Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-11-09

Back, Which Was Regarded as
ring, But Was Finally Accepted
by Fashionable Women.
fall Of Napoleon. In accordance with
previous experience. we find that I.
that period was marked by the most IN
immodest and fantastic fashions that ~
have evf been seen, A.
AS the women of France recovered
sfrom the gloom Of the Reign OF Ter
ror, they blossomed forth into the TT
most frivolous and reckless costumes w
imaginable. II would fill volumes in
and very entertaining oncs-to de- r.
scribe the ultra-fashionable costumes RI
o. the Directoire, the Consulate and III
the Empire periods. l have gazed VII
upon many quaint illustrations of HI
these costumes, and / can at least
say that they are very remarkable.
During the Napoleonic wars very
gay and striking colors were favored, as
we'll as scanty material, as IL such colors
were best suited to excite the war-worn
sons Of Mars There is theory that in
hardened and that corresponding coars-
ening of the other sex must occur, but of
this l am not convinced.
One favorite costume Of the Directoire
period is similar to that already mentioned
as having been decreed in Athens-it was
slit to the thigh
After the revolution and the Reign of
Terror the women of France returned to
this very Greek costume, and in cuts of the
time are reproductions of a particularly
noticeable one that was called by contem-
porary writers THE Savage" At that
time the great scarcity of materials had
sent the prices soaring to heights that
would make even ours seem fairly endur-
able, and this scarcity of cloth offers
another excuse for the reduction of the
quantity of material used A chronicler Of
the time wrote sarcastically that the
women seemed not only bent on divesting
themselves of every article of apparel not
absolutely necessary, but had made up
their minds to make the remaining gar
ments as small and thin as possible. How
ever that may be. they went to such
in hand and carried It UP to Rome, and
on October 16, 1900, the Pope issued
bull, which was deferred to as follows in
The London Times of January, 1901:
The Pope. after speaking In
appropriate terms of the present scarcity
or clothing, and the sensations it might
excite even in The bosom of a withered
monk, and, quoting the authority of st.
Clement. His Holiness strictly enjoins
his officers. civil and ecclesiastical to re-
press by fine or corporal punishment ac-
cording to the circumstances of the case,
these crying enormities. He directs, too
that punishment should be extended to
such damsels as though at first sigh.
they appear properly attired. are never.
theless decked in transparent robes, and
with voluptuous attire display themselves
In very seductive and tempting attitudes
Moreover, fathers, husbands. heads of
families, who weakly or negligently per-
NIT their wives. daughters, servants, ETC.,
to trespass against these rules shall not
escape with immunity. Also, all tailors,
haberdashers, milliners and mon milliners
and hair dressers, and others who con.
tribute to these enormities OF dress, shall
In nowise pass unpublished ."
Evidently these same styles were
taken up in England at abou. that time,
for this amusing incident is described by
writer Of the day. He relates that
wager was made between two guests at
dinner party, one lady wagering that hea
costume. including Its trinkets. would MOI
weigh altogether more than two pounds
The wager was taken up. and when she
retired and took off her costume and
weighed it it was found to scale inst a
little over one and one-quarter pounds.
The costume Is described in the original
manuscript a. having been q awe
chemise over pink deshings, with gilt
bands
At one time under the Empire the ultr.-