Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1868-10-10
FOR THE LADIES.
RIDICULOUS WOMEN AT SARATOGA.

RIDICULOUS WOMEN AT SARATOGA.
The Grecian.bend Iudecency.
Correspondence New York Worldly
The nights are, more absolutely than
they ever were, devoted to follies the
most fascinating, and exhibitions Of
fashionable manners and attire so alb
surd, that it would seem as if the mod
istes had conspired together this season
to play MOI sirous joke upon their
patrons. The difference between fe-
male popinjay and lady is here defn-
ed by such curious and vulgar set of
peculiarities appersaining to the former
person that cannot forbear to describe
them. The body and waist of the dress
are remarkable in only one respect
the last is exceedingly tight, and the
former rather loose at the top and ex-
ceedingly low. 1t is below the waist
that what is monstrous in the costume
first attracts and then repels the eyes
of man. A hoop of moderate dimen-
sions, overspread with an underskirt or
two, and dress of whatever fabrics are
worn. Underneath the rear of this
hoop, just below the waist of the person
designated, is bound coil of wire from
two to three inches in diameter, which
''throws out" and elevates the upper
portion of the dress behind, and forms
the foundation, so to speak, of an ex-
terror protuberancc called The panier.
THE PANIER
Is hustle, more or less enormous,
upon which in successive folds or layers
gathered up, or confined by band en-
circling the dress from the stomach of
the wearer around and beneath, an ex-
ira skirt, reaching just below the postc-
rior, hangs, or rather "wobbles" to and
fro. The dress has train from four
to six feet in length.
THE POSTURE
Affected in order to set off this attire is
called the "Grecian Bend" a contor-
tion of the body which, as it is highly
improper in itself, find it difficult to
describe with propriety. High heeled
shoes dispose the wearer to incline for
ward, and high heeled CATERS are there
fore adopted by the "belle of the season"
She is thus the more readily enabled to
elevate her hips unnaturally behind,
enhancing the aspect of the pauier, to
contract her stomach, and to form an
S-like curvature of her upper shape by
thrusting out her chest, drawing back
her shoulders and bending forward her
head. The latter is crowned by hid
eous chignon, surprising by several
inches the thickness of the shallow
neither brain. .......
SUGGESTIVE OF A LAME KANGAROO.
So bent and deformed, the belle con-
strains her elbows against her sides
and, with horizontal forearms and little
gloved hands dangling from limp wrists,
tits painfully along. The profile of
such figure, and its ungraceful gait,
are irresistibly suggestive of lame
kangaroo When it is whirled and
tossed about in dance by fashionable
Jumping jack in black broadcloth, who
are here so numerous and so much alike
that you can hardly tell one from an
other, the sight-what with the bobbing
up and down of the woman's panier
and the agile sidelong leaps of the
jumping jack across the immense trail
piled on the hoor-is too exasperatingly
ridiculous for laughter.
THE INSIDE ARRANGEMENT.
1t has been confded to me by an ell
derly woman with whom I conversed at
a recent ball, that the distortion of the
shape known as the "Grecian Bend' is
quite painful and wearisome, and that
some girls adopt artificial contrivances
to aid them in preserving the posture
for several consecutive hours. "a belt
is fastened about the waist, under the
skirts From this belt, down either
side the hips, two straps furnished with
buckles descend, and are attached to
strong bands made fast around the
lower thighs. AS the buckles of the
straps are tightened, the hips are drawn
up and held Sin position This said
my amiable informant, ''is relief, Of
course, to only one part of the frame
The construction of the upper part has
to be preserved with no other aids than
the stays, and those often render it the
more difficult and tiresolne" al
A GRACIOUS EXPOSURE OF BUST AND
~ ss-i1 LIMB. -s
You perhaps notice another peculi-
arity about some of the ladies dresses
The bodies are not only cut very low,
but are SO far from clinging jealously
to the figure as to seem to challenge
the gaze. $50 gracious a condescen-
sion on the part of our bellies" contin-
ued the matron, in a tone tingling
with irony, "commends them, you will
surely admit, as far more honest aud
unequivocating set than the haunts of
fashion are used to boast of" And,
indeed, this claim might be founded
upon proofs even more striking than
the one alluded to. Nobody who has
hoon opfracool H. . eroofafor of