The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-08
BROUGHT FROM THE NILE.
The Couture Has Come 10 Us From
AiTiCa'S Shore.
The Styles in Medieval and Modern
Times-Grotesque French Arrange
ments-Goldsn and Pearl Fillets.

mentB-6Olusn ana Fearl fllleIS.
Copyright
New York, july 7.-Surely, it was in
Egypt, where the women were free as the
men, and had no need to carefully cover
their faces. that the fair sex commenced
TO take pride in their tresses. Tney sat
them down by the banks of the Nile, and
saw their fair faces reflected in its waters.
Then they idly lifted their locks as the
sun shone upon them, and watched the
pretty sparkle as it widened and length
ened into uneven, brilliant spots, on the
waters surface. Then they twined aud
coiled their ringlets and produced all
sorts of fantastic effects.
So the idea of the couture was horn
The Egyptian didn't stop until she had
evolved an elaborate arrangement that
set her face in frame ofwOndrOus glossy
braids, relieved by gold and jewels. She
plated her long black hair in innumer-
able small braids, and tied two or three
Of the braids together with wooden
strings. The braids hung over her
shoulders, and were bound together
about the head by a flet of gold set
with precious stones She hung a blue
lotus flower over her forehead and the
short tresses at the side she plated
and caught with the hair at the back.
The Jewess, when she paid heTfrst visit
to Egypt at the invitation of the Great
Joseph, was quick to see the advantage
the Egyptian possessed over her, and the
fashion was at once adopted. The Jewess
does nothing by halves-so in front her
hair was deliberately befrizzled, at the
back it fell down in long bralds that were
interviewer with bright ribbons. Some
times she curled ii all over and let the
ringlets fall losely adding a diadem on
her forehead, or fllet iulaid with Jewels,
or that network of sequins or gold which
her descendant III the east wears to this
day.
The good old prophet, Isaiah, was
moved to reprove their vanity, and even
TO predict the time when the Lord should
take away the "wimple, crisping pins,
the mirrors, the hoods and the wells"
The Arab, the Persian and the Cauca-
sian are still satisfied with the couture
they wore thousand years ago, and you
will find them still with their crowns,
turbans, wells and chains.
The severer Greek diSdained such
tawdry adornings, and bound her glori-
Gus fair hair in a simple chignOn, with
the heavy waves carried back rather
loosely, Just covering the tips of her ears,
and bound them with a double tillet
The Roman matrons, too, were sedate
waved hair, simple fllet, and high placed
chignon of braids coiled on the crown.
They varied this occasionally by putting
mass of little curs about the forehead.
A more elaborate arrangement was a
round chignon of plaits, tall frontal of
small cUrls rising like diadem above the
head, small, regular curls about the fore
head, and three small ringlets in front of
each ear.
But the Roman matrons were but
women, after all severe as they seem to
us and after while we hear of their
frizZing and dying, waving and tieing
their hair, making it into pretty bows,
manufacturing to some extent; and,
finally of keeping several coifHures on
hand, ready to don at any moment.
But some dissenters loved to pattern
after the style of the Vestal Virgins,
who yelled their locks, allowing only
few to peep out about the forehead.
1t was in the twelfth century that the
feminine portion of moderen Europe
awoke to the Possibilities of the couture
They began with long tresses floating
over the shoulders, and held in place by
a simple head band. But their ideas,
with true western progression, were
quick to embrace more than one arrange
ment. Before the twelfth century had
ended, we find the tresses caught up in a
great, loose net at the top of the head,
hanging, apparently, from two brass
knobs that was placed in the forehead,
over the ears. By what means this
fantastic couture was induced to re-
main in place, we are left in ignorance.
Almost more groteSque, however, was
the steeple headdress, which is still oc-
casionally seen in Normandy 1T reared it
self to great hight--from one and a half
TO two feet-and a drapery of fine lawn
foated from its peak. Sometimes the
draperty was no larger than an ordinary
handkerchief, but more often it0fell over
the dress, and not seldom to the feet.
This style was restricted to danes of high
rank. The lower classes used a cloth cap
with pieces sticking out on each side that
resembled the ears of an ape. Addison
tells US, in his Spectator. how. when
Thomas Conecte launched his invectives
against II from the sacred pulpit, the wo-
men made great bonfire of them all
hut no sooner was he gone than, like
snails, they shot out their horns when
the danger was over.
Katharine of Aragon, covered her hair
with soft drapary, fastening it to a
diamond frame that pointed over her
forehead, and was carried down each side
of her face Queen Mary wore a caul
that was so massive and ponderous with
gold and jewels that she was fain TO beare
up her head with her hand"
Elizabeth was as tickle with her head
dress as with her lovers. She had many
changes of hair set with jewels, and of
more than one color, although her prefer
ence was for red. Her notebook contains
the following: Item, one cawle of hair
set with pearls in number xiii Item, one
cawle set with pearls of sundry sort and
bigness, with seed pearl between them
chevronwise, cxii. Item, a cawle with
nine true loves of pearle and seven but
tons of gold, in each button rubie."
Coifures came to be designated as
heads. 1t was very convenient to order a
Brussels head at 40 pounds; one ground
| Brussels head at 80 pounds; one looped
Brussels head at 80 pounds" The fash
ion writer's of that day were evidently as
much perpleXed as are our modern writ
ers, in depicting the eCcentricities of the
styles, for we find one in 1871 saving
Lace and cambria, gauze and fringe,
feathers and ribands, create such a con
fusion, that it defies our Judgment and
taste to reconcile them to any standard or
reduce them TO any order
1t was not much later that the women
adopted wagon" headdress, which
seems most grotesque Of all. twas made
OF gold threads, drawn by six dapple
grayS OF blown glass, with cOachman.
position and gentleman within. OF
course only a lady of quality could bear
such Q headdress with becoming era yity.
In moments of haste or excitement. her
dignity must have been difficult TO main
tain, for even the most stOlid of waiting