The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-07-17
A LA MODE.
THE CURIOUS ORIGIN OF SEVERAL OLD
FASHIONS.

THE CURIOUS ORIGIN OF SEVERAL OLD
FASHIONS. .
Trace fashion to its origin, and you will
nearly always find that it springs from the
consciousness of defeat and wish to
mask it. The fatherland of crinoline is
Spain, and Spanish Queen first wore hoops
to dissimulate unequal hips. A Venus of
the Paris Bouevarde, who committed sui
eide by throwing herself over a balcony
few years ago. revived the high-heeled shoes
which Louis Quatorze originally brought
into fashion to appear taller than the King
of Spain at the meeting in the Isle of
Pheasants. A lady who derives prestige
from rank, fortune, and striking beauty
scalded her arm three Winters back. An
ugly mark bore witness to the accident.
She thought of wearing to conceal it those
long armed gloves, which, out of mercy to
the plebeian wives of Napolean's marshals
and generals, the Empress Josephine adopt
ed. The hats slanting down over the eye
rank losing her front hair. Queen Eliza
beth's neck was yellow and thin, hence the
"stiff muslin NAME" The double veil of
white and black tulle was contrived by
parliamentary woman" with Dad COM
plexion. She used pearl powder to hids>
her red skin, and the white and black veil
to dissimulate the pearl powder, which
would have shown on black net. An old
Partisan beau, with an experience of more
than half century of fashionable society
here and at the Continental gambling and
watering places, maintains that when
fashion is not traceable to deformity it
must have originated in the desire of
reigning or rising belle to crush rival.
Certain things now a la mode owe their
vogue to this cause. 1t is a young duchess
of the Faubourg St. German, intent on
wrenching the sceptrc of fashion from
waning beauty, who has brought about
afternoon dances and the new bonnet.
From front to back rim this bonnet is of
endless diameter. 1t is set on behind a
wreath piled up upon the spot where phren-
ologists tell US the organ of firmness lies,
and it defies madly the laws of gravitaton.
With it's trailing garlands it has a wild,
frolicsome look, which suits the giddy
spirit of youth. No pity has it for the
faded or "rejuvenated " hair; and it does
not lend itself to the stratagem of the
double veil of white and black tulle. 1t
only goes with barred face. Endeavoring
to let herself down easy, the mature queen
of fashion, whom this bonnet was meant to
dethrone, had recourse to artificial blossoms
of a russell tint, created entirely by her
fleuriste. She is now being driven into
her last entertainments. The fiat has gone
forth that at afternoon and garden parties
natural wreaths are to be worn. On re-
moving her light straw bonnet the danseuse
will still retain her floral crown. Those
flowers with which early Summer decks
the fields and gardens are suitable only to
bright fresh youth. This fashion, with
plain women predominating over pretty, is
sure to be ephemeral, and is not original.
1t was borrowed from one set by the late
Comtesse d'Apponyi when she wanted not
to hide defect, but to exclude from her
circle some financiers' wives whose visages
did not bear in the sunlight proximity to
natural flowers. The wreaths worn nearly
forty years ago at her garden parties in the
Faubourg St. German were mounted by a
Mile Barjou, who was supposed to have
discovered preparation which would keep
them fresh to the end of the fete. To one
of these afternoon dances the Comtesse
fusely garnished with real lilac flowers,
white lace scarf over lilac silk. A bonnet
to correspond was set lightly over a wreath
of Parma violets. The paragon and mirror
Girardin, the Tenth Muse, as she was
called. She appeared at one of the Com
tesse d'Apponyi's afternoons in sky-blue
gauze and daisies. She took feuriste
with her and little girl to Gull daisies
in the garden of the embassy. While
the latter gathered, the former composed
wreathes and bouquets, which were sup
piled fresh and fresh between the dances.
JoHNNY's ESSAY ON "THE ToDE.'-
Todes is like frogs, but more dignity, and
wen you come to think of it frogs is wetter.
The warts witch todes is noted for can't be
cured, for they is cronick, but if coudent
git vel Ide stay in the house. My grand
father knew a tods witch some body had
tanned til it was folks, Wen it's master
WISHED it would come for flies. They
cetches 'em with there tung, witch is some
like long red werm, but more like litenin,
only litenin haint got no gum onto it, The
fiji will be a standin rubin its hine legs to
gather and thinkin wat fine fiji it is,
and the tode settin some distance away
like it was sleep. Vile you are seein the
fiji as plane as you ever see any thing, all to
once it amt there. Then the tode he looks
up at you sollem, out of his eyes, like he
said watts become of that fiji ? but you kno
he ct it.