The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-03-30

School Of Commerce, Lyons, FRANCE
saws in a recent publication Of the
Smithsonian Institution, that fasnlon
is a social custom, transmitted by lmi-
tation or by tradition; that it is a form
Of luxury in ornamentation. He con-
tinues by saying that h caprlces OF
fashion are both frequent and SUD
den. It is changeab1e, unreliable
| frivolous, and thrusts aside the most
| careful calculations. It domineers its
| universal following, reigning supreme
over all classes Of society in which
THE taste for finery dates Well BACK
toward the very beginning OF the
world.
Up to the thirteenth century, WON
ems costumes were chiefly tunics or
robes marked by natural simplicity,
but in France in the fourteenth ana
fifteenth centuries. under FRANCIS l
| and Henry II, dresses were designed
to follow the lines OF the body. Wom-
en- then appeared in fitted doublets,
| skirts, and wraps with collars. The
| sleeves were leg-of-mutton and bal
Don shaped, filed with plaits or very
tight. AT the time Of Henry III the
pointed waist was held in place by a
stiff corset. and was accompanied by
puffed sleeves, the dress already hav-
ing the hoop-petticoat.
The reign of Henry " brought out
the great bell skirt built on springs,
which was later found with the crino-
line. The tendency toward fullness in
the skirt kept increasing until 1905,
bringing some dresses to enormous
proportions. Then toward the end Of
the seventeenth century the fullness
diminished, giving way to padded
! n r~orr4, $1,000
though ~reappearing again later. Re-
duction in the size Of the skirt con
tinued until bou 1850 when fullness
again came into fashion, and by 1885
the skirts were ridiculously full and
expended with great hoops. There
was another reaction and the hoop
skirt gave way, first to the hustle. and
then. in 1898. to h one-piece dress.
with no Ornamentation. Greek robes
were seen at fetes and on the stage,
The d~irectoire dress exaggerated the
lated style and resembled the trou-
sers skirt Of recent date. The en-
pire costume with the high waist was
another transformation Of the direc-
TORE, showing a tendency to fullness
in the form.
In 1905 there came a more general
style for all classes. Skirts were worr
very full again toward 1910 and, after
3 passing through all sorts of grada.
tlons. with a partial return to fullness
in the back, this style ended between
1860 and 1855 in the eliminating poin'
; or the crlnoline. This marked thu
departure from Orientalism ane
( brought us toward the peoch Of sim
pie and straight robes, which con
tlnued until the extreme clingins
: own were reached, While today W,
seem about to revert again to a NOR,
voluminous style Of dress.
K beginning with Worth in 1S46, III
t best known modiste has been the ere
k ating artist Of fashion. The modist
a seeks out the designs, fits the forms
harmOnizes the lines and styles, ex
hlbits the models, and then the selec
q lions are made by public opinion ex
pressed at the races at Auteuil an,
n Longchamp. The complete results O
s these races told in the Paris paper
often oml the most important fea
n ture of the day-The Birth of a Ne,
= Fashion.
Once created, there is haste +
make known the new fashion. an
since it is no more a feature Of tn
royal courts. where once it refecte
n the personal desire and viii IF til
sovereigns, today the STYLES are mar
it public by models at the race course
Ie on the streets, on h stage. and at sc
clai functions. and particularly at tn
l. "atres where the dress Of the ultr
It social set is playing an increasin
> role.
le The influence Of the stun !
l. certain operas and plays has been fe
to a considerable degree. L~iteratur
t has also been a great inspiration, 3
s. shown by Louis Maigron's boo
ii "Romantisme ct la Mode" which sa,
ID ,romanticism creeps from books I'M
daily life through social diversions
Ell The masquerade thus makes SON
)e pretenslons of reconstructing fashion
IS history by appealing to Ole e~ngravins
Tor aid in costurning. There are mar
otner influences to which the trer
er OF fashion may lay claim; military un
u forms. foreign costumes, sports. ar
religious beliefs Fashion does n,
at its field to dress alone: it a
tects arr, architecture, literature. fur
e, iture' travel, sports. hairdressing, ar
n. even social custom and demeanor.
1t has affected many industrie
tie causing a great increase or decrea,