CHILDREN’S STYLES FOR SUMMER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XI, Issue 43, 28 October 1893, Page 357

CHILDREN’S STYLES FOR SUMMER.

NUMBER AND KIND OF GOWNS. A talk with a sensible woman who has gone about for a number of seasons, and whose children are always suitably dressed has resulted in hints useful to other mothers. • I never go away for the summer with less than a dozen gowns apiece for the children. Not all are new, but the old ones are remodelled. * I divide them in this fashion : Three the very best—that is for special occasions such as children's hops and entertainments. One of these, a white one, will do for a bright Sunday morning, but it is not often worn out of doors. These three costumes run away with fully one-third of my money allowance for I buy good lace and embroidery and one of the gowns must be of silk.

* Then I have three more, second best, for afternoon gowns and Sunday wear. I provide two wools, one dark and one light fancy material, preferably white serge, for wear on cool days. The dark one is for mornings and wet days, the light one for afternoons and evenings when no wrap would add sufficient warmth to a cotton gown. These two are in addition to the travelling costume ; for I always find that there are excursions for which that should be kept,

and I do like my children to look respectable on the way home—not as though they had to return because they bad nothing to wear. * The remaining six frocks are pique,prints and ginghams ; some exclusively for mornings, others pretty enough to be worn in the afternoons.’ The wave of fashion did not engulf the children early in the season, but it has now swept over them, and the summer styles show great changes from the spring novelties. Children’s cotton gowns are made very full; most of them

have both skirts and waists gathered, and they are sewn together, or on either side of a band. For a child five years of age the skirt should be two yards wide ; for one twelve it should be three yards. You can proportion the intermediate sizes. This fulness necessitates shortening the frocks, which is perhaps the most noticeable of the season's changes. Though the Kate Greenaway length is still to be seen, little tots in general will no longer be compelled to lift up their petticoats when going upstairs, for the new skirts are to be three inches above the ankle. Older children wear them even shorter. From five to twelve the prescribed length is just below the knee. Most of the skirts for ordinary gowns are plain. Some white goods are hem-stitched and occasionally a narrow band of drawn work is shown, and some gowns are lighted up with vertical satin ribbons ; but the elaborate patterns of the last few years have disappeared. CAPES.

Capes are now shown in children’s sizes. Their adaptability for use during a summer outing is apparent. Some

triple capes for older girls are very gay in Columbian effects, red, white, and blue. A charming little round cape for a child of six is of dark red cashmere with a band of black watered ribbon at the edge and another around the collar cape. It ties with long ribbons —is in short a veritable Tom Thumb cape just like mamma's. Hei.oisk.