The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-09-25
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Modern Dress.

The progress Of civilization has developed
| the decorative tendencies in every direction,
but the original impulses are found in all coun-
tries and in all times The savage who shows
| curious taste in ncse pieces and body paint is
as much votary Of fashion as the Parisienne
whose while soul is concentrated upon the Of.
! fectiveness of her dress Both sexes have been
| equally weak at times in their slavish surren-
| der to this tyranneal despotism. But the
males have in measure emancipated them
| selves The garbs OF our modern bucks and
bloods compares fayorably with that OF the
dandies and maccaronis of the past Their at
tire has some manlness in 1t; they are seasibly
shod: the stuffs they wear are serviceable aud
suited to our changeable seasons. 1t is no
longer the custom to swallow up the whole
patrimony in tailors' bills. The lavish en-
ployment of the most costly materials has also
disappeared Silks and satins except as
CARDS gorgeous sacks or decorative necktes,
are left to women. The use of frills and 1abots
OF rare Valencennes has gone with full-bot-
toned wigs and small clothes OF gold brocade.
Men do not wear shirts which cost $40 or $50
apiece, as they did when that sum
meant six or seven times its
present value; nor do they fix priceless
jewels in their shoe-laces, nor carry muffs Of
rare furs on their hands. The present FASH
ions are distinct improvement upon those of
even more recent period. The tight-ftting,
high-collared monstrosities Of the Georgian
epoch went out with the king who permitted
seam but called a crease intolerable. No one,
not the most fatuous and empty-headed dev-
otee OF high collars and single-studded shirts,
would give 1.-THE OF the time Beau Brummell
devoted to his voluminous and largely unsuc-
cessful ties. But with the weaker sex the
reverse is still the case. While men have in q
measure shaken themselves free, women are
| now, as ever, completely under the dominion
| OF dress. Hebrew wives and maidens laced
tightly and added tringes OF gay colors to their
| snow-white robes. For them a sister discov-
ered In Solomon's reign the special uses Of the
| silk worms: Gee yer rampant qui habille
| Phomme de feuilles d'arbres elaborees dams
son sein:" Egyptian beauties, sitting under
the shadow OF the pyramids in the days Of the
Pharaohs, sleeked aud preened themselves be-
| fore their brightly FURNISHED brazen mirrors,
heightening their charms with collyrium and
henna, and trying new effects in costume.
Artfice was res0rted to by the ladies of Greece
to increase their beauty; they, too, wore body
bands and belts to improve their figures and it
is more than probable that the celebrated
girdle OF Venus was the germ and prototype OF
the modern stays. The Roman matrons car
ried the rage for dress to extravagant excess.
The beauty whe would preserve her complex
ion slept with -four poultice on her face; she
bathed in asses milk and speut long hours at
her toilet braiding, dyeing, and dressing her
DeauJl1ul halr, OF which all the ladies Of Rome
were especially proud. Her garments were
rich and varied in color. if not in shape, but
the coquettish taste Of the wearer could give
endless changes TO the draping OF the
palla or stole. Later civilization has
proved as fanciful in matters of dress as the
old. The sex, through countless generations,
has maintained the traditions handed down
from classical times. Sovereigns set the FASH
ions to the ladies of their court; the crowd fol-
lowed suit, and set sumptuary laws at defiance,
One queen introduced the bonnet canon; an
other the sugar Loaf head tie. Catherine de
Medici ruled French fashion with the most
imperious sway. She laid down limits which
waists should not exceed, and popularized a
cruel steel corset intended to compass these di-
mensions. Our own Queen Bess was woman
to the finger tips as regarded matters of dress.
She was fond of the most gorgeous apparel and
at her death her wardrobe was found to con-
tain 5000 costumes. Her loyal female sub
jects freely initiated her example, and their
fondness for colossal ruffs, stiff with the newly
introduced starch, for long-waisted gowns
made Of silk velvet, satin, taffeta, or grosgrain
brought down upon them much caustic satire
at the time.-[Mrs. Armytage, in the Fort
nightly Review.