Summer and Seaside Dress

In England our outward clothing in the summer depends so much on the weather, that it must be very difficult for those who manufacture our materials, and those who sell them to us, to decide on what should be prepared. It is sometimes difficult to know what to buy, but as far as recent summers have been concerned, everyone has required one dress at least of medium warmth; and many people have entirely ceased purchasing thin dresses, and now content themselves with the beautiful light cashmeres and beiges, which, being all wool, are warm, thin, and useful for ordinary everday wear. They save the expense of employing the laundress also, and the almost invariable disappointment resulting from her interference. Beige is an excellent material for girls' dresses, as it washes and wears well, and the Vichy linens and Oxford shirtings are also economical for the same reason. The latter may be obtained as low in price as 5d. a yard, and when prettily made and trimmed with Swiss, Madeira or home-worked embroidery, nothing can be more elegant and pretty for wome of all ages who need light dresses.

Another inexpensive dress, if properly managed, is grenadine. It should be made up over an old silk or satin skirt, if possible; and failing to avail oneself of either of these, a good alpaca skirt should be selected. Those purchased ready-made in the shops answer very well when the wearer is medium size.

Last summer, pink gingham took all our hearts by storm, and this pretty, old-fashioned colour and material were a perfect uniform, the great drawback to it being the wide black belts which bad taste introduced, and that most of its wearers donned. But this year it seems doubtful whether we shall have any run on a particular colour, as the new ginghams are striped, and in plaids there are many strange and aesthetic hues, and these are sold with dusky lace for trimmings. Lace designs are in high favour, and they appear on ribbons, sateens and satins. The large floral designs on the last-named materials will demand some skill in their making up. The principal change in regard to the fashion of them is, that the floral design forms the groundwork of the costume, instead of the plain sateen or satin.

The revival of the brightly-hued Roman or Bayadère striped materials, as additions to plain cashmere costumes, will be welcomed by many people, as adding a dash of "sweetness and light" to an otherwise dull dress.

The colours to be used for our summer dresses demand a few words. Shades of neutral blue and stone appear to prevail in plain cashmeres, merinos, and the large family of fancy materials. None of these are good colours for the economically-minded to select, as they are rarely "fast", and fade in the summer's sun, and they are most unbecoming to the complexion. All the shades of green, on the contrary, are good: olive, myrtle, grey green and Tyrolese, wear and look well. Plum-colour, pansy, and deep violets are fashionable, and hold fairly well; and the same may be said of russet and all the browns. The latter colour is said, by a recent writer, to be the best colour for the purpose, and the only one which the economical dresser can adopt when she wishes to emerge from the English woman's livery of plain black.

Although it be summer, it is to be hoped that none of our girls will be induced to neglect the much-need warm coverings which, though supposed to be properly appertaining to winter, are quite as necessary, if not more so, in the height of the most genial season of the year, just because a chill is more dangerous when the lady is unprepared for it, and the tendency to the skin is so great. No one should go out in the evening without a light woollen wrap or a thin shawl; and at the seaside the tight-fitting jackets of rough but thin materials are indispensable for young girls.

And here we come to another branch of summer dress, viz., bathing and swimming costumes. We put the two together, for we hope in time that all our girls will have learnt this useful accomplishment, and for which there are now facilities in nearly ever large town. So far as bathing is concerned, the arrangements made for it at French watering-places are far more conducive to health—not to speak of comfort—than those in vogue on our own coast. Hot linen, and especially a hot bathing sheet, in which to envelope the whole body at once, and a hot foot-bath, are both regarded as essential requisites in France. The first undoubtedly prevents chill, through a too rapid and extensive evaporation, and aids in producing a proper reaction; and the latter will prevent the headache from which the majority of people suffer on coming from their morning's dip in the "sad sea waves". The "usual thing" supplied at an English watering-place is a shabby old bathing dress of brown, blue, or pale sand-colour, and two very small and sometimes ragged towels, stiff enough from recent wettings to stand on end if desired.

But though we may not yet be as advanced in these matters of comfort as the French, we are not quite without the power to help ourselves. There are few people who cannot manage to provide themselves with some elderly cotton sheets, when they pay their annual visit to the sea, and when the large-sized, rough Turkish towls can be obtained for one shilling everywhere, no one need go unprovided with them. They can even be purchased for sixpence, if of a smaller size. On emerging from the sea, the bathing-dress should be taken off as quickly as possible; and to exclude the external air and retain the animal heat, the body should wholly enveloped in the bathing-sheet, and under its shelter the flesh should be well rubbed with the rough towel. After the drying, no time should be lost in putting on the clothes; and then proceeding to take that brisk walking exercise which will establish the full and permanent reaction of the circulation for the day. A hot-water tin, such is generally used for the feet, will keep both the sheet and towel hot while the bather is in the sea, and the water it contains will also provide a hot foot-bath, if it be possible to procure a basin in which to put it.

