FASHION NOTES.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 333, 25 April 1885, Page 4

FASHION NOTES.

By "Jenny Ween."

Pins for the hair are composed of a group of chased silver beads. Handsome passementerie ornaments are in silk and shaded beads to applique on dresses or mantles. Some of the most fasionable brooches are supposed to represent an inn; the sign is enamelled with a gilt lion. Hats with velvet draperies can be worn with all costumes. A plume of feathers is generally placed in front. Velvet chapeaux trimmed with feathers are equally useful. I have seen some pretty patterns of woollen etermines for evening dresses in pale delicate colours — white or black — embroidered with lozenges or circles of silver. They are very cheap. A walking toilette is of prune vigogne, the plain skirt embroidered with braid to match ; pleated tablier and black drapery ; open casque, with embroidered waistcoat, pockets, and parements. The following is a very pretty mantle of seal brown St. Bruno cloth : The skirts az*e pleated at the back ; rows of braid edge the vetement, and long points of braid trim the fronts and parements. An exquisite skirt of white satin is worked with shaded silks and beads to represent water, out of which rise large water lilies of natural size with theii raised petals. The leaves and reeds are embroidered in green silks. A deep shade of moss-green is a fashionable colour for cloth or velvet, especially if the vetement is to be trimmed with chinchilla or any grey fur. Grey astrakan looks charming with moss-green, both for girls and boys. The Parisian theatre toilette has a tucked skirt of cendre de rose faille ; polouaise of black lace, with pleated tablier and puffed black drapery, looped with cendre de rose bows. The lace corsage has a cendre-de-rose lining, and a faille plastron ornaments the front. I have seen a toilette of the black and silver elamine worn, with silver ornaments, by a lady in half mourning, and it was remarkably effective and stylish. The same kind of material can be obtained striped with silk of the same colour, the stripes being edged with a thread of gold.

Little fellows still in petticoats wear black cashmere dresses and black felt hats, trimmed with wide, ribbed, black ribbon, forming streamers at the back. For this time of. the year black stockings are preferable to floselle or silk, as the legs of children, exposed by short skirts and knickerbockers, would otherwise suffer from the cold. The tea-gown is a toilette which, attains its place with marvellous celerity, and has retained that place with equal firmness. There is no doubt a reason for this rapid and lasting success, for it supplied a want long felt. The tea-gown has supepgg^ed all others for quiet afternoon receptions, especially among married ladies between thirty and. forty. Before thirty young wives like a more youthful style of dress, and after forty the tea-gown's straight folds are no longer becoming. A very fashionable velveteen skirt has a satin panel, striped with diagonal bands of velvet ribbon ; full cashmere over- skirt, open at the side, and secured by large buttons ; corsage fastening with invisible buttons and button-holes, trimmed with, velveteen revers, and pockets at the sides, trimmed with buttons ; velveteen collar and parements. A new aigrette for chapeaux is of velvet or plush consisting of metallic grasses in all shades, and a bouquet of velvet leaves, [ sprinkled with dust; or the aigrette is combined with large begonias in old pink velvet, accompanied by shaded and gilded velvet leaves. For a plush capote a branch of roses in plush, with bronze velvet leaves, is new; so is a branch of old pink wood anemones, with green velvet leaves. A dinner toilette is composed of pale cendre de rose satin and velvet. Pleated velvet skirt, edged with white lace, and a velvet flounce; pleated over-skirt of satin edged with lace ; the left side draped up to show the velvet skirt; velvet drapery at the back; velvet Russian jacket, with, pleated satin plastron, and belt of dark violet velvet. Applications of lace trim the fronts ; violet velvet collar and parements. The lovely effects of light and shade in. plush are always remarkable, and this season the material is likely to run a neek-and-neck race with velveteen for, driving, at homes, or dinner dresses ; it is almost unrivalled, though one feels inclined to question the good taste of a plush fwfck for morning wear. Such latitude has, however, been allowed this season in the matter of material that little censure passes on anything but a very outre costume. For a very becoming toilette, the skirt is of pink satin, veiled with white tulle flounces, which are embroidered with long 1 pendants of white glass beads. The poloj naise, of pink gros de Naples, is open over a front of bronze plush revers. A scarf of bronze gauze, embroidered with pink, crosses this plush front below the waist, and beneath this the plush opens to show the skirt. The turned-down collar is open at the throat, and is filled in with a draped bow of the embroidered tulle. Very pretty hats have been made to accompany almost all confections. They are mostly in the turban shape, and have the crown soft and full, made of the velvet or cloth which forms the mantle. The brim is a wide strip of fur. Plush hats have also been prepared with tall conical crowns and wide brims, becomingly bent to suit the face, The brim is edged and lined with marabout, either matching the plush or the fur on the vetement. The hats are beautifully finished, so as to require only feathers as trimming, these being secured by a metal clasp. The sombre and melancholy garb of deep mourning never has so sad an effect as when worn by little children, although it is modified for them. Infants, for instance, never wear black robes or frocks, even if they have unconsciously suffered the greatest loss of all — that of their mothers. Black ribbons and a black sash are worn indoors, also black silk or woollen shoes, and the long cloak is invariably white, with a broad band of black. The hat or hood is generally entirely black, with white cape. Grape is never, or rarely, used for infants. Little girls for the first three months dress in black woollen, trimmed with crape, and no white lingerie ; after that time large collars and parements of white linen or nainsook are permissible, quite plain and untrimmed. The gloves, stockings, and hat are still entirely black, although the crape -iiat can be replaced by a Greenaway capote of black faille, sicilienne, or ottoman, trimmed with black ribbon. Boys in knickerbockers wear i suits of black cloth, with white linen collar and cuffs, like grown-up gentlemen. The white lingerie is never tabooed as it is for girls and ladies. The hat ghould be of black felt, and both gloves and stockings should be black.