The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1872-02-22
IDAHO CITY THURSDAY. FEBRUARY %, 1872
AMERICAN ABsURDITIEs IN DRESS

How shocked would these ladies of our
first society" be, if they knew that the tor
turing and Informed shoes on whose still-like
heels they tilt and suffer. no Paris shopkeeper
would ever offer to lady. To suffer the ex-
cruciating pain of the Inquisition, to be Grip
pied for life for the sake of playing the French
lady. would be hard enough; but after such
martyrdom to be only like the demi-mOnde OF
the boulevards, is too bad. For more than two
years American women, especially young girls,
have walked the public streets with conspicu-
Gus chains and lockets, or Haunting bows OF
ribbon, attracting the attention of every pass
ing gaZer to their bare throats and dresses
open Occur, solacing themselves for the expo
siton by the thought that it was "perfectly
French" If SO, it was costume which no
French lady would wear on the public pave
ment. The dress of the French lady is artist.
ic, simple, fautless-faultless often because it
is simplicity itself She may wear brilliant
colors in her drawing room, and in her carriage,
never on the street. When she walks she
wears black or gray, and it never drags on the
ground. When she goes to church she wears
the same colors, is always attired in the SIM
plest manner. This is true also of Italy. In
the Sistine chapel. Rome, no lady can enter
unless attired in black, with no covering on her
Dedu DuU u ven Vi the Sdulc uuc. w Gull
trast to the church attire of American women !!
They are accustomed to think of themselves
rs perfect saints compared with Italian and
French women, yet they enter the House of
God as they would a theatre They don their
gayest plunage, hang on all their chains and
lockets, take off their kid gloves to show their
diamond rings in the sacred temple just as in
the Academy of Music Worse, they stare
and comment on each others costumes, and
absolutely make the church of worship place
in which to study fashions-this is not French
The same lack of fitness in dress is seen in the
utter disregard to age, as well as occasions, in
the adaptations of dress. The woman of thr-
ty or forty may be as beautiful as woman of
twenty, by her own right, If there is no incOn-
gruity between her years and her attire. 1t
is only when the woman OF forty dresses like
the girl of twenty that she looks absurd We
despise her, not for what she is, but for trying
to appear that which so palpably she is not.
A French married lady never wears round
hat; an English lady only in travelling; and an
English maiden never at church. Yet, every
where, American matrons, with faces lined
and Scared. may be seen with staring jock
eys, set on their gray heads like helmets, be-
nuwered ana beieathered, and more fantastic
than the ones worn by their little daughters of
ten; while the little daughter of ten may be
seen dancing at Dodworths in brocade silks
and lace collars, old and grand enough for
their grandmothers. Flannel and linen and
muslin are worthy of their princes and prin-
cesses abroad, but are by no means fine enough
for the little princes and princesses American.
All of which is not French though to be "per
ftctly French" has been the alpha and Omega
of our alphabet in dress. Plainly, we must
begin to learn it over again.