Having finished the purely sanitary suggestions which, by long personal experience, has been found by ourselves the most beneficial, we will resume our chat about the bathing-dress. There is a diversity of opinion existing about the material of which bathing-dresses should be made. For sea water and for swimming, many people prefer linen or cotton, in the form of ticking, or a stout holland or linen cloth. Others, again, prefer serge, flannel or bunting for both fresh and sea-water bathing, as well as for wearing when swimming in the covered bath or the open sea.

We must confess that we think flannel, serge, or bunting the best and most becoming for any and every such purpose, and now that a bathing-dress can be procured for 4s. 6d. ready-made—as we saw them sold ourselves at a south-coast watering-place—there is no excuse to be made for any girl who bathes without a suitable and thoroughly comfortable garment. The drawback to these bought garments is that they rarely fit the purchaser, and nothing can be more unbecoming than to bathe in a dress which is too low in the neck or too short in the legs, and by its tight proportions is only too admirably fitted to show off any personal drawback, either of extreme fatness or of emaciation.

There are two shapes in which bathing costumes can be made: the "smock," and the "union" or "combination" dress, to which later a short skirt can be added, if only needed for bathing in the sea when no swimming is in question. The first-named is the proper garment for the middle-aged and stout. It is made in the shape of a smock or a long "Norfolk jacket," and is buttoned down the whole length of the front, confined by a band around the waist, and is supplied with half-long sleeves. The drawers worn under it are moderately full, and fasten with a button at the waist on each hip. These latter may be either long or short, to suit the wearer's requirements.

The combination bathing-dress is too well known to need much description. As we have said before, it needs a short skirt in addition for bathing in the sea, and also when used by stout or inelegantly thin people. This skirt has very little fulness, is put on over the dress, and is fastened round the waist with a band and button. Very excellent paper patterns for these can be purchased at any of the shops, and the "smock" bathing-dress can be obtained by asking for it under the name of the "Norfolk jacket," or any jacket of a straight shape, either with or without a yoke on the shoulders.

Navy blue flannel or serge is usually trimmed with rows of very narrow white or scarlet braid, or else a row of moderately wide, and two rows of narrow, on each side. Some young ladies have three graduated rows of braid, the first wide, the second medium, and the last narrow. White, dark red, pale blue, and black serges and flannels are also employed, and these are sometimes ornamented with wide bands, cut on the bias, and of a contrasting colour, such as blue on red on white; blue, black or white on dark red; red, white or black on pale blue; and white, or pale blue, on black serge. The edges of the bands are ornamented with "feather-stitch," "long-stitch," or "coral-stitch," in wool, and , and the "sailor's collar," bands of the sleeves and waist-belt, are trimmed to correspond. We recently saw a charming bathing-dress of dark blue serge embroidered with sprays of red coral, worked in coarse worsted. Nor must we forget that the "Hubbard" style of making gatherings at the neck and below the waist has found its way into the fashions of our bathing-dresses.

No one must be offended if we lay great stress on the acquirement of a becoming garment in which to bathe at sea, for old and young alike. One only needs to stand for a few moments on the shore at any large bathing place, to see the bathers and hear the remarks upon them, to understand thoroughly the necessity for paying attention to this really important matter.

Bathing-slippers should not be forgotten, nor their immediate purchase neglected, particularly if the shore be a frequented one, for then there will be an ample store of broken glass, besides the usual sharp flints, oyster shells, and pebbles, to cut or bruise your feet. At many seaside places they may be procured, being made of plaited straw or of felt. In either case they need some imbelishment, which may be given by the small expenditure of a piece of scarlet braid, and the turning of it into rosettes or bows, and sandals which cross over the foot and ankle, and are tied above it in a bow and short ends. These bathing-shoes and slippers may also be made by clever amateur hands out of felt or blanketing, or of very coarse flannel, embroidered in coarse crewel-work, and bound neatly with worsted braid. They may be soled also with a pair of the cork soles to be found everywhere, which should first be covered on both sides with flannel. Another method of making a bathing-slipper is to take a pair of old boots or shoes, cut them down to the required shape, and to cover the fronts, the only part left, with flannel to match the bathing-dress, trimming with worsted braid, and attaching sandals of the same to them to keep up the heel.

The only article now left to be mentioned is the bathing-cap or hat, which, in France and America, is usually one of the prettiest portions of the costume, for you should know that in both these countries it is thought indispensible to shelter the head from the sun and wind. In the above-named places they are made of straw, or of piqué, like those white washing hats so much used for children's wear. In our own land, however, we have adopted a much more foolish practice—that of covering the head with a waterproof cap, closely fitting to it. No harm is considered to result from wetting the head with sea water, so far as we can hear from any reliable authorities on the subject.