The national Republican., 1866-11-08
Ladies' Dresses I'm Paris-ls CrinO.
line Out of Fashion?

The correspondent Of the London Post OF
Paris, having received letters from some
ladies in England begging him to inform
them whether crinoline Is in or out of fashion
in Paris, writes in reply: .-s
al meet in the streets Of Paris, and some
times at an evening reception, toilet Of the
period Of the First Empire; shortwaisted,
and certainly there can be no crinoline or
iron-hooped anything under somewhat
scanty robe, such as Lady Jersey danced in
at Almack's in the days Of George ". You
SEQ the pretty feet, and some idea may be
arrived at as TO how nature has sculptured
the whole Of the graceful female form. At
the promenade in the Bois you meet with
ladies whose dresses gracefully respond to
the movements Of the frame; and certainly
there cannot be any cunningly conceived
substructure Of steel and textile substances
under that empire style Of costume.
II therefore conclude that there are ladies
OF fashion moving about in the most refined
society honestly without crinoline; but they
are not yet a majority. You find most ladies'
on the contrary, wearing dresses which spread
out at the bottom, and show train which be.
gins to be as long as those worn at court
From the waist downwards this ever-spread-
ing trailing robe must be supported by some
material Is it crinoline? Is it jupe in
another shape, or is it mass of clustering
under-cloth Of cotton or linen? How am /
to ind out that? have watched sublimely
grand ladies' get out Of carriage, under the
impression that the accident of events might
enable one to form pretty good opinion
about the presence Of crinoline. But no
Jupe-cdges ever turned up; the robe falls into
monotonous spread, trails on the ground,
and Is as irritating to surrounding human
M An Nll o,.,~1
tlemen have to dodge about in the drawing.
room, and the pathway of gardens and parks,
"1n the streets of Paris some ladies' wear a
dress which appears to be crinolneless, until
it suddenly and abruptly breaks out at the
bottom as if single hoop were emploved,
What is this !? A windy day at ..the seaside
might relieve ones doubling mind
strongly suspect this is the last ring-a hor-
nd cage. II crinoline is expiring it dies hard
in Paris. The ladies at the markets still
wear crinoline, and 80 do the ladies of the
kitchen, therefore / suspect crinoline is
lowering still about in all classes of society
Now, those interested in this momentou.
question will say, Why don't you 90 to the
fashion books for information2 Ask an au
dience OF Ne W, in the Rue dc Ia
Paix. Do you think You can say ANYTHING
positive after all this ? One magazine of the
fashions tells us: Taking our impressions
from certain high indications, we think we
may go so far as to declare that o gradual
abandonment of crinoline is taking place in
oil classes of society You then turn to the
colored plates and there you find dress
worn by lovel y creature, the bottom Of
which is occupying nearly the whole width
oi the plate. What keeps out its vast,
spreading proportions? If you ask me to
sum up, my answer is, believe crinoline is
only half out and something quite as bad is
half in. We are probably passing through a
period OF transition. 1t will be very inter.
esting for some time to come to look for the
day when humanity can write-Cr Crinolina
fuit."