THE PARISIAN FASHIONS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2149, 14 January 1881, Page 3

THE PARISIAN FASHIONS.

[From the "Queen."]

Antique silver ornaments are also in high favor, and those who do not possess them wear imitations which are not easy to detect. Russian ornaments —enamel plaques of Byzantine style —mounted also in old silver are much affected ; they are heavy and less conspicuous than the Frenoh ornaments of the same type, and yet they aoeord wonderfully well with the dark velvet and plush costumes now generally worn. Another eccentrio ornament is a viper made of striped plush with inotallio head and brilliant eyes, it is worn round the neck and sometimes it is twisted round the crown of a bonnet. There is a new fashion of wearing bracelets above the elbow instead of round the wrist; and if a bracelet is wanting, a brooch representing a lizard, made entirely of diamonds, replaces it. This is to be seen with a theatre toilette. Bodies bouquets are still in vogue. Sweet peas mixed with roses and mignonette are the rago in light materials ; but for dark dresses holly, with its brilliant green leaves and bright red berries, carries off the palm. A bunch of this holly looks well on the left of the new seal cloth mantles, and on the fancy muffs that always accompanies them. These seal mantles are bordered with woven feathers, which differ considerably from the feather bands formerly used. The quill of each feather is removed, and the plume is rendered light and fluffy and made to resemble fur in its extreme delicacy ; and this is made up into bands, as well as cuffs and collars. At the commencement of the winter season dahlia was considered to be the " coming colour." It has not answered the expectations formed about it, for the Parisians seem now to prefer canelle rougeatre, the shade formerly known as aventuring, and lie de vin, a rich shade of garnet. In light colours, Vin de Champagne Mousseux is the leading favourite for the time. For ball dresses, the newest trimmingß are pretty mixtures of feathers and flowers. Pink satin dresses are trimmed with grey feathers mixed with large velvet pansies, and grey broeades are trimmed with scabious blossoms and blue-grey feathers. There is no doubt thet in materials the lustrous ones are preferred to dull ones ; glossy plußh is more used than velvet, and satin-finished fabrics than plain gros grains. The difference of lustre iD the materials used in a single dress produces several tones of colour; therefore there is no necessity to select different shades. Three fabrics, if not four, frequently go now to a single dreßS ; for plain costumes there is the silk foundation {which, by the way, is not visible), the brocaded velvet or plußh bodice, the cashmere drapery, and the satin balayeuse. When two materials only are used for a dress, the bodice is made of either a figured or lorg-piled fabric, and it is single-breasted, having a basque of medium length, and out away below the waist. Pine French cashmores are in vogue this year, as last, for the principal parts of costumes, and are used in combination with Lyons satin and Surah satin. Rifle-green and scabious are the two popular colors in these cashmeres ; and Worth is again showing the green-and-brown combination he introduced last year, and this combination is not confined to satin and cashmere costumes, but extends to seal-brown cloth dresses with dark green plush collars and borderings, and olive-brown cloth dresses, trimmed with brocaded brown and green velvet. All the new olothß for winter mantles have figured or rough surfaces, and, although of unusual thickness, are soft and flexible. For every-day wear diagonal cloths with inside fleece are most serviceable. For dressy jaoketa, Pingat (who is a groat authority on mantles) is using basket-woven cloths, combining several colors. For long cloaks with fur borders there is a new repped cloth, with half an inch of long, warm fleece in the inside. For young ladies' medium wear there is nothing more useful than a tailor-made jacket of Cheviot cloth, with plush cuff and collar; it should be medium length, and on cold days a pelerine cape is now added. This cape is cut straight across the back (not rounded), and clings closely to the shoulders, reaching just below the armholes. The stately long mantles of brocade, satin, plush, seal cloth, and velvet, with their lavender, old-gold, and red linings, their elaborate passementeries, their feather and fur borderings are an endless subject; and these I reserve for my next letter.