THE LADIES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4137, 25 October 1884, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE LADIES.

LADIES' GOSSIP. ' Tlic lighter make of woollen materials intended for spring wear arc endless in variety. Some eccentric designs, such as horses' heads, horse-shes with spurs and riding-whips.'ap-pear woven on many of these goods. Others are woven in imitation of cross-stitch, embroidery, either as an "all-over" pattern or in single " placed " designs. AH aro used in combination with shot silk as petticoats, linings, ruches, and revers. These chameleonlilio silks with plain satin stripes, for skirts and ' gathered waistcoats with bodice, and over-dress of cashmere," aro a favorite .and fashionable mixture' for morning dress; mushroom and porcelain-blue with pale blue strips, or lavender or greenish gold with stripes of the formcrcolor, being particularly stylish combinations. Silk mervoilleux, in all delicate shades, and of English manufacture, is an admirable spring material, and is of threa distinct varieties; the first shot, and the other, two striped respectively with narrow and wider lines of self-colored satin ; all three to be used, however, on the same costume. The indescribable charm of this beautiful silk can best bo hinted at by giving a few of the' most happily chosen mixtures —as, for example, grey and lavender, with lavender stripes; yellow and grey, with grey stripes ; pink and navy, with navy stripes (this is especially attractive) ; or porcelain blue and full gold, with stripes of the latter shade. Thero has been of late a gradual but steady growth of the tendency to adopt simpler modes and more flowing lines, especially in the skirts of dresses m'ado of very rich or everi moderately thick materials. The straight''pleated breadths that, now so often take the place of the puffed back drapery, redingotes, with their flat panelled sides, and evening toilettes, with their plain skirts and long, straight, regal trains, all show tho direction in which fashion is tending.' All skirts arc mounted at the waist with a few gathers ; the foundation skirt may be fitted .to the figure by means of pleats, but this is no longer dono with the real dress skirt that covers it'; this must fall easily from the waist all round, and there must be no appearance of tightness or straining. Skirts marie of shot silk, of voile, and of diamine are often pleated in fine flat pleats from the waist, or elso tucked to trie wai?t, like a child's dress. A charming dress fora young lady is made in this way of shot silk in tin} 7 chequers, tho colors being lilac and red. Tho skirt is tucked from tho waist to the edge,,tho tucks a little under two inches wide. The corsage is of plain violet velvet with Louis XV basques in front arid a point at the back, a full straight drapery of velvet, linqcl with plain shot silk, is pleated in largo pleats and joined on to the point. The same dress, made in ecru otamine or hoigo voile, would be improved by having a band :of green, blue, or grenat velvet, the same width as the tucks, placed at the edge of the skirt below the tucks ; the b:iok drapery in this ease would be of the voile or etamine, in the shape of a very large sash bow with a cross.-, piece of velvotj'and placed high on the point of the corsage. A puffed plastron of ctaihino or voilo would ornament the front of the corsage, and terminate in paniers joining the drapery at the back. Very pretty dresses for half mourning are made of wlrito voile, embroidered with blaok and triinmod with hows of blank ribbon. In one model the plain skirt is bordered with a box-pleated flounce ; below the heading of the flounce a band of ribbon is passed from pleat to pleat, showing in the spaces between the pleats, and a little bow of ribbon is placed on each pleat. A soft woollen dress of a greenishgrey color is effective trimmed with lace of. the same tint, relieved.by ribbon-velvet bows of very dark claret. The skirt i3'made with box-pleatings having some seven or eight tucks. The plain vedingote. polonaise is aho a popular model for woollen or silken fabrics. The fronts are fastened to tho waist and fall plain at the sides with rcyera of velvet, or of some different material, fastened back with buttons orpasscinentorie ornaments. Tho back is puffed or pleated below the waist, and the corsage and sleeves are ornamented with revers similar to thoso on the skirt. The skirt of the dress is of plain material •pleated from the waist in fiat or box pleats. Foundation skirts, arc still, it is true, rather narrow; but tho dress skirt over it is very wide, and it may be predicted with tolerable safety that before very long the foundation skirt will either follow the example of the real drees skirt and bo increased in width, or it will bo dispensed with altogether. Many dresses, both for morning and afternoon wear, have merely the round gathered skirt trimmed either with a plain lace flounce or inch-wide tucks. Tho bodice is full, and confined at the waist by a band and long loop 3of ribbon. Many dressts for morning wear have white waistcoats fastening with metal buttons. Useful tailor-made dresses are made of shotwoollen material, covered with n slight stripe. The bodice is made loose with plaits back and front, the skirt tucked. Very pretty walking costumes are made of nun's clotli embroidered either in silk or terry, with upstanding design in wool. Some of tho prettiest are of grey, embroidered with black or nankeen (the new name fo; , leather color) with brown. Almost any stylo of corsage will bear a pelerine, except those in the casaqne form, opening over a waistcoat of a different color and material. Walking costumes, for girls of seven or eight, aro made of all the lighter kinds of woollen materials, including alpaca. , A very stylish costume in this long-despised fabric, which, however, is likely to become fashionable again, is in a pretty shade of grey, and consists of a very plain casaque, buttoned down the front, and finished off with rather narrow added basques ; all the edges are stitched in several rows with dark blue silk. Beneath the basque is a flounce of blue cotton embroidery on an open ivory ground, and a small cape with raised shoulders is made' of similar embroidery, the parcinonte being of course to matcli. A great deal of wide Valenciennes lace is used in trimming cashmere dresses for young children; a little model in bliie cashmere has a deep flouucc of the lace laid flat on the cashmere floiinco forming the 1 ekirt, a bcrtho of tho same round tho neck, and a full coquillc covering tho slightly diagonal opening in front.