FASHIO NOTES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 942, 14 May 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

FASHIO NOTES.

Large red plush fans mounted on gold sticks are the leading novelty at home. * Black satin and velvet, striped, in combination with plain black velvet, make one of the richest of dinner toilettes. Marked effect is given to sobertoned and black garments by the tendency to high coloring in the general styles of dress. Much to the disgust of glove dealers ladies have taken to wearing dark gloves altogether in the street, and they last longer. It may be added that they make the hand look much smaller. Very becoming indoor jackets are made of navy blue Hindoo cashmere, with wide borders of Oriental cashmere of the brightest colours. Ruffles of yellow lace are worn around the neck and wrists. Quite new are gloves with some eight or ten gussets of a contrasting colour, let in at the upper edge—for example, a brown kid with blue, black with yellow, and so on. On the arm they look decidedly well. Feather fans are made of small flat feathers, say of a grey tone, on which are a border and centre design in green metallic feathers. Sometimes the latter takes the form of a monogram, sometimes of a small bird. H.R.H. the Princess of Wales, and other leaders of fashion, have of late adopted undulated hair, instead of . tiny curls, to fall over the forehead. Small fringes of this class are the most natural-looking things possible. Shirring gives a youthful look to a gown if skilfully employed. Elbow sleeves when shirred are pretty, and rows of shirring placed at intervals across the skirt makes the dress simple yet handsome. Instead of cutting the nsual bias seam in a princess waist,

little shirrings are made in its place. The tunic if caught up here and there by shirrings adds greatly to the effectiveness of a costume. Black silk is not necessarily economical. Of late years it has often been very much otherwise through its propensity to “ cut ” or wear “ shiny,” on account of being charged with sugar to make it appear thick and weighty. This is so well understood now that few are in danger of being raught by adulterated silks, and dealers find it best to sell an honest article but the mischief is done. It has given black silks a bad name and made it more easy to supplant them. The hair for evening is now dressed in soft ropeloops which fall low in the neck and extend to the top of the head. All coiffures are broad at the back, reaching from ear to ear. More regard is paid than formerly by artistic hairdressers to the contour of head and figure. If it is becoming, the hair is dressed quite high on the crown of the nead, The front hair is parted either in the middle or at the side, and waved flatly on the forehead, worn in a bang, or arranged in Pompadour style, with flat Montague curls at the sides. Handsome diamond sprays or rare combs are suitable for evening coiffure, but it is in better taste to dispense with any other ornaments unless a tiny cluster of natural flowers is added at the left side. The Normanby bonnet is to be worn in England. Our example is yellow Italian straw, the brim lined with straw velvet, pale yellow roses resting on the hair ; curtain, trimming, and strings of shaded satin ribbon. Many of the new spring bonnets are trimmed with violets, so natural that they almost tempt one to believe they | leaves, with the cap and curtain* oT violets. Primroses are also beginning to be popular, put into sapphire-blue and dark peacock-green plush bows. Neat little brown straw bonnets have brown satin strings and a band of pheasant’s feathers. These are to be worn with the brown costumes just now so fashionable. The muffs to . match are of plush, trimmed with black lace and lined with primrose satin. A cluster of violets or primroses, or both, would be deftly put into the left side, among the lace, which is turned back to receive and surround the flowers.

As neck ornaments pearls are very popular, either in strings, or dotted over lace ruches or bands of insertion, also Honiton lace sprigs, sewn on to black velvet, and very small roses dropping from velvet or lace. Plush flowers fastened into jabots of cream or black lace are also worn at the throat for afternoon teas, and are often perfumed. A new material called “ tropical tweed ” would be suitable for travelling abroad, as well as useful at home. A costume of this fabric was made in a decidedly new fashion, and had a stylish effect. The short skirt (which by the way, was well whaleboned) had three narrow kiltings at the edge, a full drapery at the back, and the tablier arranged in quite a novel style. It was rather long, and drawn back in graceful folds, with a deep gauging near the waist in the form of a scallop shell. This mode of cutting gives an appearance of fullness to the overskirt, without great weight of material, and is at the same time particularly neat.