Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
sMALE FASHIONS SIXTY YEARS AGO.

Relative to the fashions In costume prev
alent sixty years ago our author has much
to say, although he is naturally more com.
municative about the dress of his own sex
than as to the attire of ladies. OF one
British matron, reproached with being
"clad in everything from France" he
writes that she was covered with folds
of drapery, circles of ribbons and tucks,
tier over tier of founces, and quillings of
lace and puffings of all sorts" in the
directly opposite extreme to the flimsy gar
ments worn few years before, when
women appeared as though they were sewn
up in tight bags. Generally the ladies
seem to have been much ornamented and
feathered, wearing nodding plumes, such
as are still favored atroyal drawing rooms;
much frilled and furbelowed; but in
stances are found of a style of "af-
fected simplicity" One lady of
peculiarly substantial proportions is
described as being habited all in
white; her hair fat on the top and falling
in ringlets, after the manner seen in
Greek statuary "her neck and shoulders
much exposed her arms bare nearly to the
shoulders, with gloves wrinkled and thrust
down almost to the wrists bracelets over
them, and with white satin shoes, laced up
pillar of colossal appearance, with such
foot for base as might have supported a
statue of Minerva" Male fashions are
more minutely discussed. The dandies of
1920 wore stays, and affected exceeding ef-
feminacy of appearance. The gentlemen
| were charged with trenching upon the
petticoats, paints, stays, starched handker-
chiefs and pouting- pigeon bosoms of the Ia
dies. While certain masculine danes
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petticoats, or cased their ankles in Turkish
trousers, "their heads representing either
kiss me if yeu can by penthouse of
terrific projection, or kiss me if you
dare by an impudent exposure of
highly.colored cheek and proud, impu.
dent air, !" the dandy proffered himself as a
being Of doubtful gender, figure in whale
bone, as thin as a lath, with pale-biue un-
meaning eyes; so laced up and pinched in
that he could not stoop to pick up his hand
trousers so wide and loose that they resem-
bled petticoats with painted face look.
ing over wall of starch and muslin, a
patch at the corner of his mouth, a flower
between his lips, his hair crested over his
forehead like the feathers of a Friesland
hen, and a gold chain and quizzing- glass
dangling from neck long as gander. He
lisped, ogled and drawled he smelt like
a -civet cat; he was all affectation,
vacant stare, s'hectic cough, discon.
tent, expense, delicacy, and inu-
tility." The authors "young cousin
in the guards was understood to
order new coat monthly, and some
novelty in the way of a waistcoat weekly.
He was possessed of an exceeding variety
! Il l.
tary great coats, night-cloaks, tartans and
pelisses. The fashions were set and tempta-
tions to expense placed before the elegants
in town by trade combination or iunto
of tailors. who frequently made their Gus.
toners appear in very ridiculous light.
One day it was ruled that every back
should be as broad as an Irish chairman's,
and the shoulders bolstered up to initiate
a hodman's on the morrow men were to
be fat, squeezed at the waist like hour.
glasses, or laced up to resemble ear.wigs.
Occasionally the whole town was made
pigeon breasted or martin tailed. Skirts
now dangled in the dust, and now
vanished altogether, leaving mere
she'll Jacket behind them. One day all was
starch the next, all were men in buck
ram. A distinguished exquisite appears
! padded ali over d Iitelc idbSt, suu tl tue
other foplings are walking pincushions.
ga prince requires confnements in his
limbs, and all his subjects are Immediately
restrained within the same limits" Now
a long "bang-up box-coat with dozen
capes is the vogue, and now single
breasted hunting frock, or the curtailed
garment known as spencer. The tailor
welded absolute power, and made the
man, although there was often danger,
"betwixt the long skirts of his
great-coat, fur embroidery, tassels,
olivet buttons, pigeon breast and
pale face" of the decent young mans
being mistaken for very indecent young
woman. " We are more regarded for our
coats than for our characters" sighs our
hermit in London; and if man be not
in the last fashion, he must content himself
with holding the last place in the beau
monde. And he relates how the late
Colonel N, dying of wound received
in duei he had provoked by his own in
science, expressed regret for his conduct,
and assured his second that he had not
taken his antagonist for gentleman until
it was too late, merely on account of his
having on coat of last years fashion. -
Time.