The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-04-09 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

Tin: new trimmings (remarks the Queen) recall the
descriptions of oriental colourings with which the
"Arabian Nights" have made us familiar. They
seem better suited to an Eastern queen than the
prosaic everyday requirements of Western civilisation.
Ball and evening gowns generally are to have front
breadths glimmering with pendant spear-heads of
glass which hang from tulle of exactly the same tint;
and the variety is so great that it is by no means
difficult to match any tone needed.
"PRESENT a bold front to the enemy* is sound ad-
vice; and in dress it is the appearance of a gown as
you approach it which conveys a favourable or non-
favourable impression; hence the beet dressmakers
are devoting even more attention than usual to the
fronts of skirts. By a clever arrangement of fulness
about the hem they give more importance to the dress,
and make the feet look smaller. Pleatings and
ruchings are the groundwork, but the good effect is
virtually produced by the tassels of beads and the
ornaments which are freely interspersed.
• •
MANY kinds of material are made the foundation
for embroidery, which has attained great perfection
both as to design, work, and colouring. Crepe hose
shows these off well, and in pure cream it is worked
with bands of net insertion let in, and on which all
the cashmerienna tones are introduced. There are
fronts of bodices and skirts of this, and plenty of gold
and silver embroidered nets; but they are not so
costly nor half so beautiful as the gross grains worked
in raised silk embroidery with floral designs. They
show the favourite shape of bodice trimming, viz.,
the stomacher with a defined point, just as the well-
known beauties wore them when the art of dress had
certainly attained its greatest glory. There have
been imported into England a few choice specimens,
which only the women who really understand their
value are likely to buy. Wild and natural roses in
all their beauty of colouring stand out from amidst a
framing of gold, silver, and pearls, in those Gothic
designs of conventional type with which we are
familiar. Cream heliotrope and eau de Nil are the
tints that find most favour for foundations ; they are
costly, but they make a dress high-class at once.

NOT only are metallic beads fashionable, but a
metallic thread has now been introduced into the
passementeries, which does not tarnish. The colour-
ings are light and tender; grey, green, and pink for
example, and the glitter of the material lends them
brilliancy. There are ornaments to match for
securing pleats, epaulette!, and other requirements of
modern dressmaking. Some of the handsomest and
newest ornaments of the day are the beaded and em-
broidered cups, which had heavy tassels. They are
intended for sash ends made of the dress material,
which often now are worn at the side. They are also
employed for mantles.

ONE leader of society in dress matters has brought
back a fashion that obtained when middle-aged
women were young, viz., belts with sash ends at the
back, entirely made of jet., and she is largely employ-
ing them on her dresses.
* * *

AN acceptable material—quite new in idea—has
been brought out for the front of tea gowne—lisso
interwoven with lace insertion, the Hese being cream
or coloured; the lace is either cream or black. It is
used for diagonal draping, and is graceful, light, and
elegant. _ .. .

THERE is a new pinky-red terra-cotta—it must be
seen to realise it—called Charles X., and this finds its
way into some new lisse galons worked entirely in
chenille and silk, so that very little of the ground is
visible, the designs recalling an oriental carpet.

GIMPS and guipures, so far as the bodices of dresses
and mantles are concerned, are (the Queen tells us)
all in one form; a collar, epaulette back seams, and
bust trimmings in one, a glittering mass of finely cut
beads. Epaulettes are fashionable, and with these
united trimmings the garment, whatever it may be,
cannot fail to be handsome looking. The newest are
exceedingly costly, made of cords, beads, metallic
thread of gold and light heliotrope tones while almost
imperceptibly blended are pale greens and blues, only
apparent when you look closely into them. The pat-
tern consists of a large leaflet connected with cord,
according to the exigencies of the design, and to go
with it there is a garniture for the basque. For even-
ing gowns the same sort of trimming is made in gold
and pearls, and there is nothing prettier on a soft
cream satin.

LARGE white satin bows are now placed on the I
shoulder like the old shoulder knots, and these are
secured with the same pearl and gold ornaments. '
They look superb with a dress front—a facsimile of
one worn by an eminent French actress—of the
6nest gold thread embroidery in large bold flowers.

AFTr.n. all these magnificent articles of attire, you
will perhaps like to hear of a trifle, and an acceptable
one, in trimmings which has also been imported from
Paris—frillings for the neck, and cuffs of dreAses
made of loops of narrow satin ribbon, with picot
edges. These are generally white, but can be had in
other colours.

