The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-09

sbared bv both for well women wore them
hut the fashion OF wearing flowers In the exclusive
Iy ma scu inc
Head and he mode Of wearing the hair chansed
frequently as the dresses The horned head-drsss
that hideous celebrity, brought into England BY the
marriage Of Henry the Fifth with Catherine Of
France, and it was al sxorbitant price to pay
for Agincourt All kinds Of absurdities that per-
verified ingenuity could devise were worn-hoods,
frontIets curs psriwigs and about the time Of the
EDglsh Revolution appeared another monstrosity,
called the cosamoe fonsopg lofty ed6oe composed Of
wire, silk feathers and ribbons, rising like tower
steepls making the women look like Brobdignagans.
Sometimes CLEAN of common sense broke through the
Darkness and then the hair IN simple curs
braided, confined with colored ribbons jewelled
bands One reign deserves honorable mention and the
endless gratitude Of Of all ranks that James
the Second for then introduced straw bonnets and
hats-ample amends for all political shortcomings
During the reign of the first three Georges the hair
stiff with powder and pomatum, and deco ated with
ornaments surprising absurdity the golden birds of
the Chinese bellies Charot post chaisss and coach and
six, were commonly worn-ths vehicles made Of gold
thread, the horses and drivers of glass In old poem
lady thus speaks to her waiting maid -
s'Nely, where is the creature fed
Put my postchaise upon my head"
The Hycap resembling nonstrous butterfly; calashel
kind OF nondescrpt headgear, made of silk stretch
ed wire frame; mobcaps pinned under the chin,
and hats shaped like gpsys, and turned before and
behind the face, in high favor. The dresses
ludcrousy made, the skirt short and tucked up
behind the corsags low and the waist under the
Next the frghtu gored skirt setting close to the
limbs, unrelieved by solitary pAit What q becoming
costume this ust have BEEN with white satin spencer
and hair cut short like schoolboys. Ths gentlemen
immense wigs and threecornered hats blue red
stockings shoes with red high heels immense waistcoat
and coat skirts stiened with wre and standing out like
hoops, suitable companions.
FRENCH FASHIONS
In looking over the early French fashions the first
thing that attracts attention is the scrupulous conceal
ment OF feet and hair among the They long
tuncs bordered with gold fur, and confined at the
waist with grdes, richly ornAmsnted; the hair WIS hid
den under colord wells that fell in graceful folds upon
the shoulders The cote harde vest, which WAS pro-
badly the original of modern basque polka jacket
and which brought into England BY Anne of Bohemi
Queen of Richard the Second in France ages be-
FORE Shoes early attained perfection of FORM and
of different colo Some writer's say that from the gray
(gris) shoes by in the middle rank Of life
derive the word grisette In the latter half Of the four
teenth century the ladies to understand what their
hair intended for. Head covering of all kinds
thrown aside, nth their frightful appendages wnples
and gorget and the hair curled plated and
ornamented with flowers and jewels though ringles did
not appear till the reign of Henry the Second, two
turtles later. As If to atone for this "devatng into
right" the next coeure surpassed all its predecessors.
1t the atroc.ous hsrned cap and fashionable for
many subsequsnt years little later the Court of Charles
the Mad thrown delightful confusion BY the ap
partition Of hounced skirt. In the sixteenth century
France imported from beyond the Pyrenses Queen Claude
hoops and high heeled shoes During the reign of Francis
the First noted for that splendid spectacle sthe Field
of the Cloth ef Cold" the ladies' d. esses magn6
cent and would have been elegant and becoming but for
the hoop Strange that the taste which presided
that recherche costume could have tolerated anything
dguring and unshapey The waists Of the dresses
tight and peaked chemsette Of the richest lace
up the throat and the sleeves made tight with full
cuffs and hanging oversleeves. The waist encrclsd
with jewelled grdle and cordeer that passed round
the peak the dress and terminated at the bottom of the
petticoat in gold and silver tasses black velvet cap
studded with jewels to which attached gold sill
veil invariably thrown the shoulders completed
the costume which always made of the richest
terial-sstin velvet or cloth of gold.
The trunk hose, swelling out ks balloons was for
long time favor with French legants but in the days
Henri Quatre it totally disappeared, and super
seeded by the breecbes which strangely enough in
with the Boarbons and went out with the Bourbons the
French Revolution giving the coup de grace to both In
the annals OF fashion, the reign of the second Bourbon
prince is dis ingushed by the in PRODUCTION of mperias
and crava the latter being the gift of the halfcivzed
Croats to Europe. This going far enough for
fashion, the ladies' being reused emulation made
inroaa into Araby the Blest, and brought thence
patches These mos had different signifcat TONS which
the initiated knew by glance When placed at the
Of the eye the moce called pdssoEe in the
tire of the forehead il became mosSui on the corner
OF the mouth it received the denomination of bdius.;
in the middle OF the cheek it galane; the fold
formed by the mouth when it laughs, enJoe the
nose an eGrontr; and on the lips, ooquete
Towards the close Of the eighteenth century fashion
became more whimsical than ever and the applied
to the different articles of Dress and the colors then in
fashion. are exceedingly amusing We have satin cou-
loar de soupir eoBa he color Of sned sigh) de
PR de Venus, (the sigh of venus), and d, all aJaau,
(pensive eye) We have rrs bayrc, apple green strip.
ed with white and another, Ia coule De 9sai nouyse
msnts arrives. What this meant in France cannot
discover bu. one should be very green indeed not
know its American synonyme. To royalty are in
debed for the coaelT de ppoe which have incorpo
rated into language without attempting translate
being of Miss Fudges opinion, that though in English
"Ths word might on good manners intrench
1t certainly is not SO shocking in French
great amount of literary, classical and geographical
cannot do justice to- but not pa the bon
MT ccaquas ossuree, the chapeau independent Ameri
caine, and the bonnet ansnyme.
With the Revolution came new styles OF dress-imita
tons of the Romans and Athsnians. White sleeveless
tunics confined round the waist by red ribbon scarf
sandals Of red morocco leather and bands Of red rib
bon restraining the luxursnce Of their flowing curs
marked the thsnisn party. The Roman dresses were
magnificent. Robes Of purple tissue, superOly
brodered in gold, fastened ON the shoulder by
aud round the waist by OF FURNISHED god, and
hair gtteriug with golden dadems and bodkns recalled
the days OF the Empire, not the Republic.
With these classical costumes the pocket would be
anomaly thersfors II was banihsd, and that ndispensa
BILE requisite o, Roman ladys toilet, the re;i:ule,
substituted in its place One instance Of the freaks o.
fashion will illustrate the chara ,ter o. the times:
Madame Tslien, the beauty Of the Revolution, wore
gesh coored silk stockings with divided toes, each toe
being ornamented with rings and jewels.