The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-10-13

-suceis, ana squares, ana crosslngs-tOo impure
for the drapery TO touch, are they doubly so for
those feet?
Flounces nice question We like them when
they wave and flow, as in very light material
muslin, or gauze, or bdrege-when lady has no
outline and no mass, but looks like a recedng angel
or 'dssolving view !; but we do not like them in
rich material, where they flop or in stiff one,
where they brstle; and where they break the flow
ing lines OF the petticoa and throw light and shade
where you don't expect them. In short we like the
gown that can do without flounces as Josephine
liked the face that could do without whiskers; but
in either case 1t must be good one.
The plain black scarf is come of 100 graceful a pa
rentage-namely, from the Spanish and Flemish
mantila-not TO constitute of the best features
OF the present costume. 1t serves to Join the two
parts of the figure together, enclosing the back and
shoulders in firm defined outline of their own and
flowing down gracefully in front, each side TO
mix with that of the skirt. That man must be bad
monster who could be impernent TO a woman in
any dress, but especially woman in black scarf
1t carries an air of selfrespec with II which is in it.
self protection. A woman thus aitired glides on
her way like small close-reefed vessel--tight and
trm-seeking no encounter, but prepared for one.
Much, however, depends upon the wearing indeed,
no article OF dress is such revealer Of the wearers
character. Some women win drag II tight up their
shoulders, and stick out their elbows (Which ought
not to be known to EXIST in defiance at you-be-
meath. Such are of the independent class we DIES.
cribed, with strong sectarun opinions Others let il
hang loose and isess like idle SAIL losing all the
beauty of the outline both moral and physical Such
ladies have usually no opinions at al but none the
less very obstinate will oftheir own
Some few OF what are nowadays called mantillas,
which the cardinals the capuchins of century
NJ nrt Dlpnsip nd A
turned up with broad dull black lace, like bright
metal chased with dead, is very good. Also when
made of plain silk, black light-colored with no
other trimmings than, in miner's language "the
own" But too often these articles of which an end
less variety exists, merely made the vehicle for
indulging in weakness for fringe, gimp and other
such trumpery, with which they are overloaded
Armhoes, TOO, are part of them to which we par
tcularly object. The lady behind them looks as If
she was sitting in the stocks for public misde-
meanour, or seeking customer and offering her
hand through ~"
Nor is a shawl a recommendabe article We
mean common square one, Some are beautiful in
quality, and others too unpretendng in pattern to be
criticised But whatever piece of dress conceals
woman's figure is bound in justice to do SO in pic
turesque way. This shawl can never do, with Its
strict uniformity Of pattern-each shoulder alike
q
scroll of pattern standing straight up the centre of
the back. If lady sports shawl at all, and only
very falling shoulders should venture, we should
recommend it to be always either falling off or put
ting on, which produces pretty action, or she should
wear ii up one shoulder and down the other or in
some way drawn rreguarly, SO as to break the uni
formity. One of the faults Of the present costume,
every real artist knows is that II offers too few
diagonal lines. Nothing is more picturesque than n
line the bust like the broad ribbon of the gar
ter across graceful Queen, or the loose girdle
soping across the hips in the costume Of the early
Plantagenets. On this very account the long scarf
shawl is as picturesque thing as lady can wear.
With the broad pattern sweeping over one shoulder,
and narrow one, all on the other 1t sup
plies the eye with that irreguarity which drapcry
requires; while the san,ing form and colors of the
border lying careessly round the figure, giving that
Eastern idea, which every shawl more or less i'm
plies What oriental would ever wear one straight
up and down. and uniform on both sides, as our Ia
dies often do?
The female hat of the present day is one of the on
y very artificial features, and will puzzle future
tume-hunters to account for both in its construction
and its use, more than any other article now worn
IL indeed any memento Of 1t survive for II is UNI
tit either for painting or sculpture. 1t is come Of
bad race-having nothing to do with the large Span
ish beaverton the picturesque cliapeau dc paiue
(Which, by the way is not a straw hat ut alD-or the
celebrated Churchills Of the last century in which
the beautiful sister Cummings turned all heads-but
from combination of the frightful machine inycn-
ted TO cover the high tOupee OF which the Quakeress
hat is living relic, and the squat, flat projecting
caps OF silk or gauze, trimmed with bows and lea-
theirs, which accompanied the low couture and short
waist OF the commencement OF this century; from
which latter arose the confusion of terms between
the French bonnet and the English bonnet Not
but what ahat of the present day is becoming enough
to some, any framework filled with aces ribbons
and flowers round pretty face must bebut 1t Is at
best an unneaning thing, without any character of
its own, and never becoming to any face that has
much. ...... '...
There is one Of the race, however for which we
must make special excepton-not for its native beau
ties alone its polished gstening circles and delicate
natural tints, but for deep mysterious SPELL exer-
cised both over wearer and spectator in which it
stands unrivalled by any other article Of female
tire; we mean the plain stra,r hat. From the high
to the lowest there is single style of beauty
with which this hat is upon the best understand
ing. II refines the homeliest and composes the wild
est; it gives the coquetsh young lady little dash of
occurrences and the demure one slight touch of CO.
quetry; it makes the blooming beauty look more
iresh and the pale more interesting 1t makes the
plain woman look, at all events lady, and lady
more lady-ike still. A vulgar woman never puts on
a straw bonnet, or at least not the straw bonnet we
have in eye; while the higher the style Of carriage
and the richer the accompanying costume, the more
does it seem in its native element; much so that
the most arstocratic beauty in the land, adorned in
every other respect with all that wealth purchase
taste select delicacy Of person enhance, may not
only hide her lofty head with perfect proprety in a
IN hath IT, MA and
than lower style of woman would venture TO wear.
Then all the sweet associations that throng about il
pictures of happy childhood, and unconscious girl
hood thoughts OF blssfu bridal tours and Of healthy
country life! and OF childhood grlhood, tours and
life, such as our sweet country alone give.
For the browning association Of all consists perhaps
in this that the genuine straw bonnet stamps the
genuine English woman; no other country can pro-
duce either the hat or the wearer
But after all, in these important matters of dress,
however recommendabc some Of these details may