The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-06-19 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

.sARISIANS of the old school rebel against the
fashion of waiting until June is well advanced before
seeking pastures new, but submit nevertheless.
Either they will not leave town while it is so full, or
they have no desire to taste the bitter sweet of pas-
toral solitude. -Perhaps the weather is to blame. As
yet, no one seems to give a thought to the future;
and, looking at the programme society has sketched
out for itself, it may be July before the season has
fairly come to an end—three months behindhand
according to the old calendar. We have this spring
been indulged with intermittent spells of warm
weather too short to provoke a cessation of festivi-
Use, or to hurry matters in the way of departure, and
the effects of which are forgotten during the intervals
of cold, wet, and dreariness.

Timex have been balls and parties enough lately to
satisfy tha most fervent devotees of the dance, and a
host of ent rtainments besides, more or less novel,
more or less amusing. It has been the fashion to in-
vite to cOtillions in the afternoon and "five o'clock
lunch;" for gentlemen to disguise themselves as
clowns and circus riders, and perform in the ring to
an audience of admiring friends and acquaintances;
and for aristocratic hostesses to have Theresa and
Milly Meyer, as well as " serious " artistes, to amuse
their still more aristocratic guests. A great deal of
new finery has been required, all the more that
Royalty being so often of the party, dresses could not
be worn twice. Reporters have revelled in descrip-
tions of exquisite gowns, delicate combinations of
colour, in the charming simplicity of this fashion, and
the superb brilliance of that. It is difficult to say which
is deemed the most perfect—the toilette boasting of
a single rosebud by way of ornament, or another
one blaze of jewels—meek simplicity in white tulle,
or splendour wreathed in brilliants. She who possesses
gems of price may cover herself with glittering baubles;
the less fortunate she contenting herself (and getting
her mede of praise nevertheless) with nature's homely
blossom. Both are equally in the fashion—for
fashion is nothing if it is not eclectic just now. The
only thing that do not go down are half measures.
Everything must be in the superlative—the richest,
the handsomest, the most recherche, the most ornate,
or the plainest, the simplest, the most innocent-look-
ing, and the least trimmed. Choice is left pretty
free, though, of course, the French demoiselle a mance
have only one coarse open to them. Married women
do as they feel inclined, now rushing into one extreme,
now into another. Wives of a few months' standing
robe themselves in brocades, and drag several yards
of velvet train behind them; while beauties on the
wane try to make the world forget their daughters
married and perchance grandchildren in the nursery,
by adopting the sweet guise of simplicity. Tins
does not always mean economy; "Sainte Mousseline'
is not always the least expensive attire by any means,
and when translated by China crape worked in the
same tone with garlanas—small and delicate--or even
ordinary crape or tulle, which will hardly preserve
its freshness longer than a newly-born rosebud, it is
decidedly costly wear. Girls who really have to
economise will find white net, of the kind which has
a tiny square spot woven in the mesh, a useful
material for evening and afternoon parties. It is
strong, and, well got up, appears almost as good as
new again. There is no doubt about it looking best
with white, white silk in preference to white satin.
Fur dresses of this sort the flounce at the bottom
of the skirt is revived, in rep, if the skirt be covered
with this (when a very ordinary silk foundation
will suffice) surmounted by a bouillonne, or in silk
with a ruched beading. A novel way of arraoging
the tunic is to loop it up rather high in front (slightly
on one side), with large cockades of white ribbon,
and allow the back to fall almost undraped be-
neath the wide loops and ends of a white sash.
For these cockades (and well-made bows give a
toilette a fashionable appearance it might other-
wise lack) the ribbon is slat cut up but tied
into a bow, with many loops radiating from a common
centre, tightly secured by a double knot. White, net
dresses are also trimmed with the now so fashionable
narrow satin ribbon. There is a great affectation of
simplicity in this. Two large choux, or rosettes of
satin ribbon, may be substituted for the cockades,
and others placed on the shoulders. Any one who
has made rosettes for christening caps or babies hoods
knows that they are mounted in circular pieces of
stiff muslin, round which the loops are run in regular
circles, growing less and less towards the centre. It
is tiresome work, but has its reward, for ready-made
rosettes are sold rather expensively, and the ribbon
may be purchased very cheaply by the piece. Smaller
rosettes, or tufts of loops, may be introduced among
the folds of the net bouillonna which surmounts the
flounce, round the top of the low bodice, or as a
border to a Marie Antoinette fichu, in guise of buttons
on the front of the bodice, or strewn broadcast over
skirt or apron. " Simple " gowns of this description
will sometimes absorb two or three hundred yards of
narrow satin ribbon!

