96
FASHIONS
FOR JANUARY .
silk has been trimmed with bands of plush of the same color. Another dress, composed of black silk, is ornamented with violet plush disposed in arabesque pattern. The corsage and sleeves are trimmed to correspond with the skirt, and a pelerine of plush is intended to be worn over the corsage. NARROW BANDS, OR ROWS OF VELVET, have again become fashionable as a trimming for plain or neglige dresses. Six, seven, or nine bands is the number usually employed for the skirt, and they may be of two different widths, those of the narrower width being placed alternately with the broader ones. Narrow fluted flounces placed round the lower part of the skirt in waves, or festoons, has a very pretty effect. Plaitings and bands of plain silk or velvet aro also sometimes disposed in waves. Passementerie or gimps will be much employed for ornamenting the fronts of skirts. The Greek pattern is one of the prettiest on dresses. It is usually made of velvet, though it may be formed of ribbon corresponding in color with the dress, or even of very wide worsted braid. The skirts of all the new dresses are long, expanding very much at the lower part, and gradually narrowing from the edge to the waist. Dresses braided, as in Fig. V, are very fashionable. Sometimes the braiding extends only up the skirt of the dress, and on the body and sleeves, but it is usually carried around the bottom of the skirt. One of the prettiest dresses for house wear which we have seen, was composed of a beautiful shade of purple cashmere, and braided in black around the bottom of the skirt and up the front. The Zouave jacket was also braided to correspond. THE GARABALDI SHIRT of white muslin, like Fig. VIII, is a beautiful addition to these dresses on a slender figure. As basques are out of style, one of the most economical articles of dress of which we know is the Garabaldi shirt. These shirts need no jacket over them, and one shirt will answer to wear with two or three old dress skirts, after the bodies are no longer fit for use. They can be made of either velvet, silk, merino, cashmere, or flannel. Gray or dark blue flannel is a favorite material ; and we have seen one of bright scarlet on quite a young lady, which looked charmingly with a black silk skirt. These skirts are much improved by braiding. DRESSES for the house and for walking, are still made in the Polonaise or Imperatrice style, that is, without any joining at the waist. SATIN will be a fashionable material for dresses during the winter. It has already found favor for bridal cos'tumes ; some of the newest wedding dresses being made of white satin. We have seen one with the skirt very long, and having a small round train; the trimming is composed of fluted quillings of satin, in five rows, placed on the lower part of the skirt, and not rising higher than a quarter ofa yard. Fashion has made white almost uniform for evening dresses. Some dresses of tulle and tarletanc are made with bows of the same material, which sometimes sustain the upper flounce ; at others, are thrown carelessly at intervals over the whole. Ribbon bows and flowers are also used. An evening dress of white tarletane, just completed for a young lady, is trimmed with fluted flounces at the lower part of the skirt. The corsage is full, and the fullness is drawn to a point in the center of the waist. A ceinture or waistband of blue silk has the ends edged with white blonde and black lace. A white muslin dress may be described as follows: The skirt is trimmed with narrow frills reaching from the edge to about the height of the knees, and disposed in a diagonal or slanting direction. Above them descends a flounce four or five inches broad. This flounce has a heading, through the center of which passes a puffing with a running of mauve-color ribbon. The corsage is low, and over it is a fichu trimmed with ruches. The sleeves are demi-long, and in puffs.
THE SWISS CAPE or FICHU is very popular for evening dress, and is to be worn over a low-necked body. It is made of muslin with narrow tucks or folds. It is finished at the throat by a narrow row of black velvet, and it is edged on each side by a broad row of velvet, forming braces, and terminating in a bow at the waist, both in front and behind. The dress has short sleeves formed of puffs, terminating with a frill, and under them are muslin sleeves with narrow folds, to correspond with the fichu. The muslin sleeves are confined at the wrists by bracelets of black velvet. WHILST DRESSES CONTINUE TO BE WORN LONG, and to require the skirt to be raised up in promenading, the jupon, or petticoat, will always be an object of some importance in costume. However pretty the petticoats offormer seasons may have been, those of the present year are even more so. They are now made in almost every color and material, and are ornamented with trimmings the most varied. Some consisting of cashmere, taffety, or reps, are richly embroidered; others are braided or trimmed with velvet to about the height ofthe knees. Many, composed of black or violet silk, are trimmed with several rows of plaited ribbon; and some few are ornamented with five narrow flounces alternately of black and violet, black and blue, or black and groseille-color silk. These flounces are placed very close together at the lower part of the jupon, and are frequently edged with a piping. The trimming just mentioned, bosides its elegant appearance when the skirt of the dress is held up, has also the advantage of supporting and expanding the edge of the dress when allowed to fall completely over the petticoat. The same kind of trimming, but more plain in style, is employed for jupons of alpaca, Orleans, or any other woolen materials. Several of those composed of woolen textures figured with stripes have a broad row of black velvet placed just above the hem. A beautiful and serviceable petticoat can be made of gray flannel, and braided with wide black worsted braid in a Greek border. NETS, consisting of black and colored chenille, still continue to be a fashionable style of coiffure. The Resille Im peratrice is pretty and simple ; it is of black chenille, and is trimmed above the forehead with a bow of velvet. Black nets are in general preferred to colored ones.
CHILDREN'S FASHIONS . FIG. 1.- COAT OF FAWN-COLORED Cloth for A LITTLE GIRL.It is made in a loose sacque and is corded with dark blue silk. At the bottom of each seam is placed a bias piece of dark blue silk, fastened with three large buttons. The flowing sleeves are trimmed to correspond with the skirt. Hat offawn-colored felt, trimmed with a band of blue velvet and a white plume. FIG. II.- DRESS OF DOVE-COLORED SILK.-The skirt is trimmed with four flounces bound with Magenta-colored silk, and edged with a narrow black lace. The body is high at the back, but opens in front over a plaited chemisette, and has the revers formed of Magenta-colored silk, and edged with narrow black lace. The short sleeves and waistband correspond. Full white under-sleeves, reaching not quite to the wrist. GENERAL REMARKS.-Dresses for small boys are but little varied, but those for girls are in greater variety. The Garabaldi is very much worn by girls over six or seven years of age. One of the prettiest was black velvet, worn with a crimson shirt of plain poplin. Another was of Magenta-colored cashmere trimmed with black, and the skirt was of the same material, with a band of black cashmere a quarter of a yard deep around the bottom. ZOUAVE JACKETS are also very much worn with colored shirts, with a full white under body made high in the neck with long sleevos.
