Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-10-27
FASHION, LIKE HISTORY, RE.
PEATS ITSELF.
Modern Stage Styles and Ancient
Drapery.

An authentic story has been related
the region Of Lake George, New York
state, being the locality of its happening.
OF a stage driver whose manifest haste In
rushing to secure a lady's ronnet box
which had fallen from the coach, was ex-
planned by him as caused from fear lest
the style should change before he could
hand it to its owner and he Ms n common
carrier, might be held responsible for its
delay in transit.
Had his Jocular remark been serious, he
mad only to hold the article Of apparel a
sufiicient length of time and he would
have seen the then prevailing style re-
peated within decade or so. Fashions.
both in the garments of gentlemen and
the clothing and adornments of ladies
seem to reYolve in cycles Of larger or
smaller dlameter,as public appreciation of
comfort in raiment may dictate. Take.
for instance, the present method of dress
ing the hair amoag ladies.
Upon the right hand side of the stage.
as the audience looks upon it. in 'Ia
Belle Russo" now being played at Leu
brie's, is placed a statue, or rather the
head of one, which is declared TO possess
an age of over 1000 years. 1t was dis
covered by eXn'arers in the excavations
made at Leptr 1Iagna, in the northern
part OF Africa ear the shores of the Med
lterranean sea, and historical data which
leave no doubt that the destruction of
LeDtes antedate that Of Herculaneum
ana Pompeii, prove that the age claimed
for the valuable antiquarian relic
is the least that belongs to it. while
It may be many centuries older. Upon
this finely cbiseled marble the
style of the couture would attract the at
teqtion of any lady knowing its history. as
being style exactly reproduced at the
society.
Again in the dresses worn by Miss JEFF
treys- Lewis in the same play we see dis
played the combined effects Of the classic
and tho middle ages, and no one can deny
their appropriateness and their perfect ac-
cord with the prevailing styles of to-day.
In the second act Miss Lewis has some
nights, as she did last night worn dress
of heavy embroidered crepe, trimmed
with an abundance of fine lace, and sur
mounted by an elaborate Elizabethian
collar, braided with pearls, the general ap-
pearance Of which would have passed her
at the very court of the Virgin Queen.
had she lived, andworn it in that reign On
other occasions in the same act she has
worn deep crimson fabric heavily inter-
woven with gold thread, and having from
the lett shoulder to the waist on tho right
side and flowing down into train, dTa-
perry which would suggest the soft folds
upon the raiment of the Roman maidens
in the time of the Caesars.
All of Miss Lewis dresses are provided
by Worth of Paris, and show his extern
siye knowledge of ancient wardrobes ms
adapted to our own day The plain but
costly and pretty slips which olothe Little
May in LA Relic Hussep are almost tbe
reproduction Of the garments worn by lit
tle Grecian misses as pictured by Homerat
least twenty-four hundred years ago ond
corresponding to the tunio worn by the
Romans at the same time.
The brocade which forms the costume
of Lady Calthorpe in the last act is fabric
that would have been highly priced bv
Lady Washington and her associates.
while nowit is becoming the most yalua-
Bile of the varieties of silk in present use.
Because wearing apparel is a little outre
now, is no reason why II will not be all
the rage Ia year from now, and we need
not be surprised ifwlthin a short period
the long stockings and knee breecbes of
our foreiathers become our own fashion.
Notwithstanding the reputation or noto.
riety, as one may fancy designating il,
that has attached to Oscar Wilde the
"Apostle or the Reautiful,n for thus at
tempting to recall this somewhat un-
comfortable, and, to most men, unbe-
coming stvle of dress