THE BLACK CAT COSTUME.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1737, 11 January 1888, Page 3

THE BLACK CAT COSTUME.

When last season a young debutante op pasred at a fashionable danoa m » dress trimmed with a flight of stuffed cansil a ; and another lady flitted about with parrots-heada glaring at the beholder from all parts of hor gorgeous ooatumo, It was thought that the fashion oould not go much farther m Its use of the "dumb creation." The summit, however, was not yet rcaohed, as tha following item of news from .Paris plainly ahowi :— A favorite dress at fancy dreos balls this winter will undoubtedly .be the blaok o»t costume— a low neck, and sleeveless oorBige and tunic m gold yellow satin, out m one, m the Prlnoeßs style. The latter Is looped over a short underskirt m black velvet, and is bordered with a row of little figures of Napoleon oat out of blaok velvet On the left side of the corsage is placed a I largo stuffed black oaf, the tall carving J over the wearer's shbnlder, while the outstretohbd forelegs of the animal claw np one side of the overskirt. Long black gloves reaching above the elbow, gold* yellow Bilk stooklngs, and blaok satin slippers complete the toilette. It is bad enough to batcher the birds of the air m the service of fashion, but there is at least some beauty m brilliant and gracefully arranged feathers, while the ■'■* large block oat" calls forth nothing but thoughts of ghastly tales of w.tohes and sorcerers.