Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-19
OSCAR WILDE AGAIN.
The Poets Continued Efforts to Reform
the Dress of His Countrymen.

the Dress of HIS Countrymen.
Mr.. Oscar Wilde, speaking at Ealing on
the subject of "Dress," says the Pail
Mall Gazette, remarked that during the
past few years a sense of the beautiful
appeared to have revived in the country,
although this has not yet extended to the
matter of dress, there being nothing of
the rational or beautiful about it. In or
der to reform in this direction what
was required was the compulsory teach
ing of drawing to every child, which
would result in thorough understanding
of the grace and beauty of the human
form and the best method of adapting
dress thereto. AT present the great en-
envy to reform was fashion, and in this
respect we had been greatly guided
by France, whose influence had
been most pernieious, dating from
the time OF William the Conqueror, who
in 1866 found the people of England
wearing a dress at once beautiful and
simple. The ladies of his court, however,
introduced the exaggerated styles which
superseded those Ofthe Inha bitants OF this
country. If asked to fix the time when
the dress of this country was really lovely,
he would say the second quarter of tie
seventeenth century. During the reign
of Charles l. the costume of the country
was both useful and beautiful. The resto-
ration of Charles H., however, resulted
IN the reintroduetion Of the French infu-
ence and the beautiful and artistic in
dress decayed. In this matter France
has arrogated to herself a position and
exercised an influence which she by no
means deserved.
In considering what dress was appro-
pirate it was necessary to consider the
nv.Af Of 10
dresses the horizontal or vertical line was
most common, but the best figure would
be the obliquo line, which would give a
grace and dignity which was otherwise
wanting. Mr.. Wilde also advocated the
wearing of high Wristbands and spoke
highly of the costumes of the Greeks,
Assyrians and Egyptians. The latter par
ticularly observed one very important
principle, namely: that of the dress being
supported not by the waist, but by
the shoulder. In modern dress. how
ever, all the weight was on the waist
and hip, which destroyed grace in
walking and real beauty in dress. This
also necessitated the use of the dress-im-
proven, which he denounced as extreme
ly ungraeeful. The Greeks look for beauty
of texture, perfect freedom of body. High
heeled boots, which threw the whole body
forward, he also strenuously condemned,
together WIFI tight racing, WHICH was III
furious as well as ungraceful. The mod
ern tall hat also came in for share of
condemnation, Mr.. Wilde expressing a
preference for soft one, but more strong
ly recommending a hood.
Generally he expressed himself strongly
in favor of such a modification of the
Greek costume as would meet the exigen-
cies Of our varying climate. Underclothes
should be sufficiently tight, but not so
Il, -. j.. IL
limbs. With proper undercloth of some
adaptation OF the tunic or cloak of the
Greeks would be what he would recon-
mend. He also urged that the basis of
dress should be wool, which was the most
sanitary of any material, giving the
necessary GOODNESS in summer and requi-
site warmth in winter, advocating further
the use of soft brown leather, such as that
of which the daublet of former times was
made.