NOTES FOR THE LADIES.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 56, 28 June 1884, Page 5

NOTES FOR THE LADIES.

The new combination of plain and brochtf woollens is not much used for children, although very fashioiiablo for girls over fourteen.

Largo jotted collars, standing up well round the neck, and falling in points round, with long pendant ends in front, made up on wire and bendable to any form, are quite new, and form in themselves a stylish trimming to a toilotte.

JVlostof tho bonnots are small, and have squaro crowns, cut out at tho back to show tho hair. Hats remain rather large, but the high crowns of last season are not visible at prosont. A long feather is a very fashionable trimming for a hat turned up at one side. As to mantles, many of them havo long ends in front, something like, I believo, what our mothers used to call pelerines.

Richness of material and a gracoful and elogant stylo are the necessary qualih'ations of a dinner toilette.

Quite now is a tulle foundation with boads and embroidery. Steel and jet beads intermixed on black tullo is a novelty suited to the present general mourning ; coloured tullo, with beads to match, avo a novelty of the season.

A novolty in trimming is a chonillo guipuro of leaves, with hero and there an artificial picoteo or other flower interwoven with the material, the petals standing up as they would had they been simply tacked on.

Bed tnllo is still most fashionable. The novelty is the front breadth of the richest cut velvet of the same shado — an uncommon combination with tullo. Largo sprays of red geranium, witli variegated leaves, complete this dress.

Tho now materials for spring drosses arc more remarkable for tlicir beaut : "ul colours than for great novelty of texture ; the colouring of tho phot and iigir ed fabrics i -, however, so fascinating that ore is easily persuaded to accept well-known fabi!cs under their new guiso, and to leave the quest for absoluto novelty until a later period.

As a rule, only two materials arc used for one dross, but exceptions are made when one material is a brocho, especially if this is a broehu velvet on a satin or ottoman ground. In this case plain velvet matching the design, or plain satin or ottoman correbpondingwith the ground of the broclu', are frequently combined with the cashmere and broclu'. Toilettes, in which the skirt is of brochi 1 , have all the remaining portions mado of velvet and satin, or ottoman, both fabrics matching the broche in colour. Nearly all the new materials are shot, silks, surahs, woollen, and ovon cotton fabrics ; this mixture of colour does not precludo design, for the shot material takes the place of that generally occupied by a plain coloured fabric, and is accompanied by a similar shot material with a pattern, sometimes a stripe, but moro often a detached figure, or round or oval spot, raised or embroidered on the surface.

A great deal of camaiou brocado on a li^ht ottoman ground is also employed for dinner toilettes, and is very simplo and effective.

Shot silks no longer depend upon colour only, but are enriched with embroidery or designs of some kind ; the simplest have small spots or flowers in one of the colours of the silk only. Many of these combinations aro novel and interesting 1 , as a shot silk in slate grey and copper colour with scattered flowers in copper-coloured velvet, and a sapphire blue and nut-brown silk with sapphire blue embroidery ; still more strange is a shot surah in moss green and old gold, with a close pattern of coffee berries in deep-piled, coffee-coloured, and old-gold bourre de soie. Other shot surahs have patterns of crossed bai*s arranged in group, and forming a design of lozenges all over the ground, or they a c made in white stripes upwards of two inches wide. Very bright colours are introduced into these striped silks. One specimen has alternate stripes of flame-coloured silk and dark blue satin, with brochu velvet flowers. This fabric is used for a redingote, to bo worn with a skirt of flame-coloured silk, and forms a very rich costume by no means easy to wear.

Large collars are likely to be worn by children as the season advances, The Claudian is of plain white linen, bordered with Madeira work ; thick silk cord, either blue or red, is introduced in and out of the highest row of eyelets in the embroidery, and thus forms an outlino to the collar, which is in two shapes, square and pointed at the sides. The cord, which is finished off with gilt aiguilettes, is tied in front.

Very few walking or visiting costumes are composed of woollen material only ; brightness and richness of effect is given by combining silk or velvet with the woollen fabric. Cashmere, in all its many varieties, is still, and will be for some time, the material chiefly employed for these costumes, and it is almost invariably trimmed with velvet bands, although sometimes combined with faille or satin. The plain velvet skirt under a draped tunic and corsage o£ cashmere still continues in vogue, and the costume can bo rendered more elegant by trimming tho tunic and corsage with chenille.

Full draperies, whethor paniers or tunics, will become moro fashionable- as heavy wintor fabrics givo place to those of lighter texture that are worn in the spring and summer ; there is no doubt that the time is come when we shall have to reconcile ourselves to this great change in the modes ; in nearly all the new toilettes, made of materials that are not too stiff and heavy for this arrangement, the corsage is short, that is, it has very moderate points in front, and the basques are very much curved over the hips, and the full-puffed drapery springs immediately from under tho corsage at the sides, and covers the point at the back. This brings the fulness within an inch or two of tho waist, and, although adding to the size of the figure around the hips, it has the advantago of making the waist appear smaller.

