, 1880-05-06
The Esthetics Of Clothes.

is not quite so strictly construed on this
side of the country as on the other, and
especially in Europe For instance, at
an artists reception in this city, year
ago or more, the same requisition was
made. 1t created great deal of fut-
tering at the time, partly for the reason
that only one artist was positively
known to have dresscoat, although two
had been seen in that costume. 1t was
inferred that the second costume had
been hired for a special occasion. Bo-
hemia was especially stirred because
there was great dearth of dress coats
among the fraternity, bat no lack of Ia
tent genius and other accomplishments
The question was at that time referred to
several experts, not so much to get an
exact definition of the term as to make
it broad enough to let in well dressed
people who were not in full dress. At
some former receptions there had been
license not altogether agree able 70 many.
The "warmus," the bobtailed jacket and
the linen duster, while.they are perfectly
consistent with neglected genius; were
held to be little of according to the
most liberal standard of clothes esthetics.
Strictly interpreted, "full dress" means
dress coat, that is, "swallow-tail," J"
gloves, low cut vest and shoes This
definition, however, is modified SO that
the dress coat is made to meet all these
requirements At the leading Opera
House in Paris no person is admitted
who does not present himself in dress
coat. In this city, however, there has
been a good degree of social freedom In
the matter of dress.
At evening parties, where no hint is
given about dress requirements, persons
appear in "swallow-tails" and in frock
coats, and no one appears to note the
difference. Latterly, however, there is
strong disposition to initiate the more
strict conventional usages which prevail
in the Atlantic cities. Something of
what may be called the freedom of dress
will disappear, the social democracy CIV
ingway to more observation-disclosures.
Probably, if one was to attend q ball or
party, dressed so as to attract special at
tention, all the reasonable requirements
of the occasion would have been fairly
met People are sometimes embarrassed
who are well enough dressed, hut who
meet Others SO elaborately dressed, or
as to the phrase is, "got up" that
they cannot possibly feel comfortable by
such striking contrasts There are a
great many people who, not having worn
dress coat for twenty or thirty years,
have a sense OF the ridiculous in putting
on garnet similar to one worn by col
ored walters at fashionable hotels. If
they were required to appear in that
costume they would decline to accept
social invitations, and, as matter of
fact, hundreds do, while others, not hav-
ing garment of this kind decline to
buy one. But here, as in New York,
there are "depots of supplies" Mer-
chant tailors, In many instances, keep
the garments on hand to loan to Gus
toners for special use. Polite society
does not inquire whether one appears in
his own dress-c coat, or has borrowed it
for the occasion, any more than it in
quires whether the diamonds have been
hired or are really genuine. Overdress-
ing is the tendency just now, although
it is not easy to say what that really is
at fashionable party, where the dis
play Is expected to be merely one Of
clothes. Good taste will avoid vulgar
ity as much in excessive dressing as in
any other direction.
The increasing social exactions in the
matter of dress are seen now in half
ludicrous way in many of the more
wealthy churches. The "dress circle" is
much moro obtrusiye than it ought to
be, and often much more so than com
ports with good taste The church is
sober place, wholly consecrated, as is
supposed, to religious uses. The rich
and poor meet together, and social dis
tinctions are, for the time, waived. To
great extent the poor have been driven
away from the more wealthy churches
by the costly dressing Of more prosper
GUS people. The gaiety of the opera in
the matter of attire, is painfully obtru.
sive in the church. SO many people
feel called upon to wear their best to
places of worship, that the waving
plume, the gay head gear, the huttering
Of costly laces which would be we'll
enough at theatre or opera, are quite
in excess at fashionable places of wor.
ship In some of the more cultivated
congregations of the Atlantic cities there