The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-25
WAR AND WEAR
Influence of Martial Campaigns on
Human Fashions

From the Boston TRANSCRIPT
The lexicon of fashion is constantly re-
penished from the battlefield Fashion
is votary of victory The victors are
honored in the names for new fa hrics
garments or colors. Today the Bulgars
nave the stamp in their hands and i'm
press 1t upon the Bulgarian blouse for
women, and at least two kinds of neck
wear for men. Young men who pride
themselves on having the latest word in
searfs can display the bulgarian stripe"
or the Bulgarian flake" for the envy
ana edlhcatlon of their associates less up
10 the minute. Twas ever thus Our
srandmothers and grandaunts in their
young womanhood wore "Gariba ldis
which resembed the contemporary shirt
waists. This was about the time thev
were receiving attentions from young
men who rather tired of 'Raglans" were
yet wearing them in the interim of fash
Ion. Possibly the Raglan" was not the
only contribution of the Crimean war to
the terminology of Dress The cardigan
Jacket may not be tribute to the leader
OF the six hundred" but it certainly
bears plebeian resemblance to the tight
short tunic of the hussars. The success
of the French in the war for Italian
unity added Magenta to the hues that
were in vogue, and 'Solferno'' as we'll
Magenta has survived all the changes
o. tastes in 80 years. but Solferino is now
as little known as Bismarck brown"
Our civil war left little impress on popu-
lar wear or appearance that has lasted
unless the occasional appearance of
Burnside whiskers' be deemed evidence
to the contrary.
Commercialism has a quicker apprecia-
ton of psychology than many lecturers
in college precincts realize 1t sees n
tide of popularity and launching its little
"a
sweeps triumphantly into the port of
profit and its success is registered in the
termlnolosy of trade. Some registrations
have the element of permanency in them
NaVarlno bonnets, worn in the late
POS, when the liberal world was thrilled
with satisfaction over the destruction of
the Turksh-Egyptan armada that had
been commissioned to annihilate Greek
liberty. are now to- be found only in col
lectfons or In the dusty storerooms of
old houses. On the other hand, though
that tough old campaigner. Prince
Blucher, died before Navarino was fought
and has been in his grave for nearly a
century. his name, which British boot
makers gave to one kind of footwear
when his fame was at its height. is still
in great trade vogue. Thousands. per-
haps hundreds of thousands of men wear
'bluchers. and the designation has sur
vived the supersession of the hlph boot bv
the shoe AS the up-to-date dresser of to-
day walks abroad in bluchers he NAV
mediate on wherewithal will he wrap his
throat under his collar, whether with the
Bulgarian scarf or with the simpler. ia
miliar cravat If conservatism inclines
him to the latter. he, though he NAV be
ever 80 much a pacificist cannot avoid
paying tribute to the military influence
in dress dictaton. The cravat takes it's
name from the regiment of "Royal Cra
vat which. raised for the French service
in Croatia, astonished the Parisians Of
the seventeenth century by its peculiar
neckwear, designed to turn saber cuts.
and set fashion. Carlyle wrote learned
ly on clothes. but perhaps Thackeray. in
questioning mood, threw out the most
luminous hint as to the origin of th.
military names found in fashions when
he conJectured that the worship of yalor
was founded in breadth and depth of bu-
man cowardice. The subject is worth the
earnest attention of pacificists. 1T would
mean much IL the Carnegie" drove the
Bulgarian tie or blouse out of style. One
significance OF the change would be tb,
recognition by tailors and haberda shers
that peace hath its victories not less
profitable than those of war