EVENING DRESS
DRESS of blush coloured satin, finished next the hem with a fluted trimming of the same material; this ornament is of an entire new construction, and does infinite honour to the taste of the inventress; the flutings being thrown out in that elegant way, that gives a fulness to the border, while it has, at the same time, an indescribable grace and lightness; over this truly unique ornament is a broad festooned flounce of white blond, of a pattern the most exquisite; which flounce is surmounted by a row of blush colour satin foliage, each leaf edged with very narrow blond edging. The corsage is made quite plain, and fastened by a simple belt; under which is concealed a small watch, the pearl tassel belonging to the chain only appearing in sight. A falling ornament of blond surrounds the tucker part of the corsage, surmounted by a row of foliage, in miniature, like that over the flounce: the sleeves are short and full, and are trimmed with pink satin and blond, to correspond with the other embellishments of the dress. The hair is arranged in the last new style, in clusters of curls, a few of which, instead of being separated as formerly, on the forehead, descend in rather a point in that vacancy; but not so low as to obscure or disfigure the beauty of the eyebrow. A plumage of white feathers, edged and tipped with pink, are disposed in that ingenious and charming manner, that they form, in themselves, a kind of coronet toque, while a few on the right side play gracefully, in zephyr-like lightness. The engraving represents a slight innovation from full dress, sometimes resorted to, of tulle lappets being tied carelessly under the chin, terminated by pearl tassels.
DINNER PARTY DRESS
Dress of gros de Naples, or gauze, the colour of the pomegranate rind, trimmed at the border with a broad puckering of crape or gauze, scattered over with trefoil ornaments of satin, of a darker shade, and surmounted by three rouleaux of satin, caught up in a festoon in front, with full rosettes. The sleeves short and very full; the fulness confined by satin bands, downwards; double falling ornament of white blond, with divisions made by satin bands, that impart a graceful novelty to this kind of ornament. The hair arranged a la Suisse, with a superb diadem ornament in front, of large pearls. The Swiss bodkins represented by Glauvina pins, headed with rubies. Ruby necklace, set a l’antique, with pendant drops. The shoes of white satin, and white kid gloves.
NEWEST LONDON FASHIONS FOR JANUARY
The sports of the field, during a season remarkably humid, have lost much of their wonted attraction, and numerous families of high … are seen in London, or are emerging from the … seats, to the more diversified haunts … nearer to the metropolis.
Now is the time that there is so little … called morning, that novelties in the articles of dresses for that time of day, are but little seen to; there is but one cornette that we find attractive, and which is well calculated for retirement without appearing in a … its shape is uncommonly beautiful and … and its materials, though light, both rich and beautiful; it is formed chiefly of blond of a … pattern: it is trimmed with bows, and … of striped ribbon of the most striking and novel colours; the pattern on these ribbons … new; the stripes on one side being terminated in Vandyck points, so charmingly shated that they appear to rise above the surface, and … ribbon a most resplendent article of dress.
But if fancy, taste, and invention … so sedulously employed in the morning dress cap, the evening head-dresses are beyond … The Frescati hat … parties, is superb, yet truly delicate; … of white satin, edged and lightly ornamented with pearls; over the crown and part of the brim … playing in gossamer and sylph-like lightness … of real marabout feathers: to a fine … looking female this hat is a real acquisition: it has this advantage, there are few countenances it would not become; except the complexion remarkably sallow, or the figure too short. England, however, is justly termed the land of … few of her daughters are found with these defects. The shape of the above-mentioned head-dress comes very much over the forehead; consequently when worn as a dress hat, it is placed very backwards and on one side; on the discovered side is a bouquet of marabouts, under the brim. A toque of black velvet is a handsome evening dress for matronly ladies; it is diversified with satin and gold cordon; it is crowned with … of pink and black geathers, intermingled … droop over the front; and one long black … en saule pelureur, depends from the right … the shoulder. The Ceres’ toque is a becoming head-dress for musical parties, and for …married ladies; it is formed of bias folds of three colours, jonquil, pomegranate … purple, and is crowned with a half … obliquely, of small scarlet feathers of the … bird, scattered over with sprigs of gold. Another toque, en squellette, for full dress evening, is made of white satin and pearls; as its name imports, it is calculated for displaying the hair, and it should be extremely well arranged with this head-dress, which is fastened on the right side with two Glauvina pins, placed across, like cupids arrows, their heads coral, set on with fillagree gold; the other ornaments are coquelicot ears of of corn, bearded with gold, and plumes of small marabouts. A cap for full dress, called the Hungarian, is extremely splendid; it is of white satin, by may be literally said to be powdered with pearls and white bugles, which, on the crown, are wrought in the most exquisite pattern of flowers: the shape of the cap is a mixture of the Hulan and the Henri-quatre, which latter it most resembles, except that, on one side it is finished by indentings; these turn slightly up, and are edged with pearls: while a row of small pear pearls ornament the edge of the cap next the hair: it is crowned with a lovely and most superb plume of white ostrich feathers. The head-dress for balls consists chiefly of the hair being splendidly arranged in bows and curls: as ornaments, a few white, short feathers of that gossamer kind, the real marabouts, are placed very backward, so as to discover all the front ringlets, and only to mingle partially among the bows of hair, which are light and transparent. A superb gold ornament divides the hair above the forehead.
