Year: 1871

THEY ARE HIT OFF BY A wOMANs PEN.
1t is impossible to traverse Broadway or the
thoroughfares of any large city without meet
ing the devotees of insane fashions, or fash
ions made so by their exaggeration. This is
SAID to be an American pecnliarity, and one
to be deplored owing to the wild and uncouth
aspect it imparts to young girls, who are gen.
orally the first to run to extremes in all mat
tiers OF dress. In days when Paris was the
realm OF the mOdiste the styles adopted by
French ladies of fashion were altered for the
the American market so as to meet the de-
mands OF more pronounced taste. The
trains were elongated, the paniers enlarged,
ana trimming OF a more fashy and elaborate
kiho substituted for the quieter styles worn


oy europeans. Some of the fashions that
come TO us from over the water are absurd.
but many OF them have been rendered 90 bv
the extremes to which American women in
slst on carrying them. The worst were bad
in Europe, but the best are too often spoiled
in America. After the caprices and whims of
Partisan mOdistes have been vulgarized by the
crude tastes of this country, they become
what may well be styled crazy fashions
Take, for instance, the Chateaine braid,
which, when neatly arranged, is an extremely
pretty style OF hair dressing, as it shows the
natural shape of the head, and gives those
who even have moderate amount of hair
chance to discard false switches, rats, etc.
Instead of making the best of this fashion.
the worst is constantly displayed upon our
streets, and to the excuse it offers is pinned
an untldy mass OF braids, frizzles and curs.
iady' we are informed, who would possess
truly fashionable head must spend from 800
to $12O in braids, and if Lady O'Luny's epi-
taph were TO be written, probably to the an
nouncement that she was "bland, passionate
and deeply religious" she painted beautifully
in water cOlOrs, would be added the fact that
she was the happy possessor OF switch forty
four inches in length. The fIenzied heads of
some OF our young women, crowned with
battered looking gipsys and struggling odds
and ends of flowers, strongly remind us of the
crazy James of the asylum, and the thought
might suggest itself as to whether it is safe to
allow them to run at large, especially as the
present mode OF wearing little artless frizzles
over the forehead gives a somewhat wild look
to the eyes. A necklace, when small and
tasteful in design, is certainly very pretty
feminine Ornament-but few years ago we
saw these toys enlarged to huge chains, and
hung about the persons of young women who,
with the prOfusiOn of glass beads and hugles
then in vogue, looked as if they were person.
ating Indian squaws. Again the gipsy hat
now worn is bewitching little piece of head
gear, when properly adorned, but it is SO
overloaded with trimming, and piled with
lace, feathers, flowers, ribbon and velvet that
shape is quite lost in a jumbed aud tasteless
mass OF ornament. The dress for the parlor
with skirt touching the ground or trailing
few inches can be tolerated Though we sin
cerey wish women everywhere would learn
to look upon this appendase as badge of
servitude, aud discard it forever), but our
bellies, not content with the more modest and
only graceful fashion of trailing garments,
persist in dragging behind them We or six
yards OF expensive material, greatly to their
own discomfort and the Inconvenience of
others. The fashion is senselsss and degrad-
ing, but it holds its own with remarkable per-
tlnacity. Not one woman in a hundred can
wear this switching piece of cloth behind her
with any peculiar grace. 1t gets into heap,
ties itself in the boots of men, and is, gener-
ally speaking, an unadulterated nuisance
Now and then some woman moving like
goddess can wear train and not seem to be-
long to it, although we have never seen more
than two on the stage or off who carried the
appendage in truly noble style. The diff.
Guilty, not to say anguish, which women ex-
perience in managing this article of dress,
should alone insure its condemnation. The
short suit has so many genuine merits it can
not be easily spoiled. Everything possible
has been done to make it practically worth
less as comfortable and convenient garment,
but it has triumphed over enormities of trim
ming and grotesque shape, and is still the
greatest blessing in the way of apparel ever
granted the sex.