, 1870-06-05
SHOEBUCKLES.

FaAhion, although hs Whimsical 4nd nckle az
ever, seems to have exhausted heE powers Of
reduced to consulting her records and follow
ing their lead When hoops vent ont. cen
tu7y ago, they were succeeded BY the e. skimp,
ing, scutting robe, plaited, gored, and folded
to the shape, till the gentle inclination OF the
stomach and the swelling Of tho h'ps we're se-
c1inoline hss, in these later days, gwen way to
garments deeigned to ahww the complete out
line Of the female form diyine while ladies
braid up their hair Is ike the tail Of horse to
be sold ut fair, . and their apologies Ion bon
peta are modelled after the llead-Rear IN rogue
1t the same time when women were instructed
to ...
Snort l. on With q noNer, Fulgo dict a pompon-
Some dav, in tho good time 60 long coming,
fashion may possibly grow tired Of turning out
living lies,
With azure false, with face untrue,
Aud hair once other heads adornsng,
and create = novel sensation by hitting upon
styls of dress both ornamental and useful.
Meanwhile, We must be content to note her
vagarica in tho way OF revival There
aro E.mors abroad that she Intends
to take the tterner sex In hand, and
mako tur streets familiar with molcrnized
editions Of our -great-grandfathers, With
three-ccrnc1ed hats, powdered hair, swallow
tail coa.r, tiehta. ELK stockings, shoes md
buckles al! complete.
The last-nentienel articles have, in fact, NJ
ready taken tho iir1d. and promise to onco
more give nearing to the old nursery conplet;
One, :wo. buckle MY shoe.' The buckle is
q thing Of old Eenown; it was worn rs
fastener for Ill parts Of the dress Turing the
middle ages, and knights had to buckle to
thel- armor ere they buckled TO the fight.
We find buckles connected with foot-Sear
IS early as the fourteenth century, the shoes
Of skeleton OF that period, e1huned in re-
Land, bearing marks OF having been fastened
in ibis fashion; md buckle. appear upon the
long peaked shoes of Robert Attelath [who
died In 1850, ~ depicted upon his brass at
Lynn. During the earlier part Of the Tudor
times colored nbbons and ioees wero al the
rage as shoe decorations; the white favors OF
and Therefore Of fashion, too but long before
Catholic Mary ruled the land buckles we're
wornbyau classes, the supper circles" wearing
silrer and copper gilt, while less we'll do
folks sported copper buckles in their shoes.
Eizabeth's reign, there Is quotation from
The third chapter OF St. Matthew, making the
Baptist say he was not worthy to unbstckie tho
Savior's shoes, the passage being rendered in
the authorized version Of the Bible, "whose
ahoes l am not ToEthy to 6ear, although n
it giving the latchet Of whose shoea Am not
worthy to unloose'-A change Of word
expressive Of the change Of fashion
which took plAce in Tho reign Of the
first Stuart, when He!E,sk =. saSn g ,sans OF
Isee wild ctvilIty,
and beau1 delighted in double ailk laces, with
silver frinGes and tags while ties Of silk and
linen were worn BY less e1t1avasant drcssers {;
and the commenahty held there waa nothing
| like leather for shoe-fastener.
When Charles II. came to take hia easa upon
the throne, buckle. came into use again, except
| with the Puritans, who rrided themselves upon
sunptua1y simplicity. Although We find
no record Of the fact, It Wonla seem
cendancy il the following reign, since some
old fogy thought 1t necessary to relieve his
feelings, in the year 1853, BY printing the fol-
Loving indignant protest against hoe-buckles
"Certain foolish young men have lately
brought about new change in fashiou- They
have begun to fasten their shoes and knee
banda With huckloa instead Of ribbons, where
with their foTefathers were contant, and more
over, found them moro easy and convenient
md surely every reasonable man will own thoy
were more decent and modest than those new.
tangled, ,unseemly clasps OF buckles, as they cal
them, which will gal and vex the bones oi
these vain cn1combs beyond gu1eranoe, ant
make them repent Of their pride and folly
| We hope Ill grave and honorable person.
will withhold their countcnAnco from sucl
ct1etninnte and immodcst ornaments. I
|
thoughtless youths, in . solemn manner, thai
such things are forbidden in Scripture" Th'
immodeet ornaments exciting this old gentle
nuns ire were OF very modest dluan sions
resembling horse-bcan In size and shape
; and attached to strap at the instep Of tn
Some exquisitea couztcd notoriety by display
, / ing their independence; and about this tim
wc arc told = "notAble man" wore shot
strings with great success.