Fon the Grand Prix toilettes of the lightest and
most transparent materials had been prepared; but,
alas! the weather was not propitious, and none of
these charming creations have as yet seen the light,
though, as they will do so latter on, it is only plea-
sure deferred. On the day of Minting's triumph it
rained from morning till night, and fashion
could only assert itself in the matter of pretty hose
and waterproofs. It was something that it was wet
from the beginning, and so the fresh millinery and
summer dresses were left at home, and we were not
treated to the dismal spectacle of draggled finery. If
half the costumes and bonnets, hats, and sunshades
that were prepared for the occasion had put in an
appearance at Longchamps, the course would
have indeed been like a bouquet de fleurs. A great
many of the gowns had been in the different show-
rooms, and the shops were full of tiny little
capotes, mostly tulle and ribbons (only a slight
foundation of fancy straw), and posies of bright
blossoms or plumes of feathers set up in the midst of
hats with wide Rembrandt brims plumed with
feathers or garlanded with flowers and draped with
crape, and of parasols composed of lace or gauze or
tulle decorated with knots of ribbon, and now and
then wreathed with fair blossoms like the millinery.
The last invention is a parasol handle containing a
scent bottle—useful enough for the hot, fainting days
of summer. As usual at this season, mantles are dis-
carded by most young women, so specimens of these
garments were somewhat rare, but there were many
fanciful decorations for the bodice, plastrons of
coloured velvst—heliotrope or green, with traces of
jet passem Taterie, or chernisettes of black lace studded
wti beade I tassels or knots of ribbon, all of which
were intended to be worn over light costumes of
different kinds. The gowns themselves included
almost every sort of material and a variety of colours,
amongst which beige and tan, moss green, aad
the long list of mauves, lilacs, and purples stood
pre-eminent. Of black and grey, even the Faubourg
St. Germain is getting a little tired, and white has
taken its place. One black toilette, however, was
worthy of remark. The skirt, tunic, and bodice were
all in closely pleated black lace, and there was a sun-
shade to correspond in pleated lace, trimmed like the
tunic with bows of absinthe-green watered ribbon.
Many of the white woollen gowns had bodices of
coloured velvet, manufacturers having produced a
very light sort of faconn6 velvet specially for
summer wear. Others were made with jackets open
on coloured damask waistcoats cut off to the waist,
or loose Surah chemisettes, and perhaps collars and
lappels of velvet. The white and cream coloured
batistes figured with ears of corn, wild oats, or fern
fronds in flax blue or violet, looked fresh and charm-
ing. They were generally made with pleated skirts
and long draped tunics tucked up with bows to
match the pattern, and bodices full in front. Also
the flax blue batiste gown, figured with white.
There were Indiennes, too, made quite smart by the
addition of broad bands of Saxony work and plenty
of bows of ribbon. Some, of the freshest ana
prettiest of the costumes were in rnouzseline de laine,
for instance, white, with small violet, maroon, or
green designs shown at distant intervals over the
surface, and trimmed with bands of sarsenet ribbon
running from the waist down to the hem of the skirt,
and turned up in a loop at the bottom. The ribbon
is chosen to match the design, and the bodice has
braces of the same. Tunics of this thin woollen,
figured with Pompadour bouquets or more simple
forms, such as the clover leaf, the melon pip, or a
single leaf, were combined with watered silk skirts,
made quite plain, or cut up at intervals at the bottom,
'with loueiig beueutb. Ditto were oblcso the new
challies, and the Algerian tissues in waste
silk, with stripes of delicate-hued or brilliant-
toned satins. These were generally made up
alone, or with admixtures of ribbons only, on plain
silk foundations, and fully draped, now with the
stripe running perpendicularly, now across or
diagonally. Nor was foulard forgotten, and for the
trimming thereof white lace or embroidery, the
pattern being often white or blue, or grey, or maroon.
These are the French foulards, like unto cotton
prints in effect. The Indian foulards, with their
mingling of shades and handsome woven patterns,
are more dressy, and require little or no trimming
save a froufrou of silk frillings at the bottom of the
foundation-skirt recalling the different colours.
One was a rich harmony of moss-green, old gold
and crimson, and another in deep bkix and bright
ye low, both made with long duped tunics
and pleated blouse-bodices. A fav Organdi
=sling here and there seemed to challenge
the weather. These are reckoned amongst the
smartest of summer costumes. They must have
silken underskirts and ribbons to tuck up the
tunics, and the body linings may be cut low and with-
out sleeves, so they cannot put in an appearance out
of doors sinless the temperature is above the average.
At the Bois, just now, they would cut a pitiable
figure. The same may be said of the overskirts in
ecru silk netting worked at the edge with broad gar-
lands in coloured silks, or in geometric designs, after
the manner of the guipure d'art, in silks of different
colours and gold threads, which, mounted on coloured
petticoats, were to have carried off the palm, and
have hardly as yet been seen at all, only talked about,
thanks to this term of most ill-timed gloom and wet
through which we are passing. The week that pre-
cedes the Grand Prix is the great finery show of the year
and Longchamps without a goodly exhibition of
toilettes is barely recognisable.

A small boy says the leaves of tables are called
leaves because you can leave them up or you can leave
them dowa,