Evening star., 1901-07-18
THE DUDES OF LONG AGO
ENGLISH DANDIES' ATTIRE IN DAYS
OF KING GEORGE III.
Men Tripped on Their Toes. Wore
Perukes, Red-Heeled Shoes and
Long sword Knots.

In the glorious days of King George II
men wore silk or velvet coats of all colors
of the rainbow. They tripped mincingly
along upon their toes, supporting upon
their heads a wheelbarrowful of peruke
covered with bushel of powder, their
'Steinkerke" was sprinkled with snuff
their sword knots trailed almost to the
ground and their swords dangled from the
fifth button; pearl-cOlored silk stockings
and red-heeled shoes completing their cos
tune. 1t seems almost as though one Of
those goddesses the Cummings had penned
the following lines to George Selwin at
Paris in 1166, instead of the sporting Earl
of March subsequently, "Old 90: 1.-The
muff you sent me by the Duke of Richmond
| like prodigiously vastly better than If 1t
had been 'tigre' or any glaring color; sew
eral are now making after It," And again
in 1II6 he writes: Pray bring me two or
three bottles of perfumes and some pat
terms of Velvets that are new and pretty"
Almost to the last moment of his life a
piece of rich waistcoating was as much an
object of attraction to the great Marquis
Wellesley as it would have been to any of
the most frivolous minded young dandies
about the town, Indeed. this nobieman
would frequently sit alone in solitary state,
en grande toilette with his blue ribbon
and garter. as if about to appear at a royal
'levee."
The Brummeii Period.
In the year 119S there arose on the hori-
zou of fashion, or rather there blazed In it's
full meridian that wonderful phenomenon
of elegance. George Bryan Brummell.
Born In III, the son of an under secre-
tary of Lord North's and educated at Eton,
he enjoyed the credit of being the best
scholar the best oarsman and the best
cricketer of the day. Though not gen.
descent ha vet nf
aristocratic friends, and being regarded as
sort of Admiral Crichton" experienced
little difficulty in obtaining the entree to
DeVonShire House. where he intro
duced to the prince regent. who gave him
commission in the 10Th HusSars.
Until Rrummell came upon the scene the
prince. though not remarkable for his taste,
had, thanks TO his rank. been constituted
the master Of the clegancies. or leader of
the dandieS: but he was at once 0ethroned
retained the sovereignty till the year 1877.
During this period he bt came the model
OF all men who wished to dress well. and
when he had struck out a new idea he
would smile at its gradual progress down
ward from the highest 10 the lowest classes.
10 the last of mis- stay in England he
continued to wear powder rather priding
himself upon preserving this remnant of
the Vielle cour. His clothes We're a perfect
study. The coat was generally of blue
cloth, and its collar raised against the
back of the head like the hood of monk
a style familiar to us in pictures and
miniatures of the period-the buckskin or
nankeen breeches We're so incredibly tignt
that they could only be got on with i'm
mense labor and could only be taken off
in the same manner as an eel is divested
of its skin.
Hessinn Boots and Muslin Ties.
Then came a waistcoat about four inches
long, open on the chest displaying a stiff
white muslin cravat. Hessian boots COM
pleted the costume, and to these the Beau
paid particular attention. They were COM
monty reported as being blackened "au vim
de champasne;' at any rate, two shoe
makers were supposed to insure the per-
fectness of their fit, one made the right and
the other the left foot. He had three
Giovers for his gloves, one Of whom was
exclusively charged with the cutting out
of his thumbs. Three hardressers were
likewise engaged to dress his hair. AS for
the personal appearance of this sublime
dandy, his face we read, was rather
long. his features neither plain nor ugly,
his forehead unusually high, hair light
brown, whiskers inclined to be sandy eyes
gray and fun of Oddity.' His conversa-
tion. without having the wit and humor
of Lord Alvanley, another of the dandies.
was highly agreeable and amusing; indeed,
Brummeu has never been surpassed or
equaled since. The Prince of Wales would
frequently come of a morning to the Beau's
mouse IN Chesterfield street to witness his
toilet, and to acquire the art of tying his
own neckerchief. "a la mode" For many
years, notwithstanding the great disparity
of rank. Brummell continued the princes
intimate friend. AT last, however, a cool
ness sprang up between them and the
mirror Of fashion" was forbidden the royal
presence.
The prince-then king-saw the poor dan
dy once many years after when passing
through Calais. Thackeray says: The
bankrupt Beau sent him then a snuffbox
with some< of the snuff he used to love
as a piteous token of remembrance and
submission. and the king took the snuff
and ordered his horses and drove on and
had not the grace to notice his old COM
panion. favorite, rival, enemy, superior"
Brummeu. of course, had many successors,
but the old order changeth," and none of
them ever attained to the Olympian heights
OF his dandyism, not even the elegant dor
say, who for time was constituted the
king of fashion and held poor Brummell
sceptre.