FASHION NOTES.

Observer, Volume 6, Issue 151, 4 August 1883, Page 12

FASHION NOTES.

«. By " Jeh^y Wbe^ ." Leatlier fans are in high favour. j Braiding is immensely popular. Tortoise-shell ornaments are again in rogue. ; Sleeves of street costumes remain tight and plain. Tabae or tobacco colour is the rage in London just now. Plaid skirts worn under plain fabric polonaises : and over dresses are in high favour. j Eed in moderate quantities gives a fine dash of bright colour to black, grey, pale-blue, and ecru dresses. | The new Irish point lace collars are two inches high, and stand up around the neck in a military style. The fancy work of the coming season will be outline embroidery in bright coloured wools, cottons and silks on shams, tidies, bibs, bureaucovers, and table and chair scarfs. Black satin shoes are now worn trimmed to j match the much admired toilettes with bead embroidery or passementerie, and lately — contrary I to the laws of the fashionable world — high boots j with elastic sides have been in vogue. The bridal veil may be either as long as the J train of the dress or as short as the waist-line, , but it must be of tulle if the bride is youthful. If she is over twenty-five or thirty it may be of any fine, delicate real lace, and shorter than the youthful bride's veil. One of the most elegant gowns on the Cup clay at Ascot was worn by a lovely young girl of noble family. The skirt was covered with priceless lace, and over this was a perfectly cut tunic of black satin, and a waistcoat to match the skirt. A simple black velvet cap completed the costume. Wo may add that the wearer had a perfect figure, and j one of the most beautiful faces ever seen. j Travelling dresses are of rough-surfaced stuffs, like bourette and camel's hair, made without silk j or satin ; the wrap is en suite, and may be a j jacket, a short mantle, or a dolman. The whole is made by men tailors in order to get , finely finished work, neat pressing, perfect fit, and the stylish plainness that such suits demand. The bonnet matching this suit is a small, dark straw, trimmed with" velvet puffing and feathers of a single shade. ' -«, , Long pelisses, pi-oof against, rain and dust, arc made of grey mohair. A finely-pleated .piece is let in at the buck, all the rest is plain ; ruche and ribbons at the neck and wrists. There arc' also short visites of plain or plaided summer cloth. Young ladies, however, still prefer the close-fitting jacket of dark-coloured cloth, which is made very short this year. The dressy mantle is the short visite of brocaded silk, trimmed with lace and jet embroidery ; it is fitted at the back, and has not very long square or rounded lappet a in front ; silk gauze brocaded with velvet is the richest material for this style of mantle. Combinations are universal *in. children's dresses. Two, three, or more fabrics ai-e of tent seen in one costume. A favourite combinations consists in a skirt of plain material-,; with a drapery of plaid fabric, and the jersey waist is trimmed to match. Large plaids are frequently employed, the centres being in graduated shades, while broad stripes of deep colour run the length and across. In some of the more stylish little dresses the stripe in the plaid corresponds with the colour of the material selected for the skirt. The blouse style of dress, which allows great freedom of action, is still popular for little children of both sexes. The newest style for making up costumes of fancy woollen material is to have the skirt pleated, and a second skirt or tunic looped up very high at the side, and forming either paniers or a 9carf drapery in front, and invariably a puffed tournure at the back. Sometimes a polonaise is made, differing from the tunic in that the bodice is cut all in one piece with the second ■ skirt. In that case the polonaise is caught yip at the back into a bunchy puff, and arranged in front into upward pleats. Slight figures require the bodice to be pleated or gauged in front, with ; a belt round the waist. Figured materials require less trimming than plain ones. I A stylish, cashmere-and-ailk costume has a narrow silk pleating at the foot, above this a j flounce of the embroidered cashmere ; two other embroidered flounces trim actoss the back ; ©n the front is a pufßng of Ottoman silk- The polonaise closes on the lfft side, and haa the skirt draped in a full panier, opening to the waistline, the panier being edged with embroidery ; a jabot of lace extends from the waistline to the bottom of the left side of drapery. Koaettes of silk trim the -waist-back of the laoe. A side-pleated collarette of the silk, with a Darrbw' standing collar, finishes the neck. A pretty costume is of iron-grey summer serge ; underskirt pleated in flat treble pleats ; second skirt tucked up very high at the sides, and draped into a short puff at the back. Jacket-bodice, open in front with turned-down collar and peaked revers, to ahow a full pleaied plastron of Louise -blue surah, -which falls beyond the waistline down to the edge of the j basque, but. is gauged in at the waist; Collar, ; reyers, pockets, and cuffs are edged with biasbands of blue surah. It is fashionable to wear very large sunshades to match. „the costume. The large fan ia also made \x> corresbojid; ojr else it ia bright red. • -—""'" ' ' ~ r ~

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