New-York tribune., 1909-07-24
ANCIENT CLOTHES.
Liuelu Notes on the Evolution Of
Dress.

Andrew Lang in The London Morning Post
The study Of the evolution Of dress above all
Of Greek dress. might paralyzc the genius or a
Darwin Just when a man thinks that ne Is at
least. the level Of scientific opinion he finds
that he has drifted leagues astern OF II, or far
away 70 the left or-rEht. The subject Is 50 DIX
fCult because. naturally, We have no ancient CO.'S
tunes before us IN linen or wool, while the early
artists who depict them not always trust
worthy persons. They have a strong tendency
from the dsteless period of the artists coIIein-
porary with the mammoth and reindeer in
France to the bushmeu in South Africa to draw
with wasp's waists and 10 represent people
al naked who were certainly clothed. Nobody
was likely to go naked in climate that suited
the mammoth and reindeer. especially II ne was
well supplied with bone needles 10 sew his raj
inent as he certainly was Yet palRolithic man
usually drew his species without stitch or a
cIout But yesterday were his paintings on
rock-walls discovered. in which his women Wear
skirts with half moon cut out at the lower end
10 give play 10 the ankles.
It is dficult to say whether. in warm climates.
dress was invented for the sake of decorum or Of
decoration. If take the case Of Egypt the old
F,eyptjan paintings show that for men the ordI-
nary Ioin cloth usually sufficient II we
pass from Egypt TO Crete the art OF the myste-
riOus white men who founded and achieved
(about 2500-1 1900 3 O. It's civilization shows in
early periods men in loin cloths. perhaps hFst
worn by them in Northern Africa The women.
in the opinion OF Or. Mackenzie were originally
no better clad. But on one Slde the Iadlts d"-
yeloped the loin cloth into "a belted pdnier or
polonaise" without any skirt or bodice cas- also
did the mem. and then the women went on
lengthening the paner by overlapping additions
till they had compound skirt" like "a hounced
skirt in outward appearance, and finally fashion
reveiled in skirts with regular hounces and low
bOdiCeS above.
Having. perhaps, two thousand years to devote
to costume and fashion, these ladies OF Crete
evolved almost every sort OF dress known to us IN
Western Europe, from the Elizabethan ruff and
puffed sleeves to the dress Of England at the end
of the eighteenth century. TO early Victorian. to
gaudilv colored and trimmed "zuuaYe Jackets
with light hounced skirts. and even To the Tam
o'-Shanter cap. tailor made coat fitting tightly
.F.~Tvs To- fr
statuette Of Cretan lady thus attired photo
graphed in Or. Mossos account Of his Crctan
tour.
Ladies even forsook sandals and wore bot
tines; in fact. some of them. in the ancient Gre
tan pictures. are known as Les PdrlslcnneS.
very gay little persons Of about 1900 b. &. The
cloths or baggy short skirts like loose kniCk-
erboclers or wore tight brief bathing drawers
embroidered embossed. and only wore long
robes Sundays, at least when present at
religious functions. The one fashion that the
ancient Cretan women never adopted was the
familiar Greek peplos, so graceful In its drapery
which has body bodice. no separate
skirt but is, in fact no more than a square
woolen blanket folded Tin way which l 90 not
understand and taken up round the waist 10y
a girdle." 1t pinned up by safety pins or
ibulae over each shoulder. and as much of IL was
pulled up through the girdle, to fan over ii in
graceful folds, the wearer pleased. The dress
depended for its effect. and. indeed for It's per-
manence above the shoulders, on these safety
pins. II one Of them ceased to be safe down
came the dress When the Tale Of Troy"
acted many years ago Dy IddlcS NAtil OF
Frederick Leighton directed the pins caused
great searchngs Of heaWs. However, they never
failed to do their duty.
This fashion alone the Cretan ladies OF $500
1900 =. c. never evolved, and no safety pins
found in the older sites OF CTetan civilization,
They come in at the end of that period AS they
are also found far away in the north in Bosnia
and Austria and all across eastern Central
Europe it is probable that they brought
south from these quarters by the prehistoric
cestors of the Greeks, the Ach@ans, Dorians and
forth. The women would wear the peplos.
the men a beted smock Chiffon with cloak
over it. also fastened with safety pin. in cold
weather
We have in Homer full description of the
smock cloak and elaborate gold safety pin of
Odysseus; and his swineherd belts his smocl
before he goes a journey. This Is the dress
that Homer describes In d man put his
corselet over his chiffon, OF which the tails
must have hung down below it. Obviously the
with the Southern lOin cloth; in fact. it is very
like the smock and brooched and belted plaid Of
the Highlanders before the philabeg or separate
skirt came into use. with the coat which
the plaid is
So far all seems plain sailing to early dress
in Greece We have first the costumes of the
Cretans, the ladies in all sorts of medieval and
modern garb, the men in lOin cloths, bathing
drawers or baggy knickerbockers, and never
needless safety pin has been found of that period.
on the other side have the Greeks with
chiffon and peplos, and Indispensable safety pins
in many styles
But now comes in a set of facts that puzzle
me- | have never seen representation in the
art of. say. 1200-SO0 B. c. of man or woman in
chiffon or peplos. About 500 b. c. very
roughly speaking) the representations Of men
and women on vases are mere skeleton figures
like those designed by Tommy Traddles in
triangle reversed The drawing is detestable;