DRESS: IN SEASON AND IN REASON.
By A LADY DRESSMAKER.
BELOW LAUNSTOWN CASTLE.
The advent of new ideas in clothing has been later this year than usual, and we were well into the middle of November before we recognised many things as novelties in the shops, even though they were well filled with new dress manufactures as usual. Stripes are a great deal worn in all materials, but checked stuffs show signs of being rather more popular, and the fine-lined checks with which we began the autumn have grown into greater squares as the time has gone on. But these new checks are not at all in the direction of Scotch plaids, nor do they show any tendency to such garish colouring. Their hues are singularly well chosen, and even when the plaid is large it is neither ugly nor aggressively visible. They are never produced in more than two shades of colour, and they are mostly made up with velvet of a dark shade, nearly akin to that of the darkest shade of the plaid. These woollen materials are coarse and heavy-looking, and nothing seems more popular than serge and serge grounds to woollens of all kinds. Angola wools, with their long, untidy-looking, hairy surfaces, are also much liked; nor must I forget the new woollens, with stripes of braid in high relief on them.
There are great numbers of fancy silk materials to mix with fine woollens, such as chess-board designs in velvet and plush on a satin ground; plain and fancy stripes in plush and velvet; velvet, with crossbar designs in terry; brocaded silks, the brocade being in velvet, terry, or plush; and silks with stripes in imitation of lace. All these may be called trimming materials, and are used for underskirts for woollen materials as well.
There are several things in the winter fashions which are quite fixed. First, that there are no trains to any dresses, whatever people may say—save and except to court dresses and the evening gowns worn by a few dowagers who fancy old ways the best. The general idea with reference to all draperies, overskirts, panels, and skirts is to give length and height; therefore, those of my readers who are very tall will have to use some judgment in choosing a skirt that shall not make them look too gigantic. Most of the morning dresses are made of two woollen materials, a better kind of walking or afternoon dress with a woollen and silk material, such as I have described. There do not appear to be any really short tunics, but some dresses have the long overskirt more raised and bunched-up at one side than they have been. The skirts are generally rather wider, but are not distended, except by a moderate tournure. The collar, cuffs, and revers are of the same material as the underskirt, and bands of this material are put round the edge of the overskirt. When this is a plaid it is cut on the bias, and with plaids folds are very much used everywhere that they can be introduced.
The chief changes that one has to chronicle are to be seen in the sleeves of dresses, which, after remaining quite stationary and unaltered for a long time, have now quite blossomed out into new beauty of form, much of which, I think, is derived from Venetian portraiture. The sleeves of evening gowns are all of this class, and have puffs of thin material from the shoulders to the elbow; ending in a plain band of velvet, or a puff of transparent material at the elbow. Some sleeves have puffs inside the arm at the elbow, and end in a plain band or cuff round the arm. In the daytime deep cuffs are much worn; they are cut so as to stand away from the arm like the deep cuffs of a cavalier glove. Then there are puffs at the shoulder; and there is also a new sleeve that has no seam at the back of the arm. Shoulder-straps and epaulettes are very popular additions to the bodice; and we find shoulder-straps without epaulettes, and epaulettes without shoulder-straps, or both together. Some of the shoulder-straps to woollen dresses are of the material of the dress, which may be braided or embroidered.
One bodice which I have lately seen struck me as being both ugly and peculiar, and it must, I am sure, be a faithful copy of a railway porter’s waistcoat—with its front of corduroy, and its back of linen. In the copy, the fronts are of velvet, fancy or plain plush, and the backs are of plain silk to match it in colour, the sleeves being also of silk. One of the new fancies is to make the dress-sleeves like the waistcoat or plastron, the bodice being of a different stuff, and having a small epaulette on the shoulder. I have been careful to give all these changes in detail, as they will, I know, be very valuable to the home dressmaker, and to those on whom the burden rests of “doing up” half-worn dresses, and making themselves look well and ladylike on small means.
