The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-04-21
...r.-.cv 3. French ra.hIsn.

s.preuacy Of French Fashiss.
The French have been. u not from time immortal
certainly from the earliest memorial times. Win,
which their history Il connected the eaders 10 iasn
ion They were the first TO breaches They WEIR
the Trans Alpine Gauls Of the Roman age. ana sery
different from those more submissive people, tne
CHS. Alpine Gauis who were called Gdifinsogatd'
because they adopted, along with the Roman yoke
the Roman te9a who yielded to the Roman tash'
ION as well as the Roman authority The Trans.
Alpine Gaus. however received distinctive names,
which not only mark them as the originators OF
remarkable STYLES Of dress, but being too indie
nendent to adopt the livery Of their conquerors,
on whom. In time, they forced their own Aabits.-
They were called Gailia eoma,a because they wore
,onr hair. and Gaiiia braccata because they wore
brcechss, which the Romans did not use. When
Cnsar. or some other of the renowned Roman hili'
busters. brought some of the breeched Ganis 10
Rome to be exhibited in his triumph. the citizens
of the Capitol were much amused with Them anu
INDUCED many jibes and jeers at their EXPENSE,
which. from their national vanity and priae u
dress, we may conclude was gall and worni"oou
to these Gaus.
II Is little singular that these inVen'o !"
brooches should also be the authors OF 'he san
law which in fact interdicted women rom 'AA.s
possession of the pants II was an aoominaoie
iaw-we saw II. ladies' in justice to the se2-ana
was framed. II is said, by four men with names
b;oh,v apnronr;ate TO their barbarous characters,
viz. Arooast Bodogast Salogast and Windigast !!
Thu world vvould indeed stand aghast were such
l.w.o;vers TO appear in this enlightened age Males
v.-s alone by their code, considered capable OF
managing inheritances, and women could not sue
ceed to them This law even extended to the
throne. and with regard to 1t prevails now-no
queen of France being allowed to rule unless she
does so indirectly, which some times has been the
case, showing the wonderful influence and capacity
OF woman.
The taste for style and dress beginning at so early
an age, has grown and improved with time until
now the descendants of the breeched and long
haired barbarians of Trans-Alpine Gaul, set the
fashions for the civilized world.
In all its departments they WELD the sceptre of
the Empire of Fashion. They can decorate with
the most elegant taste the head which they will
cut off without conjunction Passion for art rises
above their humanity. They would devote more
care to decorating the foot and imparting to 1t a
sort grace which may be called enchanting, than
they would to the trial of for life; and they
would possibly feel less frustrated at the taking off
of head than they would at the destruction of a
pair of wellshaped delicate slippers that are to
adorn the other extremity The labor and art
that is expended upon this article of Dress may be
seen BY examining lot of French boots and shoes,
imported by ALEXANDER HILL of this city, which
we may incidentally refer to in corroboration.-
The Frenchman does nothing by halves, from the
most important to the most inconsiderable of his
fabrics he bestows the same care, the same par
ticularity of art. The Queen of French Milliners
cannot exhibit a greater delicacy of taste and
handiwork than is displayed by the Napoleon OF
Partisan shoemakers, who is proud of pair Of
new ties CATERS as was Bonaparte of his great
est victories. Their shoes are objects of study
aud we would prefer to see them sold here to the
clogs of Lynn and other fanatical towns of the
North.
If we were technically learned in ladies dresses
we could discourse of the lovely designs and ex.
qusite harmonies of outline, texture and color OF
| the French Patterns. Indeed, every thing of per
sonal adornment, whether for head or heels, that
comes from the French artist, at glance, estab.
| fishes his prominence in matters of style and
| taste. There is mysterious temporal influence
swayed by some invisible potentate of Fashion in
Paris which the world is unable to throw of, if il
were disposed; but which it seems to like too well
to attempt to get rid Of 1t is a sway more extern
| sive and complete than ever was attained by the
greatest conquerers, and power of which those
neither integuments of Gallia-braccata were the
| nuclei, whose potency Cesar never dreamed of
| How he would have envied them could he have
| foreseen their destiny Alas that the dominion
for which the greatest conquerors have struggled
in vain, should be achieved by pantaloons!