Untitled

Observer, Volume XV, Issue 814, 4 August 1894, Page 14

(By Gladys)

Seamless French waists are the style for those who are slim enough to wear them. Some of the newest bonnets have very wide strings, edged with lace, which form a scarf under the chin. The cutaway jacket, to be worn with a vest or blouse waist, with certain modifications, promises to become very popular. Pongee silk in its natural ecru shade is used for shirt-waists, which are made very simply, with turnover collars and cuffs and bishop sleeves. Large brown velvet roses, black velvet ox-eyed daisies, with yellow hearts, and black velvet violets are the latest novelties in millinery. Wash dresses are made with graduated Spanish flounces, shorter in the back than in the front, while wide belts and buckles will be worn with frocks of organdie and gingham. Velvets will continue .in favor through the season, especially for trimmings, and many yards of velvet ribbons will be nsed on chaliie, foulard, and China silk dresses. Cotton crepon is a desirable material for summer gowns, and it can be had in black and all the light tints. It is especially recommended for its laundry qualitications, as it washes perfectly and requires no ironing. Blazer suits are made of hopsacking and serges of different weaves and degrees of roughness, and black is the most fashionable colour. Blazer coats are short, and have a broad turnover collar and wide lapels, which may be faced with moire. Green in the clover, rush, lime and mignonette shades is worn. Not infrequently, frocks are made including three shades" of green luminously blended, the stylish fancy of black being afforded by a belt and stock of black satin ribbon. The latest caprice in hair dressing is the bowknot. The hair is made into a bow, is set high on the head, and is apparently held in place with a tortoise-shell dagger. The front hair is parted iv a demure fashion and arranged in light curls on. the forehead. Much attention is still devoted to the sleeves, which have as yet lost none of their prominence, and are gathered or plaited in the inside seam to make theiullness even to the elbow. The lower part is sometimes wrinkled on the lining, a la Bernhardt, which is very effective if the material is soft and thin. The short blouse which used to disappear under the skirt at the belt has had its day, and all the new ones have a slightly full basque below the waist. A pretty black dotted nainsook blouse has a gathered 3 r oke, barred across with narrow black insertion, a moire ribbon belt, with an antique buckle,., and a black moire bow at the neck with frilled lace ends. Irish hand-made linens are recommended strongly for summer dresses, and they come in a variety of colours, which are softer and more becoming than tho3e of last year. BLopsack linen is a desirable novelty, almost as glossy as silk, and although light in weight, they are strong enough to require no lining. Close braiding designs are seen on silk goods traced in silk cord, while the cord is sometimes in varying shades, and is enriched with beads or spangles, giving an extremely elaborate effect, particularly suitable for wraps intended for ceremonious occasions. Silk corded patterns are also used as a garniture on fine wool costumes. Round waists remain in favour for crepon gowns, and have a new feature a yoke of jet, the ground of the yoke of jet spangles, the border of large jets in oval or leaf shape. There are also many puffed yokes of shot silk, deep in the front, and shallow in the back, exceedingly pretty shirred yokes being of taffeta drawn on elastics to form tiny puffs. Flat bands of ecru lace iv points and insertions, lace collars, .and epaulettes, with lace revers, also remain in favour.