Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-10
WHY STYLES HAVE CHANGED
Some Causes That Have Led to Variations in
Dress
The Reason for Black Satin Going Out
of Fashion for Many Years
In England.
From the Gentleman's Magazine.

From the Gentleman's Magazine.
Painters have had an enormous influence
on dress. Early in this century the Sim
pltcity in dress which had then come in
was very much due to Romneys charming
figures in white gowns and straw hats. 1t
was a reaction from the stiff hoops and
huge Ncnstrosities in the way Of headgear.
which in Paris seemed TO have reached
their. zenith just before the revolution,
when women appeared with whole flower
and kitchen gaI den on their heads, and
one lady even bore a representation of a
fleet Of ships in full sail. Then simplicity
came in with costumes Of classical type,
a revival of Greek and Roman draperies,
induced by the paintings of David and
he was an ardent republican, man. adopted
his costumes either to hide or to proclaim
their real opinions. Holbein is our earliest
authority for the real everyday aspect of
English society; he could paint middle-aged
and elderly women in attire suitable to
their age, and yet eminentiy picturesque,
and in that way threw the weight of his
influence on the side of modest dress for
girls and young women also it being a
peculiar trait in the world of fashion that
ii a style is becoming to any one age, old
and young alike adopt it; probably when
it is mode becoming to the old, the
younger feel assured that if becoming to
their seniors it must necessarily be ten
times more so to themselves, which 1t gem
orally Is, likewise the SlueTS, StelhS Sly 10
very charming to the young hope by adopt
ing it to be rejuvenated in others eyes as
well as in their own. The result, accord
fngly, Is very disastrous when popular
painter leads the fashion by painting
''risque" theu-a young beauty, as, for In
stance, did Lely. To think of an old
woman painted truthfully by him creates
a shudder, and makes one think of Mrs.
Skewton and her determined juvenility in
all its ghastliness. No century showed
such fluctuations in fashion as that be-
tween the times of Holbein and Vandyke;
we may roughly term 1t a century, as one
died in 1854, the other In 1641. Catherine
of Aragon in gorgeous but decorous dress;
Elizabeth, eXtravagant and indicate,
last in her old age; Mary Stuart, with her
small ruff, high somber gown. looking all
that was simple and graceful, are three
fair types of that hundred years.
Friction sometimes carries weight and In
PRODUCES a new fashion which may become
more or less permanent, as for Instance,
black evening dress for gentlemen, which
in Bulwer Lytton's Life Is claimed by his
SON to be due to the novel Pelham, wherein
Lady Frances Pelham writes to the hero,
"Apropos Of the complexion I did not like
that blue coat you wore when l last saw
you. You look best In black, which is
great compliment, for people must be very
distinguished in appearance to do 30"
IT'LL then" remarks the biographer, 1.-The
coats worn for evening dress were of DIFF
ferent colors-brown, green or blue-accord-
ing to the fancy of the wearers, and Lord
Oxford tells me that the adoption Of the
now inyariable black dates from the publ
cation of Pelham"
Black satin for many years went entirely
out of fashion for a curious reason, viz,
hanged in 1s49, had a black satin made in
Paris, purpose for her last public ap
pearance! certain tint in lace was dis
continued in France for similar reason.
Dress for execution in days further back
seems often to have been chosen with care
and specially noted by the spectators. In
1746 Lord Derwentwater went to execution
dressed in scarlet faced with black velvet
trimmed with gold, a gold-laced waistcoat,
and white feather in his hat; and we read
Of DR.. Cameron, in 1853, being beheaded
dressed in Hght-colored coat, red waist
coat and breeches, and new bagwig. 1t
was not however, possible always to dress
zen grand tenue," sometimes prisoners
were allowed only very limited wardrobe;
for instance, when Honor, Lady Isle of
Henry Wits time, was sent to the tower
the Lisle papers, which give a complete in
ventory of the Isle possessions, mention
that she was only allowed to take the fol-
lowing with her from her costly and extern
sive wardrobe: A gown of taffety two
nightgowns Of black damask, a kirtle Of
black and another of tawny velvet.
Powder for the hair seems to have died
out about the end of last century, when the
scarcity Of flour combined with Pitts tax
on powder in 1875. caused a complete
change in the appearance Of both sexes,
though individuals here and there in fash
ionable circles had for some few years left
II OIL, the ItultS partly IFOIl dTdStlC lnllu-
ences and admiration of the portraits with
natural hair and simple dress Walpoles
remark on the result of wigs and powder
being discarded strikes one at first as very
strange: he says that ''all individuality Is
COMPOUNDED by people wearing their own
hair" We should now say exactly the con-
tray: but then We should remember that
differences are more easily detected when
the setting is one to which accus-
toned, Just as at first members of a for
eign nation, to eyes unaccustomed to them,
a "a oYrohl lrl tn. oh nth nr
though to themselves seeming to differ so
much.
Early in the reign of George there were
riots Of the wool and silk weavers. who
protested against the fashion then coming
in Of women, both in the upper and lower
classes. wearing Indian chintzes and Dutch
printed calicoes. The many attacks in the
streets on women SO attired led ultimately
to legislation, and calico gowns were for
hidden to be worn. So all the dainty cotton
dresses We're pulled to pieces and turned
into quilts and furniture covers Then a
fashion came in of embroidering fine hol-
land deliberately, the lnen which was made
in England, being sent, as was that from
other countries, to be bleached on the IA
nous bleaching grounds of Harlem and
then returned as holland. Those far-famed
bleaching grounds are kept In the mem
cries Of most Of us by Raphaes painting Of
them. @. g.. THE Water Mil With Eleach-
ers," in our National Gallery. lady In
the reign Of George speaks Of a wonder in
embroidered gowns, and though the one she
describes Is OF white satin. no doubt the
holland dresses would not be far behind |
in elaboration. She was at the Princess
Royals wedding, and afterward wrote:
THE Duchess of Queensbury's clothes
pleased me best; they were white satin en-
broidered: the bottom Of the petticoat |
brown hills covered with all sorts Of weeds.
and every breadth had an old stump of |
tree that ran up almost to the top of the
pett1coat. broken and ragged, and worked |
with brown chenille. round which twined |
nasturtium (sic), ivy, honeysuckles, peri
wrinkles. convolvuluses and all sorts of |
twining flowers. which spread and covered |
the petticoat, vines with the leaves var,e-
gated as you have seen them by the sun. |
all rather smaller than nature. The rob- |
ings and facings were little green banks
with all sorts of weeds, and the sleeves
and the rest of the gown loose, twin
Ing branches Of the same as those of |
the petticoat- Many Of the leaves were /