Bodices are a great deal trimmed at present. Waistcoats, plastrons, and full or plain plastrons with long revers that extend from shoulder to the point of the bodice, as well as braces, are all forms of trimming. The latter are now put on much higher than they were, and are carried close to the band at the neck, and they sometimes meet in the centre of the back. The sleeves are often trimmed round the shoulder-seams on the bodice—a very useful fashion indeed, as the sides, which are too well worn by the friction of the arms, can be made quite respectable for a longer term of service.
There is no change in the way of making dress bodices. The basques are all cut very short on the hips, and are generally ended in a square-cut tail at the back, with a fan of pleats, or even plain, and not with ornaments at all. The darts in front are cut very high, and are straight in form; and there are two side pieces—one quite below the arm; and the seam of the side piece at the back is as straightly cut as possible. The great fancy is still for a narrow and flat back, and all methods of cutting out tried to produce this effect.
IN A CORNER OF THE DRAWING-ROOM.
There is not very much to relate about mantles this month. They all seem to be short at the back and long in front, the ends being either square or pointed. In the latter case many of them are tied with ribbon bows, or have other ornaments of braid, beads, or chenille. Striped materials are used for making up handsome cloaks; and ulsters are usually made of checked woollens, though they are by no means “loud” in tone. The small mantles of plush, brocade, and velvet are very much trimmed and ornamented; and in this way—as the beaded trimmings and fur bands are moderate in price—mantles that have already seen service may be helped over another winter. The long jackets will be found to cut into shape very well; and I have recently helped to alter a paletôt which had been dyed, by cutting it up nearly to the waist, at the back, and into deep square ends in front. The trimming then laid on was black astrachan, about two and a half inches deep all round, and in a V shaped point on the back, with cuffs and a tiny epaulette on the sleeves, making it quite a new garment at a very small expense, viz., 2s. 6d. for the dyeing and about 6s. for the five and a half yards of astrachan.
Instead of the almost forgotten sets of linen collars and cuffs, many ladies are wearing pleated satin, the pleats being very close and small. The satin is used in various colours, and appears also in the necks and sleeves of evening dresses, especially in black ones, where the bright hues of the satin look refreshing. A velvet bow may finish it at the neck.
These are certainly halcyon days for the home milliner, for so little trimming is placed on bonnets that it is quite worth while to manufacture them at home, after a look at the many shown in the windows. Care must be taken to set the bows in front up well, and, if a soft material, a long bit of wire will form a support.
The flower of the day is the white chrysanthemum, and one sees it everywhere—on dinner tables, as button holes, and forming bouquets. Very few flowers, however, are seen in millinery, and ribbons seem in greater favour. A new idea in the way of dress pockets is to have the pocket made as a little gathered bag or reticule, which hangs at the side for the handkerchief.
The stockings produced for wearing this winter are quiet and ladylike-looking, being self-coloured, to match any dress with which they may be worn; or, if embroidered, the patterns are small, or the stripes are merely fine lines of colours. The newest shoes all appear to lace, not button; and this will probably keep them in all the better shape, as they can be pulled tightly together or loosened, as desired. Laced boots are also returning to favour, for the same reason; but I do hope my girl-readers will not neglect their laces, and always try to keep a spare lace in the house, in case of breakages, as nothing looks so bad, or is really so wretched in wear, as a broken or an untidy, unevenly pulled-up lace. For skating, of course, laced boots are a necessity.
The new winter muffs of fur are not large, and nearly all of them are supplied with a purse or pocket of some kind, and also have handles of fur, which are more convenient than the purse; for the muff can be slung over the arm when shopping, or when it is necessary to keep the hands free; a style that seems more sensible than the long cord round the neck for grown-up people. Long boas are not quite so long as they were, and are now more used with one long tail hanging down than two, the other end being the head of some furry creature—mink, marten, or squirrel; and so far does this idea go, that the legs are often seen as well, which is a painfully suggestive idea.
