The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-06
FASHION SIXTY YEARS 400.
The Time when Waists were shortest aud
Niurdorous Corssts were Unknown.


Prom Deroresrs illustrated Monthly.
sixty years ago this great city of new
York was "a moderate-sized town. Where now
dwells tho fashionable world was then an un-
broken country, with here and there the home
steads Of old Dutch farmer-, and what Is now
the heart OF the metropOlls:was then above the
confines even Of a fashionable promenade.
Ia those days the Battery was tue tavorite
rendezvous. and Broadway as far us the hos
pital the great thoroughfare. No one ever
thought Of walking north OF Canal street where
the boys skated on a good sized pond, aud Pearl
street was the fashionable quarter for resi-
Now, what did the ladies' wenr who in that
dead and vanished time picked their way daint-
ny over The rough pavement OF hrosdway' OF
danced at night in the Assembly Rooms1
From Mrs. H.. venerable dame who was her
self great belle in those early DAYS Of the CEN
tury have gathered full description of the
costumes and the fashions OF those by-gons
The earliest bali 10 which this lady ever went
was one given 10y the Dutch Minister to this
country IN lsl5. II took place at Castle Garden,
and W 8 held IN honor Of the entrance OF the
allies into Paris and the freedom of the Neither.
lands from the power OF the mighty conqueror
| Napoleon. II was called the Or.n ball, and in
honor of the occasion evorv lady displayed
orange color In some part OF her dress Mrs.
| d., who was very young NJ the time, wore sim
| nh white muslin dress. extremely scant In the
skirt and SO short wasted that tue belt WAS just
| below the armpits. On this she wore orange
coiored satin shoulder braces, form OF trim
| ming then much IN style. Broad ribbon was
crossed on the back and passed around the arm
holes, exactly ltse the braces used to str.ighten
STOPPING shoulders 1t was then twisted. about
the waist and tied IN a sash At the hsck.
| When this lady first made her d6Out into So
| ciety. the waists were at the shortest, and the
classic style, as 1t was called, the prevalent
| mode. And these excessively short waists
were disagreeable and painful to wear, ~ the
| belt passed across the swell OF the bosom, con
| timing It unplcasautly. A dress In those days
measured two YARDS and hail at the bottom Of
the skirt. aud wss ecred UPWARD until the little
fuilness that remained. WAS gathered in by a
| drawing string AT the neck.
These was one advantage about the .tyle-cor-
| sets were unk nOwn and no lady laced herself, as
the waist, and the more natural they were the
| more fashionable. Indeed, every pains WAS
! taken to show the lovely proportions Of the wo-
men OF those DAYS. and the revelations OF the
| niOderD pull back, are nothing to the lavish
display Of that period.
No vell-drcssed woman wore anything but
! White muslin winter and summer those ilimsy
| dresses were tl"als cut W III low or at most
! Ouiy halt-hiSh necks. Beneath them worn
| ouly one scant white petticost oven In winter
! flannel skirts were avoided bS the fa,rionables
No starch was put INTO either dress OF pettiCoat
/ ami some ladies, in order 10 make the material
| cling the letter TO the form one would think AL.
/ ready sufficiently revealed. actually had their
! dresses d IN. enc J. as the last finishing touch,
/ before siufting for bal Truly their appear
auce must have justiled a rhyme which was
| popular at that time;
Lode. fair this say garh dressed 10
Look Evc-llSe, aIgelllAe aud interesting.
One wonders that these bellies did not post
lively freeze to death In the long severe winters.
| The houses we're heated only by open wood
fires, stoves being almost unknown. And in
! rooms only half warmed these thinly-attired
| ladies' lived. Wore yet, the "modiste" length
| Of skirt was Just to the ankle bone, and silk
stockings aud slippers were the only covering
for the feet, even to walk on broadway In the
snow and slush Of midwinter, Pattens or cloes
tbev looked 3D. so old msidish that the gay girls
did not like to use them much.
There was one mitigation of the hsrdships OF
this dress-the outer garments in winter were
worn long, and Mrs. ID. describes her street cos
tune IN one Of those wears when she was a So
| cicty queen. over the white muslin fruck she
wore a long scarlet broadcloth pclisse. which
was fitted to the figure and commented with q
small cape. Her hat was very wide trimmed
made of white satin and crowned with ostrich
feathers.
white must have been rather troublesome, and
| asked II II was absolutely worn all the time
YES" Mrs ID. said, "for dress always, winter
and summer" When she was "A girl her mother
allowed her 10 have three muslin irocks week
In the wash for morning or homework French
calicOes were worn, but as they cost dollar a
yard, they were quite expensive. Every lady
had lso one dark ,lik to wear TO funerals or II
by chance the muslins were not In order.
1t was at this time when scantness Of drapery
was at Its extreme that Miss Patterson ~ arred
Jerome Ionaparte A cousin of Mrs D. was al
the wedding, and when asked afterward to des.
cfibe the brides toilet, replied " All the clothes
she had on could have put into my waistcoal
Her dress was OF such muslin, only richly
embroidered, and Of extremely fine texture, and
1t was said that beneath IL she wore but aslngls
OF course, when white was so UNIVERSAL,
adopted, any device was resorted TO IN order 70
give variety to the dress. various material:
were used null, Nainsook, bishops lawn, and
India muslin, which was extremely soft anC
delicate none OF these fabrics at all resembled
our modern organdie or SWISS as they wer,
neither sta nor wiry, sottness being requisite
OF style.
| There were devices for covering the neck
which fashion barred. Ihree-corneled handker
chiefs, of muslin or lace, and small silk capes OF
squares, were thrown carelessly over the shoul
. ders. A very fayorite wrap WAS the Lelerine,
cape with long tab ends this made 10
opera wear, In pink or blue silk trimmed will
swan down, and for the street Of black sill
, with rufes.
Gloves were worn long, very much as they arr
, to-day, except that instead OF buttoning all tn
way up, they were made with split only at tn
, wrist and fitted loosely on the arm. At the grea
quis de Lafayette the gloves made for the occa
, sion had a portrait OF tho Marquis on the back
Another bail which Mrs. ID. remembered will
Z pleasure, was one given in honor OF Gen. Scot
after the war Of 1872 was over. lt took plac
} about 1916 at the Assembly Rooms, which wer
decorated with flowers and flags. The companl
very fashionable one, and the dresse:
a some OF the most elegant that had ever bee
a | seen here.
@ Mrs. DIS own costume was an embrodere
muslin over pink silk slip, as IL was called, AM
- undeI dress cut scant anu maze OF rather films
material. The thin oyerdress was loOped wit
| roses, and she had wreath OF roses he
u | Mrs Cadwallader Golden, one OF tho soClet
!, queens Of that day. Mrs, Golden wore whit
Il satin frOck with long court tram OF green We
s V0t, fastened at the shoulders and sweeping /
? tho door. Lille DEvEREAUX BLAKE.
= What Bcecherism hns Done.
from he Methodist.
h A distinguished minister said in our pre-.
r | ence last week, " If matters 90 they hay