The Osceola times., 1878-06-01
The Eccentrleities OF Fashion.

When founces nre called gusts of
wind" and fringes flames of fire :" when
fashionable colors are spoken of seriously
as "cheveuI de la refine" "Prude de
monsieur" "nymphe emue," "ang de
taureau," "ooq en- colere," or rose, EEK.
ces demotion,' one is inclined TO believe
that the heads of the women of fashion
have been turned by some strange fan
cies. When these cOlors are Familiarity
spoken OF, without being translated into
good sound English, the result is some
times ludicrous clerks and dress makers
have the names at their tongues ends
without knowing their meaning or under
standing their subtle suggestiveness, and
the result is q sort OF Choctaw from
which one unearths the well.meant,
though absurd, foreign nomenclstures.
The tender green OF the linden blossom
~ expressed in "tilleul," az "till'' be-
comes the familiar nickname TO Matilda,
and means nothing; this seasons "biche, "
which psints 70 the eye the coloring OF
the deer, takes on the meaning of a vul-
gar word much abused, and suggesting
only the female of the canine breed.
self, even in 80 small thing rs the names
Of fashions, we quote a passage from an
old English magazine published In Lon
don in 1899. The September number of
that year has in It translation from the
French-s letter written by a young
girl TO her grandmother, who seems TO
have reproved her for too great fond
ness for the follies of the day. The
young woman cleverly answers the re-
proof by hunting up and quoting the
fashions of her grandmother's young
days. ITO convince you" she says, that
she is no worse than the young women of
other times, need only to transcribe
q description of the fashions as written
from Paris in letter from my great
grandmother, to which you will certainly
agree, and which | found among some
old papers" Here is her citation:
The ladies dress their heads very
high, with a toupet in front, and the hair
cut in a brush. The point Of the toupet,
which projects on the forehead, is called
the physiognomy the curls on each
side, which are very large and separated,
are denominsted attentions. The
bonnets are of great size and or.
uamented with flowers and English rib.
bons OF these bonnets there are two
hundred different kinds, from ten livres
up to one hundred in price. The
| bunches OF feathers are sf prodigious
size; when they are white plume OF the
color OF the dress is worn with them, or
enc Of jet black. The most fashionable
color for the robe is called the queens
hair; next to it in repute is puce color.
straw colored satin is very much worn,
trimmed vsriously with gsuze, lace OF
fur. They reckon above one hundred
and fifty different kinds OF trimming.
Next come painted, brocsded satins, each
of which has name. The most fash
ionable is 'smothered sighs;' apple green,
striped with white, is also much in favor;
it is &lled lively shepherdes. The
following are the names of the mes. cell
ebrsted styles: lndiscetion,' grand
epute,' preference 'vspors, sweet
signing, agitation, regrets, honor
able composition Hoop petticoats are
very small, slippers are puce color, or
queens hair
IL is this part OF the dress which most
particularly distinguishes the msgnifi.
cence OF our fashioDables. They are EN-.
breidered with diamonds, and Il il thus
they are almost universally worn,
Ladies dare not show themselves