New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-08-19
ANEcnoTEs oF Fashion.

A volume on bnlG SuDJecb mlSlt He uidue Sery
curious and entertaining. for our ancestors were
not less vacillating, and perhaps more capri
ciously grotesque, though with infinitely less
taste, than the present generation. We're a
PHILOSOPHER and an artist, as well as an anti
auary, to compose such q work, much diversified
entertainment and some curious investigation
If the progress of the arts and taste, would
doubtless be the result.
The origin of many fashions was in the en-
deavor to conceal some deformity of the IN
yeutor hence the cushions, rufs, hoops and
other monstrous devices
Patches we're invented in England, in the
reign Of Edward VI, by a foreign lady, who
thus ingeniously covered a wen on her neck.
When the Spectator wrote, full b0ttomed wigs
were invented by a French barber, one Duviller,
whose name they perpetuated, for the purpose
Of concealing an elevation in the shoulder Of
the Dauphin Charles VII. Of France intro
duced long coats, to hide his ill-made legs
Shoes with very long points. full two feet in
length, were invented by Henry Piantagenet,
Duke of Anjou, to conceal large excrescence
on one of his feet.
Others, on the contrary, adopted fashions to
set off their peculiar beauties-as Isabella Of
Bavaria, remarkable for her gallantry and the
fairness Of her complexion, introduced the
fashion Of leaving the shoulders and part Of the
neck uncovered
Fashions sometimes originate in some tenn
porary event, Us after the battle of Steenkirk,
where the allies wore large cravats, by which
the French frequently seized them Ia circum-
stance perpetuated on the medals of Louis
XIV, cravats were called Steenkirks; and
after the battle of Families, wigs received that
denomination.
In the year 1875 the men had no hats, but a
little chapsau de bras; in l745, they wore a
very small hat; in 1856, they wore an enormous
one, as may be seen in Jeffrey's curious sCol-
lection Of Habits in all Nations" Old Putten-
ham. in his very rare work, The Art of Poe
sie,'' page 239, on the present topic, gives some
curious information: " Henry VIII. caused his
own head and all his courtiers to be polled, and
his beard to be cut short: before that time it
was thought more decent, both for old and
young, to be all shayen, and weare long hare
either rounded or square. Now again at this
time (Elizabeth's reign) the young gentlemen OF
the court have taken up their long haire trayl-
ing on their shoulders, and think this more dea-
cent for what respect / would be glad to
know
It is observed by the lively Vigneul de Mar
vile, that there are fragrant follies in fashion
which must be endured while they reign, and
which never appear ridiculous till they are out
Of fashion In the reign of Henry III. Of France,
they could not exist without an abundant use
Of comfts. All the world, the grave and the
gay, carried in their pockets q comyft-6or, as
we do snuff boxes They used them even on the
most solemn occasions When the Duke of Guise
was shot at Blois, he was found with the comft-
box in his hand.
Fashions, indeed, have been carried to 80 ex-
trayagant length as to have become public
offence, and to have required the interference
of government Short and tight breeches were
so much the rage in France, that Charles v. was
compelled to Danish this disgusting mode by
edicts, which may be found in Mizeray. 1t is
curious that the very same fashion was the COM
plant in the remoter period of CHANGER.
In.the reign Of Elizabeth of England the re-
verse of all this took place; then the mode of
enormous breeches were pushed to most
laughable excess. The bucks of the day
stuffed out their breaches with rags, feathers,
and other light matters, till they brought them
out to most enormous size. They resembled
the WOOL packs, and in pubic spectacle they
were obliged to raise scaffolds for the seats OF
these pondrous beaux. To accord with this
fantastieal taste, the ladies invented large hoop
farthingales. The two lovers could have surely
never taken one another by the hand aside. In
the preceding reign of Mary, the fashion ran on
square toes; insomuch that proclamation
was issued that no person should wear shoes
above six inches square at the toes Then sue
ceeded picket-pointed shoes.
The nation was again. in the reign Of Eliza
beth, put under the royal authority g In that
time," says honest John Stowe, g he was held
the greatest gallant that had the deepest ruff
and longest rapier; the offense to the eye Of the
one, and hurt unto the life of the subject thai
came by the other. This caused her Majesty
to make proclamation against them both, anG
place selected grave citizens at every gate, tt
cut the ruffes, and break the rapier points o.
all passengers that exceeded yeard in length
of their rapiers, and q maybe Of yeard in deptl
Of their rnfes.'
shameful extravaganza in dress has been
most venerable folly. In the reign of Richard
III, the dress was sumptuous beyond belief Si
John Arundel had change of no less thai
fftyt new suits of cloth of gold tissue
Brantome records of Elizabeth, Queen of Phil
III, of Spain, that she never wore o gown twice
A buck Of the reign of Henry " has bee
made out by the laborious Henry. 1 shall onl
observe, that they wore then long pointed shoes
to their knees with chains. Luxury improyin
on this ridiculous mode, these chains the Eng
lish beaux Of the fourteenth century had mad
Of gold and silver but the grotesque fashio
did not finish here; for the tops of their shoe
were carved in the manner Of church window
The ladies Of that period were not less fantas
teal
The wild variety Of dresses worn in the reig
of Henry VIII is alluded to in a print of q make
Englishman, holding piece of cloth hanging o
his right arm, and pair of shoes in his left han,
1t was invented by Andrew Borde, a faoetious W
of those days. The print bears the following il
scription:
"I am Englishman, and naked stand lere,
Musiug in my mind what rament shall were
For now will were this and now will were that
And now will were what cannot tell WHAT
At lower period, about the reign of Eliz
beth, We were presented with curious pictu
of man Of fashion. / make the extract fre
Puttenham's very scarce work on ''The Art
Poesie.'' p. $50: g May it not SCENE enough
courtier to know how to weare q leather a
set his cappe aAaut; his chain en- echarp
straight buskin, Ia h.glese; loose a
IMrqae; the cap la Spdniola the breecl
Ia Ffdacoise; by the twentie manner of ne
fashioned garments, to disguise his body and
face with as many countenances, whereof
seems there are many that make a very q,
and studio, who can shew himselfe most fine
will not say most foolish or ridiculous"
that beau of those times wore in the sa
dress mixture of all the fashions in the wor
Eliza Cooks Journal.
- 1T -
kxVt>. u 49, IL.