Fashion Notes.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 978, 28 November 1890, Page 5

Fashion Notes.

A blue serge skirt looks exceedingly well with an open vest or jacket,'showing a full chemisette or front of bine foulard spotted with white.

The most radical change in dressmaking the paßt year has seen ia the abolishment of darts in the waist; these oldtime necessities are treated to-day with utter soorn.

Garcoa vests, oat low like a waiter’s are very fashionable, bat they require an under bodice, whioh is full like a Garibaldi and usually are of soft stuff or white silk. Other jackets are shaped like an Eton coat.

Tuckers of pale coloured lisse and chiffon are much worn, bat generally in soft folds whioh rise in two or three rows above the collar band of the gown ; they are very rarely pleated although a few are so arranged .

Jabots and direetoire bows of chiffon in dainty tints to harmonise with the vest or to contrast with the gown are very much worn, and ladies who wear dark gowns will do well to provide a fow of these tasteful additions to the toilet.

Flounces, narrow and composed of a group of three cut crosswise, or otherwise a single flonnee somewhat deeper and cut straight are now being worn at the foot of dresses made of the more flimsy textiles, whioh are apt without some such distension to fall sear the feet.

The polonaise is gradually oreeoing into favour again, although this fashion is literally as old as the hills, several emart-dressing women have adopted it, and it is generally believed that before the autumn eels in it will be considered tbe correct thing to have a polonaise on one’s dress.

_ At a recent garden party among the prettiest toilets was a black silk with a flowing cascade of white lace down the corsage, a blue brocade of the new eleotric tint with bonnet to match, a rich grey silk, trimmed with silver, and a light tobac silk heavily trimmed with gold and brown passementerie.

A stylish shonlder cape of grey doth in a neutral tint, suitable for wearing with any gown, has a square yoke of maroon velvet, braided in steel and gold, and a high rolled collar of the same velvet, turning baok and revealing _ the lining of similar; cloth. The cape is lined throughout with primrose silk.

Very elegant teagowns are made of a rich black corded silk with high Medici collar and loose points of pare white sarah silks or of foulard white patterned black or vice versa as prefered. Helliotrope is still a favourite colour for teagowns, the Tablier or loose front reaching from throat to feet and only very slightly draped, is of a paler shade than the French cashmere whioh forms the only other portion of the Princess robe or teagown.

Tight-fitting mantles are made in various styles, the longer models having very much the appearance of a dress, owing to the manner in which the corsage is trimmed and to the shape of the sleeves. Many are in plain redlngote-Bhape at the baok, while the front takeß the form of an open jaoket and waist coat, lightly and prettily ornamented with jobots, coquilles, or cravats, or with flat trimmings, such as embroidery, passementerie or fancy braids.

A novelty in millinery is the doable crown to hats. These extra crowns are generally united by bands of feathers and are wider than the surrounding straw, which they envelop. The crowns are very flat and small, and a notion of height is only gained by trimmings. When it is possible to obtain the right shape, it is quite easy to trim them, for a mass of flowers, ora few feathers and a bow, are all that is needed ; but there is much art in the way they are placed.

One of the most novel ways of making up a plain skirt is as follows The front is stretched quite plain forming a sort of large square Tablierithe sidewidtbs are drawn np a little bias-fashion, and arranged in one flat pleat; then the back is pleated in tbe shapo of a reversed fan, with a few tight pleats at the waist, spreading out into a 3mall train at the foot. When the material ia very thin it is just slightly draped in front instead of being stretched plain. If plaided the skirt should be cut entirely on the cross.

Opera mantles are now worn either extremely long or else quite short. The long cloak which envelopes the figure is made of plain coloured material and lined with Bilk of contrasting colour. The great fulness of the cloak on the shoulders is gathered into a small round yoke which is not much larger than a wide collar. Short opera mantles are worn ia the form of semi-tight jackets with hanging sleeves lined with silk. Very handsome brocades are used for that purpose, hage flowers forming the brocades or a ground of contrasting or otherwise paler tints. Ostrich feather trimming is nsed to edge jackets of this kind.

Black lace hats and bonnets are most economical wear, they lend themselves to so many different trimmings, and therefore can be made to harmonise with dresses worn with them. It is fashionable to wear coloured blouses with blue or black skirts, and by obanging tbe flowers or ribbons constituting the trimming of tbe head-oovering the shades of the blouse may be matohed or harmonising colour introduced. These alterations can be made by the wearer herself, the capote ox ohapeau being contracted to allow of these transformations. In having head-gear made to order the probability of having to alter tbe trimming should be borne in mind by the milliner and provision made for so doing.