Home-Made Attire.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 976, 14 November 1890, Page 6

Home-Made Attire.

COMBINATIONS. Tartan and novelty plaids with piece or ribbon-velvet trimmings, and sleeves of faille Francaise, Bengaline, or velvet. Cashmere or camel’s hair, with sleeves of faille and a trimming of tinsel galloon. Small brocades with wide and narrow striped silks for centrefronts, and sleeves with cashmere dresses cut in princess style; the stripes are cut to bring them all in V’s. Fine woollen goods and the silk known as peau de soie. Brown is combined with Sudde, mode, and green; gray with blue-green and darker gray; two shades of heliotrope and the same in old rose ; pale green and the deepest of bottle green. Black may be worn with any colour, and remains a fashionable note for the fall. The popularity of velvet cannot be over estimated. Tinsel galloon, plain, mixed with black or a colour, and velvet ribbon will be notable garniture for at least another season. NEW BODICES AND SLEEVES. Many of these look like a low-necked waist put on over a high one of contrasting material. The body portion is gathered on to form an erect ruffle, which is doubled or put on plain, with a narrow gimp concealing the edges. The basque is without darts, having the fullness shirred or plaited back and front, or in the front only, at the waist line. The yoke is of velvet, silk, plaid goods, covered with netting, braided, of brocade, embroidery, shirred on cords, or simply gathered round, or to form a point. Collars are worn high, with ‘ broken ’ points, as turned over frills, in the high-flared Medici style, and the dress n«ck is also cut slightly Y-shape, back and front, and finished with a collar pointed very deeply. The lower part of basques are cut with a short point, back and front, and very short on the hips ; others have a fiat coat-tail back, opened up tho centre, which is of a medium or deep length and always trimmed with buttons up the centre. With this back the front may be pointed or rounded according to the figure. The chief mystery surrounding a bodice is the getting in and out of it, which is inviible to the naked eye many times, though the opening is usually under the lapped fullness in front or along the left shoulder and side seam. A few young ladies are wearing basques hooking up the back. An evening basque of China crepe is laid bias over the lining; the dart fullness is pinched in tiny plaits, the material pulled smoothly over the point, and then draped over the chest in folds from the shoulders and top of the armsizes. Eibbon, galloon, &c., is worn on the edge of basques, tying in the back or finishing under a rosette. SKIET EFFECTS. Have a skirt as plain as possible, but made of a generous supply of material, which seems a paradox, perhaps, but, while straight in effect it must not be scanty. The fronts are frequently made now to set perfectly smooth, with the sides slightly gathered or laid in a triple box-plait, and the back gathered—fan, box, or triple-plaited. Skirts of plaid goods are cut on the bias, which means that they require nearly half as much again of the goods, viz., a design requiring four yards ordinarily will take five yards and a half cut on the bias ; the seams will run across the skirt, so the plaid must be matched exactly. The front is plain, the sides nearly so, and the back in plaits and gathers. Hems are turned up on the right side, and a piping of braid or the contrasting material put on at the top. Full, round skirts may be shirred at the top on one to three cords about as large as an ordinary pen-holder. Skirts for very stout women should have a wide, front gore longer in the centre. Facing the lining skirt with a second fabric and lifting the outer material in a funnel plait on each side to show the facing, is a pretty fashion. A LASSIE IN BLAID ATTIKE. Brown and white plaid is used for thi3 costume, which is as Scotch looking as Macduff himself. The skirt is a veritable kilt—the plaits unbroken and hanging with great exactness, although a stiff effect is not given. The basque is pointed sharply at the back and front, arching in graceful curves over the hips. The edge finish is a piping of brown cloth. The front is brought over to one shoulder in doublebreasted fashion, and then buttoned down to the front with small, brown buttons. The coat sleeves are quite plain, the brown cloth piping outlining them at the wrists. The collar is defined with the plain brown and closed by two tiny buttons. A white linen collar shows above it, and linen cuffs come below the sleeves. . The gloves are heavy brown kid closed with four large buttons. The hat is a draped toque of brown cloth; on one side, quite near the back, are loops of plaid ribbon that seem to hold in place two brown, quills that stand up high above the hat.