Page:The Ladies' Cabinet of Fashion, Music & Romance 1832.pdf/72

 

Several evening and dinner dresses composed either of satin or velvet are trimmed with black lace. We observe that the corsages of those dresses are generally tight to the shape, and for the most part made in the corset style, that is to say seamed down the centre of the front, and at each side. Plain mantillas of lace and particularly of point lace, are frequently employed to decorate these corsages ; some of these mantillas form points on the bosom and shoulders. Ifthe sleeve is long the most fashionable form is that à la Ninon de l'Emelos ; it has a small puffed mancheron, the sleeve from thence to the wrist is large, but is partially confined by a deep cuff of a novel and pretty form. Ifthe sleeve is short it is tight at the top, and the lower part is either disposed in bouillons, or terminated by a manchette. The hair continues to be dressed very low behind, and ringlets in front are in a decided majority. Wreaths of small flowers composed of either gold or fancy jewelleryare employed to encircle the bows or knots in which the hind hair is arranged. Artificial flowers are employed for the front. Fashionable colours are orange, dark blue, various shades of green, and red, and some rich shades of brown ; light hues are in favour in evening dress. PARIS FASHIONS FOR THE MONTH , PARIS once more looks like itself, our own beau monde and a crowd of illustrious foreigners have given even more than usual splendour to our capital, the consequence is that the toilettes of our élégantes afford us a more than common field for observation and description. Shawls of the kind we have already described retain, considerable vogue in public promenade dress, but not quite so much as mantles ; the most admired of the latter are now composed of velvet, and lined with satin, a narrow rouleau formed of the lining borders the whole ofthe cloak, or else a rouleau of sable fur ; we can hardly say which is most fashionable, for the one style of trimming simple as it is, appears to be as much in favour with our élégantes as the other notwithstanding its costliness. These mantles we must observe are always made somewhat shorter than the dress, and so excessively ample, that the folds have really an ungraceful effect ; we had reason to hope in the beginning of the autumn that there would be a considerable reduction in the width of mantles, but we find on the coutrary, that they have actually increased ; we are sorry for it, as the effect is very disadvantageous to the figure.