The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-02-25 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

A SOCIETY paper tells us of an extraordinary dress
that has been turned out for a lady well known in
town, to take with ,lier to Cannes. It is of dark green
silk, made very short, and beautifully fitting, abso-
lutely devoid of any trimming in the ordinary tense
of the word. But round and round the hips is folded
closely an enormous snake made of green plush,
striped and coloured to resemble nature. She intends
to wear with it another jewelled serpent in her hair,
and a bracelet to correspond is to clasp her left arm.
Anything more fantastic it is difficult to imagine, espe-
cially- when one considers that it is not intended for a
fancy dress ball, but as a dinner gown. It is said
that it is not quite the first either that she has had
made in this style.

THE decadence of the "dress improver," writes
Florence Fenwick-Miller, in the Illustrated London
News, is rapid. It is fading away—becoming atro-
phied—growing small by degrees and beautifully
less. I have just inspected a trained black silk even-
ing dress from a first-class Paris house; there is a
tiny cushion of hair at the top and no steels what-
ever; the fullness of the pleats is, however, extreme,
and the basque of the bodice is arranged at the
extreme back in a fly-away little tail, so that the
elevated aspect to which the eye is accustomed is not
altogether lost. A French sketch of a magnificent
gown just made in Paris for Madame Patti appeared
in a recent issue of the Lady's Pictorial, and evidently
this was made entirely without waist-pad or support,
the flow of the train being only such as would result
from a stiff lining, and from the full pleats at the
top. Indeed, the Directorie—or more properly the
Empire—style of dress, which it is tolerably certain is
to be the type upon which, with modifications in
detail, the new season's things will be modelled, is
completely the opposite of that which necessitates
hnpfpvers ;" being given to clinging to the figure in
soft and graceful folds and carrying the waist up
considerably beyond its present position. (How
absurd that the dressmaker should be authorised to
move the waist !—but so it is !)

THE boot and shoe etiquette in India sorely per-
plexes native officials on ceremonial occasions. In
the Mofussil it is customary for all native Govern-
ment officials to take off their native shoes before
entering the presence of their superior, but if they
wear English boots no such change is required. When
the Governor of Bombay lately held a levee at Ahme-
dabad a number of Elindoo officials clubbed together
to buy a pair of English boots, so as to avoid the in-
dignity of appearing before his Excellency with bare
feet. Each took it in turn to wear the boots as he
was presented to the Governor, and no small amuse-
ment was created outside the levee-room by the
officials rushing backwards and forwards to exchange
the solitary pair of boots with the next comer.

THE newest thing in ball-gowns is the poppy dress.
The whole front of the dress is covered with enormous
petals, several times larger than life, made of the
thinnest silk, and crinkled to imitate the flower.
Monotony is broken by interspersing them here and
there with the seed-balls hanging down upon long
soft stalks. They look equally well in deep crimson,
bright scarlet, or poppy pink.

HERE are some fashion notes from America: Colours
are extensively used in the decoration of black cos-
tumes. White and gold is a favourite combination
for tea-jackets and tea-gowns. Pretty demi-trained
toilettes for young ladies are of white wool, braided
ith silver. Venetian green and terra-cotta are com-
bined in some of the newest tailor-made gowns.

FASHIONABLE evening toilettes have lace skirts
with moire bodices, and sashes to match. White and
gold and pale blue and silver are favourite combina-
tions for dressy bonnets. Bonnets of dark green
velvet are spangled with jet and trimmed with black
moir ribbon. Home costumes are almost invariably
made with a belted corsage of some description. Pale
and deep tan plush skirts are worn with winter
dresses of various colours and fabrics.

LACES, silk, passementerie,s, and jet galloons are the
favourite garnitures for black faille dresses. New
cloth bonnets, matching the dress, are covered with
passementerie similar to that used on the costume.
Theatre bonnets of cashmere, with pinked edges and
full-gathered fronts, are pretty, and generally becom-
ing. Small handkerchief-like squares of pinked cloth,
of all colours, are used as a decoration on hats,
bonnets, and muffs. Laces and passementerie are
used to trim costumes of plain velvet, and sometimes
stripped velvets are used in combinations.

TULLE bonnets are worn at the theatres, and for
other dressy occasions, and roses and other artificial
flowers are used to decorate them. Oxidized silver
lace pins, in the form' of a turkey's claw, are now
popular, while another new design represents a silver
log, on which is seated a tiny gold frog. Small gold
monkeys, with diamond eyes, make odd yet fashion-
able pendants for brooches and chatelaines. A minia-
ture pickaxe, which served as a scarf pin, is made of
gold, and has a diamond set in each point.. The
tournure now appears merely as a dress extender,
without the bunched up appearance of past seasons.

