Year: 1867

Fashions In America and I'm En-


rope.


One of our New York contemporaries,
in discussing the subject of fashions in
dress, opens up the question of our prob
able independence of European fashions
at no distant day. 1t is already true
that it is easier to get frst-rate ladies'
glove in some of the large cities of this
country than in Paris. The dress of
thoroughly we'll fitted lady or gentleman
should be respectable all over the civil
lied world, without the necessity of SUBJ
mitting to the dictation of foreign fash
ions in the matter. The short walking
dresses now so frequently seen in the
streets of our cities are becoming general
from their obvious convenience and COM
fort. 1t is perhaps premature at pres
ent to consider whether the scepter of
fashion is about to pass away from Pa
ris; but on many accounts there is fast
arising an independence of foreign fash
ions. a style of our own, in all matters
of dress and equipage, and there is good
reason for feeling assured that as this
is asserted, it will be an improve
ment upon the fashions of Paris, as we
have improved upon nearly every thing
else in point of utility and convenience.
In recent lecture on our dependence on
foreign countries, it was shown that we
have not yet achieved our independence
of European literature, and that there is
no use in fancying that we can now do
without it, and not retrograde in our
books and writings. This is all true in
one sense. Modern literature is depend
ent in many respects upon ancient in the
same way, and all the future will be on
the past. All literature is growth,
development, an evolution of thought ;
all the languages now spoken on the
earth are just this and nothing more
All language. all literature and all laws
have a growth. history of their own.
and so has all fashion, and the future is
founded on the past.


We are subject to greater extremes of
climate, and hence we must have cloth
ing lighter in summer and warmer in
winter. Hence it may well be expect
ed that the whole subject of fars shall
be more fully and tastefully inwrought
into dress in New York than in Paris
We have less inequality of wealth and
station, and larger proportion of well.
but not extravagantly, dressed persons.
whose wants are to be met. Even in
England every well-bred gentleman,
and in France every well-bred lady, is
distinguished, not by the extravagance,
but by the quietness, simplicity and un-
Obtrusiveness of general dress and ap-
pearance. There should be larger
proportion of persons of both sexes who
desire to dress in this way in the United
States than in any other country.


But while it is always well to keep in
mind certain common first principles and
to watch the historical developments
critically made all over the world, from
the same fundamental sources, in fashion
asin everything else, there is every rea-
son for free development adapted to
our own wants as nation. Godey's
Lady's Book, Madame Demorest and
Frank Leslie have all done much good;
and SO, We expect, will Harper's new
Bazaar. Our native conceptions of new
styles, with all the working patterns, are
so far superior, in many ways, to the ex-
treme and extravagant fashions of Paris;
so much more chaste, simple, and yet
elegant and tasteful, that, in little time,
our notions of fashion in America should
become independent of those of Paris as
is desirable or possible for one civilized
nation to- be of another. True independ-
ence to is itself growth, development
adapted to ones own peculiarities. Their
are many such pecu.iarities in this csune
try which demand special considera-
ton. r;1ss


They can afford to pay for it, and do
pay twice as much as it would cost, to
be thus clothed, and those leaders, who,
instead of taking up the extravagances
of French women of Indifferent charac-
ter, will reproduce the quieter styles Of
dress and colors worn by ladies, and
adapt them to the convenience and com
fort of the masses of our people, will
not want patronage or extensive infu
ence. The quiet tastefulness of the la
dies dresses of our city has often been
remarked. They are not so glaring as
in New York; but the softness of the
neutral shades and the ease and chaste.
ness of the patterns of Philadelphia
dresses are well known all over the
Union. One word about color. The
further West the merchant carries his
goods the gayer and brighter the colors


Why this is we do not discuss; but til.
fact is unquestionable. We make bet
ter, richer and more excellent parasols il
this city, in larger quantities, than il
any city in Europe, but the gayest col
ors go furthest West.