FOR THE LADIES. Feminine Facts, Fancies, and Foibles.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 43, 29 March 1884, Page 5

FOR THE LADIES. Feminine Facts, Fancies, and Foibles.

The whim cf the day is to have ornaments in which a cat with kittens figures. It is done in ornamental work and even in jewellery. Muffs are worn with the capes and invariably match them, and the size of the new muff is small ; all muffs matching the dress material are fancifully trimmed with ribbon and lace. The crush hat of the male is now matched by the " pocketbonnet " of thefemale, which can be folded up away, when necessary, in the pocket. But who ever heard of a cas6 where a woman had any desire to put a new bonnet out of sight ? — American paper. Flowers are preferred to feathers for ornamenting capotes, and roses and paneies with their foliage are those most used. Many very elegant capotes are ornamented with a Marie Antoinette wreath of roses without foliage, but with a little humming bird perched among the flowers. Worth has been making a pretty dinner gown for the Princess of Wales. The skirt is cream satin trimmed with narrow flounces of Brussels lace ; the paniers are ornamented with plush appliques, while the bodice and train are of pale claret velvet, the latterturned back with revers to match the paniers. People put all their diamonds on their bodices now ; you never see any on the skirt of a dress, and it is considered very bad taste to wear any round your neck if you can possibly go without— a single diamond star or a dragon-fly in your hair and across the front, and as many diamonds as you can muster, arranged as a sort of trimming down the right side of your bodice. Narrow bands of velvet, cut at both sides in scallops, points, or shallow trefoils, edged with a single row of beads of the sameor contrasting colour, is a novel style of trimming, used with greatsucces on the pointed bodices of evening toilettes. Velvet with narrow stripes worked between, with rows of gold braid, makes a most cxcollent trimming for a smoking coat ; so also does largely quilted silk with a flower in the centre of each quilting. Cashmere patterned cottons, the design .outlined in gold, have a good Oriental effect for the same purpose. A pretty mourning cap may be made out of a tine cambric handkerchief. Border it with narrow lace, then turn up the coiners and tack down. A bow of ribbon on the top will be an improvement. Full dress toilets for matrons and young married women are composed of Watteau of Pompadour brocades and self-coloured satin of some full rich shade. The trained skirts are entirely untrimmed, with the exception, perhaps, of a narrow kilting or bouillonne placed at the edge, and ample balayeuse of silk embroidered muslin or coffee-tinted lace. Parisan " elegantes " have, I hear, adopted boots of grey doeskin, which look very well with the prevailing grey costumes. In the evening they wear black kid shoes, with a large " fleur-de-lys " embroidered on the instep, and with red heels. — "Madge." I notice a growing liking for the excessively short jackets, which always suggest the idea that the makers were short of material. They mostly match the dresses which they accompany, and many are bordered with feathers of the same shade, but black and grey astrachan, beaver, and seal trimmings are preferable, as regards wear certainly, and appearance also, I think, if I omit grey astrachan, which I do not admire ; it always looks grimy, and the facility with which it may be imitated in wool is another argument against this sort of fur. Ribbon velvet will be required to make oockadesand bows both for bonnets and hats ; while broad satin and faille merveilleux sash ribbons are in request for the trimming of evening gowns. These are all worn plain, the figured ribbon in the shop windows being moro for show than anything else, and the purchasers thereof are mammas who use them for their little girls, or for the beribboned caps of their nurses. Besides ribbons and tissues for millinery, the mercers have supplied themselves with fresa stocks of chenille fringes, the latest noveUy of the kind being a fringe made of long strands finished off with little bunches of chenille very much in appearance like the tassels on the planes and sycamores. Cloth tailor - made costumes are still in vogue, especially with ladies who can appreciate the advantages of these exquisitely fitting though simple - looking dresses. Cloth jackets are also worn differing from the skirt, and are made in all plain dark colours, burnt sienna, seal, chestnut, Saint Louis blue, brick red, scabious, carmelite, old copper, iron grey ; mineral grey, ochre grey, silver grey ; in short, the whole scale of greys. Polonaises and redingotes of cloth trimmed with bands of fur are also worn with pleated skirts of woollen material or velveteen. The polonaises are very long in front and draped far back at the sides, the back falling in large fluted pleats, or puffed first and then pleated to the edge. This style is preferred bj many to the redingote, the plain straight of this vetement being found too tryto the figure by some, and considered to be wanting in elegance by others. Both light and dark furs are employed in trimming these costumes, from astraku to chinchilla and otter skin. Indian muslin plays a large part in ball toilettes in all the pale, tender shades of cream, tea-rose, Neapolitan sky blue, printed Avith flowers and sprays in sof ly- blended colours. These muslins are made up with satin, surah, and satin nerveilleux. Other fabrics employed for ball toilettes aro crepede Chine, silk maslin, crepe lisso, gauze, and embroidered net draped over any of the abovementioned silken fabrics. Fur skirts, called a la Robinson, after the great Crusoe, who had no choice of materials wherewith toclothe himself ; hats ornamented with small animals — artificial, it is true, but beautifully imitated— a tiny fox, a mignon bear, a delicate seal, cats, dogs, horses ; lace stockings embroidered _in gold; full waistcoats, called here " estomac de dindons," are a few of the eccentricities in which fashion indulges. Shoes for evening wear are made in velvet, in satin, and very fine kid ; the fronts or toes are exceedingly short, so as to display the stocking, as they are ornamented either with fine embroidery in beads or jet or with a small bow. For demi-toilette the kid shoes with six straps across the instep are in vogue ; also, patent leather shoes with a velvet bow and paste buckle in front. Ruches have found their way to the tops of long gloves ; but the simpler both gloves and shoes are the better they are in style. Gloves of dark shades are worn in day time, and frequently over the sleeves 5 but with evening toilettes tan,pearl yellow, pearl grey, and even white gloves with white dresses, are worn ; they reach the elbow if the sleeves are demi long, and above the elbow with short sleevos. For very little children under four years of age, a pleated pelisse or blouse is in great favour, made of white gros grain or white ribbon velvet. If a lady considers white too cold for winter, then a very pale shade of colour must be ohosen, but white is more correct, These exquisite little v&tetnents

