The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-02-20 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

A F 15111024 writer in the Queen gives some interest-
ing particulers of Court dresses: Two Court draw-
ing rooms are already announced, and many of our
leading dressmakers have received orders for Court
gowns. The 4th and 23rd of March are not likely to
be distinguished by warm or brilliant weather; but
that will make little difference in the choice or either
gowns or materials. A Court dress admits of slight
variety in the make, and those who are about to order
one must bear in mind the following rules issued
from the Lord Chamberlain's office: First, that they
must appear in full Court dress, with trains and
plumes, according to regulations; the bodice must be
low; high square-cut gowns cannot be considered
"full dress," and are not admitted at Court, except
in cases of delicate health, when her Majesty is
pleased to dispense with the rule, in which case
ladies must apply for permission through the Lord
Chamberlain, and the application must be accom-
panied by a medical certificate. Three feathers are
worn, and they must be arranged so that they can be
clearly seen on approaching the Queen, and must be
accompanied by a white veil or lappets. Coloured
feathers are not permitted, and black only in deep
mourning. White gloves, and no others, are allowed,
except in mourning, when black or grey are per-
missible. The rules are so stringent, that no lady is
allowed to pass the Royal presence unless she has
conformed to them, and at almost every Court recep-
tion someone is turned back on this account.

LIE length of a train is 01 yards, but if it starts
from the shoulders it is considerably longer. Young
girls *ear their trains round at the end, but their
elders seem to prefer a square end, and the novelty
this year is that they are cut oblique, viz., a little
longer at one side than the other. The majority of
bodices will be pointed back and front, laced at the
back, and many of the trains will be either simply
gathered or closely plaited beneath the point. A few
will come in broad plaits from the shoulder, but only
a few, as this style is suited to none but fine portly
figures ; a great many, however, will be attached by
one or two braces, either from one or both shoulders.
Occasionally the train is attached on one shoulder by
a plume of feathers, a loose bow of ribbon, or a bunch
of flowers; but these are ornaments required to be
applied with skill, or they give either undue breadth
or present a one-sided appearance. Cate must also
be taken that the train is either gathered or plaited
as closely as possible, so that it does not increase the
apparent bulk of the waist; 13,11 yards are required
for a train and bodice. Though trains are longer
than of yore, they are narrower; still, far more
attention is bestowed upon them, not only on the out-
side but on the lining.

A NEW idea is to have the train of two materials,
gay satin and brocade, the brocade beginning inside
perhaps to tile depth of half a yard, so that it looks
as if it turned over the side. For example, a
beautiful court dress is being made with a petticoat of
black tulle, the front displaying large pendant pear-
shaped drops of jet; the side panels are of rich brocade,
the black ground alincst hidden by large pink, red,
and yellow roses. The train is black satin lined with
gross grain, a strip of the brocade the width wide
coming on the left side from underneath the train, on
to the outside. Another is cream veloutine lined with
apricot poult de soie, but bordered on the left side in
this way with satin of the same shade, a thick silk
cord to match encircling the train.

HEA.TnEn or pale mauve is perhaps the newest and
most fashionable shade for Court dresses, and it has
this advantage, that nothing looks better for either
night or day wear. Some really beautiful trains are
being made of frise brocade, the ground this delicate
light mauve tone with an arabesque design in white
frise ; nothing could be prettier than the lace-like
effect of the white on the coloured ground. The same
pattern is also carried out in pale yellow and white
and other combinations. Eau de Nil is another
faihionable tint, also crevette. A firm that sends out
perhaps more Court dresses that any other is making
a great feature of steel embroideries blended with
colours; for example, a front brealth entirely covered
with a Gothic design closely worked in fine steel
beads, each separate pattern fringed with beads, the
train dark green velvet, lined with steel satin.
MANY of the trains have a panier drapery at the
side, so that the rich brocade shows in heavy folds,
and the flowers and feathers on the petticoat carry
out the colours in the brocade. Steel is happily
blended for Court dresses with brown, pink, and many
dark colours.

BROCADES are more in fashion for Court dresses
than for other gowns, but the large designs never
show so well as in a long train. Some of the more
costly dresses are made of gold or silver brocade (the
thread that does not tarnish) thrown on cream white,
or light blue or pink. A most distinguished toilette
of blue and gold brocade for the train and bodice had
the petticoat of blue brocaded gauze worked in gold
and blue beads, with pendant tassels all over.
Youxa girls have their trains either surrounded by
bouillonnes of tulle gathered across each puff about
eight inches wide, or a thick tulle ruche all round;
but matrons' trains are rarely trimmed two sides
alike. Very often huge bunches of ostrich feathers
at wide intervals are the only ornamentation on one
side, while on the other there is a great deal of lace
and ruching. Grey and yellow is a fashionable and
somewhat original mixture of colour, and yellows of
all tones will without doubt be worn. A grey pearl
front breadth never shows so well as over yellow.
Petticoats of silver lisse, veiled with white tulle, are
a new idea. Panels of beading, and embroidery and
beading, will play an irnportant tart on petticoats.
Plain velvets, with lace, bead, and fur trimming,
will, as a matter of course, appear largely at the
early Drawing-rooms.
FOR debutantes some pretty trains are being made
of figured foulard, which must greatly reduce the cost
of Court dresses: they fall soft and look pretty.
Bengaline, veloutine, failles and satins will be also
used for young girls' trains, but stripe; are the par-
ticnlar fashion of the early season, and the newest
fabrics are either white satin or faille with velvet or
plush stripes in cream. Crêpe de Chine will be
largely used for skirts, especially in cream. Some
pretty tulle, with gold and silver pea spots, will be
employed for the petticoats.
MARRIED ladies will, there is no doubt, patronise
for trains the new striped failles and satins, with
plush or velvet stripes; the stripes about 2 inches
wide in such mixtures as primrose and mousse-brown
and blue, grenat and blue, opal blue and Havana
brown; stripes add height to a short figure. The
petticoats with these will be of one plain colour.
Care must be taken that there is no suspicion of a
bodice being too low, for the Queen takes cognisance
of such bad taste. To be in the fashion, low bodices
are cut so as not to require tuckers, and dark velvets
and the like meet the skin with no intermediate lace,
but unless skilfully treated, a bizarre effect is easily
presented. It would be rash to attempt making any
such bodices at home. The sleeves are cut very
short; festoons of beads cover the outside of the arm.
Many bodices are trimmed as stomachers in front
with beads or lace, and loops of ribbon are sometimes
added round the basque.