THE LADIES COLUMN EDITED BY "EVA"

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 13, 11 December 1880, Page 113

THE LADIES COLUMN EDITED BY "EVA"

— Lawn tennis costumes are worn very short. — Lace mittens are going out of fashion. — Skirts are worn one yard and a-half long. | — Coffee-coloured tape bonnets are gone out. — Tennis aprons, in the pocket-handkerchief style, are very pretty. < — Nearly all walking costumes are now made with hoods to correspond. — The Zulu " Gainsboro's", have met Avith a flattering reception. — The handkerchief costume is making hut little progress. — Cream and peacock green for dresses, are the colours most patronised. — Jet necklaces are beginning to be worn by the "hupper suckles." — Old gold ruffling for the neck, edged with cardinal, is the latest novelty out. — Straw wreath hats have enjoyed but a brief season. They are now considered out. — Gold brocaded ribbon trims the dressiest bonnets. — Directoire or poke bonnets bid fair to be very popular.

— Only tall and graceful women can wear the Tarn O'Slianter hat. — Basque bodices aye now cut on the same pattern as habit bodices. — Lockets and other neck ornaments are out of date. —It is considered old fashoned to wear gloves with anything under four buttons. — Ladies will go to extremes. The fashion now is to have either very short dresses or else attached trains several yards in length. — Mantles are fastened down the front with bows of ribbon, instead of with buttons as formerly. — High-coloured Zulu hats with broad drooping brims, are very suitable for children this sunny weather. — I see Miss K. has come out in a wonderful costume of ueacock green lustre, trimmed with pompadour in the basque bodice style. — I noticed the other day a dress of old gold sateen, polonaise and skirt and black bands. It is pretty, but decidedly conspicuous. — A musket or two muskets with a knapaac suspended from them is the latest form of fancy ball pin. — The newest shapes and specialties in bonnets and hats take the names of Albine, Clorinda, and Helene. — Cardinal, old gold, and heliotrope satin merveilleuse lines many of the most elaborately jet embroidered dolmans.

— The leading dressmakers and milliners are preparing to make their show windows particularly smart for Chritsmas. t — A black silk sleeveless jacket trimmed with lace, jet, or fringe, looks very becoming over a bright dress. —No one need want a Zulu hat now. A leading drapery establishment is selling them at sixpence apiece ! —To carry out the prevailing fashions in their entirety all lace ornamentations should be kilted. — A pretty toilet recently visible is a dress of cream sateen, made with a skirt and long polonaise, with bands of a rather showy blue, and blue sleeves. — The latest novelties in kid gloves have worked designs in coloured silks on the back, and look really artistic. No lady should be without them. — A very stylish bonnet I have noticed in town recently, seems to be composed entirely of black jet. It is trimmed with black lace and unmounted roses, with strings also of lace. — " Silk oatmeals" for dresses, make up into very distingue costumes. They have the advantage of being quite unique, as well as both lady-like and pretty. — A dress which has commanded much admiration lately is a black cashmere with kilted skirt, band of cream through pleating, and sash of the same material.

— A startling costume, recently seen in town is of cream lustre dabbled with violet silk, and trimmed with a violet fringe about an inch wide. — A very pretty hat for a young lady is a white straw turban lined with ruby velvet, trimmed with two long white feathers, and finished off with a knot of white silk. — An improvement in the jewellery business is reported. The latest novelites in brooches are formed in the shape of flowers, and are known as " the language of flowers brooches." — The Japanese parasols, with the ribs on the outside, do not seem to take at all. Nevertheless they are very distingue and were much used by Mrs. Langtry and other professional beauties a season or two ago. — A verjr handsome costume often seen in Queen-street is a black cashmere on the princess robe pattern, with broad bands of black velvet, edged with jet trimming seaweed fringe across the front and kiltings at the foot. — A dress, which has caused many admiring glances to follow its wearer's graceful form during the last few days, is a black grenadine, with white striped trimming of the same mat- enalj —As a very elegant make up for summer wear I should recommend a moonlight blue satin, trimmed with either cream or navy blue. It might be made either on the princess or basque bodice style to suit the taste of the wearer. — Chenille fichus for the shoulders are very becoming when worn by ladies with slight figures, as they tend to increase the apparent breadth of the shoulders ; for the same reason, they shoved be avoided by those inclined to be obesity. — The Princess of Wales, when at Sandringham, has little tea parties for which she herself makes the butter in a silver churn and spreads it on slices of bread, which she cuts with her own hands. While she is at her work she wears a chintz dress and a little white apron. — The most fashionable style of dress now worn is a basque bodice, with either a short skirt or long train. The dress with long polonaise ranks next in order, after which I should place the princess robe. Basque bodices will be more worn this season than either of the others.

— The ""baby costume" is the latest Pans novelty in evening demi toilets ; it has a short round skirt covered with flounces to the hips, a scarf knotted to make a, pouf in the back forms the short toblier and tunic, while the bodice is gathered full like a baby's waist to a yoke at the neck and a belt around the waist. — The silver pig, which was all the rage at Paris some little time back, was dethroned by a little elephant of the same material. It was wittily observed by a resident American that this was much more suitable for ladies' wear, as woman and elephants are chiefly distinguished by their trunks. — Some pretty dresses were seen in Queenstreet last week. One was a cream and cardinal, with polonaise, looped up with, cardinal bows. Another was a pale pinlt in the princess robe style and done up with pink and black. I also observed a very stylish costume of Indian silk, made Avith a polonaise and trimmed with the same material. — I heard three young fellows discussing the toilet of a certain yoxmg lady in Queen-street the other day. After much man-like criticism, they arrived at the conclusion that it was the prettiest, the best fitting and most artistic costume ever shown in the locality. Their remarks had reference to a charming girl walking clown the street who was evidently quite unconscious of being the subject of general remark. She wore a white dress of some Avoollen material Avith deep kilting around the [ bottom of the skirt, and a black velvet sash, the : whole being on the princess robe style.