Fashion Notes.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 995, 27 March 1891, Page 6

Fashion Notes.

Sleeves for young girl’s evening dresses ate made with an opening on the outside ol the arm, to show the point of the Shoulder.

The Garrick Ss the rival mantle of the redinf/dfo jacket this autumn. The yoke or "shoulder piece is cut in different fashions, rounded or at right angles. It is trimmed round with throe, five or seven flounces, pinked out or edged with braid.

China blue vicuna trimmed, with slashings of black surah has a charming effect. A little jet trimming materially enhances the appearance of a dress of this kind. Black and blue form a very artistic and admired mixture, which has further advantage of being unusually becoming.

Many dresses are row made with panniers more or less large and variously shaped. Some rounded at the lower edge are full and very muoh bunched, while others are pointed and" tie flat over the hips, much like a large pocket handkerchief folded in half. At present, and indeed till we discard our heavy shoulder coverings, we can only wear panniers or evening gowns, or such as are of thin texture.

A very elegant costume for a middle aged lady has the bodioo and skirt of terracotta brocade, the front of the skirt is of rJsikla bengaline daintily draped and finished round the hem with a deep fringe of chenille over a flounce of bengaline ; the bodice is arranged with a vest of silk buttoning down the front the sleeves trimmed with coloured piping arranged in Vs one over the other on the upper arm.

The new and popular three quarter length coat 3 requite more careful cuttiug, and no hard and fast rules can bs laid down for guidance, since the length must be regulated by the figure of the wearer. Women with narrow hips may wear simulated square velvet pockets and wide cuffs at the wrist 3, with vest and revers to correspond.

It is the opinion of leadiog dressmakers in London that plain skirts will be in vogue for some time to come or without the addition of the tablier. A novel idea is to trim the edge of the skirts with a ball fringe trimming) The ‘Tteligieuso ’ sleeve is being employed for teagowns, dressing gowns and travelling cloaks ; it is cub wide at the waist and has turned up sleeves.

Velvet has been introduced in Paris for ball dresses, even for young girls. It i 3 in pale colours of course, such as one sees in the new shades of the Louis velveteen, coral pink, caladon green, turquoise blue, Nile green, canary colour, nasturtium, orange, cardinal and peach blossom. White velvet is a favourite among young married women.

The largest number of new jacket shapes are tight fitting and long, being quite the three quarter length of the figure. The lower edge is round and is frequently cut into tabs. They are both deuble and single breasted, and most have high Medici collars. Braiding and Astrachan are elaborately applied to them. Very often the double breasted jackets are turned back at the front of the neck into wide, pointed reveres, and a chemisette of white linen, and a cravat of light silk is worn with them.

During the course of last year leather kept every now and then appearing as trimming, sometimes as appliques, at others as edging etc., for gowns, and attempts were even male to introduce leather waistcoats, revers, and cuffs. Now it is predicted that the natural colour leather sleeves wil l be the height of fashion. The sleeves should be cut high at the shoulder, and worn with a half-tight fitting potent of thick plied plush of the same colour. A small leather bonnet with pretty bows oompletes this original toilette.

The most fashionable felt hats are those in black and soft neutral tints of grey and beige. These are worn with dresses of all colours, the hat matching the costume being de rigueur, although when coloured ornaments are added, which is not a very common case, these mast correspond with the dress. The hats are in largo wide brimmed shapes, and are trimmed with feathers, wing, sand bowß. Brims are bent in every direction, sometimes in front, at other times on one or both Bides. Fluted brims, in even and other close flutings, or in vague wave-like undulations are very fashionable.

A very uncommon looking bride’s travelling dress had a sheath-like skirt, except at the very back, where the gathers were closely arranged ; a sort of glorifisd bustle of about half a yard depth extending to within a few inches of the front ot a short pointed bodice was the only trimming. The material was of amazon cloth of a bronze green shado and the pannier or top part was made of strips of embroidered oloth and gold braid. It was formed by the materials being exactly doubled, which arrangement caused the lower edge of the pannier to stand out full, the rather close leg of mutton sleeves were buttoned close to the wrist ; the collar band was wide cat round, and from below it fell three slightly pleated chiffon frills, the middle one not reaching to the bust, being longer than those on either side, which were partly fixed in the shoulder seams.

Now that trains are worn again with evening dresses they will soon be finding their way again to the ballroom even if only on the gowns of ladies who do not dance. Trains should always be trimmed to match the rest of the dres3, either with feathers, ruching or flowers. The flowers worn are mostly without loaves. Velvet trains have the preference, especially with the large patterned pompadour or damask silks now so much in vogne for evening toilets. Ribbon or stuff rosettes are as favourite a trimming as the rococo style of bows which are so often woven in the tulle, and also made of stuff embroidered with beads and silver thread.