The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-05-07 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS.

ELIANE nn MAnsv, writing on "Paris Fashions "in
the Queen, says: Parasols for morning and even for
dressy afternoon wear are made in the same material
as the costume, in printed cottons, in foulard, and in
black or cream lace over plain or striped silk linings.
But the parasols for carriage and fête use are totally
diffei ent. I will describe a few selected models. In
one the upper half of cover is embroidered ecru net
over pink silk; the lower half in ecru esprit net,
striped with narrow satin ribbon, which falls so as to
form a looped fringe round the parasol; at the top a
pompon of similar comete ribbon; simple wood stick,
with chased silver handle. Another in cream crêpe
lisse, gathered full over a silk foundation, the top
ornamented with a large round of crêpe lis3e, em-
broidered all over with roses in shaded silks; round
the edge a wide flounce worked to match; wooden
stick, with old Dresden handle, which formed a small
box to contain either a powder puff or some scent.

THE mantelets for carriage wear are extremely ele-
plat this season; their workmanship is also
.entirely
novel. The foundation is either gold, silver, or steel
canvas, and upon this are embroidered flowers, scrolls,
undecided and bizarre designs in black, bugles and
metal beads, either steel or brilliant lead. Beads and
bugles are to be had in every shade—violet and black,
blue and steel, black and red, &c. On the brilliant
canvas ground the effect of these embroideries is most
dazzling. Points and round pieces for the back and
fronts of bodices and for sleeves are prepared in this
rich material, and such pieces are finished ready to be
placed in position. The same idea is also carried out
on galons for trimming silk dresses; other galons, em-
broidered in beads and silks, on either a woollen or
silk ground, are cut to look like openwork, and these
will be used ler dress trimmings.

ANOTHER correspondent of the Queen, dealing with
fashion in London, says: Pongee silk, Bengaline,
and a lustrous fabric called French poplinette, are
assuming important places upon some of the cos-
tumes designed for warmer weather. Exceedingly
pretty models are now on view at some of the shops.
Sometimes they are supplied as foundations, but are
more frequently carried as drapery, to be knotted
and tied over folds, which are due to lace, insertion,
or embroidery. Several of the black dresses for
evening wear have stripings of moire appa-
rent between folds of lace. Gros grain is occa-
sionally introduced to fall into points, ending
with pendeloques upon one side of a lace skirt,
while on the reverse it will divide pleats due to jetted
net. The pleats of silk dresses are frequently
divided, and the front ornamented by plain strings of
beads, which fall in long straight lines from the
waistband to the edge of the skirt. The new white
costumes shown are made with a view to the
preservation of their good looks after frequent
visits to the laundress. The box-pleats of muslin,
which supply folds to the skirt, are easily ironed and
entirely concealed by the striping of embroidery with
which they are overlapped. A poplinette, emanating
from Paris, is of soft pink, draped over embroidery,
which is apparent as a panel on each side, while the
edge of the skirt is due to a pinked-out ruche of the.
silk. Pongee in a soft shade of salmon represents
the drapery of a costume in which a white em-
broidery is effected on cream-coloured muslin. A
faille in old-rose is outlined by under folds of velvet,
and draped with finely jetted mt. In this description
of toilette the bodices and sleeves are so frequently
supplied in a semi-transparent fabric, that folds can,
without disadvantage, usurp the place of seams.

A POLONAISE forms the most important feature of
several morning costumes, while upon many of these
are to be seen bodices made with one long coatside
to fall over a draped skirt. A third style presents
the bodice with a single panel, which, bordered with
velvet, is designed to fall the entire length of the
skirt, and drapery, taken from the reverse side of the
latter, closes over it with long loops of ribbon. Some
of the close fitting bodices in checked beige have
waistcoats and revers of bright coloured faille, so cut
as to show a full shirt front of white silk. The skirt
drapery of these is occasionally looped on to the
waist. 'The tailor-made dresses in all the new checks
and stripes are made with long draperies, and have
the appearance of an under skirt, imparted by means
of a frill or kilting. Dresses of pongee and cashmere
have their rich embroidery draped over a pleated
skirt.

A coerume of cashmere in French grey has folds
of moire of the same shade, showing a white stripe
inserted into the shoulder seams, and from thence
completely folded over the front of the bodice, to
which it is confined by bows of ribbon. The skirt
apron, which is set into the side seams in similar
fashion, shows, in perpendicular lines, the stripes of
satin which took a horizontal form on the bodice.
Another costume upon which is apparent a handsome
insertion in steel grey embroidery, is draped in
corded pongee, shown in a striping of spots. Braces
are carried over the close-fitting back to end in
epaulettes of ribbon, while the fronts of the bodice
are due to folds taken from under the arms and tied
with bows of ribbon over the chest, the spaces being
filled in with insertion.

