Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-07-11
Dress as n Fine Art.

phoses to the mind that anmates the bodies thus
masked and hidden Vanity and love of change
from the time that Eve twisted flowers among
the flo leaves and set the fashions for the young
antediluvan maidens of some twenty summers
What clue TO the manners Of people, their re-
igion the climate. the country in which they live
and from whence they came, OF their freedom,
their wars, their conquests, and their slavery J.
The Highlander still carries the Roman target,
wears the adaptation Of the toga fastened by the
Roman brooch, the Phrygian cap is on his head
and the Roman crossed quarters are represented
in his cheaquered stocking. The initiative Saxon
seems to have derived from the same conquerors
their robes and arms: Asiatic cap, the Asatc
double headed axe, and the Asiatic shield. The
Norman knight wore the closed visor of the Ro-
man gladiator, and the shield Of the Graoco-R Ro-
man. From the East the Crusaders borrowed the
long tunic over their armor, the paricolored scarf
wreathed round the helmet, and the scimitar- like
fachion.
But with all its change, dress falls into a few
simple divisions, into which we are unconscious
ly perpetually recurring. If men widen their
sleeves they 90 back to George the Second
they tighten them to far earlier date widen the
brim Of the present hat, and put il feather, and
you have the Spanish sombrero ofVandyke's reign
pin up the brim and you have the cooked hat
take to cap. and you fall back to the flat bonnet of
Elizabeth's reign-widen the band, and you have
the rich ornament of Eizabeih's courtierS: turn
down the top of the boot, and you have Charles
the Second 5 "wear"-render the top immovable,
it becomes the fashionable boot of the last half
century, or the farmers boot of today.
Oneof the most curious features in the history
of dress is the vitality of the most absurd fashions,
and their lingering for centuries among the peas
antry, long after they are superseded in court
Our own country has some curious instances of
this. The garb of the old Thames watermen,
still occasionally visible in the streets, is that OF
the Elzabethan boamen, even 10 the brass badge
which was then worn by every retainer. The
Blue coat boys rejoice in the semi-monastc robes
of the age of Edward vi, the young founder OF
their school: and the charity school girls of the
city wear the plain mob cap and long white gloves
of Queen Anne or the earlier Georges. The shoul-
der knot of the modern iootmen was once the badge
of high military rank. The stage smuggler struts
in the common sailors dress of the William OF
Orange era. The blue coat of the butcher re
minds US of the distinctive dresses ofthe old guilds
The university dress of the present year varies
| little from that worn soon after the Reformation,
except that the square cap has stltfened and wld-
ened, and the falling collar has been clipped into
tradtionary bands. The Judges Golf is curious
absurdty borrowed from the silk cap worn by mon
kish lawyers to preserve their shaven heads from
the draughts of the courts. The wigs introduced
from France by Charles H.. are retained by the
same Judges, by barrlsers and coachmen. Our
footmen still exult in that power which gave a
heightened ustre to Reynolds beauties. The
gipsy hat Of the same period is worn by the mar
| l. a. ,c onl ohs, nv,
wear the deep tapped wastcoats and knee breeches
of George III, and the snock OF a very early age
and one is sure to meet in days walk in Lon
don. the Hessiau boots or tight pantaoons so fash
ionabIe during the youth of the Regent. The
Beefeaers at the Tower wear the costume of Hen
ry the Seventies body guard, and our grooms the
doubtlet of James |.
Though we have been always borrowers of
other nations fashions, even we sober English
have run strange lengths Look at the topping
Richard the Second, in Polish shoes with toes a
yard long, tied up 10 the knee with silver chains
and then in Henry the Fights time, the broad
shoe widened agian to halfa-yard, slashed and
padded like small cushing. ln Henry the SiXth's
time it was considered ''the thing" 10 forests
of feathers nearly three feet broad and sweeping
to the ground and little earlier dresses were
partY per pale, of two colors,--a favorite attire
which d ed out very slowly. Then came sleeves
Jagged at the edges like leaves, and reaching from
mans wrist to the ground.
The diseases of kings have been the origina-
tons of fashions "a bald king rules and all his
people shave,-a equity mona.ch establishes the
beauty of wide shoes. Scandal does say an un-
fortunate princess iugeniously invented hoops.
The most picturesque period of chvalry was
the golden ign of Edward the Third, who him
self realized half the dreams knightly romances.
The rich steel armor glancing through embroider
ed surcoats, the siken wreath twisted round the
helmet or streaming behind it, the bright feathers,
the jeweled belt, sword hlt, and dagger-sheaih, J.,
the gided housings of the charger,-the color
ed penon fluttering from the lance, must, when
seen in thick squadrons have been a gorgeous
sight ;-and never were utility and splendor so
thoroughly blended in the same attire.
The Vandyke dress comes next in point of pic
turesque grace and capabilities Of contrast. The
broad Spanish hat, with its rich jewelled band,
its Clasp Of precious stones, or its string pearls
the cloak, capable of thousand variations of
brightness and shade, from mass of broad, rip
ping daylight to Spagnoletto gloom-tho doub-
let fitting the form without ridiculous compress
sion-the rich lace collar, rather feminine TO on,
eyes, did not the polished steel of the breast piece
plealn through us IG6LWOIk-lHe lui IOpSHiou HOo0
and the small shoe with the rosette Of ribbon, con
stute dless that delights the painter and the
poet.
The nations of Europe have always Stunned
the rich fower-b bed of colors in which their Asi-
attic kiusmen delight. The Turk rejolces in the
primitive coors-rich reds, blues, and yellows-
the Englishman in nsipid neutrals-lilacs, bufiS
and browns. The warmer the country the richer
the taste for colors-very observable in Venice,
so eastern in its associations, where houses. peo
pie, and buildings form bright mosaic of inter
mngliug hues, relieved by the deep harmonious
uuies the sky and the sea. We were gay as
butterflies in Charles tbs Seconds time To what
have we now fallen, when solemn, dull, under
take-lke black has clouded every hue, and we
walk about incarnations of iron necessity and re-
morsless utility !-.albion.
REVOLUTION IN BooT AND SHOE MAKING.
The Cleveland Herald says that few days
since, in Utica, N. Y. number of Frenchmen