! Buckles held tlelr own nearly through th
I eighteenth century. At its commencement
, sAort-quartered, squarc-toed ehoes, with hiE
? heels and small buckles, we're considered Ii
e proper foot-geaz for gentlemen; and the Il
8 dies not to be outdone, fastened their clog
Q with silver buckles, oEns1nented with precior
o stones. In the then North American Colonit
the fashions Of the mother-count1y were ala
. iAhly obeyed, and mxu would not have bee
. allowed to remain in ballroom II be venture
to put his foot there without \ buckle; L
r fact, he would hare shocked the the compan
o II much Is II. Roland did the court Of Lon
. XVI, when the hoz1ided master Of the Ger
. monies e1claimed: 40 dear! he has !
e buckles to his ehoes!" and was comforted
y Dumouriers sympathidng reply % o ehoc
ing! We shall al be ruined and undone!"
n home, the buckle assumed every shape fan
J could suggeet, or e1tlsvaganse 4 asv1s
:, diamonds hunblie5 initatoEs wore past
;, Ike the hero OF the Bath Gs&de, who boast
n his buckles and box
~ In exquisite taste;
, The one Ia OF paper, the other OF paste
q Another fhvmer describes fop's understan
. ings to be dsting gu,ahed by
X So thin he csn1 venture 10 tread On . feather
1t Els buckles like diamonds must glitter and shiE
J. Should the5 e5 cost nfg pounds they would not
y And maccaroni Astonished the country fol
"a At the NhitahAven Assembly Rooms by .
pea1ing before their daxzled eyes in = mix
r. sllk coat, pink sain waistcoat, and breech
T. covered with IN elegant ailTes net, white 8
IA and lafge pearl buckles: ! munhroon-c
n o1ed stock, covered With fine point lac
II hair dressed remarkably high, and stuck t
I'll \ Of pearl p1na. Ihd Ladies' wore such Ia
.d square buckles that it 1aa said to be dif6c
ID 10 discover their little feet under the en
:: ned. In 1883, they went in foE lighter r
~ terial; for the cry then was "6traw! stra
II 1trzu! everything il o1nAmented with str
" from the cap to the ahoe-buckle! giving
Al would-be wits An opPortun Tor the ,petpet
n | ton Of Jokes moro pertinent than polite. ?
.! en- Of buckles was, however, drawing
Ok close: in 1888, shoestzings begin to AppeaE
q. buckles frum their pride Of place.
r. This was IN innovation OF dire cunfeque
uf | in GONG 4u2Ste1h- LIE tuAAuta6su9 ~
It long-re,sning buckle had grown, into N
tn porfant one, particularly in London, N1mi
q ham, Wslsall, and WolTerhalnpton. employ
M | in the list three places sulne twenty thnus
de hands Tho gradual displacenent OF book
,ili By reason OF the growth Of the most nd
ho lozs o1 aIl ridiculous fashions, the encrniI
sboe-st1ing," excited great alarm among u
o vhoee bEe1d depended upon the threate
~, manufacture. fn 1882 the leade1s Of
81 trade determined to ~ and enlist the u
encc Of the First Gentleman in Eutop
tity their behah. aeputa.ion from he u
.nd to the Prince Of Wales by Sheridan. They
lin resented that although the button interest
been cherished byp ypar1i&mentA1y assistance,
II did not ask foz psohihatorJ penalties aea
thoe strings, but merely desired the tpers'
sp- interference Of His Royal HiShnces, tsa
" that if Tbs staepation Of trade, caused by
patronage Of ehoe-st1iuSs and atpPe5s,
80, tinued, +" uiseriea, euligauons, and o
r. horrible couseqrences must ineyitably ens
1 III. BhetidAn huded their petition, declazin
pen had rarely met with sentences containing
ush Rs5.s1 h.ppy pr lssre to obse
ak that when Fashion, instead Of foreign or
aer. pSpdtAble ornaments, wears and consumes
ID manufactures OF this county, sha puts {
re.e more engaging form, and becomes patriot
When taste, It the same aine @ anu oy ne
tke rich, clothes and fills the naked ana h11l
MIN poor. ehe deserves ! vorthie1 appellstion,
MA nAy be STYLED humanity. We mako no d.
al but yous RoyA Highness viii prefer tho b
10 ingn Of the starving msnutaesurer 70 the
!, "a oomiuns Of the d1aw1ng;roon, Me 1no
StT she is void OF feeling, and deAf to =
J Eent; but, io1tUcat:l.. shs il s1e:.ss