FASHIONABLE SUMMER GOWNS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9305, 4 January 1896, Page 3

FASHIONABLE SUMMER GOWNS.

Black grenadines, plain, made up over a colour, or printed with blurred chine flowers, are well adapted for the full skirts now worn, and many of these have folds at the side of the front breadth, held in with three buttons just below the waist. The wide Empire sashes lend themselves well to this material, and the Marie Antoinette fichu, made in black mousseline de soi, drawn through the sash and falling in handkerchief ends below the waist, is a capital suggestion for a pretty gown. Some of these grenadines have collars of tucked lisse edged with Valenciennes lace, headed by insertion. Shot silk is best adapted for lining black grenadine, and the newest tint is the " drake's neck," the beautiful green found on this bird. Every fashionable woman is now possessed of a gras3 lawn gown, and this material, which is of an ecru tint, is made up over mauve and other colours, and trimmed with mousseline de soie and chine ribbons. Bright cerise silk is a capital lining, and they look picturesque with large collars of tucked muslin, and sashes of glace ribbon. Sometimes the material is embroidered and lined with sea-green silk, which shows off well in the fichus, tied with shot ribbons. Pale blue is also an effective mixture. The glace striped silks are often accompanied by Watteau muslin fichus, and made with large bishop sleeves and ruffles. These silks are pretty, with chin* flowers divided

by lines of colour. The skirts are nearly always plain, the bodices embroidered wiih steel sequins, or entirely covered with lace or with ecru applique, confined at the waist by a belt, with large paste buttons introduced at the side; the sleeves and skirt generally accord. Black and white striped moires and silks are also adorned with embroidered grass cloth or white satin, covered with lace, and many of the pretty white and blue or pink and blue glace silks are trimmed with Brussels lace, which a little time ago we should have thought onlysuitable for an evening gown. Alpaca asserts itself in many ways—white, grey, pink, and fawn colour; but the newest of all 13 a cerise tone well adapted to the novel Robespierre jacket cut with the short waist, and the deep sash of that particular period accompanied by the long cravat of Mechlin and tullo and fastened by huge buttons. It has a great element of smartness. The cornflower-blue alpacas would seem to be exclusively- trimmed with white

satin, often delicately embroidered in silk with flowers of natural colour One of the prettiest crepons of the season is a for-get-me-not blue, the white bodice having pink and blue chine sleeves and trimmed about the neck with Indian embroidery. In the present style of dress almost any old or modern needlework can be turned to account.

Tussore is such a useful and becoming material, especially in this hot weather, that I am glad to say it is coming once more to the fore, and I have seen a pale biscuit coloured tussore trimmed with insertion of ecru embroidered lisse, the skirt accordion pleated. It was worn with a large black transparent hat, and a sunshade which, like mo3t of the newest, was trimmed on the inside with draperies of chiffon.