Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-04-15
ImITATION IN FASHIONS.
The Weakness and Absurdisy OF Son
Styles.

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styles.
To be fashionable, says the New Orleans
'Picayune, one must be doing as others are
doing, according to the usages of good socie-
ty, supposing always that the customs Of
society are based on intelligence and that
fashionable people do at all times the things
most proper to be done. This is not inita-
ton, but a concert of action prompted by
politeness, good taste and gentle breeding.
The fashioning of wearing apparel and the
transmission of peculiar habits from one lot
OF persons to others comes in limitations, and
may or may not be in good taste. The
Queen Elizabeth ruff collar is said to have
been invented to hide deformity on the
neck Of her majesty. Ladies of her court
Immediately adopted it as fashion. rough
as it was on those whose chief charms lay in
their beautiful necks. The first crinoline, or
hopping round about the form of a woman,
| is said to have been invented for another
royal lady that she might be presentable at
court for the time being. With every other
| lady about her standing in crinoline she
looked to be all right. It can be imagined
| that the white wig of court costumes was
| adopted to help out those who had not much
natural hair, that the big wigs of the Eng.
1 ll6u U6uCu were put Ou uIsG ny UhAu A0eNou
| justice, that the fashion of powdering the
hair to half white condition was to sooths
| the feelings of some one In high position
| who was growing gray, and to reconcile the
| no longer young and fading wall flower. A
| few years ago leader of society, probably
! with disease of the spine, appeared on the
promenade and initiative girls took up her
shape Immediately and called it Grecian
| bend. Another had corns, and her in6rmity
cSv of rDo11r khot oo1Iod
the Saratoga limp. Then came the elbow
walk and the girls would swing along in the
pedestrian 60 as you please style. There
was the helpless walk, with the little hands
of the walker near together in front of the
waist and hanging down, precisely as dear
little pet canine would hang down its front
feet when attempting to stand on its hind
when escorting a lady. The young man
| taking hold Of girls arm on the promenade,
| instead of having her take his arm, had q
| criminal look, as if the fair one was being
| escorted to station by policeman. These
peculiarities come through initiation. The
| anglo maniacs on this side of the water have
developed remarkable fashion among
themselves of initiating what they believe to
be the English swell, don't you know. The
middle parted hair, the monocular eyeglass
the short walking coat, the short overcoa
over the longer dress coat, the immense cant
that was not put on the ground In walking
sit is English, quite English, you know"
The thorough Englishman is always gen
tleman, and never makes himself conspicu
ous in dress or manner. The English cad i
nuisance. 1t is the cad dude that tn
American anglo maniac initiates, and his i'm
itation is so good that he also becomes
nuisance. The Prince of Wales is undoubt
edly the best dressed and finest gentleman II
England. In his usual dress and general de
pertinent he might be initiated with profit
But his ordinary style Is to quiet and no
pronounced enough for the loud dude VIII
wants to be noticed. It is related that tn
prince returned to town once late from tn
| races, and to meet an engagement went di
rect to his club without dressing for evening
The dudes were bewildered, and the mex
evening they were at their clubs wearing
colored shirts and collars and such style o
coat as the prince had worn at the races
The idea had come to their intellects that hi
royal highness had set new style for even
ing dress. 1t can now be believed that tn
, prince once accidentally let fall a large walk
ing stick he was carrying, and badly sole
the handle end. Not wishing to abandon
he grasped it by the middle, and with th
handle end down walked to his apartment
, with 1t that way. Immediately imitativ
young men commenced to carry their cane
) that way, and in New York they are stil
doing it. Good fashions are useful. The
} indicate the right things to do and are saf
j. to follow. Eccentric and foolish styles
which may be bad and burlesque limitations
do much harm and offend good taste.