The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-12-28
Motives for Dress.

There is good deal more truth than
poetry in the following article from Har.
per's Bazar. We do net look for de-.
nunciations OF tho fashions 10 a fashion
journal but the rage for winnings,
which, as the Bazor says, add nothing
to the comfort or beauty of women's
dresses, has reached pitch which no
sensible person can defend
The primary motives for dress--pro.
lection and decency-have become quite
secondary, and we doubt whether the
followers of fashion, at least of our time,
give much heed to the comfort or be.
comingncss of their hablimcnts. Sim.
plicity, indeed and ease are nowadays
characteristic Of the ordinary dress Of
civilized men, who, as Carlyle has some-
where said, contents himself with series
Of loose sacks, with which he clothes sue
cessively his body and limbs.
1t is to be feared that woman has not
fully kept pace with man in his judicious
reform Of costume during the last few
years. She is certainly not averse to
change, for she so often modifes her style
OF dress that she is hardly discerni5le az
tho eano woman 70. two nno".Ls tos tho..
She, however, throughout remains con.
slant to the old baroaric principles Of
costume, and holds to bits of feather,
paint. bright colored stuffs and jingling
trinkcts with all the tenacity of an In
dian queen.
To attract notice seems tho motive, in
first instance, Of female costume. Hence
it's brlliancy of tint, it's expansiveness
its fullness Of contour and its flowing
sweep. Thus filling the eye and fixing
the attention, the next purpose comet
into play-that of displaying quality and
costliposs. Women, who are said tc
dress more for each other than tho malt
sex, are especially observant of the ma
terial worn, and estimating its price
appreciate it accordingly. In their eyei
that woman is apt to be regarded as tbt
best dressed who is the most expensively
so. Four.ffths Of the cost of the fash
ionnble female costume are expended fol
what may be regarded as non.essentiats
as they do not contribute in the least t,
decorousness or comfort. The exeessiv
fineness of the material, the profuso us
Of it in building the numerous and ex
tensive outworks Of the fashionable
womans dress, the abundance Of lace
ribbon and other trimmings and appen
dages, are only for the purpose of maxim
apparent the expensiyeness, SO that tn,
wearer's pride may be gratifed by il
exhibition TO the wondering eyes Of he
own sex. What principle OF taste ca
Justify the heaped.up superAuities of tn
female dress in vogue? What o!he
possible motive than to show the abund
ant money and the readiness to spend
of the wearer can there be in tackin
whole folds of costly material, almost g
it comes from the yard stick, to the dral
! Cling skirt of woman's dress' Whi
is there but the love Of costliness in th
preference of dirty handmade lace. s
cherished by women, to the cleanlier an
neater, if cheaper, work Of the loom
OF what possible use can one hundre
dollar handkerchief be but to serve as
ticket to display the prices
Those half barbaric women of Turke
who hang rows.of sequins about the
!. necks and entwine them in their ha
show the same desire as our iashionab
DANES to display their wealth in the
costume. but have a more sensible WI
of gratifying it, for they do not was
their money by the operation.