"A.H.,"in the "Queen," enumerates a few items of tho newest fashion :— Bright red parasols, or rather en-tout-cas, with carved brown bone handles, long find flat. Shaded velvet tulips of several tones, with leaves, carried down the side of a ball gown. Ostrich feather fans in the form of an arch, with a plume of ostrich and osprey at the side. Bridesmaids' fans in the shape of a half-open one, with handle, and covered with flowers. Palm-shaped fans covered with lace, intermixed with flowers, to match those on the dress. Handkerchiefs with narrow borders, each side of alternate colours, grey and blue, brown and pink. The Muscovite shoe, with one strap, buckled and buttoned over the instep, lined

with Suede kid, sown in white, having holes punctured round the foot. A most serviceable glove, the Castor SuCde, much stronger than ordinary Su6de, and made with many buttons. Silk stockings, with real lace insertion in three- rows covering the front of the foot,

One of the most successful women in society is the woman who absolutely knows nothing— that is, in tho ordinary acceptance ot tho term— but whoso nature is so nicely adapted to tho needs and requirements of this life that she makes no blunders and hurts the tender feelings of no one. It is a matter for us to reflect upon, and it should incite us to help our children to cultivate that spirit of kindliness which would just as readily speak well of people as ill, it not to prefer to do so. Wo might teach our daughters that to listen patiently to tho praise of others will not detract in tho loast from their charms. Those happy women who are capable of honest and hearty admiration for persons of their own sex aro, and always have been, admired and loved, though without accomplishments or graces save this one of inborn charity and goodwill.

For evening and reception toilettes flowoved cropo do Chine and shot silk take pi^ecodonce of all other fabrics, but a great many ball dresses for young ladies are made of chenillo gauzo ; this is, however, less new than canvas gauze on a chenille ground. Some of these are very beautiful, notably one in which the pattern is a copper-coloured gauze oval spot on a ground of tobaccocolourod chenille. This matoiial drapes in very graceful folds, and is combined with satin or rich silk.

Another variety of gauze is in stripes two inches wide ; the alternate stripes are of the the slightest surah and of soft, silky gauze, half wool and half silk. A dinner dress made of this material has the skirt of the striped gauze on a white silk foundation, trimmed at the edge with flounces of white lace embroidered with gold. The tunic is also of gauzo, and tho waistcoat of white sicilienno.

Ribbon velvet bands, secured by clasps moro or less ornate, aro suitably worn when the neck is too long or too thin for beauty, a defect that the present method of hairdrcssing renders more pronounced. A lace hcarf, tied immediately round the neck, with .short bow, and ends a little to the left or right, as the wearer shall decide, is also a useful adjunct to the toilet. By the exercise of a littlo taste and invention, even unbecoming fashions maybe made to reverse arbitrary rule, and even prove absolutely complimentary.

Talking of tho fashionable way of arranging the hair reminds me that I hear many of my readers find it not altogether easy to dispose of their tresses securely or becomingly according to rule. It is easiest, first, to arrange the fringe, and then to comb the hair from the neck and, lowering the head, draw it upwards and over the forehead, then to divido it in to separate strands, and twist loosely or plait, afterwards forming a coil on thu top, more or less forward, as the shape of the head and cast of ieaturo& shall dictate. It is an orror of judgment to strain the hair from tho roots. A certain loosenoss of arrangement, combined with absolute neatnoss, is what is most desirable. — " Penolopo,"

Ribbons for chapoaux arc made in the same style, with raited \elvet designs, of m liich the originals are to be found in the poultry yard ; flowers, fruits, butterflies, and birds are all imitated with equal fidelity to nature, and are certainly prettier than hens and chickens. The ribbons are bright and gay, and just what is required in colouring for spring chapeaux, which always seem desirous of emulating the increasing brightness of the sun. Besides all these light silks and surahs, shot, striped, and figured, thero arc- plain and brochu voiles that aro either made up alone or, as is generally the case, combined with some equally light silken fabric. The colours are as varied as those of silks, and some of the newest are figured with little loops of chenille ; these are exceedingly pretty, and are likely to be in great favour.

Ginghams, being thoroughly dyed and prepared with loss dressing than sateens, really will stand cleaning, or even washing by the laundress. Those gingham dresses that I have seen made up have been all mado with a spotted top and a plain underskirt of a tint to match either the ground or the spots of the bodice and tunic. The underskirts are made mostly in large box pleats, tho tops of which are covered with the upper drapery. The bodices in these materials are mostly made rather plainly, as, indeed, a washing dress must be to be a reality. In one a waistcoat was put in of the plain material. In some others the bodice was quite plain in itself, but had a plastron of lace put on down it from the neck to below the waist. A third style was a polonaise, plain in the front to near the knee, and then looped up very high to the left hip, but allowed to droop to the right ; this was almost like the old-fashioned Princess dresses. The backs of all upper skirts are draped, but the drapings are looso and long — not caught up into a multitude of little folds, but with one, or, perhaps, at most, two large pleats at the seams. Under these crinolettes will bo worn, so as to mako them quite houffanle.

Dressmakers are anxiously striving to introduce novel ways of arranging the drapery of skirts ; kilts and box pleatings have been repeated, they think, ad nauseam, but I do not particularly admire some of the s 'substitutes held up for our favourable judgment and adoption. I will describe a dress I was shown at a fashionable costumier's a few days ago, and reserving my own opinion, leave the fashion to the criticism of my readers : — Dress of stonecoloured cashmere, and pink and blue and dove-coloured shot silk ; the upper part of the gown was made with a polonaise, draped window-curtain fashion and much bunched behind. The edges of the bodice and overskirt were bordered with thick ruches of shot pilk pinked at the edges. The underskirt or petticoat was arranged as follows : Deep ilounce, correspondingly edged with silk ruche, headed by three narrow tucks placed at equal distances, then a space of 12 or more inches, and for a heading three cords nearly as thick as one's little finger run in about an inch apart ; thick silk ruche above on the foundation skirt ; the neck of the dress had a similar ruche. The bodice of a dress of this character should be of cashmore, never of the shot material. On the contrary, a dress of smoke blue or grey cashmere should properly bo made with bodice of silk brocade of one fixed colour. A pretty gown I much admired had a plain apron front of Pekin— that is, silk and velvet in wide stripes ; the colour was brown, and the overdress was of unpatterned brown silk. Cashmere, as being more serviceable, might be substituted for silk if found desirable.