Morning journal and courier., 1880-07-12
London Dresses in the Park


 The Park was crowded to excess on Satur- day morning. The beauty and freshness of the day had brought every one out to sit un- der the trees. In the absence of the pro- fessional element saw several lovely unpro- fessional beauties. A girl in bird's-eye navy blue, a tali woman in a gold brocaded jacket, two good looking women in heliotrope dresses and showing several inches of neck, and a pretty blonde in blue baby bonnet and a white gown. These were by no means to be passed over in the crowd. Some of the pret- tiest dresses were made of cotton. One of these was in dark shade of crimson with waves of yellow lace disporting themselves upon 1t. Another was of pale blue, looped over sage-g green. Another, also cotton, was pink with large flowers scattered over, it. Pinafores of cotton worn over dresses of bright color were numerous. About dozen handkerchief dresses appeared on Saturday. They become more popular every day. Of the dozen, one was success The centers of the handkerchiefs were gray and yellow the borders were stripes of the same colors. Rus set colored ribbons tied back the cress, and the parasol was russet color, with a handker- chief border. The two handsomest dresses there were a primrose silk, on which lilac flowers were most exquisitely painted by hand, and black velvet, strewed with en- broidered white flowers and sage-green leaves It is, no doubt, very pleasant to walk by the side of a very pretty woman on lovely June morning under the trees but even here there is a drawback. Her paraSol will scrape at your hat every moment, and, when you stoop to hear some very confidential remark, the scraping extends to the very top of what was so immediately glossy and smooth but a few moments before. As Shakespeare says 1.-The world is full of rubs." Black silk openwork stockings and Vatican shoes may be and are very becoming to pretty feet, but are scarcely suitable for Q promenade on gravelled walks. No wonder she sat down soon and could not be persuaded to get up again It is odd to note the look with which the wearers of two rival costumes eye each other-a kind of antagonistic look yelled with a thin show of indifference. Each tries, unobserved, to note the details of the others get-up, unwilling to pay 1t the open compliment of an undis- guised stare. To take in gloves, hat, flowers, parasol and gown in two seconds is not al ways easy, but how humiliating to be detect ed in looking back! Why cannot all women for some do-take generous pleasure i'll each others good looks and pretty gowns? How much lovelier would some charming faces be if they were not clouded by envy hatred, malice and all uncharitableness Many ladies appeared in lavender heliotrope primrose, prune, and even gold color, as well as in dresses of the numerous shades of white Among the latter was a wonderful dress of white brocaded velvet which was worn with a bonnet of real flowers. A white satin dress embroidered with black chenille, and trim med with heavy fringe of white chenille and jet, was another triumph over circumstances for no possible combination of more brilliant colors could possibly have been so effective Then there was dress of some soft kind of seni-transparent stuff in pale shade of prim- rose. The very large straw hat was trimmed with real roses More roses on the dress and paraso1. Florists must be making fortunes just now, for real flowers are worn on the head round the neck, in the dress, on the parasol, and carried in the hand. A ruff of coffee e-colored lace, in which nestles garland of Marshal Mel roses; @ tightly-ftting dress of velvet of the exact tint of the roses; a scarlet parasol, overshadowing little crimp- satin bonnet with more roses. Could any one fail to look charming in such garments? Well, yes. An old dowager. These small, crimped-I fear that is not technical term bonnets are, rule, very becoming. They appear to be made of an oval or round piece of satin, lined with color and gathered up all around the edges. Here and there the gath cred up folds raised to admit of rose, wall-hower, pansy or an azalea being tucked in. One of these, in black and white, was worn an Ascot, with a black and white satin dress, the white portion of which was visible only when the wearer moved black and white brocade jacket was worn with it.