Weldon's Ladies Journal, June 1897

 "In this joyous June we are to celebrate an historic event with which the whole world is ringing,"

Weldon's Ladies' Journal was referring to the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.   Naturally the readers of the Journal would want a pretty outfit to wear to the celebrations, and the magazine was happy to oblige with a selection of patterns for dainty, ultra-feminine garments.  (Ironically, most of the fashions featured originated in Paris.)  Below are a couple examples:

The fashion editorial at the front of the magazine gives us an idea of what people at the time found noteworthy—some of which is not at all obvious to a modern reader.

And now to Fashions for June.  There is a decided change, not in bodices but in figures.  For we have found the secret, what with corsets and padding, of modifying the human form divine.  The change has, as usual, come from Paris, but it is one we may feel proud of, because the ideal new waist is built on our own lines of long-waisted elegance.  The hipless stage is quite a revolution, for French women have, as a rule, proverbially large hips; but as I have said, we can alter Nature itself now... Needless to say that corsets are answerable for this state of things in a certain measure at least...

Full credit to the fashion editor for recognising the role padding and corsetry played in creating the fashionable figure of 1897.  Comparing these dresses to the fashionable dresses of 1896, the biggest change appears to be skirts are becoming (ever-so slightly) narrower. 

Amongst the newest trimmings are the pinked-out ruches and flounces worn on nearly all the new material...

Another popular bodice trimming is formed of two square pieces worn over the sleeves, and often cut in one with the bolero or over bodice...

The "square pieces" can be seen on the figure on the right hand side of the illustration. 

Rucked sleeves are more than ever shown, and are quite long and well cover the wrists—in fact some come to the knuckles.  Any amount of chiffon and lace is worn round the wrists.

Sleeve shapes are also changing.  While puffs on sleeves are still being worn, they are starting to shrink and are being pushed up the arm until they sit just below the shoulder.  When the sleeves of the 1890s were their largest they billowed out over most of the upper arm to the elbow!