The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-12-04 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

ifikTTERFLy," who writes upon London Fashions in
the Lady's Pictorial, says: In a quiet inspection of
the latest notions in autumn and winter hats, it is a
comfort to see that those pinnacle shapes, over.
weighted with heavy-looking bodies of birds, are
rapidly giving way to something more moderate and
infinitely more becoming. The tendency is still to
trim hats high in front, but the crowns themselves
are distinctly lower than they were. One very pretty
hat struck me as exceedingly novel, and especially
appropriate to the present season of "falling leaf and
fading tree." It was a toque shape, with a brim
covered with otter. The crown was prettily draped
with brown velvet, drawn up high in front, rather on
one side, and trimmed there with loops of velvet,mingled
with a wonderfully natural spray of yellow autumn
leaves, delicately carved in bark, and looking exactly
like nature. The same shape looks equally well in
black velvet bordered with black astrachan, and
trimmed with a full bow of velvet ribbon in any colour
to correspond with the rest of the toilet. Removable
bows for different gowns would be found very useful.

A TOQUE in seal-brown velvet looks well, with a very
fall crumpled edge, and soft folds covering the
crown, and brought high in front, where they are
prettily ornamented with sable tails. Such a hat as
this would look lovely with a seal mantle bordered
with sable. For a really useful chapeau for the
country cr the seaside you can have nothing more
suitable than a brown felt, made with rather a high
crown, and having a smart brim turned up ever so
slightly on either side. Then the front of the crown
is simply trimmed with upright folds of brown velvet
and a wing of harmonious shades of colour. Rather
a smarter shape in brown felt is turned up very deeply
on one side and not at all on the other. This is
lined with velvet in a deeper shade of brown, and
trimmed in front with two small grey-and-brown
birds and a cluster of wings.

IT is rather a difficult thing nowadays to get really
pretty and becoming hats for young girls, but I saw
what was truly a perfect young lady's hat. It was
made in fine black straw, with a very deep brim maae
close to the crown at the back, and covered with black
velvet. Justin front this brim was cut away to nothing,
sloping down to make room for a blackbird resting
on full folds of velvet, which were so arranged as to
stand upright against the crown, while they were held
in place at the brim by a tasteful buckle of bright
jet. A novel combination of colour will be found in a
hat of dark blue felt, made with a high crown, lined
with dark blue velvet, and turned up very deeply on
one side only. This deep brim is caught up in the
most effective manner possible, with full bows of silk
ribbon made with a corded edge, and in the most de-
licate shade of French grey, which tones surprising
well with the deep blue of the felt. In front of the
crown an upright wing of dark blue velvet is placed,
brightened in the centre by a loop of French grey
ribbon. A grey osprey is placed at the side, and the
whole effect is simply delightful.

TRAVELLING hats includes shapes in felt, which are
wonderfully light in weight, at the same time that they
are exCeedingly durable. They are all bound at the
edges with corded ribbon, and ornamented either with
ribbon bows, or with birds, according to the taste of
the wearer. A very pretty travelling bat in dark ruby
felt looks well with an upright cluster of bows in
rather a narrow width of corded ribbon, but of course
the most durable hats of this description are made
either in black, dark brown, dust colour, or grey.

* -
A scw Paris hat of prevailing toque shape would
certainly "bring sunshine to a shady place," with its
soft crown of bright crimson velvet, marked across the
top with four quaint folds, which give it something the
appearance of a workman's paper cap, as far, at least,
as the shape is concerned. The brim of this toque is
covered with seal, and the hat is trimmed on one side
with bows of seal-brown ribbon, and a dainty Parisian
ornament in the shape of an exquisitely-formed leaf
made entirely of tiny pieces of bright blue-green nea-
cock-plumage, most artistically put together.

FROM the ladies' dress column in the St. Strphen's
Review we extract the following: Jerseys are still in
'vogue! Truly it was a bright discovery when the
little English miss, desirous of apeing the jolly Jack
Tar, appeared on seashores in that practical sheath,
which has not outlived its welcome. On the contrary,
the fashion of it has slowly extended. When of
woollen goods, the jersey, trimmed or untrimmed, is
never complete dress, but more serviceable for home
and street wear, and goes so well with all skirts. It
may be plain or trimmed with fine silk galloon,
braided or ornamented with beaded work on either
side of the front. If silk jerseys are elegant they
never can have the style nor be trimmed like a well-
cut waist. Woollen jerseys are particularly service-
able with skirts of English-ribbed velvet, coarse serge,
or rough woollen goods with large stripes, as these
materials resist cutting into well-fitting waists.

I NoTicE for Pa, ",^t embroidery is in great
demand fo.
is a round skirt in large 'PartY and a .
dered apron falling loosely over the front. Some of
the waists have a profusion of costly trimming. As
no ordinary article is suitable for this purpose, it is
better to have a perfectly plain waist trimmed with a
little velvet than to employ a quantity of ordinary
ornaments. A simple but rich toilet after this model
is in plum-coloured cloth, the skirt bouni with a
deeper facing of plum-coloured velvet. Two revers
on the sides braided into a fine embroidery pattern
with narrow silk galoon, a profusion of small buttons
on the sides of the revers, corsage pointed in front
with several rows of the braid, as though forming a
revers with those on the skirt, the sleeves and collar
trimmed with a border of black Astrakan. A very
small bonnet in plum-coloured cloth, bordered with
Astrakan, goes with this costume. It might well be
called a reminiscence of an old portrait of the Dutch
school.

SOME of the winter skirts are trimmed with an em-
broidered quilt, worked with chenille and beads. I
saw an exquisite one, a visiting dress of pearl-grey
bengaline, the front and side panels of the new
material by that name ornamented with dark moss-
green bows. The back of the overskirt, corsage, and
sleeves were made of a curiously soft and plush-like
material, with broad grey, brown, and moss-green
stripes, interlaced with narrow stripes of velvet. The
Oriental waistcoat had a trimming on either side of
fine red woollen lace, embroidered with dark blue
and gold over crimson silk. Folds of pearl-grey
bengaline, crossed and fastened-on the left hip under a
moss-green bow; high collar and sleeves, bands of
Oriental embroidery, with small moss bows to cor-
respond.