THE FASHIONS FOR APRIL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 54, 10 July 1862, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE FASHIONS FOR APRIL.

(From the Fnglishwotvan’s Domestic Magazine.) To judge from the appearance of a few models we have been favored with a sight of, mantles and pardessus will not be worn quite so long as they were last season. For the mid-season, we have noticed several garments made in light grey cloth, as well as velvet mantles, not very thickly lined. The latter are profusely trimmed with lace, gimp, and embroidery, and at'no previous season do we ever recollect velvet mantles being so elaborately ornamented. As a very useful article of dress for out-door wear, for between the seasons, we may mention the embroidered cashmere shawls ; some of these being trimmed with lace, and some with silk frills Although these are not new, they will, this spring, enjoy a degree of favor, on account of their being light, and yet sufficiently warm. Bonnets, suitable for spring, are mostly composed of straw or drawn silk, the former being profusely trimmed with flowers. We have remarked several bonnets trimmed with two different kinds of flowers, of good contrasting colors ; in fact, some of the bonnets of the present day have literally the aspect of a flower garden in full bloom. In the manufacture of artificial flowers steel has, of late, been much introduced; but it is scarcely in good taste, on account of its being so unnatural, and is, besides, so very common that it can no longer be considered distingue. The shape of bonnets appears to be as large and as high as ever, some of them having a most ridiculous appearance; but no lady of taste adopts these extremes of fashion. Dresses are worn very long behind, are much gored ; and even evening dresses of light material are arranged in this manner. As the mode appears to be to lessen the width of the skirt at the top, it is absolutely necessary that the material be well gored, to give sufficient width to the bottom. These gored training skirts are exceedingly becoming to the figure, and in a drawing-room nothing is more elegant. It is a pity that this fashion cannot be confined exclusively to in-door toilets, and not adapted (as it too generally is) for walking. W hat can be more disagreeable than to see a lady’s rich silk skirt sweeping the streets as she walks ? If is extravagant, inelegant, and exceed - ingly dirty. However, if ladies will be in the faslnon, and wear trained skirts in the streets in dirty weather, they may keep them in order by wearing them looped up over a pretty petticoat. Thelatter garments are being worn more elaborate and of richer material, than ever; and it will soon bo necessary to have the petticoat made as handsome as the dress—the fashion of looping up the dresses necessitating an elegant underskirt. In our walk westward we remarked some very stylish shawls for evening wear, as substitutes for opera cloaks, and which any lady might very easily make herself. They consisted of squares of llama, edged with Maltese lace, headed with a tiny jet trimming. We noticed a scarlet shawl and a white one, both arranged in this manner, and the latter would answer extremely well for a stylish summer out-door toilet. The Swiss cam brics and muslinettes are of more beautiful manufacture this season than ever. The favourite patterns appear to be rather small, tiny bouquets and sprigs being most general, and having quite a chintzy appearance. The cambric is so liighly glazed, and so beautifully finished, that, before the material has passed through the hands of the laundress, dresses made of it have quite the appearance of silk. For children and growing girls, a tightly-fitting jacket, with a very long basque, and a skirt made of these beautiful cambrics, is quite sufficient dress for morning wear for the countiy or sea-side. This, with a white straw hat trimmed with black velvet, forms an elegant yet simple toilet for young people.