LARGE MOUTHS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 983, 1 October 1881, Page 7 (Supplement)

LARGE MOUTHS.

The fashions in women are varying, like the shapes of bonnets and the colors of them, and the coming and going of flowers and feathers and ribbons. We used to be contented with the simple fashion of dark or of fair women, each of whom had their particular season of success; but the world has become more exacting in its tastes and now demands that the women in fashion at the moment shall be not only of the fashionable complexion, but shall also have the known fashionable features. Just at this time the style seems to be of women with large mouths, a style quite as unaccountable as anything devised by dressmaker or milliner. Who invented this fashion of big mouths it is impossible to state officially, but it probably has its advantages, if anybody could tell what they are. The large mouth is pretty generally accompanied by a generous expanse of lips, and women’s lips are a thing of such actual delight that the inventor of the fashion of large mouths doubtless supposed there could not be too much of them.

The Wellington women who are getting re-vaccinated have the operation inside their knee in order to avoid showing disfigured arms at balls, etc. An exchange says, “It is the caprice of the day, we are told, for ladies in Paris to have their golden garter buckles take the shape of some useful article. We hear of one lady who has one of her clasps made as a watch, and the other as a compass.” And the Auckland Observer remarks: —“ How she manages to ascertain the time of day when other people are present is hard to conceive ; or what use a compass can be in such a place is a matter of conjecture.” Among ths stylish costumes from Paris this season, the dresses recently brought over by the Messrs. Jay, of

Begent-street, are remarkable for novelty. One black dress, distinguished as “ Montespan,” is exceedingly effective. It consists of a trained skirt of black satin duchesse, the front covered nearly to the waist with four flounces of handsome black lace, the train trimmed round with a double puffing of satin ; the bodice, a long Louis XV coat, with waistcoat lap pels, of rich black moire antique, trimmed with satin embossed with chenille and Jet. Another dress, “La Lamballe,” j ias also a long skirt of black satin, the train trimmed round with a double frill of satin, the tablier covered with three plain flounces of beautiful white silk guipure, six inches wide, each flounce edged with rich chenille fringe the bodice a coat-shaped jacket, the basque at the back being about 10 inches below tho waist, and cut square like the tail of a coat ; it slopes up to the waist over the hips, and in the front descends in sqtfare-cut ends, about 10 inches long, it is trimmed round the neck and down the fronts of the jacket with the white silk guipure ; no coat sleeves, but deep cuffs of white guipure ; a scarf of rich silk grenadine crosses the top of the front of the skirt, and terminates in graceful drapery at the back of the dress and on to the train. A dress named “ Modjeska ” has a somewhat short skirt of Indian muslin, trimmed round the edge with two flounces of fine Mechlin lace, drawn in near the knees with two revers about four inches apart, a large bunchy bow of ivory satin ribbon being placed on one side ; the bodice, a short coat of moire, cut square at the neck to show an ivory satin vest, the square trimmed round with Mechlin lace ; the back of the dress consists of a train of moire, draped from the waist, lined with ivory satin ; the train where it joins the muslin is caught up at intervals so as to turn the satin lining outwards ; this softens the effect of black upon the white, and gives the dress a most stylish appearance. The same design in crape and fine paramatta also looks well. In the almost endless variety of walking dresses at Messrs. Jay’s there was an absence of exaggeration regarding tightness in both skirts and sleeves. A handsome polonaise of silk grenadine embossed with velvet leaves was made very long, and fastened down the front with chains of jet, which depend from large jet ornaments on each side of the opening ; the trained skirt was of black satin ; the polonaise was lined throughout with white moire ; the sleeves were plain, not at all tight and cut up a little at the back. A novel mantle, suitable for a garden party or races, was made with long scarf ends in front, and a graceful hood at the back ; it was profusely trimmed with black and white satin ribbon, about half an inch broad, cut into lengths of three inches, and knotted alternately into rich passementerie the end of each length having jet and silk ornaments depending from them.