"In choosing mourning goods, the first essential, even before quality, is a good shade of black, neither blue nor rusty; a dead, solid color is considered most desirable. If possible, have the dress, mantle, and bonnet from the same piece, either in bombazine or silk. It gives the whole dress the same shade, and will wear alike. Never get a cheap material in black; it will be sure to fade or grow rusty. Here, especially, the dearest is always the cheapest in the end. For constant wear, we prefer cashmeres, or even plain mousselines, to bombazines. Black English chintzes make nice morning-dresses, and fade very little in washing. For summer wear, barèges, silk tissues, and grenadines are considered deep mourning. The cross-barred barège is the strongest, and grenadines of good quality will wear several years.
"Although not exactly belonging to our present purpose, we would mention that drawn hats of crape and grenadine, or even black straws trimmed with crape, are appropriate to the second style of dress we have mentioned, when the heat of the weather is too great for bombazine and silk.
"Veils are of double crape, single English, and crape lisse. 'Love veils' are a thick tissue or grenadine, with a deep silk border.
"In making up mourning, if in a thick material, a lead-colored lining will be sufficiently dark; in a thin material, it is usual to have the lining covered with thin Florence silk. Black linen will, however, answer the purpose. It should be boiled first in salt and water, and pressed out while damp. Black cambric, etc., will color the skin, and the stain be found very difficult to efface. The same is true of plain black lawns as a dress material.
"Very little trimming suffices for mourning; indeed, the very intention of the dress would be lost if much were used. We know this is often the case; but it is sanctioned neither by taste nor economy. We have even seen ruffled bombazines. We object to them decidedly. Folds, by general consent, seem to be the most appropriate style; in the first place, from the thickness of the material generally in use, and again, from the plainness of the effect which is generally required. Broad flat galloons have also been the style the present year; but that is only a transient shade of fashion.
"As travelling has always its accompaniment of dust, gray dresses are almost invariably worn even by those in deep mourning. There is a material of silk and linen which will be found very serviceable, and is sufficiently dark trimmed with black braid. As there can be very little variety in close mourning, neatness is considered its principal elegance, and is the point to be aimed at."
SCOTT'S WEEKLY PAPER
FOR 1853 AND 1854.