Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-28
FASHION MODES
OF MANY AGES
SEEN IN REVIEW
Extreme Costume History Pic
tured in Faithful Repro
duction.
BY FREDERIC }. HAsKIN.


models are 1S6 dolls belonging to Mrs.
&c. H. Wright Of Pittsfeld Mass,
and the costumes are faithful reproduc-
lions of old prints selected to illustrate
the progress of European fashion.
The extremes of clothes history are
jokingIy represented by Mother Eve in
very enveloping fig leaf, and a 'merrie
vamp" in a yellow silk, backless, arm
less evening gown. In between, the real
collection begins at 800 A. d. and touches
the high spots of European styles down
to 1915.
It first glance, the visitor is apt to
regard the full, flowing skirts, the
nschus, and enveloping sleeves as models
of dress propriety. Here are long rows
CT china damsels covering a range of
1900 years of fashion, and not a sleeve
less arm or a silk clad knee visible.
Closer inspection, however, brings to
mind details that leave one doubtful IL
the old days were the best. The iron
corset that made possible the wasp waist,
the bobbing pannier that cOquettishly
consumed bolts Of cloth, the coal scuttle
bonnet that hid the face of the wearer
as in tunnel, are picturesque antiquities
now. But transpose any one of them to
Fifth avenue or Main street and the
skirt chase cold to make war on the new
evidence of fashions increasing dcpraYity.
If the little red haired doll represent
ing Queen Elizabeth, or the Sewigged
figure of Marie Antoinette were to step
out of line. come down the table, and
suddenly change from their een-inch
height TO life size, there would scarcely
be space for any one else in the room
The fluffy blue panniers worn by the
Marie Antoinette doll are kept in place
by a basket Of straw worn beneath the
skirt. When the grand danes of the
court wished to be~seated the basket had
somehow to be removed, as it was i'm
possible to make it collapse satisfac
torily
CLUMSY COSTUMES
OF YE OLDEN TIMES.
Imagine the society debutante check
ing her pannier scaffolding at a dance,
or street car aisle billOwing like
bargain counter with piles of organdie
and Georgette crepe Imagine, If you
can, one of Madame de Pompadours
headdresses-a towering pompad0ur care
fully constructed with an extra story of
flowers and tulle, and a steepIe Of plumes
above that, the whole structure meas
uring six feet in height. Ina CINE your
self trying to see the comedian cavort
over that kind Of headgear. and the mod
ern earmuff and the Fiji Island bob"
pale into triyiality.
Farther back in the historic line Of
dolls is a French model of the twelfth
century, with a tall funnel or cornucopla
on her head. This was the day of the
hennin. One in the Wrigh; doll coIlec-
ton is about six inches tall, or nearly
half the height of the doll. This head
decoration in life size would measure
three feet. From the tip d veil Of lace
falls TO the ground and forms 8 train
The hennin becalie thing Of extrava-
gance. both as TO size and expense Jew
els, lace and yards of rich material were
put into the hennins, until the mayors
of some French towns ordered them col
Iected in the public square and burned.
| That wa sa blow 10 the hennin, but the
women Of fashion found solaee in sleeves
and hoops BY Catherine de MedicIs
time, in the sixteenth century. women s
sleeves were padded to make them stand
out like huge sausages. The men, too,
adopted padded sleeves and trousers,
partly for style, and also as a protec-
ton against napier TRUSTS
Catherine de Medici and Queen Eliza
beth are both shown in the doll col
lection wearing their favorite rufs. Here
again there was excess. RuTs finally be
came so rldiculously large in Eliza
beth's court that the Queen was alarmed
and angry at the efforts OF her courtiers
to Guido one another. To top The run S
progress she issued decree limiting the
size Of runs and appointed officers who
were to devote all their time to investi-
eating violations Of the edict and clip any
ruffs exceeding the size limit
Generany a decree or any effort sud
denly to curb extravaganza in dress has
only caused the fire to break out some
where else Royalty set the fashion and
could ban or encourage certain tendencies
Of style as it liked. But among them
selves the counters tried to Guido one
another just as the modern fashion fol-
lowers do.
In all these centuries Of the middle ages
and on up to the French Revolution, only
the leisure class made fashion history
1t took woman of wealth TO afford a
dress so heavy that two attendants had
TO support her when she walked. This
is no exaggerated fancy. Historic rec
ords mention that Gabriel 'Estrees, mis-
tress of Henry ". wore a court gown so
loaded with gold, silver and precious
stones that she could not move about
alone and could scarcely stand under
the weight of it.
Between these clothes racks of the
court and the peasants there was no
great important middle class like that
of today. Peasants working on the land
wore simple clothes They could not
afford the costly materials affected by
the nobility. and they could not work
in the court styles. No woman could hoe
or care for child in panniers or a ruff.
PEASANTS INITIATE
ROYALTY.
The peasants in their villages got their
much modified styles, however, from
royalty, just as the mobiles did The
headdress worn by Anne Of Brittany in
the fifteenth century is still copied by
peasant women of that part Of France
and the tall conical hennin Of Isabel
of Bavaria (14O0) is still the headdress
of peasant Normandy There would be
comparatively little contrast Of variety in
history of peasant costumes. Once a
style gained popularity with the peas
antry of district it became fixed in
heritance That is why the Wright col
lection of fashion dolls is, down to mod
ern times a collection of court ladies'
queens, and womlD Of wealth
The comparatively modern dolls, of the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries, show
the tendency of fashion to concern
wider range of people than the narrow
court circles. America, Germany and
France are represented in the dolls of
these centuries. Instead of being labeled
Queen of France" or "a lady of rank .
as the earlier dolls are, these models are
marked spring costume" ball gown"
calling costume" street costume"
The fall of the Bastile marked the end
of royal leadership In fashions for
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