FASHION NOTES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3602, 27 January 1883, Page 4

FASHION NOTES.

The present styles are more glaring- than ever, ladies, and more curious, and I won't say attactive, but astounding. Now at every comer of the streets you pop upon a female form in a bright reel dress, red dress, red hat, and gloves to match—a sight which puts one forcibly in mind of Dante's "Inferno" or the incantation scene in "DerFrcitschutz." There are many shades of red besides the glaring crimson or scarlet which very pronounced women wear. Chandron and terra cotta come under the head of the reds, being- more sombre in tone and really pretty, but not for street wear. Braiding and embroidery in floss are the trimmings most in vogue, and these come within the reach of every lady of cleg-ant leisure, since it is only a question of time, and such fortunate individuals can work their own dresses or mantles. Skirts are worn so plain that a black cashmere with simply one frill pleated round the bottom and the entire front braided in a handsome pattern gives a fashionable toilet that, if purchased, would be costly in the extreme. Also, you can braid a deep flounce, setting it on with some slight measure of fullness, and braiding a narrow at the top. The most becoming jackets are now made perfectly tight, cut out in square tabs, braided, embroidered, or plain. These should be lined with a color, which should be, of course, silk. Military braid is also much used, with heavy frogs across the bust for fastenings. Velvet jackets, too are quite the rage, with skirt of different material, and this is a very economical and useful style, since skirts can bo utilised to look like new with a handsome jacket. Hats are enormous, mostly felt, with huge birds, bats' heads, and even small rabbits, stuffed and perched on one side, from which defend us, however. Every-thing outre is now available, the more so the better. For instance, a red skirt, black velvet jacket, plush hat with rabbit, and Bernhardt gloves of sanguinary hue is a problem in the way of an outfit, yet one sees it every day. Any courageous woman who wishes to make herself a dress which will be the envy of all other Aucklanders, follow this recipe:—Take a

breadth of thick black silk, have it stamped in an embroidery pattern : with an immense quantity of holes running through: it should be all boles. Work with black floss silk, and having this for a front, let the back of the skirt be formed of plain folds or looped drapery, which you will. The front of the body should be similarly worked, also the cuffs and collar. Lino all the un - embroidered portions with cardinal red silk or any other color, but red is preferable, aud you will have loveliest of robes. Plain flounces can be so worked and lined, and a few brief weeks, with a considerable amount of close attention, will reward the worker with something out of the common. —" Silver Pen " in the Auckland Herald.