We began with the most exalted and beautiful part of the human frame, and before we quit the charming structure, we will make mention of the bonnets.
Surely our fair countrywomen have been studying Ovid’s “Art of Beauty,” the roman poet advises the ladies not to incur the enormous expence of wearing scarlet and purple, as he exclaims:
“What folly must in such expence appear,
When more becoming colours are less dear!”
And, indeed, the three colours now in request, have nothing to recommend them, when we regard them only according to their tints; but there is not a complexion, we will venture to say, nor any female but what is set off by them: these are the Egyptian brick colour, the orange tawny of the pomegranate rind, and the Massacca brown. A bonnet, which has been christened the Grenada bonnet, we have seen, that has been finished for a lady of rank and beauty; it was the colour of the pomegranate rind, of a very attractive shape, and made very wide in front; the material was plain gros de Naples: the crown was ornamented with fan ornaments of satin, the colour, Nile-water green, shot with pomegranate; between each of these ornaments were short feathers of the fox-brush kind, of the same colours, intermingled. The hats and bonnets are all of this large kind, spread out wide, and much bent over the forehead; we suppose the Grenada bonnet was only named after its colour, and the growth of the pomegranate in that part of Spain. Black velvet is the favourite, and general material for all hats; we are sorry to see them almost exclusively trimmed with heavy bows of the same; for the carriage they are sometimes enlivened by white feathers, but not often; coloured flowers and black plumage, the latter ornament is generally preferred, constituting the chief embellishments. For walking it is not now reckoned in good taste to wear black feathers; no lady would grace the promenade with white plumage; and even coloured flowers, though they are worn in walking costume, are not reckoned so genteel as a hat wholly unornamented, except with the bows above-mentioned, or with coloured ribbons, which still prevail much on black bonnets, particularly those of the pomegranate blossom colour.
Swedish mantles are yet in high fav0ur for the carriage; and in addition to that most supreme envelope, which we described in our last number, we have seen one very beautiful of puce coloured levantine, lined with bright jonquil; levantine is a much better material for this article of dress than gros de Naples, as it hangs more gracefully over the form: this cloak had a very large pelerine mantelet cape, which fell as low as the elbow and was ornamented with fringe and rich tassels of mingled jonquil and puce-colour.
Walking pelisses are of gros de Naples, generally of dark coloures, lined with white, amber, pink, or other suitable tint; pelisses of velvet are very often seen with borders of valuable fur; we shall ever deprecate the disfigurement of these costly skins by fanciful patterns, {see previous month for the said “disfigurement” of valuable skins being called “elegant,” “unique,” and “truly novel.”} and have all the well judging on our side; we are admonished at those respectable furriers, who were not known to deal in any artificial furs, for giving … it: it is this, certainly, that causes the plain black lynx to be so much preferred, in this season, to valuable tiny zibeline’s skin, in zig-zags, and diamonds bigger than the little animal itself, and the beautiful American grey squirrel, with its snowy breast mingled with the back, in the form of leaves, &c. and the value of the fur of these exquisite creatures can never be enhanced by such representations; the beauty consists in their own intrinsic worth, and they are
“Most regular when irregular they seem.”
Imitations in false skins will now creep in, and render that common which might be exclusive.
There is but little new in the make of the gowns and dresses of black velvet, and of black lace, … white, rose colour, or Burgundy satin, are very favourite dresses for the evening. Levantine, gros de Naples, and tabinets, are prevailing materials in half-dress. The most favourite dress costume, particularly for young ladies, consists of soft … satin, trimmed with two rows of tulle, en ruche, fastened round the waist with a girdle of gold, beautifully wrought. The sleeves are short, and are formed of tulle and white satin.
Turquoise stones, pearls, and finely wrought … form the favourite articles of jewellery. A sprig of heart’s ease, the flower made of a different colour gems, and the leaves of emeralds, is a favourite fastening for a fichu or a tucker. A beautiful device has been made from this flower, in a seal, by our gallic neighbours. It is a play on the word, and would lose its point by translation; but the French language is now so well known by people of fashion, that they will easily comprehend it. This flower, in French, is called pensees, (thoughts) and this, we may find, in Shakespeare’s time was corrupted into pansy. However, the seal is engraved with the flower; the motto round it, “Je vous suis partout.” {I am with you everywhere}
The colours now most in request are Massacca, Egyptian brick, pomegranate, (both the tawny red of the rind, and the orange scarlet of the blossom) puce, pink, and amber.
