The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-18
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, D. C.
TWO rHousAND WEARS or NYLE

TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF STYLE.
Washington, D. c. April 15.-Those
who condemn modern fashions and
shudder to think what is coming next,
could find food for considerable
thought and some comfort in a review
of fashion history which is being
shown here. The models are 1856
dolls belonging to Mrs. C. H. Wright,
of Pittsfield. Mass, and the costumes
are faithful reproductions of old prints
selected to illustrate the progress of
European fashion.
The extremes of clothes history are
jokingly represented by Mother Eve in
"a very enyeloping fig leaf, and a
''merrie vamp" in a, yellow silk, back
less. armless evening gown. In be-
tween, the real collection begins at
500 A. d. and touches the high spots
of European styles down to 1915.
At first glance, the visitor is apt to
regard the full. flowing skirts, the
fichus, and enveloping sleeves as
models of propriety. Here are long
rows of china damseIs covering a
range of 1000 years of fashion. and
not sleeveless arm or silk clad knee
visible.
Closer inspection, however. brings to
mind details that leave one doubtful if
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 a tunnel, are
picturesque antiquities now. But
| transpose any one of them to Fifth
Avenue or Main Street, and the dress
reformers would leave the short skirt
chase cold to make war on the new
evidence of fashions increasing de-
/ pravity.
| III the little red-haired doll repre-
senung Queen Elizabeth, or the be-
| W1gged figure of Marie Antoinette
We're to step out of line, come down
| from the table, and suddenly change
from their fifteen-fnch height to life
1 size, there would scarcely be space for
| any one else in the ROOM The fluffy
blue panniers worn by the Marie
Antofnette doll are kept in place by a
! basket of straw worn beneath the
| skirt. Wnen the grand danes of the
court wished to be seated, the basket
had somehow to be removed, as it
was impossible to make it collapse
| satisfa etorily.
Clumsy Clothes.
I Imagine the society debutante
checking her pannier scaffolding at
! a dance, or street car aisle billoWine
like bargain counter with piles of
organd1e and georgette crepe. I'M
ag1ne, If you can, one of Madame de
Pompadour's headdresses-a towering
pompadour carefully constructed with
an extra story of flowers and tulle,
and a steep1e of plumes above that,
the whole structure measuring six
feet in height. Imagine yourself try
ing to see the comedian cavort over
| that kind of headgear, and the mod
| ern ear muff and the Fiji Island
bob" pale into triviality.
FARTHER back in the historic line of
dolls is French model of the twelfth
century with a tall funnel or cornu-
copla on her head. This was the day
OF the henn1n- One in the Wright doll
collection is about six inches tall, or
nearly half the height of the doll
This head decoration in life size Weuld
measure three feet. From the tip. a
veil of lace falls to the ground and
forms a train. The hennin became a
thing OF extreme extraya gance, both
as to size and expense. Jewels lace
and yards of rich material were pul
into the hennins, until the mayors OF
some French towns ordered them col
iected In the public square and
burned. That was a blow to the hem
min, but the women of fashion found
solace in sleeves and hoops. BY
Catharine de Medicfs time, in the
sixteenth century, women's sleeves
were padded to make them stand gu,
like huge sausages. The men toe
adopted padded sleeves and trousers
partly for STYLE, and also as a pro
lection against rapier thrusts.
Catherine de Medici and Queer
Elizabeth are both shown in the dol
collection wearing their favorite ruffs
Here again there was excess. Ruffs
finally became SO ridiculously large in
| Eliza beth'S court. that the queen was
alarmed and angry at the efforts o.
| her cour1erS to Guido one another. TC
stop the rufus progress she issued 6
decree limiting the size of ruffs ant
, appointed officers who were to devote
all their time to investigating viola
tons of the edict and clip any ruff:
exceeding the size limit
| Generally a decree or any effor
suddenly to curb extrava gance in dres!
has only caused the fire TO break GU
somewhere else. Royalty set the fash
ion and could ban or encourage Ger
tain tendencies of style as it liked. Blu
among themselves the courtiers trieC
to Guido one another just as the mod
ern fashion followers do.
In all these centuries of the middI,
ages, and on up to the French revolu
ton, only the leisure class made fash
: ion history. 1t took woman o
wealth to afford a dress so heavy tina
two attendants had to support he
, when she walked. This is no eXag
l gerated fancy. Historic records men
e ton that Gabrielle distress, mistres
of Henry ", wore a court gown 81
> loaded with gold, silver and preciou
2 alone and could scarcely stand unde
the weight of it.
Between these clothes racks of tn
court and the peasants there was n
great important middle class like tina
$ of today. Peasants working on tn
E land wore simple clothes. They coul,
e not afford the costly materials af
. fected by the nobility and they coul
not work in the court styles. No wo
n man could hoe or care for a child i
t panniers or a ruff.
!, Peasants Initiate Royalty.
q The peasants in their villages GO
their much modified styles, howevei
U from royalty. Just as the mobiles die
q The headdress worn by Anne of Bri
tany in the fifteenth century is sti
copied by peasant women of that par
y of France. and the tall. conica1 hennf
Il of Isabel of Bavaria 6140O) is still tn
. headdress of peasant Normand.
q There would be comparatively littl