dress worn by Mdme. Sarah Bernhardt in the
fourth act of "Marion Delorme " made an immenEe
sensation every evening when she appeared in it. It
was designed by Felix, who declares that he has
special inspirations when it is a question of a gown for
la Grande Sarah. The fabric of the dress was the
richest black satin, and over it a veritable Milky Way
of diamonds would seem to have been scattered.
Each seam was sewn with large ones throughout its
whole length. The bodice was thickly encrusted
with them, small and large. The front breadth
had clusters of small ones at the top, the size increas-
ing as the dress receded from the waist. The sleeves,
enormously puffed on the shoulders, and eaught in just
above the elbow, were starred with diamonds like the
rest of the dress. The collar, almost Elizabethian in
its dimensions, was of old point, and its vandykes,
supported by invisible wires, stood out from the
square-cut satin bodice, affording an electively
delicate background for the actress's features. The
two vandykes that were fastened down on the dress
in front were held by two enormous pendant soli-
taires. It is conjectured that the sudden rage for
the new diamond reads is owing chiefly to this
remarkable gown, which seems to attract to itself
every ray from the footlights, so excellent were the
imitations of the precious stone with which it was
trimmed.