A travelling costume of beige material, self-coloured and striped, trimmed with silk bias and pipings; a morning dress of rose-coloured Indian cashmere, trimmed with ribbons and Cambrai lace. To these various toilets, all more elegant one than the other, is joined a delightful vêtement for the demi-saison of dust-grey Indian cashmere, trimmed with a marabout fringe of wool and silk, and with braid to match. We have taken this specimen of a choice of dresses for a trousseau, to help on the imagination of those of our readers who may be plunged in the serious preoccupation of buying a wedding outfit; but it will be easy to modify the details according to personal taste, and also according to the situation in life which is to be the bride's after her marriage. If, instead of living in the country, or of going to some watering or sea-side place, the young couple is to remain in some large city where his calling renders the husband's presence indispensable, those toilettes suitable for the beach and casino, and for dinners in the country, must be exchanged for dresses of a more sober description. If one is to dwell in a cold climate, the embroidered linen and other transparent tissues must give place to thicker materials; if, on the contrary, one's fate is to endure a very warm temperature, the lightest fabrics of clear tints should be substituted. A pretty nouveauté to mention in transparent materials is écru linen, embroidered by hand with coloured silk. This beautiful fabric is employed for bodices, and for draperies looped up over a faille skirt of corresponding colour. In passementerie, we were shown this week some pretty new articles. Fringes with tassels placed one above the other, fastened to a network foundation, to be had in all colours to match the dress, as well as in black, white, and écru. It is also composed of straw tassels upon a black silk net foundation, and combined with black braid spangled with straw, under a black silk dress most elegant. Gold and silver braid have been seen upon day-time toilets at the races, but such a style of trimming is not in good taste, except with evening dress. By gaslight, what would look gaudy and tinselled in the day-time is bearable, and even sometimes an improvement to the dress. Thus we notcied, at a dinner party, a young bride's dress of silver-grey taffetas, trimmed with silk braid woven with silver threads, not contrasting very strongly with the dress, and the effect of which was simply lovely. The corsage was cut low in front, in the Agnes Sorel style-that is, in a square rounded off at the angles; sleeves à sabot, with crêvés of white crepe lisse; skirt trimmed with fifteen rows of the silver braid round the bottom, and draperies of silk, looped up with bows of the same, edged with silver braid. In the hair, some of the same braid was combined with sprays of monthly roses. Some black vêtements for the sea-side and fashionable watering-places are trimmed with gold braid; they are pretty for the casino, but it would be a mistake to wear them in the street by daylight. Gold and silver trimmings, we repeat it, for mantles as well as dresses, must be confined to evening dress. It is losing much of the favour it has been enjoying for the last few years. Dresses and mantles thus trimmed are still worn, but for new toilets other garnitures are selected-silk or llama braids, either plain or forming alternate thick and open-work patterns, plaits, crochet, passementerie, gauffered or net-work fringes, and espe cially those with tassels, of which we spoke just now; all of which does not prevent, of course, dresses being covered with plissés, bouillonnés, flutings, gathered or pleated flounces, bias folds, pipings, and every sort of trimming made up of their own or of some other fabric, for simplicity seems further off than ever, and the eye is so used to a fouillis of draperies, ribbons, and ornaments of all descriptions, that a plain dress seems strangely bare and odd. And yet time was when a lady could look pretty in a well-cut and well-made dress of good material, without any trimming; but now the dress must be of two or three kinds of materials and shades of colour, cut up into innumerable shapes and devices, and overloaded with ornaments of every description. For the present, it is out of our power to work a radical change in the modern style of fashion; all we can do is to choose the less extravagant models among those proposed by the prevailing taste of the period. A costume for the beach or esplanade is of peacockblue faille, with Madras fancy material. The skirt is trimmed round the bottom with a flounce, cut on the cross, piped