POPULAR STYLES FOR WRAPS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1152, 30 March 1894, Page 14

POPULAR STYLES FOR WRAPS.

Flamboyant, Befrilled and Many Caped Are the Coats and Mantles. The new coats are jtist as flamboyant in style as those worn last winter. Flaring collars, flopping shoulder frills and big, baggy sleeves—these are their chief characteristics. Braiding—every variety o£ braiding—will be the fashion. There are jackets embroidered all over with fine braid and jackets with horizontal rows of military braid run-

ning their entire depth. Then, in addition to the braid, many coats and wraps have fur trimmings. Most of the models are made with a considerable amount of fullness at the back, and few are absolutely tight fitting. Very handsome coats and wraps are of satin and ermine or watered silk trimmed with velvet capes. A wonderful coat in black moire recently seen had enormous sleeves and two full, velvet capes on the shoulders edged with sable, and a border of velvet headed by a band of the same fur. A handsome mantle of the same material had a frill round the shoulder edged with fur. This model also was trimmed with velvet. Another handsome mantle was of black satin, with a pelerine of ermine. One must be very tall and thin to wear one of the new mantles, they are so heavily furbelowed and frilled about the shoulders. "Nearly everything iu the way of outdoor wraps has capes. An elegant jacket is of myrtle green cloth, edged with sable. The triple cape is very full across the shoulders and ornamented with black silk braid. The sleeves are treated iu a similar manner, and so is the basque, down which the fur is carried. The corners are rounded off and the fur continued at the back.

The Well Made Black Gown. There is nothing to beat a well made black gown, both from an economic and an aesthetic standpoint. A stylish dress noted a few days ago was of black cloth and made in the simplest fashion possible. There was a row of watered ribbon round the hem and skirt and another round the middle, and the perfectly plain, close fitting bodice, which buttoned at the back, was also finished with a band of the same ribbon. The sleeves were of watered silk and fairly full. The wearer was a girl with a charming figure and a piquant face. She appeared rather pleased with herself, as indeed she had every right to be. A pretty evening dress of black bengaline worth describing was trimmed with a band of tomato velvet, brought from the sides of the bodice and tied in a bow in the middle of the bust, and a sash belt of the same. The sleeves consisted of a double puff of silk, finished with accordion plaited frills of chiffon, and folds of this soft stuff were arranged around the top of the low bodice. An accordion plaited chiffon bodice is the thing to wear now with a last year's skirt that needs bringing up to date.

A Novelty In Furs. A new and striking wrap consists of three capes—one of sealskin and two of ermine. With it is to be carried a muff in ermine to match. Tippets and collarettes of ermine will be fashionable, but one must have a first rate

complexion to look well in them, and it ia hardly likely that so delicate a fur will be greatly used for outdoor wear. Capes are double or 'triple,'?airly full and reach to the waist. Some of the muffs are absurdly lar/^e—quitM&f> 7f^^!'>T**\