Evening star., 1922-03-22
Revival Of Moyen Age Costumes
A more auspicious time could not
BY ANNE RI1rENHoUsE.

A moro auspicfous time could not
have occurred for a revival of
| moyen age styles than at present.
Historians tell US that one Of the
| great differences between the Co.'S
| tune both of men and women in the
[ middle age period and in the renais-
sance was the result of the fabrics
used. In the middle ages fabrics were
] supple. pliable, clinging. The renais-
sance brought into vogue satins, vel
| vets. brocades, metallic fabrics. And
With these came costumes-beautiful
| though they were-that revealed less
of the natural grace of the body. In
order not to be clumsy and shapeless
garments had to be fitted more close
I ly, sleeves had to be shaped to the
shoulders and the arms.
Moreover, with the renaissance
| stays came into use, and there were
| artificial contraptions to accentuate
| The breadth of the hips and shoulders.
At the present time, though great
quantities of sitter. less pliable fab
! RIGS are used, our fabric makers are
! also supplying US with materials of
admirable suppleness. And the de-
signers wisely do not attempt gowns
| the most plant of these materials.
| And they do not have the handicap
! of artificially CONSTRUCTED or extended
! figures on which to place these moy-
en- age costumes. They do not have
| to work against the prejudice IN
! favor of a multiplicity Of petticoats
| or starched underrutfies.
There was a so-called revival OF
| the styles of the middle ages in mid
victorian ages. 1t was part of
general romantic wave that affected
ings and philosophy as well as fash
| ions in clothes But the mid-vic-
torian woman wore stays. She was
welded to an eighteen-tnch waist.
and she was somehow possessed
with the notion that her reputation
would be at stake if she abandoned
her ,multitudinous petticoats.
Even the actresses of those days
possessed these prejudices-or they
were restrained by the prejudices OF
their audiences.
The really conscientious costumer
was in despair when he was set the
task of 'costuming a play set in the
twelfth or thirteenth century. Dear
to his heart was the effect pro-
duced by the beautiful draping. as
tions. and the sculpture OF Gothic
cathedrals. But he worked in vain
to achieve the same result. Partly
the difficulty was due to the fg-
ures of the mid-victorian women VINO
were to wear the costumes, and
he worked with were not so supple as
were those actually employed by
dressmakers in the middle ages.
And now both these barriers are
down. 1t is with real delight now
that the designer produces a frock
of moyen age spirit. Everything 10
set for this achievement.
Many of the new gowns are closer
replicas Of middle age costumery
than was at first suspected.
In the sketch you may see very
wearable French frock made OF red
crepe de chine, trimmed with corded
bands of the material and silver
buckles at the neck and belt 1t 10
worn over white georgetto sip.
Certainly It is in the spirit Of the
present styles, yet the slip might
have been worn as the robe and tho
ovedress might have been the dali
maticia of some Norman or English
noble of the eleventh or twelfth CEN
tury. The placing and design OF the
buckles are in pure moyen age style.