LADIES' COLUMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10037, 25 January 1896, Page 4 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

THE LATEST FASHIONS.

"Fashion repeats herself," is a favourite sentence of those whose lob or inclination it is to chronicle or follow the capricious dame in her intricate moods. This assertion has its grounds of justification, though there is always so much a difference, be it only a subtlety, that the mood can rarely over be said to be tho same as twice seen. Thus, " tho styles of our grandmothers," we hear from a group peering over the fashionable assortment of materials, but, we comment to oursolves without the unction of flattery, that our grandmothers were never forced from a standard of virtuous resistance on economic principle by such seductive, wiles of lights and shades and tones and colourings and designs and figuring* as utterly demoralise the feminine purse of to-day, or leave an a-hungering for them. We may say so much of the pretty muslins in their lovely fancies which are a food to vanity, and, through expanded ideas, in addition are no longor only dear sweet things for youth alone, but may grace the mature matronly beauty as well. There is a relationship too to the oldor prototypes in tho striped and ohecked and spotted silks, and the shot colourings in all their aspocts, but the latter are improved out of recognition to the former we admit. CriSpons are still the materials most distinctive of all classes. Cottons are vory much worn this summor, and some of these have an old-1 world air in pattern that is a charm. The blouse, tho most usurping factor of our dress, is said to bo losing ground. We question this when every day is a revelation of tlio favour it enjoys. It is indeed tho subjoct of much outlay and dosign, and could not easily bo laid aside, for the season at least. The cotton blouse is as übiquitous as ever, and no detraction can bo offered it it) the hob weather and the comfort it offers. I

Wo continue to wear our skirts austerely plain, with the exception of the full-sotting ono, and that is not so customary as one might at first have expected. Bub the bodices are. tho subjects ovor which we allow our ideas range. To gain breadth on the shoulders is the main point, and for this trimmings are arranged over the sleeves, most often in square or slightly rounded broad piecos, revers or sections, extending from tho bust in front to the centro longth of the back. The trimmings are elaborated with lace, and perhaps bows of ribbon. Waists aro drawn down as much as possible so as to give tho figure a long effect, and have loss obtrusive finishings than the large bows, etc., that wero worn. Belted bodices are adopted also, and in some of tho very new models of bodices are short basques, which, howovor, will not be popular yet. In the latest fashion-plates sleovos aro represented as increasing in size. Puff sleeves are on tho side of an advance, and there is a sprinkling of draped sleeves. Fulness is preferably ploated at tho top to boing gathered. Tho largo collars, which threatened to oxhaust their day too soon, still remain, conceptions in silk and satin, fino lace and embroidery. They may be worn as the only ornament, but the high collar and bolt generally correspond. Few mantlos are worn by ladios of any age. Some trimming is added to the dross bodico of laco with long ribbon ends in front, that quite does away with tho need, and then the collars often render thom superfluous.—Weigol's Journal.

IDLE CURIOSITY. The desire to know things (says a writer in Home Notes) which do nob concern ono, and which are of themsolves of no importance, is ono which ought to be rigidly checked, fur it grows to be quite a craze, and is a perfect misery both to its possessor and bo all with whom he has to do. It is certainly a proof of a feeble and vacant mind to be always on the alort to find out all sorts of petty details, for there is much that is worth studying and knowing in tho world around us, and if we waste our mental energies over all sorts ot trivialities, we have neither time nor energy for better things. People with a great love of knowing all manner of potty details about their neighbours are generally gossips too, bub even if they do not add tattling to their shortcomings, their porpetual curiosity is sufficiently annoying.

At a curtain seaside place which I know well, there lives an excellent woman, who is kind-heartedness itself, but, for all that, she is the embodiment of foolish curiosity. The most important day of tho week to her is that on which the local paper is published, ami the eagerness with which she scans tho visitors' list is quite amazing to those to whom it is loss interesting. Not content with this silo notes all the strangers as she takes her daily walks up and down the sea front, and in many cases shq follows them to see in what hotel or lodging-house they are staying. She, herself, lives in rooms, and has tho ground floor, and, thoretoro, to go in or out. the othor inhabitants of the house are obliged to pass her door. From personal experience, I know how annoying this is, for Miss X.'s sitting-room door was almost invariably a little bit opon, and I knew that she was on the alert just inside, keenly intent on catching little scraps of conversation between any membors of our party.

At last really the old lady had quito a treat, for an aunt who was staying with us became ill, and we had to call in the doctor. From that time we used to almost fly past Miss X.'s door whenover we went out, for she was always on the qui vive to inquire of us how the invalid was progressing, and to crowd in a host of other questions besides. Not only this, but even the sorvanti would be stopped by her on their way upstairs with beef tea, etc., that she might know what was being taken up. The result being that wo lost sight of tho fact that our neighbour was kind and sympathetic, in annoyance at her really contomptiblo and foolish curiosity.

Even clover poople will sometimes exhibit a large amount of senseless curiosity about things which do not in tho least concern them, and in children and young people the fault should bo carefully repressed. If the thoughts and energies of rational poople are properly occupied and directed, there should be no room for this annoying love of trivialities which is so troublesome to everyone with whom they come in contact, and which keeps them in a porpstual scato of unrest, for no matter how much they find out, they are always craving to know still more, and can never bo really satisfied.

DRESS AND ORNAMENTATION. The writer of "A Lady's Letter from London" in the Australasian says.-—The extent to which ornament is now carried in dross is oxtraordinary and must, I think, soon become fatiguing. Women do not only glitter, they rattle. I watched a long line of ladies coming down a great- staircase ofio evening recently, and I was suddenly reminded of the "clank" and tho "jingle" that wo road of in Lever's early novels as accompanying cavalry officers on occasions of festive resort, and that are intimately associated with my own early recollections of "dancing and delight," for Dublin was vory gay in those days, and like Mrs. Whittittorly, in " Nicholas Nickleby," "wo adored the military" who came to dances in what wo called their regimentals." I experienced a frightful disenchantment in (not much) later life when, as the schoolboys say, I came to "know them at home," and discovered the cavalry officer to be much like any other men in "plain clothes" and the family circle. The scarlet gowns adorned with many - coloured bead embroidery with epaulettes to match, and the Rod Riding Hood cajmchon, which has not been seen since the time of " Tho Colleen Bawn," when tho beautiful Acnes Robertson (Mrs. Boucicault) showod her white marble forehoad and lustrous black hair just under the rim of hor Claddagh cloak, and everybody broke out into Colleen Bawns, have a pleasantly military appearance. There is a curious contract to this fret and foam of colour, and this frou-frou of satin and silk with the little clash, as though a legion of children wero letting a baleful of beads run through their fingers, that one hoars in crowds of fair women, in tho oldrevived manner of dressing tho hair that is " in" now. <