The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-05

structed from the wide allovers. The lines in those are so simple that even the verlest tyro with the needle can surely construct at least one for herself during the winter months. And the fact that they are one and all supposed to be entirely handmade will appeal to those who are devoted to the cult of the needle, for needlework of all sorts and kinds and characters is highly fashion able fad of the present moment.
 Perhaps the most fascinating blouses that have made their appearance so far are those fashioned from the real Irish crochet. This must not be taken to mean any and all kinds of crochet, for the market Is flooded with limitations of Irish work, coarse, crude and utterly lacking in the artistic charm which be- longs to the real thing. The so-called baby Irish lace-although the peasants that make 1t would be woefully puzzled to understand the term-is a vast favor ite, and the latest caprice takes %the sep arabic motifs and sprays In heavier work and appliques them to the fane and lace like foundation. One charming one of this character has the crochet following a bolero form, that comes well down to the waist-line all around. and just trihe of an opening down the center front This Is filled in with accordeon pleated white liberty, and the full sleeve of crochet is lined with the same pieat- ing. Little bias straps of ermine are placed along down either side of the front fastening, form a couple of Vs on the fullest part of the sleeve and one on either cuff-for the sleeve is a full length one. The deep and pointed girdle is of white satin, entirely overlaid with crochet, and two little knots of ermine seem to catch the strands of the long sash that depends in the back. This corsage is to be worn by the maid of honor at a coming wedding, with skirt of white silk-warp henrietta, sun-pleated all around, a large picture hat having the crown of ermine, the irregular brim of the Irish crochet, and bandings of turquoise blue velvet and plumes of the same shade.
 There is an extreme vogue In Paris for those dressy little blouses to be worn in conjunction with skirt of chiffon vel vet or velveteen. Black, which one might Imagine would be in high favor because OI us duapldDIAlJ lo Ncah nieh ahJ other coloring almost, Is strangely out of the race. The clover and chrysanthe- mum shades are those that are consid- cred most modish---the red shades for clover, and those reddish browns, rose wood and mahogany and walnut for the other colorings. While it Is not expected that the corsage and skirt will conform the one to the other in any way, those to whom some little point of connection appeals in>>the design are simply taking a bias band of the velvet or yelveteen, and running that inside the high collar of the corsage, and, perhaps, adding to this by means of those cute little square bows of velvet ribbon that are tackled down the front of the blouse and find nestllng place in the fullnesses of the sleeve.
 One remarks with scme degree of won- der that tue ceinture to many of the smartest blouses is growing conspicu- ously narrower, while those on entire gowns or costumes of the same materi- als become wider as the days fly by. The different cut that prevails nowadays is partly responsible for this, for the back of the blouse is cut with merely trife of fullness at the waistline, the side-seam comes almost directly under the arm and Is deeply curved-incident- ally, 1t is far easier to adjust a dress shield with this new cut-and the out line of the figure is more apparent.