13oNNETs of velvet and felt, having the crown of
velvet and the brim of felt, or vice versa, are quite
popular. Tiny daggers of Roman gold, the sheaths
being set with diamonds and rubies, are fashionable
for lace-pins. Full sleeves from shoulder to elbow, of
tulle, lace, crape, or gauze, with ribbon bows, are in
vogue for evening bodices.

&num) moire and satin, the satin stripes em-
broidered in gold and silver, is one of the rich materials
recently .imported for evening dresses, while another
attractive material has alternate stripes of faille,
brocaded with single flowers in garlands, and moire
antique, in strongly contrasting colours. Noticeable
among new fans was one of satin, one half light, with
a painted design, the other black with rows of gold.
embroidered insertion, the light and dark sections
being joined diagonally, and this arrangement will
admit of many charming contrasts of colours and
materials.

"LE FOLLETT" says afternoon dresses, and some
quiet dinner dresses, with " Juive tunics," have been
made during the last few days, and this is a style that
will increase in favour. At present the tunics which
are low on the shoulders and open under the arm,
are of soft silk. China crape, and other softly draping
and clinging materials over velvet; some close a few
inches below the waist, and continue to the full
length; others close for an inch or two, often with a
handsome clasp, and again open to hang loosely; the
skirt portion is very slightly and informally draped,
and the outline of shoulders and side openings are
bordered with rich galons or embroideries, or are
embroidered on the material itself.

THE best French hats and bonnets are not so high
as those made by many English milliners; in fact,
when anything very exaggerated in this way really
has been purchased in Paris, it has been specially
made for the foreign market, that is to say, "foreign"
to France. It is well known by habitues and con-
stant visitors to Paris, that the " attempts" that
fail to be "successes" with les elegantes, of whatever
nation they may be, are put on one side for provincial
and foreign visitors who are easily persuaded to
purchase them as "the very latest fashion.

FULL-DRESS bonnets, those for morning concerts,
matinees, afternoon calls, &c., are small, and are
either stringless, or have narrow strings tied a little
at the sides with three or four bows; for elderly
ladies, lace lappets coming from the back and fasten-
ing under the chin, with a fancy brooch or a velvet
bow, arc very becoming; narrow velvet or ribbon
strings are tied under the lace lappets, or fasten with
them.

"ONDAINE," writing on Court dress fashion in the
Queen, says: Venetienne, which is shot and displays
all kinds of blended colouring, is a British contribu-
tion to the silk market. Peau de soie, which was
brought out this winter faconne, viz., with a brocade
upon it, has now a shot ground, and is perhaps the
newest fabric we have. I have just seen a train in
preparation made of a specimen of this novelty—shot
black and red, a running pattern in brocade all over
it—the petticoat red, and trimmed with priceless
Chantilly lace. Satin de Lyon in chameleon (viz.,
shot), is used a great deal for young ladies ,
who have already been presented and for
married women. One of the richest of all
fabrics is a thick corded silk, with threads
of gold alternating with the cord. Velours
supreme is another most commendable material, which
can be draped with all the grace of satin, and it has
no gloss. But beside the decided colours of which I
have spoken, many of the new watered and shot
materials are remarkable for a wonderful combination
of tones, which recall the shades seen in mother-of-
pearl or in some soft velvety orchids; brown blends
with gobelines until it almost seems to originate
another colour, grey with earthy red, brown with
terra-cotta, grey with pink, cream with. yellow.
Velvets and silks made of exactly the same silk, and
of the same admixture of colour in the shot, are used
together. Gold and silver brocaded trains are lined
with coloured satins. Poplins from Ireland blend
well with velvets, and the soft Oriental silks, which
are dyed in such fine pure tones, are employed some-
times to line trains. Many of tho picoats are to be
bona fide tulle ball gowns, a useful and an economical
plan for those who go out much.

" HAvn you any special object in view P" asked a
music teacher of a young lady who had come to
arrange for taking lessons. He was somewhat taken
aback when she replied that she was gazing at his
nose, principally.
"Wily is it that the attendants in telephone offices
are all women?" Mrs. Brown asked her husband.
"Well," answered Mr. Brown, " the managers of the
telephor,e offices were aware that no class of attend-
ants work so faithfully as those who are in love with
their laboor ; and they knew that women •would be
fond of the, work in telephone offices." "What is
the work in a telephone office ?" Mrs. Brown further
inquired, "Talking," answered Mr. Brown; and the
conversLtion came to An emi.

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