THE OBSERVER'S PARIS LETTER.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 231, 14 February 1885, Page 8

THE OBSERVER'S PARIS LETTER.

Specially Weitten for the Ladies

Pauls, December 13

Indian shawls have, like a black silk dress, been ever viewed as . a necessity ; to cut one up, as was the mode till lately, was a real sacrifice. 2STow the shawl can be transformed iuto a veritable visite, largo shape, and so avoids cutting; behind it forms three plaits at each 'side, draping downwards from the neck, and fixed to the waist by a ribbon : this folding enables sleeves to be readily adjusted; the shawl fastens at the neck by a silver brooch. In mantles there is nothing positively new — figured otter velvet, trimmed with chenille for visites, black ottoman. There are also jacquette, the polonaise, the Hungarian redingote, &c.

Knitted woollen j upous are in favour : they are trimmed below with three narrow rows of satin ribbon. Jupes are in a fair way to become crinolines ; they are so voluminous, caused by the lengthening and arching of the springs. The newest thing in jewellery is a brooch with anvil-and-hanimer design. At the opera dresses are Avorn very lovvbodied, indeed, so the owners of line shoulders can have nothing 1 to complain of. Head dresses are veritable pyramids of flowers and feathers. One lady, with, blonde hair, had a structure of Babel proportions, where a bouquet of iris flowers, emerged from a kind of heath nest, the delicate branches of the heath shooting our hei-e and there to unite at the summit in the form of an aigrette.

The attempt to revive the use of powder may be regarded as a failure. It has the advantage to equalize age, and soften the expression of the features. It was once observed of powder by a witty lady — ' ' Everybody wishes to be old. in order to be considered good." I will not say as much for the mauc/ie : occasionally ladies display two or throe. Originally the black patches were intended to show off the whiteness of the skin, an aiiu that did not the less prevent brunettes from adopting 1 the practice. At one time the patches were so general that a lady's face recalled the signs of the Zodiac. The nw itches or beauty spots were composed of black taffeta, gummed on one side ; the3 r were cut in the shape of a moon, the sun, a star, a comet, and a crescent ; and as a lady generally wore seven or eight of these patches on her face, she had quite an astronomical look. Artists were specially employed to affix the patches, to decide their most effective situation on the features, as the temples near the eyes, on the forehead, and the corner of the mouth. Every lady carried a box of them, to replace such as might fall off. Each beauty spot had its characteristic name : at the corner of the eyes it was "passion," in the middle of the cheek "gallantry," on the nose " effrontery," and near the lips " coquette." But as Rousseau lays down, coquetry is a natural attribute of ladies.

The lyrical establishments live only on. revivals : the Opera is expected to effect wonders and marvels under its new manager, Mr Bitt. It gave, as a " novelty," " Franoaise de Rimini," the unpopular work of Ambroisu Thomas, who accuses Iho l/'vrct fur his unsuccoss. At the Italieim the bills aro shreds and patches: Rossini's " Barbier" and Vordi's " Traviata" enabled Parisians to hear Madame Sembrik, who realised the great expectations formed of her. The Odeou theatre has been very happy with "Macbeth," — perhaps as weil translated and as well represented as the French stage could do. As Lady Macbeth, Madame Tissandier is tar superior to Sarah Bernhardt's delineation. But the scenery is anything, but historical. Imagine Scotch ."ids danced by Highlanders in Louis *% c .I"VVs big wigs ! The Renaissance Theatre

has a triumph in " Voyage au Caucase. " ! A retired tradesman finds the manuscript of that voyage, and publishes it as his own. He enjoys a good deal of social considera-' tion as a traveller. The nephew of the deceased author is aware of the fraud, passes himself off as the son of Schanrye, talks Circassian by a jargon of incoherent words, to which the tradesman similarly replies. Both have never travelled outside Paris; but Scharnye obtains the daughter of the 'tradesman by the threat of exposing the fraud. Equally humorous is' the farce i at the Palais Royal — "LesPetres Godin."-^ Chapugot has three girls and a shop in Paris. While travelling to sell . feeding-bottles in America, he is engaged to a pretty widow. He assures her he is childless. Both return to Paris, when' she is astounded to hear the shop-girl call Godin. " papa." He owns he has but one > girl, tut he is found out. He gets the girls .off by assuring each suitor she is his unique child, and finishes, by according the widow even, on the same assurance. The two plays are most ' amusing. A very sensible reform has set in,, that of no longer exacting a visit to the lady at whose house you have been invited to dine. These visites de digestion were a positive tax on business gentlemen, who preferred to decline dining out rather than to accept it with all its penalties. - M. Carr, the professor of moral philosophy at the Sorbonne, has not sufficient space to accommodate his lady auditors. He is a charming elocutionist, and one is surprised to find philosophy to be only common sense united to goodness. j The trial of Madame Hugues,' for shooting ■ Morin, her slanderer, is to take place at the end of the month. Although she confesses she deliberately and wilfully shot that bold, bad man, who has since died, the law demands all sorts of independent evidence to establish her guilt. She will be acquitted. " Served right ! " is the verdict every lady in France pronounces oa the wretched man.