The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1876-04-20
aERT ATTIRE.
Hes fhe Belles y sereasg reara 400 we're
nressaA


crate sired town. From Mrs, ID, ven
reable dame Who was herself great bell
Ii these early days Of the century,
have gathered full description 81 thl
costumes and the fashions Of th0se BY
gone times
The earliest bali u which this lads
ever went was one given ~ the Dutch
minister 70 this country In 1915. III tool
place At Castle garden, and was held ii
honor Of the entrance of the allies into
Paris and the freedom Of the Netherlands
from the power Of the mighty oonqueror,
Napoleon. II was called The Orange
ball. and in honor Of the occasion every
lady displayed orange color in some part
Of her dress. Mra ID, who was very
young at the time, wore d simple white
muslin dress, extremely scant in the skirt
and 10 short-waisted the belt was Just
below the armpits. On this she wore
oranga-colored satin shoulder braces, a
form of trimming then much instyle.
Broad ribbon was crossed on the back
and passed around the arm-holes, exactly
like the braces used to strengthen stoop-
ing shoulders; ii was then twisted about
the waist and tied III a sash at the back.
When this lady first made her debut
into society the waists were at the short
est, and the classic STYLE" as it was
called, the prevalent mode. And these
excessively short waists were disagreea-
bic and painful to wear. A dress ia
those days measured two yards and |
half at the bottom Of the skirt, and was
gored upward until the little fulness that |
remained was gathered in by drawing
string at tha neck. ....
There was one advantage about the
style-oOrsets were unknown and no lady
laced herself, as only the outlines of the
figure appeared below the waist aud the
more natural they were the more fash
ionable. Indeed, every pains was taken
to show the lovely proportions Of the
women Of those days, and the revelations
Of the modern "pull.back are nothing
to the lavish display Of that period.
No well dressed woman wore anything
but white muslin winter, and summer
those aimBy dresses were always out with ,
low or at most only halEhigh necks. Be.
meath them was worn only one scant
white pettiooati even In winter flannel
skirts were avoided BY the fashionables.
No starch was put into either dress or !
petticoat, and some ladies, in order to ,
make the material cling the better to !
the form one would think sufficiently re-
vealed, actually had their dresses damp .
ened as the last finishing touch before
starting for ball. Truly their appear 1
lnce must have justified rhyme which ,
was popular al that time: =
Ladies' fair this gay garb dressed in l.
Look Eve-like, angel-liise aud interesting" :,
One wonders that the bellies did not
freeze 10 death in the long Sc
fere winters. The houses were heated
,nly by open wood fires stoves Icing Ill !,
most unknown Aud ID rooms only half
warmed, these thinly-attired ladies lived.
Worse yet, the moiiste length or
kirt was just to the ankle bone, and \
ilk stockings and slippers were the only n
oveEing for the feet, even to the walk In c.
Broadway in the snow and slush of mid n
Tinter. Pattens OF clogs might be put Il
n 10 10 cut of an evening, but they h
cooked 10 "old-maidish that the gay Ii
iris did not like to use them much. es
There was one mitigation of the hard b,
hips u this dress-the outer garrnAnts vi
n winter were worn long, and Air. u. m
eserilea her street costume In one al n
hose yean when she was a society queen. IA
ives the white nluslin lfock Me wore i OF
ing scarlet broadclosh peiise, which b
i'm fitted 10 the figure and crnamensed b,
-ith D small care Her bat WA very ii
.ide.brimmed, made oi white satin and oi
rownod with ostrich feathers. tv
II Waa II this time, when scantiness 81 NJ
Fapery Waa a III extreme. that Mis- IN
'atteraon married jerome Ronaparte. A II
ousin u Mn n nas Ill the wedding, VI
M when asked afterWapi u describe II
No brides toilet replied "All the n
lothrs he had lib could have put into "
" Waistcoat pocket Tier drew WA n N
luaiin, richly embroidered, and ~ n