A DINNER skirt of silver-grey has a loose front of
soft pink, with a draped apron richly embroklered in
beads of silver and steel. This is fastened to the
panel sides by windmill bows, and a bouillon scarf of
pink connects it with the bodice.

THE folds of heliotrope faille upon another evening
costurlie are brought to a point, and finished with a
handsome tassel of shaded beads, while the fron';
pleats of faille are divided by a fringe, consisting of
strings of the beads falling from the waistband to the
edge of the skirt. A carriage costume of mousse-
coloured cashmere had its folded skirt of silk shown
in shaded stripes of benrre frais ; bunches of grapes
in the same tones:mingled with vine leaves of passe-
menterie on the double cascade of cashmere that
descended over its entire length. The front of the
bodice was presented in folds taken from the neck,
and held in place by the grape ornaments, which were
also shown upon the sleeves, and supplied the surface
of the large pocket, which was placed high upon tbe
hips.

Mon variety than formerly is now being introduced
into jersey bodices. Many of these, which present
surfaces in divers combination of stripes, have cuffs
and collar of velvet, and assume the name of
Dorothy. The Norfolk is made both in French cloth
and in stripes, and frequently sh.:ws the bands
characteristic of an ordinary Norfolk coat, while it is
occasionally finished with a sailor collar. The
Garibaldi preserves the aspect of the garment from
which it derived its name. The breastplate and
centre of the Sapho are presented in a cross-barred
design effect( d in beads.
• •

Tun air at the present moment is (remarks the
Queen) full of weddings, and:with these joyous events
clothes would seem to be inseparably connected.
Besides the trousseau is always a topic of interest to
ladies. Here are a few new gossip notes anent attire
pertaining to the bridal event, cut from the journal
alluded to. The new dress petticoats are made short
—a marked improvement, for, elaborately trimmed
as they are, the trains could hardly be worn many
times. They are made often with three-inch wide lace
insertion in horizontal rows and a new kind of lace
called point de Paris is employed. Like all the laces
used in lingerie, it is of a yellow cream tint—not ecru;
it has a wire ground, with large bold flowers. A good
deal of itnitation and real Mechlin is also used on
these petticoats. The trimming on back and front
are mostly different; the lace and insertion are placed
horizontally in the one and perpendicularly in the
other, but frequently divided by narrow tucks.
Feather stitching heads most of these tucks, and the
edge of the skirt is composed of row upon row of lace.
Wide ribbon is threaded sometimes through the inser-
tion, and sometimes the petticoat itself is made of
spotted muslin; indeed, all and every one of these
elaborate skirts would serve as dresses with a fashion-
able tea jacket or matinee. It is in tea gowns and
matinees that rich brides are wont to spend a great
deal of money, and there is everything to tempt them
to do so at any of the great dress houses to which
woman has to go ante her wedding. They
are made in crêpe de Chine, in soft silk, in
satin Merv, and in a new material called
Poplinette, recalling the tabinet of years ago,
when stuffs were made, as is this new one, to last for
years. They are all a pillowy mass of lace, each one
showing something distinctively new in the making.
Many of them are also suited to fête dresses. rhe
tea jackets define the figure without commessibg it,
and show a great deal of lace round the hips, soften-
ing the outlines. Lace epaulettes are introduced on
the shoulders. A very perfect crevette silk dress has
deep vandykes of lace at the side, divided by tucks;
the body forms a polonaise, but no verbal description
will give the softness and grace of the draping and
the lace. Much solid white muslin embroidery is
used, and some ecru had been made up over blue silk,
with gathered panels of Valencienne3 lace and of
embroidery. The bodice formed a jacket, with lace
vest, but the arrangement was quite new. Altogether
original was a soft blue woollen gown, the front
draped with embroidery in diagonal bands on cream
net. This costly material formed the front drapery
from the throat to neck, and strips of hedged thelong
sleeves which fell on the skirts in points, having full
lace sleeves beneath to the wrist. The skirt was gathered
to the bodice at the back of the waist, the gathers
outlined with a band of the embroidery. It was quite
a medieval robe, and was only one of many all totally
different.

*
A COAT of light hise cloth, in the Guards' colours,
fastens over the breast on the left side with three
large buttons, and crosses back to fall in two points,
which show a wide bordering of criinson velvet. The
same rich fabric is taken in a shaped piece over the
hips to button on the back of the jacket; and the
cuff, which are designed to correspond, are, as well
as the high rolled collar, likewise of velvet.
* *

ANOTHER coat made of ladies' cloth, in a shade of
cinnamon, had its pockets represented in a wide
galloon, in which the same colour was mingled with
gold. The left side, in this instance also carried over
the front, had a bordering of the galloon, ending in
loops at the neck and edge, while the handsome
buttons were arranged in three heights of twos.