THE LADIES' TOILET.

FASHIONS REPRESENTED IN THE ENGRAVINGS.

BALL-DRESS.-A dress of celestial-blue crape, over a satin slip of the same color: a broad hem surrounds the border, headed by a beautiful wreath of foliage, worked in raised embroidery of white floize silk. The body is made plain, with an ornament from the back and shoulders, descending to, and forming on, each side of the bust, fichu robings, which, gradually diminishing, are lost in a point under the belt; these ornaments are embroidered at the edge, to correspond with the work over the hem at the border of the skirt. The sleeves are short and full, and the belt fastens in front by a pearl buckle. A very narrow tucker of blond surrounds the bust. The hair is parted on the forehead, and arranged in curls on each side of the face: the bows of hair on the summit of the head are formed of three loops,-one large, the next smaller; and the third, which is on the right side, very small. This is a pleasing novelty, and diminishes the elevation, so long prevalent on the summit of the head. A very beautiful bandeau-ornament of foliage, formed of pearls, crosses the forehead, and on the left side, among the bows, is a branch of the same valuable articles. The ear-pendants are of pear-pearls, and the necklace is formed of two rows of very large pearls. the lower row set round with pear-pearls..

MORNING VISITING-DRESS.-A dress made half high, of amber-colored gros de Naples, with a broad hem at the border, headed by three narrow rouleaux of Spanish-brown satin. The body is made with fichu robings, which, being cleft on each shoulder, form a kind of divided mancheron over the sleeves, which are a l'imbecille, but not immoderately wide, and are much improved by the fullness being drawn into a kind of puckering on the inside of the arm, at the part which is called the bleeding vein; this puckering is finished by a button. The sleeve terminates at the wrist by a full plaited ruffle of lace, ascending upwards, and beneath that, next the hand, is a broad bracelet of dark hair and gold, fastened by a cameo, set in gold, a l'antique. A fichu of fine India muslin is worn under this dress, surmounted by a triple ruff of lace;

and a fiance of brown and yellow gros de Naples is tied round the throat, underneath, The hat is of white gros de Naples, trimmed with a large bow of long loops ;-the ribbon ambercolored, edged with royal-blue. A white blond veil is added.

CURSORY REMARKS ON THE LAST NEW FASHIONS.

When we separate ourselves from the fashionable world, the thinking and serious part of society say that we are restored to ourselves; this, however, is but a happy illusion of fancy a very charming female, nevertheless, undeniably belonging to the haut ton, inspects with eagerness the packing cases which arrive at her country recess, from her most famed marchande de modes in London. She therein discovers the truly elegant and very expensive articles of dress, made up in that tasteful style, and true fashion, which she has, when in town, generally made her chief study. Her eyes sparkle, and her countenance is animated, at beholding these treasures of the toilet, which she regards with delight and admiration.

Among other articles of a late date, is an elegant dress hat of pink crape, with the brim composed almost wholly of white blond; it is placed very backward, discovering the hair very beautifully arranged in front: this hat is ornamented with natural flowers, in which the pink and the sweet pea are most conspicuous. Head dresses of young females, consisting of their own hair, are arranged in various ways; some wear it somewhat in the Madonna style, but not exactly, as the present way consists in parting the hair but very slightly on the forehead, and then forming it in two bands, which are almost transparent, and these are so short, that they terminate at the temples; the remainder is then carried upward, and forms a bow on the summit of the head, where a braid, closely platted, from the long hair behind, winds round at the back of the bow, and finishes a very becoming coiffeure, to good features, good complexion, and a youthful countenance. Other young ladies, equally moving in fashionable life, wear their hair almost concealing their faces, hanging down on each side in dishivelled ringlets, this is by no means unbecoming to seventeen: we observed, also, a young married lady with her hair arranged in curls and bows in a truly elegant manner, and on the right side of her head was a full-blown Japanese

rose, the glowing red of which well accorded with her ebon tresses. The caps, either of blond or very fine lace, for the theatre or friendly evening party, are finished with great taste, and the ribbons are beautifully mingled with the other materials: these caps, however, are in the turban-style, without borders, or have three very broad borders all turned back, and the flowers and ribbons lying on the hair.

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Broad hems are yet a favorite border on the skirts of almost every kind of dress at the head is either a fringe, a narrow ruche, or two very narrow flounces, one falling over the other; but in all this there is nothing new,-it is, however, still fashionable. The sleeves are yet extremely large; and one lady will laugh at another, when her own sleeves are almost as capacious. At a card party, a few evenings ago, we saw one female hold up the sleeves of her friend, while she dealt the cards, fearful of the safety of the waxlights; she herself had a pair almost as wide. Some satin dresses have, however, appeared, with the sleeves a l'Amadis; and even these were not so wide at the top as these sleeves are in general,— they were surmounted with a mancheron, slashed a l'Espagnole, and the slashes filled in with white satin: other mancherons on satin dresses are puckered of the same material and color as the dress, and are ornamented by rings of white satin, formed of several very narrow rouleaux,-this is not new, but it is a fashion revived of about two years back ;-it is now become a novelty, which seems much admired. Some satin dresses are trimmed with velvet; and over the broad layer of that material, which forms the border, is a rich twisted cordon of silk. Above the broad hem round the border of the skirts of dresses of gros de Naples, is often seen a rich fringe, with a beautiful head in open net-work. The favorite home dress is a petticoat of colored gros de Naples, with a canezon spencer of muslin, when the weather is mild; but this dress will shortly give place to the more appropriate one of fine merino, made partially low, with a handsome pelerine of embroidered tulle, or very fine muslin trimmed with lace. Dresses for balls or quadrille parties, in the country, are of that beautiful material-figured crape; these are colored, and pink is the favorite,-the patterns are en colonnes; they are worn over slips of white satin, or of the same color as the dress.