and put on with a heading, twice gathered; above this comes a deep plissé, stitched down top and bottom with narrow-piped frillings. Tunic of Madras plaided fancy material, with bias fold of peacock faille, forming in front a tablier, which is draped at the sides and back, and finished by two lapels pleated and joined together by bows of faille. Cuirasse bodice of the fancy material, piped with faille, and trimmed with bias folds. of the same, forming a plain collar and revers, edged with a tiny frilling. Sleeves, also of the fancy material, with revers to match those of the bodice, and finished with faille bows. Another very pretty dress is of Surah foulard, striped green and rose colour, over a white ground; the skirt is ornamented with two flounces, which are increased in size at the back, and}are finished with very narrow plissés cut on the cross. The tablier forms large pleats, superposed in front; at the back the two ends are crossed; the end which is passed over is finished quite short, with a bow; that which is passed under is longer, and forms a loop; the tablier is edged with a piping and fringe of all the colours of the foulard. Corsage cut the cross-way of the material, so that the stripes form a V pattern in the middle of the back and front; round basques, slit open little behind and trimmed, like the tunic, with piping and fringe. Collar and cuffs of the material cut on the a cross, finely gauffered and edged with fringe. Revers to match round the bottom of the coat sleeves. A tasteful costume for a little girl twelve years old is of blue foulard and crème cashmere. The foulard skirt is trimmed with fine narrow gathered flounces, piped top and bottom; the tablier, of crème cashmere, is draped behind under a large bow of blue ribbon, and is trimmed with a frilling edged with narrow silk fringe to match. Cuirasse bodice of cashmere, with small puffings of foulard, following the outline of the shoulders, and coming down in front to the bottom of the basque, which is finished like the tablier, with a frilling and fringe. Bows of blue ribbon down the front and also upon the sleeves, which are trimmed to correspond with the bodice. Bellshaped hat of white straw, trimmed with a wreath of blue-bells and heather. Excepting a few very eccentric shapes, which we should not care to describe, or our lady readers to wear, there is nothing very new in chapeaux this month. The flat-shaped capote of Leghorn straw or French white chip, wreathed with flowers, is the dressy bonnet par excellence. It is worn at the back, so as to show the front hair. The chapeau for demi-toilette, for excursions, and the beach or country is quite different. It is highcrowned and sloped very much over the brow, while turned up at the back with wide coques of faille or velvet ribbon. In front there is a torsade and a feather, or a cluster of flowers. This chapeau is generally made of black straw or chip. For the sea-side, a gauze veil is added, which is long enough to be thrown round the neck as a scarf. DESCRIPTION OF OUR CUT-OUT PAPER PATTERN. THIS bodice is illustrated, the front view, on our Pattern Crêpe scarf, which must be made in different material. DESCRIPTION OF OUR COLOURED FASHION PLATE. 1. Costume in beige mousseline-de-laine. Skirt just touching the ground, the bottom trimmed with folds of the material, held by bands of marron. Square tablier, edged with a flounce of bouillonné, fastened at the back by hooks placed underneath. Cuirasse bodice without trimming, over which is worn a half-fitting jacket without sleeves, with binding and buttons of marron. Straw bonnet to match the dress, the crown trimmed with bows of ribbon of the same colour; the brim lined with blue silk, and turned up in a coronet in front with wreath of roses. 2. Costume in taffetas and foulard. Skirt of violet taffetas, trimmed with a deep pleated flounce, put on with a cross-way band, and abovet his with four or five smaller flounces. Duchesse tunic in black foulard, bound with pearl-grey; plastron of pearl-grey foulard at the back, with bows of violet and grey at the waist. Violet and grey cuffs upon the sleeves. The sides of the tablier are drawn in a coquille at the back, enclosing a frou-frou pouff of grey, which has long fringed ends. Bonnet of white rice-straw, trimmed with violet ribbon and wreath of roses. LADIES' OWN MATERIALS FITTED. MADAME GOUBAUD, 30, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, has completed arrangements for fitting ladies' own material, or with paper patterns, on moderate terms, at the above address, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from ten to four o'clock. |