The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-02-03
BEL AIR. FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 1865.
The Revolutions of Costume in the course
Of a Century,

Of Century.
Revolutions in costume are periodical,
as are almost cevrything else in this world.
From the beginning of this century, when
dresses were reduced to their narrowest
proportions, they have gradually increased
in size till they have become so income
ly and uncomfortably distended that it is
neither safe nor possible to wear thenl.-
Of course this applies more to feminine
than to manly costume; but both are pro-
crossing in parallel line on the racing
ground of fashion. Sngularly enough,
the tendency towards disteusion regularly
coinc DIES with the progress of the century.
When a century, for instance, is in its
first years, civilized humanity seems to
feel young, and in no way eager to conceal
under pile of garments the beautiful
forms granted to the Chords of creation"
As the century advances 10 years, fashion
assumes natronly ideas and stately no.
tons quite unknown to the preceding gen.
Grafton Of beaur. And when the century
approaches towards its completion, then all
the resources, all the craft of millinery,
tailoring aud perfumery are brought to
bear on the means of dissimu!ating old
age and decrepitude. In the beginning
OF century man is not ashamed of him
self. With the sunny confidence of youth,
he walks in the streets md appears at as
semblies dressed as nearly as possible as
the man Of nature In the latter part of
the century youth itself seems to delight
IN assuming the appearance of old age
The examination Of any book of costumes
affords numberless illustrations of this in.
scrutable law of revolutions in dress, from
the middle ages down to our own time
Writing and preaching against fashion
have, In all cases, not only been perfectly
useless, but made the wearer more deter
mined to persevere in it, however un-.
seemly, ridiculous, or even dangerous to
wear. Some days ago, three,o the demi.
monde, dressed in the light garments worn
at the beginning of the present century,
appeared in the garden of the Tuilleries,
and caused, as it may be imagined, an im-
mense sensation. But they were not al.
lowed to enjoy long the benefit of being
stared at in wonderment, by the promena.
ders OF the Partisan garden. Authori y,
under the form of three-coruer-h hated
sergeant de vile, expelled them from the
fashionable garden. 1t appears that each
of them had adopted one of the colors of
the French tri-color. The question is to
know if the ladies were expelled for want
OF respect for the French flag, or for their
bold protestations against the prevailing
fashion introduced by the Spanish lady
who reigns at the Tuilleries There is 40
fear that such an attempt will be repeated
in Hyde Park, for the simple reason that
no lady would dream of making such ex-
p,riments in public.
Mems costume is naturally less ex-
aggerated in form than the dress of the
fair sex. 1t is also slower in its secular
development. Hats, for instance, al
though from time to time slightly modi-
fed in type, keep during a century the
same general form. The 18th century
was condemned to the ridiculous three cor
nered hat; the 18th is doomed to the still
uglicr chimney pot Gen. Foy, writing
on military costume, considered it an i'm
mense boon for the soldier the superseding
of the breeches by the trowsers. lie held
that the suppression of the garter gave
much more easiness to the movements of the
leg. But the opinion of Foy is no longer
partaken by the French military authori,
ties, since irresistibly drawn in the circle
of revolving fashion they have come back
to breeches and leggins for French Iufan-
try A similar attempt made by the vol
unteers in England is very likely to lead
our sons, in given time, back to the COS
tune of fathers. As it is, We may fairly
expect that the prevailing fashion of enor-
mously distended dresses is to prevail dur
ing the rest of the century in spite of all
its perls and its ugliness. Our grand
mothers had the doors of their houses
raised and enlarged to allow the introduce
ton Of their head-dresses and their hoops.
Until such alterations have been largely
practiced in eur constructions, carriages,
theatres, ball rooms, &C., there is no
chance of seeing the taste for the present
bell-shaped dresses diminish or begin to
disappear. Observer.