The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-06 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

QUITE the prettiest dress we saw at Sandown (says
Madge, the charming girl's gossiper in Truth) was a
grey and black trimmed with steel. The front fell in
beautiful folds of soft grey material, and at the sides
were panels of black velvet. The back was all har-
monious grey, and the bodice was grey over black,
with epaulets of fine cut steel. The wearer of this
dress was very tall and good-looking—facts which
further enhanced the charm of her 'toilet. A lovely
girl, with magnificent auburn hair, wore cream-
coloured muslin over pink silk. A Pamela kind of
toilet consisted of a heliotrope dress, with small, close
straw bonnet very slightly trimmed. A girl in green
velvet, with all the front of her gown embroidered
silk muslin, was much remarked. Another, in bright
pink cotton over equally brilliant pink, was also much
commented on for a different'reason. Her hat was
trimmed with green, and she wore a yellow rose in
the front of her pink and blue raiment. A stout
woman in heliotrope wore a moss-green bonnet, to the
exasperation of all who saw her save the mercifully
colour-blind. There were a few other agonies, but,
for the most part, the gowns were good.

WIIITE was very much worn; grey not so much as
it has been before during the season. A tall woman,
with pink cheeks and a chronic smile, wore the very
tightest of black silks betritnmed with jet. A girl in
cream colour had the neatest little tan shoes you can
imagine; but another wore similar shoes with a pink
gown ! Awful did they look together. We admired
a navy blue serge redingote, made tight at the back,
but opening loosely in front over a white jacket bad
skirt touched here and there with red and blue, and
fashioned rather after the manner of a last century
riding-dress. The hat was blue, with poppies, field
daisies, and cornflowers for trimming.
•

I SEE that frock-coats are coming in again, all the
most golden of our gilded male beings having donned
them during the last few weeks. A frock-coat has
simply nothing to recommend it. It is ugly, incon-
venient, and unbecoming. But I suppose it will go
on recurring to the end of time. There was a man at
Sandown dressed in grey trousers, grey frock-coat,
and grey hat, and he carried a grey umbrella, lined
with sea-green. He was a beautiful sight.

AN Eastern gentleman who was present wore a de-
lightful long garment of dark blue cloth, and the most
sensible boots I have ever seen. They appeared to be
made of extremely soft kid or leather, which fitted
the feet easily, and then adapted itself to the bend of
the ankle, wrinkling itself in at the curves, just as the
skin does.

AMONG the eccentricities were two girls with the
oddest bonnets—just like housemaids'caps, only made
of flowers. One was white, the other mauve. They
were not becoming.
•

MANTLES, when worn, are now reduced to mere
visites or capes, and are made of the most costly
materials, elaborately trimmed with lace and em-
broidery. At the back they reach only a few inches
below the waist, but in front have very long ends,
sometimes gathered together and finished with a bow
or handsome tassel. When the mantle matches the
dress the end in front is usually turned under to form
the sleeve. The pretty little jackets of velvet, lined
with satin of a contrasting colour and trimmed down
the front with a cascade of lace, are very becoming.
They are worn just tight enough to indicate the
figure.

STRAw hats of mixed colours are being much worn.
The crowns are very high, though less pointed, and
the brims are well turned up at the back and cut
away from the front. These are generally trimmed
with a bunch of upright bows, made of ribbons with
fancy edges. They must be of good quality or they
will soon fade and look shabby. Very pretty are the
hats with crowns of fine Dunstable or one twist, and
the brims of fancy open or purl plait. Straw bonnets
trimmed with clusters of spring flowers and pleatings
of lace are great favourites just now. Those with
full velvet crowns are very dressy. Young women
much affect the delicate tulle bonnets with veils to
match.

Ws; must not forget those who, from choice, or
other motives, wear caps. These are very pretty and
sensible, being made without any closed top, so that
the heat, so injurious to the hair and so productive
of headache, is not felt. Beautiful embroidered and
beaded laces aro sold for the lovely little head-qresses
now called caps. One of black velvet, edged with
paarls, and trimmed whil fine lace, embroidered with
seed pearls and silver thread, looks exquisite on the
grey -hair of an elderly lady. Lappels to match may
be worn if desired, but these are not often seen now.
A dinner cap for a married lady is very elegant of
pale cream lace edged with gold thread and ostrich
tips of pale heliotrope colour and Marechal Niel
roses. For morning tulle caps of cream or white
are worn without trimming, except full ruches of the
same.

BASKET plaits have become so common, owing to
the fact that they can be bought ready to put on,
that many refuse to wear them. The hair slightly
crepe in front are coiled or curled on the top of the
head, and ornamented with a few tasty pins, a bow, or
butterfly is a very pretty style, and becoming to
almost all faces. The hair en garcon is still worn
but is not considered in good st3le now. Young girls
from 12 to 16 years wear their hair in long
sometimes one and sometimes more, tied a few inches
from the ends with ribbons to match the hair.

GLovFs will be worn as long as the sleeves are
short. That is to say, the gloves must go well up
under the sleeve and not shwa a piece of bare arm
between. With silk gloves it is best to run a piece of
elastic in the hem; this makes them keep up beauti-
fully. The backs of kid gloves are now embroidered
very prettily, and some have the wrists also worked.
Kid gloves glacO should be worn for walking, and
Swedish kid for evening dress. The gloved and bonnet
should match.

Me Lady describes some pretty new hats just sent
out by a famous London house. A great maty red
bats and bonnets are still to be seen, and they redly
look very nice, provided the wearer is pale, and wears
a black dress, or, perhaps, a navy-blue with a very
little red in it. Flowers are still the preferred trim-
ming for every kind of headgear; and, as flower.
makers imitate nature very closely indeed, they are this
season making most exquisite honeysuckle, wild roses,
clematis, and blackberry bloesom. One very original
hat is of plaited rush, and the colour absolutely
natural; it is lined and caught up pith the softest
Indian muslin, and trimmed with a lovely wreath of
mot realiAic-looking plums blackberries. It is
the ideal sort of hat for a garden party.

ANOTHER is called the "Sappho," and has a crown
of very fine chip, with a brim of pale yellow areo-
phane. The front is slightly pointed in the " Direc-
toire " style, and a diadem of velvet with a small
papillon bow rests on the hair. In front, between
the crown and brim, there is a velvet bow and a hand-
some bunch of blackcock's feathers, A pretty bonnet
is a small striugless, pointed capote made of embroi-
dered crêpe lisse in many soft and delicate colours,
and edged with two rows of cut gold beads. The only
trimming is a bunch of ostrich tips, cream, pale grey,
mauve, and an extremely delicate shade of pink.

Qum a noticeable hat is a fine large Leghorn, with
one side curved up to the crown, and ears of ripe
wheat laid underneath, while on the top there is a
beautiful bunch of poppies mixed with silk crepe lisse
and pale maize-coloured moire bows. The brim is
lined with the crepe lisse, and the crown surrounded
with the same and the maize ribbon. Yet another hat
is a large shady one of Bolivian straw, lined with pale
pink China crêpe, and finished off with a small ruche
of it which outlines the hat. The two sides are bound
to the crown with pink crepe, and on the crown there
is a charming bouquet of pale pink horse-chestnut
blossoms with their graceful drooping foliage.