The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-10
TROUSERS WERE APRONS ONCE
FASHION MADE THEM so LONG
THAT MEN COULDN'T MANAGE,
So Some Forgotten Genius Cut W Holes,
stuck His Legs Through and Tucked
the Flaps Up Behind, and Lo! the
TrOuscrs-SOT Hats and Liberty.

Trouscrs-Sort Hats and Liberty.
Mrs. Clara Ruge revealed the mystery Of
trousers last night at the Hotel Aston.
The useful garment came from the banks
| Of the Nile. II appears, and may have been
worn for the first time by King Snefru OF
the Fourth Dynasty. who 1ourished about
5000 B. c.
Mrs. Ruge is an art critic who has made a
special study OF costume. She talked at
the Aston last night before the Art Workers
| Club on tho Origin, History nd Develop
ment of Costume" William M. Chase, tho
artist, lent her som Of his most gorgeous
costumes that she might illustrate her talk
by dressing live girls up in them and giving
living pictures. Mr.. Chase also poeed
the young women, who were pretty pro-
fessional models.
Mrs. Ruge devoted several minutes
OF her talk to trousers and the women,
who formed a large majority Of the audi
ence, listened with interest. They lac
a right to. II it hadn't been for women's
aprons, first worn in Egypt, there wouldn't
have been any trousers. Pants are but
aprons of Il larger growth.
Men have always been more sensible
about their dress thln women" sad Mrs,
Ruge. AT times they have become foolish
and worn things TO show OF their hand
some figures, or let vanity run away with
them, but in the main they have been sa mel
than women, 30 far as clothes go.
Trousers, the distinctive feature OF
mems dress, were worn in Egypt for the
first time. Both women and men had been
wearing aprons. Aprons we're the very first
attempt to ornament and decorate the per-
son. Before they appeared men, and women
wore skins and ~furs-plaiu. severe and
simple. The aprons were a fanCiful fril.
The women OF Egypt got TO wearing them
long and imperious fashion required the
men to do the same. 1t ives difficult for the
men to move freely, though, wearing these
long aprons. A genius appeared. He cut
holes in the apron, stuck his legs through
and behold he had the rudimentary %trouserl
Little by little something. was added be-
hind or in front until to-day we have the
perfect pattern"
Until the present time, Mrs. Ruge said,
the caprice and within of women threw
common sense to the winds, and the result
was the most o~utlandish dress conceivable.
We have progressed v. said Mrs. Ruge,
we have found that it is foolish to submit
TO the slavery of fashion. To-day what
ever is beautiful is fashionable, Formerly
it was whatever is fashionable is beautiful,
| consider though. that the periods in which
the most beautiful costumes were worn
both by men and women were in the time
ofthe Greeks and during the Renaissance"
Hats ave always indicated ideas, said
the costume expert. Tn felt hat, broad
brimmed. free and easy, has always stood
for liberal ideas. freedom, hatred of tyranny
and manliness.
The first felt hats were worn by wallen.
STEMS soldiers during the Thirty Years
War. she said. The H%ollanders wore
them to show they had thrown off the rule
Of Spain. The Puritans wore them, and so
did the Quakers, making a fashion of soft
hats, which indicated their formally and
sternness. To-day the Rough Rider hats
and the cowboys sweeping hats stand for
the same thinp-love Of libertv."
Mrs. Ruge illustrated her talk with stere-
opticon views and living pictures. The
selves dressed as Greek maidens, Roman
matrons., Egyptian princesses, Spanish
gypsies, ladies' of the time of Philip IL. OF
Spain, ladies of the court Of Louis XIV,
ladies of the First and Second Empires, and
distinctive costume. They appeared in a
great frame of black snd gold which had a
background Of green velvet,
How would you like to walk along
Broadway in that?" whispered one of the
Pericles's time appeared in the frame.
Not much said her girl friend, I'D
lose that in the first department store
crush I got into
bltS. huBt tAillb.ltu toSlUiutS 10 StlpW
the effect the age of troubadours. the
Crusades, the Renaissance. the invention
Of gunpowder and printing and the dis
covery of America had on costumes. She
regretted that she hadn't been able to
procure a nan who would pose in the skin
tight trousers. each leg of a different de-
sign, that the Italians wore In the fifteenth
century.
1T would have been so pretty. she said.
The crinoline, invented and popularized
by the Empress Eugene, was shown on the
screen and in living pictures.
That was bad enough. said Mrs. Ruge,
"but the narrow gowns of 1870 were worse
1t was pitiful to watch a lady trying to
cross a ditch with that garb on"
Next came the hustle of 1850.
Would you believe that your mothers
thought them handsome?" said Mrs. Ruge.
People who didn't wear them were called
cranks."
Leon Dabo. Luis +. Mora, Albert l.. Groll
and John H. Fry, the artists, assisted Mrs,
Ruge,