PARISIAN FASHIONS
SEVERAL hats of gros de Naples, and even those of velvet, have the crowns puckered like those of a bonnet, but the brim is broader, more round, and plain. Two, and sometimes four, large rosettes of ribbon, clouded and striped, sever to draw the puckerings, and are tied on the left side. The … beautiful toques are of white crepe lisse; they are formed of little ribs, made of rows of pearls; they have a little plume of marabouts placed on one side, and on the left a large rosette of pearls. The crown of some turbans is formed of gold, in treillage work, and the border consists of a band of black velvet and gold cordon. At the Thuilleries ladies are now walking in velvet dresses; they are short in front, but have a demi-train. The sleeves that the dress-makers now call floating sleeves, are those that are not sloped off, or confined by bracelets; but … are only kept out by an under sleeve, made stiff. In the drawing-room, black satin hsoes are worn, very long quartered; for the promenade shoes are of plain black velvet, bordered with martin skin, or with chinchilla.
Evening dresses, both of plain and figured velvet, are much in request; the front of the bust is ornamented with bands of satin, trimmed with narrow blond; this style of trimming is sometimes carried down the front of the skirt, but the bands … gradually as they approach the border. On dresses of black gros de Naples, which are always in favour, the usual trimming is a border of five or six bias folds of alternate crape and satin; when there are six of these folds, they are placed two and two, about a hand’s breadth distance from each other, the upper one falling over the one beneath. A petticoat of gros de Naples, trimmed with a full chicoree, with a pelisse robe of the same material over it, is one of the prettiest half-dresses that can be imagined; the sides of the pelisse which fly open are trimmed, as well as round the border, with a chicoree, narrower than that on the petticoat, and, as the robe is made shorter than the petticoat, this forms two rows of trimming round the border of the toute ensemble. The most approved mantle is of black satin, the collar and pelerine of velvet, cut in five points, and very much hollowed out. Sometimes are seen dresses of black gros de Naples, trimmed with three flounces of blond, others with three flat rouleaux: the former is for evening dress, the latter for half dress, to which a pelerine is added, but the variety of trimmings now adopted renders it impossible to speak decidedly on which is most in favour. When buffont drapery of gauze is made use of, there is no rule in regard to the rouleaux, bias folds, straps, or clasps, by which they may be confined. Some hats are seen trimmed with ribbons, and tulle under the brim; one of these hats has appeared of a very new and singular form: the brim is hollowed out in front, and one of the sides bends down more than the other: the form is whimsical, yet the hat has a very graceful appearance; it is of black satin, ornamented with four long, flat black feathers.
At the edge of the brims of dress hats, whether of satin of figured velvet, is a binding of the same material, equally broad below as above; over this is a quilting of tulle or blond. The hat is surmounted by bows and feathers. Sometimes the brim of a hat is broad and flat on the left side, and indented, or else turned up with a brooch, on the right side; or sometimes with a rosette, from whence issues a plume of feathers. Ladies who wear white ostrich feathers, or grey marabouts, have them tied together in a kind of bouquet, so that they can place them on their heads in a minute if they are going to see a new piece performed, or to any evening party where a hat without feathers would not be proper. Some hats of white satin have the crowns in very full puckers; in bonnets this crown consists in a caul, with the puckering formed by runners, through which narrow ribbons are drawn.
On some toques is seen a rouleau of satin of a different colour to the toque; it is disposed in a serpentine manner, and entwined round with gold cordon. Morning bonnets are made of plain velvet, either black, blue, green, massacca brown, or violet, they are trimmed with broad jagged leaves of velvet. Five bows of satin, and a little bunch of primroses … velvet, on each temple, are the favourite ornaments on dress caps. At the saloon have been seen several dresses of black satin. A pelerine is an indispensable ornament, not only for pelisses, but gowns, … the latter is only for half-dress. The pelerines is made to take on and off at pleasure. Those pelerines that are cut all round, in long sharp points, are called pelerines a la neige. A young lady, at a salon, had on a crimson mantle of plush silk, ornamented with black satin, and bordered with black … trimming; the cape of this mantle was of … satin, bordered with feather trimming.
Spencers are of black velvet, with square backs, and are seamed with black satin; they are called Hussar spences, because the bust is ornamented in front with brandenburghs; and on each sleeve are five chevrons: the mancherons are ornamented with epaulettes in silk lacing; they are worn with a petticoat, either of levantine, satin, or cachemire. The ladies use claws of gold to fasten their pelisses and pelerines; with this difference, that the claws which fasten the pelerines are smaller than those on the pelisse.
From: The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons
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