Evening star., 1920-04-04

"\hN6 WaS u Uanker OF renOWu
who had a daughter who was
married In gown copied after
= the one worn by Catherine dc
Medici.
That lady's father was banker also,
you may remember.
The gown caused the gasps and gos-
sip that accompany and follow q new
fashion. one that IL intended to create
. diversion. 1t was Of cloth Of gold,
draped with rare and rich lace and
there were Strings Of pearls on the
bodice, diamonds about the neck and
Jewels in the couture.
Up to that time tae richest bride had
contented herself with an embroidered
gown Of ivory satin that almost stood
alone. or one Of specially woven lace
at cost Of q thousand dollars.
Queens wore gowns covered with
silver tracery or masses of exquisite
embroidery done through years of pa
tient plodding by the peasantry OF
country as gift to her majesty.
The average bride was content with
white satin. a bit of point lace serving
as the high light. either on the skirt or
bodice. Lace, such as it was. had the
earmarks Of age as an heirloom or il 1t
was new. it was intended for posterity.
No one, throughout two centuries. had
thought Of any other fabric than satin,
or any color than white it was tradi-
ton, and to break it would be as though
one adopted the Chinese fashion Of wear
ing yellow as mourning.
The advent of a cloth of gold gown.
therefore. copied after one worn by that
capricious. willful. extravagaut, MASTER
full descendant Of Lorenzo de Medici.
the greatest banker the world had pro-
duced, made the small world which saw
it stop in its tracks for an hour. They
read in it the introduction Of new era
in wedding costumery. Such it was.
Liberties have been taken ever since
with wedding frocks. Tradition has
been considered rather an oldfashioned
affair. Why do what our ancestors did,
was the first question. The world moves,
why can't We?
Such questions, such stirring of the
mental sap. such signs of departure
from the accustomed and the accepted,
are tte SlIiliuSS VI ICNoi0tiOh w
heavals begin thus.
The first nd most distinguished dandy
of England in the tin of Henry VIII
once created a fashions Nle costume
which a shoemaker desiret and aped;
the dandy hearing of 1t ordered his cos
tune slashed in a dozen places. True,
he Offset the ruin by having the cut
edges embroidered and sewn with small
pearls. but the act humbled the shoe
maker and no one of his position ever
dared to copy the clothes Of the court
after that.
Long since life lost such class dis
tinctions. The fullness or emptiness Of
the purse regulates the costume. This
should not be. but 1t is so. Over and
over in recent decades have the rich
and well placed swung to the extreme
Of simplicity in dressing and the wear
ing Of jewels in order to differentiate
themselves from those who costume
themselves grandly with no place to
co. A white satin frock at prize
fight keeps some people from wearing
white satin.
This is the present attitude in France
since the war brought fortunes to those
who do not know the significance Of
splendid clothes. the proper place to
wear them nor the culture and refine
ment that are supposed to environ them.
There has always been more or less
Of an effort in France and America for
the women Of manners and social posi-
tion to avoid what was worn by women
who had neither. but whose chief end
and aim in life was to be thought rich
and to be in the iimelight. Since the
orgy Of gorgeous clothes with their
semi nudity and reckless extSAvagance
has come up through the war there has
been an even stronger revulsion Of feel
ing toward personal fnery signifying
cost.
1t may be that none Of the first ladies'
Of the land would consider cloth Of gold
as possible now for q wedding gown,
but the fabric Is chosen by those who
like to buy that which takes the most
money. Many dress in such terms dur
ing these days Of revolution and evolu-
ton.
AS regards the acceptance Of this
fabric which was once kept for the fes-
tival days Of kings the counters are filed
with 1t and it 10 offered to whoever has
the price: and even the price is not be.