NEARLY, if not quite, all the new ribbons have picot
edges, and the old-fashioned glad) ribbons are coming
in again with the thick rope edge. Edges of contrast-
ing colour, crepe gauze ribbons in somewhat bright
colourings, with tiny motifs in brocade, stripes in
different colours and materials, such as velvet on silk,
with sometimes chenille edges, Chin 6 velvet ribbons,
and frise patterns, are the features in the newest
ribbons of the spring, and an immense deal of narrow
sat;n ribbon is being used for rosettes, which are
applied in millinery and on gowns in various ways,

BANDS of fancy ribbons are used on tea and even
lug gowns as trimmings, but the cloth appliqués are
newer worked with gold and other metallic threads
and beads. Fringes are much worn, many of them
having divisible ring headings, worked in beads.
Detachable ornaments are in fashion; these are
economical and convenient, for you need buy only the
exact quantity required, and can apply it in various
ways. Some of the fringes show ornaments made of
cork balls, covered with beads and silk, and are very
light.

FINE steel trimmings of all kinds are greatly in
favour, and no wonder; they are bright, and shpw off
nearly all colours to advantage. Panels of dresses,
long V-shaped pieces for bodices, epaulettes and
ga'ons are all to be had in this fine steel work. It
looks well with revers of mousse velvet on a white
satin dress.

SUMMER dresses will be made of much Swiss em-
broidery in ecru and white on net, and there is an
evident inclination to use this class of work in place
of lace. There is a new lace—Aquitaine—with a
clear, kilky ground and a thick pattern in silk, like
coral: and coloured silk laces, which can be had now
in every shade, are employed for all kinds of pur-
poses. Striped tulles are new, and there are some
novel makes of crepe, which is amo t fashionable
material for ball gowns.

SomE of the new hats are (says the Lad.tis Pic-
torial) made in straws of two contrasting colours.
For instance, a brown straw has a straight band of
pale yellow, following the line of the brim. This is
lined and turned up with brown velvet, the brim
being held to the crown with bows of plaid ribbon in
a tiny check of red and white, ornamented with a
elu,ter of daisies. Quite a new bonnet shape, with
something of lthe medireval hood in its construction,
will be known as the "Anna Boleyn." The exam le
shown to me was a stringless shape, with flat hooded
sides of pale heliotrope silk, daintily embroidered in
straw-colour and gold silk, and glittering with bright
bevis. The crown was simply formed of two upright
bows of pale straw-coloured ribbon leaning toward,.
the front. Next the face the shape was draped with
gold gauze, and trimmed in front with an upright
gold aigrette. One of the loveliest of the new bonnet
was what Mr. Whistler would certainly call
symphony in white and gold. You must imagine a
shape draped lightly with ivory-white French lace, a
wing-shaped bow of lace being perched in the centre
of the brim in front. Above this some golden
thistles stand upright, while a knot of ivory-white
ribbon rests upon the hair, where the shape is prettily
outlined with gold lace.
*

THE newest blue is the lovely shade known as
"Baltic," a colour which is beyond a doubt "deeply,
darkly, beautifully blue." An exquisite little bonnet
in Baltic blue gauze has a full ruche in front of blue
faille elaborately pinked out, so as to have a pretty
effect next the hair. Then high in front are some
tall roses in a deep shade of yellow-red, which har-
monises beautifully with the blue of the rest of the
bonnet. A similar notion is delightfully carried out
in deep crimson, with a result which would suit a
pale brunette to perfection. The crown is of poult
de sole, outlined with a kind of ruche of gauze, so
beautifully arranged as entirely to baffle description.
The front consists of a full ruche of silk, with a
frilling of gauze next the hair. On either side in
front there are clusters of crimson roses, and quite
on the top some little ostrich tips and dainty puffs of
tulle. The strings are of tulle to correspond. A
useful little bonnet in Leghorn straw is very
simply but stylishly trimmed with a wide
band of dark heliotrope velvet, which is laid
flat on the crown, then in front you see a
cluster of white elder flowers and foliage,
with tall bows of dark heliotrope ribbon. A charm-
ing bonnet is made entirely with frills of black lace.
one frill lying softly over the other, and the whole of
the back of the bonnet being covered with yellow
flowers, a mass of yellow hyacinths on one side, and
tulips on the other. A narrow beading of jet runs
between each frill of lace and greltly brightens the
effect as a whole. I must tell you of one more
bat, the shape of whieh is made in a fine b'ack
straw, lined and turned up with green velvet, and
trimmed in front with bows in two shades of green,
half being in silk and half in velvet. Just in front,
and trailing away to the side, you see a lovely cluster
of flowers, deep red and pale pink roes, a handful of
mignonette, and one or two pale mauve pansies. These
varying colours contrast delightfully with each other,
the whole effect being simply perfect.