New-York tribune., 1898-12-10
TIE PARISIENNE.
A HUNDRED YEARS OF HERS CLOTHES
AND HER MANNERS.

Feminine Taste and 4;s,hetics from i7ss to lsS,;
Mary NJ ' Lloyd With One Hundred Hand1G0iSred
Plates Two Hundred and Fi1ty Tex s i1ust,s u 50
tons BY Francois Courooin' Ho!a' ''o' PIP ''''
Charles Scribners Sons.
This elaborate and amusing volume contains
tho history Of a hundred years Of whin1. foiiy'
fancy and aesthetic restiessness In xFrance-the
country which as the author truly says mas
for MANY years created fashion and imposed the
eternal laws Of costume on other nations. we
oo,cadc this imposition Of costume but IT must
he rsmembered that the Woman OF whom M
rzanne treats is emphatcally the Parlsienne'
A charming creature. on the whoie' she 10 40
he represents her. a being all Wit ana r'ooo"'
and laces. all impulse. sentiment anu '"
But. alas, The many illustrations TESTIFY '""'
sb. was NO; always beautiful. thanks TO dress
N,.o,d words hideous AN ancient fashioh'
saws NJ rzanne is always a curiosN'
<,sbion slightly out Of date Is an ahsurdlty' ''e
rcirnine fashion alone. in which lie s'irs' o''''
mands us by lis grace and charm anu s'"''r'
beyond discussion" Here we cannot "e'ee WV
the author The majority or the taSni''' 30
this century have been ugly ana o}s'o'''"e' i"
considered from the point OF VIE" Oh 'he "Ne,
=, h.or,v-heauty meaning perfect grace ana
p q
unlovely. the enhancing Of that already a''lac-
tive But look back on the period Of Louis NV
and his two successors and say "ne'he' Inv
s,r,nlsr fashions then were unbeautiful. In
truth those STYLES so dainty. so coQuetush' ~
deuca,elv airilv feminine. have never seemed
,o tho art,st or the woman Of this later une
either cur,osties or absurdities. How dellsht1u'
even now they seem 20 us the stage; now
exo,,,sitelv. becomingly feminine on the can
vases Of Boucher and Watteau! As much can
No, he said for most Of the fashions which nave
a,lsen IN Paris between the Revo(INon ana
1895 -
That revolution was the beginning OF an eA-
traordnary license in all direct!ons-even the
Garments of newly liberated people as III
I-zsnne reminds US. left the body free. followed
,ts outlines and were well-nigh transparent III
character"t The Frenchwomen OF the DIRECTORY
no doubt endeavored 10 follow tine INES VI
Grecian beauty" but II the illustrations IN 'his
vo,,,r,a NAV be believed they did not succeed
They failed chiefly. perhaps, because their s'yieS
re~e rinchheck combination OF Greek and the
vulsarest Of eighteenth century shapes Inc
author gives us to understand that their wear
ers were somewhat vulgar too-puxom' MAS
cu,ine in their ways. ruled solely by their senses
eating and drinking with the greed OF a soioie'
Of the guard 1t was necessary greediness' as
he suggests. for the daphanous garments III
which they braved the. weather would nave
killed them, II Il had not been tor this nlsh
feeding" The more fragile of the sex did perish
promptly. leaving their robust sisters in pos
session OF the held. pelessart asserted that ne
had seen more young girls die during the reign
~ eauze garments than during the forty years
preceding IL
OF society
under the Directory a society gross. bad nasty
and absorbed in a crazy pursuit Of amusement.
With the disappearance OF the scanods' the
Parisians apparently flung aside every atom OF
seriousnessl Public balls were opened in every
corner Of the capital. one Of them being the
BAL de Victmes" 70 which were admitted only
those who could prove the loss OF a near relative
by the guillotine. Particular ceremonial was
observed at this ball. Persons arriving "oowed
a la victime' with a sharp jerk OF the head, IN
Imitation Of. the movement Of condemned per-
son when the executioner rolls him onto the
plank and pushes his head through the fatal
opening An immense amount OF studied grace
was thrown Into this form OF greeting. In which
every one did his best TO excel. So much ele-
gance did certain Young heroes OF the ballroom
impart TO their performance that the members
OF the female Areopagus received them with
special favor Each gentleman approached MS
partner and left her with bow a Ia victime
Further. certain superatively elegant cavaliers
hit upon the device Of cropping their hair close
at the back of the neck. after the fashion set
by Samson for the toilet Of the condemned
victims Of the Revolutionary Tribunal. This
ingenious innovation elected transports Of ad-
n1iration among these extravagant Young folk.
Th4 ladies followed the fashion. and boldly
clipped their hair 10 the roots. The, 'c6iffure
Ia victime. thus brought into being. was to
spread all over France. and eventually 10 be
called the couture Ia Titus or a la Caracala
As a finishing touch to this grsly piece Of buff
foonery the.daughters Of persons who had per
ished by the guotine adopted red shawl, IN
memory Of that cast by the executiouer over the
shoulders Of Charlotte Cordav and Mesdames
de. St Arparante. before they mounted the
scaffold Some Of these women II is ADDED
carried their love Of realism and ghastl!ness so
far as 10 fasten a narrow red band about their
necks. in most satisfactory imitation OF the
fatal knife mark. 1t was in these gatherings
that the most startling Of the gauze and lawn
and cambric Classical costumes first appeared
Before the fashion chan sed, about the time Of
Napoleons Egyptian campaign. some fair Pari-
siennes had so outraged decency in their street
dress that ever the mob could not endure it
comfortably, and hooted them back 70 their
homes As for the dress Of man during this
period. IT too abon1nably ugly to dwell
upon.
Paris had 70 thank Napoleon for It's restora-
tion to sonr.thing like good taste ana common
sense. With the establishment Of law and order
the salon came back. with conversation and rea-
sonably gentle manners. and more or less in
tellectual occupation. Clothes became a little
more modest and dignifsd More If them We're
worn, and. while their embroidered muslins
populaf so, too, full coats Of India
muslin lined with silk, and Cashmere shawls
and long and thick pessss A woman dressed
In certain style felt obliged to have her
apartments decorated 10 match. and the widest
extravaganza was shown. The Empire in