, 1877-09-23
WHO SET TEE FASuIONS3

= - -
Lucv Hocptra Purts Letter to Phadelaia Telegraph.
/ have seen mentioned in the American papers
report that Worth intended to revive short
dresses for street wear. The fall fashions show
no trace Of such an innovation. wish he would,
most heartily, am sure, Us the present style OF
long skirts is extremely trying when complie=lt-
I'd with muddy pavements- But doubt his
power, even if be has the will He does not set
the fashion, this great man-1ressmaktr, hut
must be content with following it. H. has
wagcd q fierce but as vet unsuccessful war
against the pin-back,. declaring, truly, that
women stripped up and pinioned till they could
neither Sit stoop, nor reclne at ease. we're dc
prived OF their natural grace and style, aud
were denominations to behold. For he
really has exquisite taste, and if he did
set the fashions he would probably dress
womanknl far better than they arc now array
ell BY the caprices of blind popular will. For
WHO does set the fashions after ala All! there's
the rub. Nobody knows. Chance sometimes,
as when in the days OF Louis XIV the fair
eled curls by tying ribbon around her head;
or US, in our own time, when the approaching
advent Of Prince and 4 Princess (thc French
Prince Imperial and the English Beatrice) led
two Queens to adopt criuotinc, snd so made a
revolution in the Carb Of ali the women in the
civilized world. It is indeed said that certain OF
the great dressmakers and ulillincrs meet to-
gether twice year in solemn couclavc, and de-
eide unOn what is to be worn the coming season,
drawings being prepared OF the new styles, and
patterns furnished of the newly-1nan,,ta. .tnred
stuffs, Thus, at given moment, every leading
house in Paris is prepared to show the fashions
Of the season, and, but for the notifications
and rctinements introduced By Individual taste,
thcy are all pretty much alike. But the le1nl-
nine public sometimes turns restve, and will
have Hone Of certain style specially prepared
for the captiyatton Of its drcssy members
Time aud again some carcfn}ly-gotten-up effect
will be utterly nuliidcd By the positive refusal
OF fashionable womanhootl to have anything 10
do with it. Thus, some years ago. an attempt
was made to revive changcabc silks but in vain.
The silks were manufactured, AMI tcmotlnE
dresses were composed of them, and some of
the prctticst women in Paris showed them
selves in the new fashion; but it would not !
"takcn So, too. did Worth, a year or two ago,
att cmpt to introduce silks brocaded with little
tlats. Even the Empress Eagenic, when In the |
very zenith of her glory, tried in vain to bring
heavy broca1e5 into vogue. And these caprices
are wholly unaccountable. Sometimes the |
demi-monde will start d new style which will be I
eagerly aud universally adopted, Such was the !
cue with white-nct vcils for INSTANCE, to say !
nothing Of the once universal custom OF ladies' |
driving themselves in pony phaetons. Then. !
again. the mere adoption by that set OF q new |
fashion kills it at once. Such was the fate III |
Paris OF the Gafnsborough hat, which the fash |
lonablcs refused to adopt because It was SO t
widely popular with ces danes. So England
and the United States got the benefit OF that |
dashy though picturesque fleadgeur.