FASHION NOTES.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 163, 27 October 1883, Page 18

FASHION NOTES.

By "Jenny Wren." Faille -will be tlie leading dress fabric next ■winter. Large collars, crapes, and pelerines are much ■worn. Excess of colour in dress is now considered vulgar. The coming dress sleeve obliterates the shoulder seam of the corsage, extending in a point to the neck of the dress. It is a fancy with French dressmakers to cut the bottom of 'the skirt into turret blocks, and under these to place a plaited ruffle. | Cream is still continuing the favourite shade during warm weather, its cool aspect and very becoming qualities recommending it to all. A pretty material for evening dresses is Melbourne foulard. It makes up very stylishly in cream colour, with draped scarf, trimmocl with wide loops and ends of ruby velvet. The economical will be glad to learn that silks will be cheaper than ever in the fall, as thousands of pieces of last year's silks have lately been purchased at Lyons at cost price. A considerable number of dresses are made of lawn or tennis batiste trimmed with embroidery or banda of velvet. The embroidery is the nore dressy and is preferred for more elaborate toilettes. Very little plain or canvas woven grenadine is worn, but embroidered gauzes and those broche with rich velvet flowers are popular, more 60 than the newer, kinds of chenille drops, which are found to wear badly. Two new styles of lace have recently been introduced, the one being needlo-run Chantilly, to be used in combination with jet embroidery, the other a lace, with velvet flowers and buds appliqued, and outlined with coloured beads. Thi> preferred trimming of whito, rough straw, English walking-hats is two entire birds— pigeons, ring-doves, or paroquets. These birds are placed on the left hand side of the hat, fastening down a scarf of crepe de chene or velvet, which surrounds the crown. There has been quite a revolution of late in fashion's taste for colours, the sickly-unsatis-factory shades of a short time since having given place to brighter hueß, and tho " boiled shrimp " and *' crushed strawberry " are quite passed aside by good dressers. The white lace overskirts and fichu of moresque lace make simple surah dresses rich enough ftr dinner and evening toilets. The short fikirt may have lace flounces, or heavier silk flounces may be notched in wolf's teeth, as the sharp points are called, and placed in many thick frills. There is quite a revival of vests, plastrons, and chemisettes for lightening and brightening up dark toilets. Thus it ie very fashionable to wear a high-necked plastron of dainty cream lace or fine embroidery orer an under one of brightcoloured silk or satin, with a dark silk dress. The trousseau of Mdlle. Silvia Bueno, brideelect of Oomte de Pecci, nephew of Leo XIII, will comprise thirty-two dresses embroidered with flowers and Arabesques. The wedding dress is of white China crape, with train of immense length embroidered with silver lillies and orange blossoms. Voile de l'lnde, a delicate silk muslin, is the fabric of the month, but enormous quantities of ■cashmeres and woollen goods are ready for delivery. Satin chequered and spotted woollens are to be the nouveaute, and very handsome they Trill look. Velveteens, of course, in the new •colours, but it is too early to speak of these. Long Spanish lace scarfs with fine silk meshe ■and hand-run figures, both in black and white, are frequently seen drawn down the front of the Taasque, then carried off on each side to form panniers, and finished off with loops and ends behind. This is a pretty way of utilising the scarfs that are now fashionably worn around the neck. Among the quaint new brooches are five pieces of beaten gold like small coins ; each piece laps over the edge of that next it, and a jewel is sunk in each coin, the ruby, diamond, sapphire, emerald, *nd jacinth all being used. A pansy is admirably •copied in tinted silver for a small brooch. The Tirild sweet-briar is imitated in tho same way, and .■a single fernleaf holds a diamond dewdrop. Among signs of the time in fashion are :—Lightcoloured shoes, bright-hued embroidered stocking rich, gorgeous sunshades of lace, ov oi gaze velours, or with large Pompadour flowers, and often with gold Pompadour handle, and hats with wheat, oats, poppies, birds, bees, and butterflies. The <jlover is fashionable among flowers, while the latest novelty in lingerie is the dainty cambric handkerchief edged with black lace. Handkerchiefs are now made to match each toilet. If the dress is of apple-green and dark- ; greon combined, the handkerchief must have a centre of the light green linen, and a border of the olive-green. Some new handkerchiefs are cut ; in an octagon, and have the days of the vreek in \ each of the seven corners, and the name of the ■owner in the eighth. The lawn dresses trimmed with velvet are far less expensive and last longer. They are therofore used for morning country walks or- driveß. The skirts are pleated and trimmed with three "bands of ruby, brown, or dark green velvet, the ■colour of the lawn being usually a delicate fawn' or grey, or dark ecru. The tunic edged with velvet is gracefully looped and the corsage is always pleated. Lace over coloured silk and satin continue to be the materials of which a great number .of evening dresses are made. No combination is more effectire, offers more scope to the skill oil ■the dressmaker, or is more suitable to various age,s. White and coloured tulle is much used fer .••ball-dresses, and is a good substitute for lace. The shades chosen are the most delicate, aa pale blue, lilac-, pink, and ecru. Immense rosettes of coloured ribbon, form a favourite decoration, on modern millinery. They .are not very full, and the edge of the ribbon is /widely notched. These rosettes are extremely as a certain colour connection between the various parts of tho toilette is en ■ regie. When for reasons of economy, a black bonnet or hat is •ckesen, the tint of ,the dress worn can be repro-

duced in the headgear by pinning on a rosette to match. Sirs Winter is at present quite the sensation in society. She is a born flirt, distractingly pretty, and wears such lovely dresses. She has the reputatien of being one of the best-dressed women in London. She can afford it, so she should be well dressed. Her dress for dinner, on Saturday night, was pale blue ottoman. This was very beautifully trimmed with Indian embroidery in si ver and gold thread. The dress was rather in the Zouave style, for it had a jacket, a sort of Zouave, trimmed deeply with embroidery over a massively embroidered vest. The skirt was draped and richly ornamented with the same embroidery. She is very <pei ite, and has such a lovely trim little figure, so you can imagine how delightfully pretty she looked. There are fashions in cooking, it seems, as well as dress, and the colonies are to be visited by a chef de cuisine, a veritable cordon bleu. Four o'clock tea-talk says that the news of his advent is making quite a sensation among some husbands and fathers, who believe the days of cold mutton and hashes are coming to an end. Cooking is certainly an important part of a liberal education for ladies in the colonies, and a very much neglected part. They nnderstand these things differently in Germany. There most girls after they leave school spend a month or two in a family for the express purpose of learning cooking and housekeeping. The Gorman Kaffee tjesellschaft, or coffee party, at 4 in the afternoon is a great institution, and the eight or ten different sorts of cakes — made by the daughters of the house— are things to be remembered ! Where we ask our friends to tea and tennis, the Germans invite you to coffee and cakes ; only in Germany the gentlemen are not asked.