A SERIOUS DISCUSSION.
DRESS: IN SEASON AND IN REASON.
By A LADY DRESSMAKER.
As a rule there are not many changes of dress or cut to be chronicled this month. Everyone is thinking of the sales, and the truly wise and economical (of which there are a great many in these days) are more occupied in making the fashions subservient to their purchases, to either inventing or thinking of new designs in dress. We were never so rich in the way of materials as we are this year, though the most popular of all effects in woollen is the serge-weaving, which is mixed with everything—crossbars, and lines of velvet, silk cording, fancy braids, and borders which resemble patchwork in monotone, or inlaid wood flooring, or parqueterie. The serge with velvet crossbars and lines on black serge are very effective and handsome. Indeed, serge seems to have taken the place of cashmere, and is infinitely more becoming in wear.
Ladies’ cloth is also much worn in both dark and light colours. On these a selvedge of a different colour is left, which is sometimes pinked-out, or edged with a cord. These are trimmed with facings, cuffs, and collars of velvet, plush, and moiré, which is now much used for trimmings. Besides this, there are vicuna and camels’ hair, and a large selection of Darlington serges, and others in plain and in stripes, which are at once cheap, ladylike, and extremely durable in wear.
Nun’s cloth is still used with velvet trimmings, and a material called “wool crépon” is used as well for evening frocks for girls, and is trimmed profusely with woollen lace. Velveteen is not seen as composing entire dresses, though so largely mixed with woollens of all descriptions.
In colours worn by well-dressed people, heliotrope is still in great favour, and is really lovely in silks, satins, and the handsome cut velvets and frisés—dark sapphire blues, carbuncle, red brown, and a mossy green, with an earthy brown and a stone-colour, which are both useful, well-wearing colours.
Now that people are beginning to wear more colour than they formerly did, it is needful to consider harmony in colour more than we did. For young people this is everything. In wearing brown, for instance, it should be harmonised by a little yellow or a lighter shade of brown. In the same way dark-red must be harmonised with pink, and both shades must be seen together, so as to be quite sure that they will not “swear at each other,” as the French funnily express it. With grey a little pale blue must be put in somewhere in the bonnet. Stone-colour will harmonise with a pink, and heliotrope with a paler shade of itself. With grey, blue, and slate silver ornaments look best; but with brown, red, and green shades gold ornaments give the required harmony in colouring.
All very bright hues should be kept away from the face, as only the best of complexions can stand them near the skin. A portrait-painter once told me that the colour of the hair or the hue of the eyes should always be repeated in some part of the dress. But I fancy it may answer for painting, but not to be exemplified in everyday life and habiliments.
