The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-04 00:00:00

Fashions foi July.

(From Le FeMet)
We aro happy to announce a decided reactionary move-
ment towards simplicity of attire. There can be no ques-
tion that luxury in dress has of late been indulged in to an
alarming excess. It is, therefore, gratifying to observe that
the loaders of fashion now show a decided inclination to
allow the judiciously elegant to replace the merely expen-
sive. We no longer see toilettes covered and sparkling
with gold and silver, these theatrical ornaments having
given place to ribbons, flowers, laces; &c.
Summer is undoubtedly a time of rest for the purse and
of work for the fancy. Expensive fabrics and trimmings
aro not required ; a few simple materials, elegantly made,
so as to permit the possessor to appear often in what the
Parisians call une toilettefraiche being all that is necessary,
except for very dressy occasions, such as fetes or marriages.
The materials most in vogue at the present moment are
linos, mohair, alpaca, and a great variety of fancy materials,
such as Sultane, which is a mixture of silk and wool.
Foulards are, of course, immensely in request. T hero is,
perhaps, no fabric so much worn. It is made in endless
varieties of quality and style, so as to suit the taste and
moans of every ono. Moire antiques, poult de soie, thick
taffetas, and such heavy materials, only suitable for
colder weather, all have to give place to the foul-
ard. Gaze de Chamb6ry, mousseline de soie; and
other very thin and expensive materials, are reserved for
in-door or evening wear. White toilettes are made in all
fabrics, and have one great advantage : by changing the
colour of the ornaments, or the style of their disposition,
one can always give them a now appearance with very little
expense or trouble. The skirts of all dresses—let the ma-
terials be what they may—are cut on the bias. In case of
their being muslins, or equally thin fables, the back breadth
is not gored. The slope of the side breadth is, of course,
put to the back, as it would be under any circumstances.
In-door dresses and toilettes de visite have very long trains,
and are sloped round the bottom of the skirt, and exces-
sively plain at the hips. Bodies also are not so very short-
waisted as they were a little time since ; in fact, the efforts
made by a misguided few to introduce an eccentric style of
dress have failed, and the short waists and the long trailing
dresses clinging round the feet are confined to those who
do not hesitate to make any sacrifice of taste and appear-
ance, in order to attract attention or look different from
others. .

.......„.
A few weeks ago ladies who could afford to wear nine or
ten flounced muslin petticoats discontinued theirn !rin o l inos
of course, this made but very slight difforoonockeirti the
as all these
circum-
ference either at the bottom or top ofth
plain on tho hips.
petticoats were so gored as to be quitem_t a weight of skirts
The weather is now so warm that saotgaue
present moment,
would be unbearable ; therefore
under, thin dresses, one thick petticoat
lwiriae.)k,sskirt_stwo petti-
'tticoat and two thin ones,
are worn over a small erinoloin.Pinndoratl
white. There
coats, the ono next theoag
worn—
short, _...0
ono round and rather
are two forms of crinoline
r drosses when looped up ; the other
short, for out-of-door drosses
a train, for indoor dress or when
rather larger, an
d to rest on the ground, The petticoats
the skirt is allow()
that they are generally
eh
shown
now are so nut
tho dresses. For morning toilettes they are
wonted than
of
the same
made either material as the dress
generallyand palotot, or of cachemire the colour of the ornaments on
the dress. For more dressy occasions the petticoats are
made of white or coloured silk. The white petticoats worn
Under thin dresses are most elegant—little gauffered
flounces edged with lace; perpendicular tucks, alternating
with embroidered insertion or Cluny; medallions of em-
broidery or guipure, over coloured ribbons; in short, every
day introduces some new and elegant manner of trimming
them. When the dress is looped over a petticoat for out-
of-door wear the petticoat should not touch the ground,
but be merely a short distance from it. In some cases the
under skirt is made full length, with a train, but then it is
intended for a double skirt, and not merely a petticoat. For
morning wear the paletots are almost always of the same

material as the dress. They are sometimes made loose and
short, with or without a hood, but alwaysivith sleeves.
With this form a 'white body is worn with the: skirt. When
there is a body to the skirt, to obviate the necessity
of wearing an extra covering out of doors, a poplum basque
is made separate from the body, and, being sown on to a
narrow ribbon, is fastened round the body under the waist,
band. The small black cachemire loose paletoqs, spotteil.
with beads, are not now so elegant or so fashionable as Th%
small circulars of the same material, ornamented with
beads, or edged either with a bead hinge or a lace flounce.
Muslin and other thin dresses are generally accompanied
by mantles of the same; these can be made either circular
cloaks, only reaching just below the waist, or small paletots
quite loose or demi-adjuste, according to the taste of the
wearer. When made in these thin materials the waistband
should never be worn outside. For fetes or toilettes de
visite black lace casaques, nearly tight fitting, aro more
elegantly worn than the black lace shawl that has been so
long iu favour. Black silk mantles are not much worn ;
they are intended more for spring or autumn wear.
There is not much alteration in the form of bonnets, the
" Galette," "Lamballo," and " Fanchonette" being most in
favour. The latter is a very small "Fanchon," merely reach-
ing to the chignon, not covering it, and slightly bent in front.
The " Lamballe" is perfectly round, but slightly bent down
at each side to the shape of the head, and generally has a
"Marie Stuart" front. The " Galette" is also perfectly
round, but quite fiat, and in any forat taking the form, of
the head.

There is a very slight difference in tho form of hats ; they
are worn in almost all shapes and styles. Flowers seem
to be preferred to feathers for trimming them, especially if
they are intended for seaside wear. For morning hats
flowers would, of course, be too dressy. On these are worn
small wings or straight feathers.

White bodies are, of course, more in request than ever,
and are made in a variety of materials—cambric, foulard,
alpaca, Llama, and unbleached linen. For evening wear
thinner materials, such as Indian muslin, plain or embroi-
dered. When made in these thin fabrics they are generally
arranged with Cluny or Valenciennes insertion over coloured
ribbon or velvet. We have seen some very pretty white
muslin bodies with perpendicular bouillonnes, separated by
a row of very narrow coloured velvet. With white bodies
a corslet like the skirt is generally worn. These are made
in a variety of forms, but undoubtedly the most elegant
and recherche is the corslet "sMedier and pointed peplum
all cut in one. This should be made in the colour of the
trimmings or patterns on the dross. The white body must,
of course, have the same coloured trimmings.