are trimmed with bands of white or coloured plush, and a pelerine and parements of the same. Ball gowns for very young ladies are made quite snort, but for others past the first youth the back of the skirts just touch the ground, resting a couple of inches only on the floor. Tulle and net are the principal materials used, mounted on silk or satin, and, while the youthful are more appropriately clothed in pure or creamy white, yet many choose to appear in dresses of dark colours, such as green, chocolate, purple, and dark blue. Very small mantlets with visite sleeves are made entirely of sable ; they reach a little below the waist behind, but are longer in front, and many are bordered with a fringe of sable tails. These mantlets are a novelty this season,- and are rather expensive, but they really ai*e a modification of the long sable capes worn many years ago by elderly ladies, which had an opening on each side through which the arms were passed. Sable is a rich and beautiful fur which is never out of fashion, although its high price prevents it from being very general. Pelerines and muffs are made both of sable and sable tail, and some sable pelerines have a fringe of sable tails round the edge, the pelerine being rather short and small in consequence. Boas of sable tail are very fashionable — this winter, and marten tail is much used for the same purpose. Red is in unusual request, especially red cloth, for the dresses of both boys and girls under seven. A vest is a favourite style, cut away straight or rounded off over a plain white waistcoat, or one of the pleated red cloth, turned under blouse fashion. The skirt is of red cloth in flat pleats, and a sash of scarlet surah passes through a strap in front, which unites the waistcoat and skirt, and is tied behind. Three rows of chain stitch in white and silk ornament the collar, revere, sleeves, and the edge of the skirt. " My opinion," said to me (a writer in the "Queen") the other day one whom a reporter would style a prominent leader of the aesthetic movement, "my opinion is that gossamer is to be traced to God's samite, that is, God's silk ; in fact, the corruption is so easy that the change might come about imperceptibly. Without this the connection between God's summer and the old tradition is hard to trace ; with it all is probable. Samite, the old silk of great price, which Tennyson borrows in his 'Idylls of the King,' 'clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,' must have been the highest admiration of those with whom the legend would ha\ c firmest acceptance, and in their reverential admiration they would enwrap her whom they worshipped in this, the finest of fabrics." The metallic braids in various colours and mixtures are used for trimming woollen dresses, especially serge costumes. On the navy-blue dresses we see very narrow red braid, used either in graduated macroons on the upper fold of the box-pleats, or laid in straight lines round the kilt and as a border to all the draperies. Very pretty little detached fronts of coloured silk are made from the small silk squares ; those with fancy shaded stripes or plaids are even more effective than plain ones. Handsome "sack " bags of Roman-striped plush, lined with satin, and with drawstrings of silken cord, are most useful and effective receptacles for fancy or plain needlework. A square boudoir cushion of black brocaded satin is edged with two rows of gathered white lace of marvellously pretty design. It is tied across with a coloured ribbon, finished with a bow at the upper edge, and at one corner are a couple of love-birds nestling, as they should do, amid their choice and costly surroundings, in complete and luxurious harmony. Gold braid in narrow widths forms a very effective bordering to the flounces of a creme nunWeiling; ribbon- velvet is also a muchadmired trimming. A pretty dress of this material is composed of coffee-colourednun's-veiling ; the three flounces which cover the front of the skirt are edged with wide coffee lace, and have three rows of deep red velvet on each ; bodice and waterfall drapery of red velvet, V neck and elbow sleeves finished with ruches of coffee lace. The same style is followed, making the dress entirely of nun'sveiling, having only a velvet vest to the bodice, or one of the popular handkerchief fronts of soft silk, matching in colour the trimming on the flounces. At the Ryde Fancy Dress Ball a short time ago a lady looked charming as "Madame Favart," dark green skirt, and crimson overskirt and bodice, white chemisette, and sleeves and crimson scarf on her head ; she carried a small guitar. Another lady represented " Snow," white satin dress trimmed with tufts of swansdown and holly, hair powdered and dressed with robins and holly, altogether having a charming effect. \Ve noticed two or three " Lady Teazles," all having different ideas of the dress, one wearing a plain white satin gown, powdered hair, and no patches ! Surely an error. Another wore a rich brocaded silk sacque over a pink satin quilted petticoat trimmed with pearls, powdered hair dressed with oearls, patches, &c.