Our illustrations for this month are peculiarly successful in showing the prettiest of the winter styles, especially in the larger picture of out-of-door gear. The long cloaks are shown with two different styles of trimming, and a short jacket braided with thick cord—which is very girlish and graceful. So, also, is the short mantle trimmed with bands of fur. In the corner of the drawing-room—which serves as a warm and cosy refuge to two of our girls—we have our paper pattern of last month illustrated, with a plastron of soft silk added to it, for wearing in the house; while a waistcoat is used for the out-of-doors dress. The young girl in the armchair wears a “Norfolk,” or pleated jacket, like her dress, which has an air of simplicity and elegance. These “Norfolk jackets” we propose to adopt for our paper patterns for this month. The first is really a repetition of that we have already given, which, however, is as much worn as ever; and the second is rather a new form, with a yoked top, which is sometimes made pointed both in front and behind. The first of the “Norfolk jackets,” or blouses, is that without a yoke, and for this I will repeat the directions given very carefully, for it is a pattern that can be cut out and made-up by anyone, however inexperienced they may be. It consists of seven pieces: the front, back, collar, belt, two halves of a sleeve, and a cuff. The back should be cut double, as there is no join down the centre; a deep hem must be allowed on each side the front where the buttons are placed; the pleats turn forward, and the position of the notches should be very carefully observed. The edges may be finished by a row of machine stitching, which should be even and good.
NORFOLK JACKETS.
No lining is needed, as a general rule, to this bodice. The pleats are run down, like the breast of a shirt, or may be stitched with a machine. The quantity of material required for either of these bodices would be about three yards and a half of thirty-six inches in width. No seams are allowed in the pattern. The other blouse is made with a yoke, and has nine pieces, viz., front, back, two sleeve pieces, collar, cuff, belt, and two yoke pieces, back and front. In cutting out, the back must be cut double, and in making up the yoke should be stitched flatly on the pleated portions with the machine before joining the bodice together. Both the belts should be lined with buckram, and machine-stitched at each edge, to render them firm and useful. These blouses are worn both out of doors and in, and are made and worn at present in blue, crimson, and all shades of red, in black and white, and may be worn with differently-coloured skirts. They are very suitable for young girls, and may well form the first experiment in their own home dressmaking for the inexperienced. The materials used are elastic cloth, serge, diagonal, blue linen, cashmere, and, of course, any dress material which may be in fashion.
All paper patterns supplied by “The Lady Dressmaker” are of medium size, viz., thirty-six inches round the chest, and only one size is prepared for sale. No turnings are allowed in any of them. Each pattern may be had of “The Lady Dressmaker,” care of Mr. H. G. Davis, 73, Ludgate-hill, E.C.; price 1s. each. It is requested that the addresses be clearly given, and that postal notes may be crossed “& Co.” to go through a bank, as so many losses have recently occurred. The patterns already issued are always kept in stock, as “The Lady Dressmaker” only issues patterns likely to be of constant use in home-dressmaking and altering; and she is particularly careful to give all the new patterns of hygienic underclothing, both for children and old and young ladies, so that no reader of the G.O.P. may be ignorant of the best methods of dressing.
The following is a list of the patterns already issued, price 1s. each:—
April, braided loose fronted jacket; May, velvet bodice; June, Swiss belt and full bodice, with plain sleeves; July, mantle; August, Norfolk, or pleated jacket; September, housemaid’s or plain skirt; October, combination garment (underlinen) with long sleeves; November, double-breasted jacket; December, Zouave jacket and bodice; January, princess underdress (underlinen, underbodice, and underskirt combined); February, polonaise, with waterfall back; March, new spring bodice; April, divided skirt, and Bernhardt mantle with sling sleeves; May, Early English bodice and yoke bodice for summer dress; June, dressing jacket, and princess frock, with Normandy bonnet for a child of four years old; July, Princess of Wales’ jacket, bodice and waistcoat, for tailor-made gown; August, bodice with guimpe; September, mantle with stole ends; October, pyjama, or nightdress combination, with full back; November, new winter bodice; December, patterns of Norfolk blouses, one with a yoke and one with pleats only.
