Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-13
STARTLING STYLES
A Glance at the Bellies OF Early Ages
Prevailing Fashions in Some
Foreign Lands.
Enormous Extravaganza Of the Women
OF the Roman Empire-Their
LExuries and Excuses.
cincinnati, r,mas,.,

Undoubtedly there Is much idle talk about
the wonderful extravagsnce of ladies of the
present day, their pursuit OF constantly
changing STYLES, and the Injuries demanded
by those who can, or think they can, afford
the expense. One would be led to suppose,
10 the absence OF knowledge TO the contrary,
that these were things of modern growth.
But Just look at the "style" they used TO put
on in earlier ages, and their enormous ex-
traxagance.
on roses whose perfume had been arti6cially |
heightened. And in those times court maid |
ems powdered their hair with gold.
Marc Antony's daughter did not change |
her dress half dozen times day, as do the
Saratoga graces, but she made the lampreys |
IN her fsh-pond wear earrings.
The dresses of Lolita PanIina, the rival of
Agrippina, were valued at 81 ,664 ,4S0. This
did not include her jewels. She wore at one
supper 81 So, 500 worth of jewels, and it
was a plain citiz supper. The luxury OF
Pappe, beloved by Nero, was equal to that Of
Lolita
The women of the Roman empire INDUCED
in all sorts of Injuries and excuses, and
these were revived under Napoleon / in
France. Nine. Tallien bathed herself in $
wash OF strawberries and raspberries, aud had
herself rubbed down with sponges dipped in
milks and perfumes.
Ovid says that in his day girls we're taught
To smile gracefully.
The beauties of ancient times were just as
vain as modern bellies, and spent the greater
part of the day at their toilet. The use OF
cosmetics was universal among them. Aspasia
and Cleopatra, (models of female beauty, it
said) both used an abundance of paint, and
each wrote q treatise on cosmetics. Cleopatra
used bears grease to keep her hair from fall
ing out. Roman ladies were so careful Of
their compilations that to protect them they
wore masks. The Athenian women of an
| tiquity were very studious of their attitudes
and actions, and thought q hurried and sud.
1 den step a certain sign of rusticity.
We have certain styles of beauty nova
| days; SO had the Greeks. They went wild
\ over the "ideal chinn-neither sharp nor
blunt, but gently undulsiing in its outline,
and losing itself gradually and almost in
sensible in the fullness of the neck. The
| union of the two eyebrows was esteemed by
the Romans beauty. 1t is said they adj
mired the air of dignity it gave to the face.
But the ancient girls didn't all dress ex-
trayagantly, by any means, even If they did
put on the agony Ia other ways. Some OF
= them wore hardly enough clothes-stylish
1 girls at that. The Athenian maid travelled
largely on her shape, as the saying goes. In
Greece, even in the streets and houses and in
the walks of daily life, there was but slight
concealment of the person. The Greek
/ dresses were quite plain, and with their long
folds followed he form and motions. Egyp-
tan women of the present day show the
body and hide the face, as though ashamed
of themselves. Over in Athens they didn't
even hide the face. The Greek bellies had
no idea of i'm modesty in exposing their per-
\ son. In the annual festival of Neptune, the
| most beautiful girls in Athens went nude
along the shore and bathed in the sea while
all the assembled world looked on. On these
occasions Phryne, says the historian, showed
herself to the admiring eyes OF all in the per-
i lection of her beauty.
| An Albanian belle OF to-day presents a
rather striking appearance. She is, as a
| rule, gaily coifed with seed pearls and coins
| and enveloped in black serge pelisse. She
uses paint on her face profusely, and her
taste runs to cherry lips and cneeks, and Jet
black eyebrows strongly drawn. An Alba
MAN bride discards paint for awhile, and If
wealthy wears & suit somel thing like this:
Rose-colored under-robes, and an over-robe
of dark green velvet, the idea being taken
from rosebud half folded In its leaves.
Thus arrayed, the girl of handsome features
is said TO be really bewitching.
| Turkish beauties OF the harem, in order
to give the appearance of fullness to their
| eyes, lightly touch the borders of the lids
| with fine camel's-hair brush dipped in sui
| phurate of anthony, taking care to extend
the dark lines thus traced 10 a short distance
beyond the angles.
| The Tartars despise prominent nasal APP
| pendages, and the woman who has the small
est nose is esteemed the most charming, but
| to outside barbarians she is perfect fright.
The women Of Spit, in India, wear tunics
and trousers OF wooden stuffs, with large
boots, partly of leather, partly of blanket,
which come up to the knee, and which they
| are fond OF taking of at any time. In order
| 10 obtain greater warmth they often put
quantity OF -four into these boots beside
| their legs. Their taste in regard to orna-
ments runs much to all SORTS OF rings, includ-
| ing nose rings.
| A typical woman OF the interior of Africa
is thus described: "Her naked negro skin
was leathery, cosrse and wrinkled; her fgcre
was lettering and knock-kneed; her thin
hair hung in greasy locks; on her waist and
ankles she had almost an arsenal of metal
links OF iron, bass and copper, strong enough
| to bind prisoner to bis cell. About her
neck were hanging chains of iron, strips of
leather, strings of wooden balls, and heaven
knows what lumber more"
In Guinea the d ess of the women consists
| OF square cloth extending from the arms to
q little below the knees with loose shawl
| or silk handkerchief thrown over the shoul-
| ders. Their ankles, arms and fingers are
loaded with bright brass rings. The ankle
rings of a irst-ciass belle will weigh twenty
| five or thirty pounds, load which makes
4
| fashionable female gait is very like the wsd-
| die of goose. Princesses are wont to
| wear their hair plated over huge pad
| ON the top of their head. with roee.tes of
| artificial hair on the temples. On the gold
coast the females wear large cloth so
| wrapped about their persons as to afford
| tolerable modest concealment OF it. Here
one sees no lack of gold ornaments,
| rudely fashioned, glitteriDg among the wool,
| in the ears on the neck, arms and
ankles Of the female population. A dance
is great occasion for the display of fash
| ion. Then the Guiuea lady wears bands of
gold and Jewels on her arms, and decorates
her ebony legs with brass rings eight to
twenty deep. She may have, also, diamond
necklace and brooch, or strings OF many
hued glass beads The African belle on
these occasions daubs on the bright colors
over brow, breast and arms ia all manner OF |
fantsstical shapes.
A heightened Kirghis woman OF Tartary |
wears a robe of black Chinese satin, red |
shawl aroupd The waist, white muslin cap, |
with long lsppels, embroidered with red silk, |
and high-heeIe boots Of brown leather.
The ladiss of Thibet before appearing in |
public, make themselves hideous by daubing |
their faces with a mixture of various colors. |
The custom was established by royal decree |
issued about 200 years ago, when Gcentious-
ness prevailed 10 fightful extent in that /
country. 1t is said to have had a marked |
effect on the morals Of the people. Most |
Oriental women cultivate fairness. They also /
daub their finger and toe nails with coat
ing that looks like red mud, and dock their /
hair and destroy their teeth by smoking and /
eating bonbons II il not uncommon thing /
for them to blacken their teeth on purpose. ]