, 1877-10-07
LOW-SECkED DRESSES.


Earue,'s EG-0r.
It is mystery how any fashion SO lileous o
SO ulanleanng as the modern low dress ere
came in. It. infallinly diminishcs the height
There was no1hing approaching it in baroness O
design, in poverty OF invention or opportunities
for inlcccncy in the days Of the finest COS
tumcs,-I had almost said in any previous age
There hayG been many corrupt fashions, but
they hare hecu almost always picturesque ones.
III the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
the women were sufficiently dcco!ttfe Tor such a
book to be Published as = Just and Seasouabie
Rcprchc1,slou Of Naked Breasts and Shoulders, -
with preface by Richard Baxter; and they were
as bad in tho eighteenth century; buI then, II
dress was not high behind, the arms were cover
ed 10 the clbow,-the whole effect Sas not SO
sranty and t|eshly as the modern low neck and
back, and sflouldcr-straps.
This last fashion mist have been introduced
gradually. Some leader OF fashion who had
beautiful shoulders thought it Il pity they should
bloom unseen, aud may iiaye pushed down the
1irh dress accordingly. Well, if you are not
sly about exposing your neck. dress pushed
open loosely is not ugly; far from it. There
would be folds naturally falling in pretty
form. nearly norlzontally Probably at first the
a,,ual shoulder joint was hidden; tlcn as the
rage for s.lit1isplay Increased, aud as tic ladies
c;nulatcd each other III it, the dress got to be
entirely off tic shoulder, AMI possibly the false
horizontal pleats round the shoulders Of our
t,r Ill imitation, Of the natural folds. Then tho
t;i;c!I,ri>nr urcsslnakcr soon ycaraed tor q
cllaunc Of garment, and the loose berthe grad
rally hardened into the plain, tight. low bodice,
with i still hlrcr aud more un1neanipg tucker
:cwii in tonce the close cl,c1nise). run through
with black string, from wi.ll We SO long have
suffered. The sleeves shruuk shorter aud
s;le.rter IRON the elbow rich with rulilcs to the
round t,ell sleeve, then ~ degenerate variations
oi It, till ii narrowed into In4er-widc founda-
letestabc strap.
-Arai'l. observe the unmcanngncss OF the low
TX fashion. Our mothers wore low dresses
and bare urms all day long. They knew it their
shoulders and arms were beautiful, they would
oui1 as well by daylight rs by candle light: if
], their daily occupations the English climate
would not temper its winds to the snorn lambs
u limbs Of fashion. they tucked in kcrchief,
,r fastened on lour sleeves in the morning.
Nily, the serraiit- maids wore low dresses. too
1t th1t time. There was some sense then IN
throwing or the kerchitt in the evening, when
:here was nothin. harder to be done than chat
.inC i'll q warm dTaWiug-rovfH, and exposing So
much Of the body as it was fashionable to dis
play. 1t was not uHncauiug then In those
days people were only just recovering from the
cl1ssic mania, aud were worshiping mock sim
plicity-
t5ut noy, when the low neck is used for moth
:nE but display, it were well to ask what one
oas 10 pluy. and whether the effect is pleas
NJ. before lAmdIy accepting a bad fashion.
We ART a. Tue present cav adhcrlnE 10 form
whose motive aud spirit departed seventy years
ago; wt llayc lost its few merits, aud returned
It's dout1ul delitscv, and added au usl:ne5s Of
DUR uWil, which our grai!dmulhcrs were quite
INNOCENT of. The crinolincs superseded all our
atter::on 10 posture: while ol1r long 1rairs
Klicn c:n hardly Look inc1cgant even on clumsy
persons, make small ankles or thick ones
s.atter Of little moment. We have become iuex-
oressibly sloyen1y. We no longer study how to
Ealh perhaps the most difficult OF all actions to
~ gracefully Our fashionable women stride
Ind loif i'll open defiance of elegance, il they
oatrunlze c.1noine. they jump coguettishly in
}icir balloons. causing these to leap up as
hougn nn springs; push by chairs. iorgctful
.t.as crinoenes bend up behind anu reveal their
7ncared-f.'r bouts, noL to say stockings. II they
llopt clinging garb, the same want of eau
lion produces equally awkward results. Our
xo1ncu are most blind aud thoughtless follow
:rs of fashions still imposed upon them, Heaven
.,niy knows wherefore aud by WHOM.
PEDICTRES AND AtANICURES.