The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-11-27 00:00:00

the dress of this era. In May, 1662, he writes
—My wife and I, in the privy gardens saw the
finest " she-shirts" and linen petticoats of my
Lady Castlemaine, laced with rich laces at the
bottom, that ever I saw." A year later, he describes
the Queen as wearing " a white laced waistcoat
and a crimson short petticoat, and her hair
dressed a la negligence, mighty pretty." He
next mentions buying for himself " a velvet
cloak, a new shag gown, trimmed with gold
buttons and twist, with a new hat, and silk tops
for my legs—two periwegs, one whereof cost me
£3." On the 30th November, he tells us, he put
on his " best black cloth suit, trimmed with
scarlet ribbons, very neat, with my cloak lined
with velvet, and a new beaver, which is altogether
very noble, with my black silk canons." It ap-
pears that silver-laced gowns had gone out of
fashion, for he mentions meeting the Queen
coming from chapel, with her maids of honour,
" all in silver-laced gowns again, which is new to
me, and that which I did not think would have
been brought up again." The following year, lie
speaks of going to church, " my wife very fine
in a new, yellow, bird's-eye hood, as the fashion is
now." Very amusing is the following passage
from his diary, under the date June 11, 1665 :
" Walking in the galleries at Whitehall, I find the
ladies of honour dressed in their riding garbs,
with coats and doublets with deep skirts, just for
all the world like mine, and their doublets but-
toned up the breast, with periwigs and hats ; so
that, only for a long petticoat dragging under
their men's coats, nobody would talce them for
women in any point whatever, which was an odd
sight, and a sight that did not please me." He
speaks also of great courtiers wearing " a long
cassock close to the body, of black cloth, and
pinked with white silk under it., and a coat over
it, and the legs ruffled with black riband like a
pigeon's leg ;" and adds, that Lady Cartaret told
him the ladies were to have a new fashion shortly,
"to wear short coats above their ancles." _ _

In the reign of William and Mary, French
fashions were all the vogue, although courtiers,
out of compliment to the King, somewhat affected
the Dutch dress. Enormous, white-powdered
wigs were indiscriminately worn by all orders and
professions, and beaux had their coats powdered
on the shoulder, as well as their wigs. We read
that gentlemen wore their coats " cut straight
before, and reaching below the knee, with lace in
front, and often buttoned to the bottom, without
pockets on the outside ; large cuffs, laced and
buttoned, but no collar. The vest reached nearly
to the knee. Frogs or tassels adorned the but-
ton-holes. The breeches fitted close, and reached
' below the knee; the shirt was ruffled, and generally
with lace ; the cravat long, plain, or entirely of
point ; shoes square-toed, the heel high ; the
buckles were large ; the boots were worn high
and stiffened ; the hats were cocked, and of a
moderate size." As to the ladies, they wore
flounced coats and long flowing dresses, with
ruffles long and double, and jewels, pearls, and
amber in their hair.
Queen Anne was a keen stickler for etiquette
in dress, and would reprove even her ministers,
if they presumed to come into her presence care-
lessly attired. In her reign, " the coat had no
collar, was long, open at the bottom of the sleeves,
without cuffs, and edged with gold or silver from
the top to the bottom, with clasps and buttons
the whole length, and at the opening of the
sleeve. Young gentlemen often had the sleeves
only half-way down the arm, and the short sleeves
very full and deeply ruffled. An ornamental belt
kept the coat tight at the bottom of the waist.
The vest and lower part of the dress had little
clasps, and was seldom seen. The roll-up stock-
ing came into vogue, and the sandal was much