CHAPTER XXXII.

FASHIONS OF THE PRESENT DAY.

1875 TO 1878.

Dinner, casino, and ball dresses in 1875—Importation of false hair—Manufacture in France—Modification of waterproofs—“Estelle” bonnets—Tunic aprons—Cuirass bodices—“Montespan” sleeves—“Saut-du-lit”—Shoes of past times—“Bonnes-femmes” pockets—Henri III. plumes—“Inez” veils—Ribbons and flowers—Heavy style of dress—“Pouf” petticoats—Composite fashions of 1876—Armenian toques—“Ophelia” bonnets; “Danichef” bonnets—Mdlle. Bettina Rothschild’s wedding trousseau—A splendid parasol—Gondolier hair-nets—“Baby” sashes and “baby” bonnets—“Fontanges” fichus—“Platitudes”—Red, as a colour—Pockets of various kinds—Majestic appendages—Princess dresses—Bouquets on the bodices—Hair dressed in the Greek style—A thousand curls—Breton style—Organ-pipe frills—Coat-bodices—Trinkets in black and silver.

We have now reached the fashions of the present day, that is, the fashions that have prevailed from 1875 to 1881.

It will be well to divide this period into two parts, the first extending from 1875 to 1878, the second from 1878 to 1881.

What were the costumes worn at a dinner, casino, or ball in 1875?

We will describe a lady’s gown made of sky blue Italian silk. The front of the skirt was trimmed with five flounces of antique lace, above which were full ruchings in two shades of blue, one shade being the same as that of the skirt, and the other rather darker. The upper skirt, widely open in front in order to display the splendid petticoat, formed an ample train at the back. A lace scarf fell gracefully over the folds of the costume. The edge of the tunic was trimmed with antique lace and ruchings. The bodice was cut low and square; the sleeves consisted entirely of ruchings and narrow lace, and reached to the elbow, where they were trimmed with two deep falls of lace—a most becoming finish. The hair was dressed high with a Spanish comb, ribbons, and flowers.

We may mention here a curious fact that appears in the published accounts of the trade of Marseilles during the year 1875. 75,000 kilogrammes of hair, from the several countries of Asia Minor, Egypt, Hindostan, China, Italy, and Spain, entered France through that port. Formerly, as we have already stated, Brittany and Normandy supplied us with this article of commerce.

The manufacture of false hair in France amounted in 1875 to 130,000 kilogrammes, and was insufficient to supply the demands of fashion. The street-sweepings of hair, collected by the scavengers, were used for making luxuriant tresses of all lengths and all shades—blond, red, black, or brown.

Beaded and shining trimmings were very handsome, and much admired. Some were of totally new design, and were even preferred to lace.

In woollen fabrics, and with the exception of serge and limousine, women preferred “chiné” fancy mixtures, or striped materials of two shades.

Steel was again fashionable. Stomachers, berthes, and “Louis XV. casaques” were much worn; and the waterproof, so long the very tomb of elegance and grace, but the most convenient of garments, underwent such improved “treatment,” that no woman, old or young, need any longer object to shelter herself beneath it.

White bonnets, that had been absolutely proscribed for many years, came into fashion again for visiting dress. The “Estelle” bonnet was in cream felt, or in stiff white tulle, edged with white jet.

An expensive checked material, which cost fifteen to eighteen francs the yard, was used for gowns; and with these were worn apron tunics in Scotch plaid, and small “Louis XIII.” waistcoats with pockets. “Flora” bonnets in beige chip of two shades; “Chevalier” bonnets made of jet; “Trianon” bonnets in black chip, with a double bordering of Italian straw; and, lastly, maroon straw bonnets trimmed with showy “François I.” ribbon, were among the favourite shapes. Some of these bonnets looked like real flower-beds, with their harmoniously blended heath, clematis, poppies, and daisies.

Cuirass bodices did not long remain in favour; they were succeeded by bodices with straight waist-bands, and armour bodices cut low and square, and laced at the back. These bodices were embroidered, and edged with Mechlin lace.

“Montespan” sleeves were worn as a reminiscence of the seventeenth century; the material of which they were made was embroidered, and they ended at the elbow in two deep falls of Mechlin lace, with frills of crape lisse on the inside.

At home, ladies wore muslin “peignoirs” of a shape called “mobile;” or “saut-du-lit” (jump out of bed), an equally becoming garment, in fine nansook.

For morning dress they selected “Samoyède,” or polar cloth; “Livonienne,” or snow-flaked or gravelled cloth. Costumes made of these were trimmed with a wide braid to match, or with a band of velvet, and the skirts were trimmed apron-fashion in front. This was a step towards the revival of plain dresses.

Among other evolutions of fashion in 1875, the change in shoes was noticeable. Those shoes “à la poulaine,” which I described when treating of the Middle Ages, were partially imitated by the new mode. Up to this time shoes had been made square at the toes; they were now made pointed; and some boots were made with the points curling upwards, in the same ridiculous fashion as under the Valois.

This retrospective caprice did not, fortunately, last long.

Gowns continued to be made with trains, with tight-fitting basques, and with large pockets called “ridicules,” “aumônières,” and “bonnes-femmes.” A muslin flounce was placed inside the bottom of the skirt, coming a little below it; and the “balayeuse,” as it was called, frequently excited the mirth of the passers-by in the streets.

Polonaises came in once more. They were made of dolgai, a warm, soft, thick, woollen material of a dull shade. Linen collars and cuffs, hem-stitched; kid boots, and beaver gloves were fashionable. Velvet-cloth mantles trimmed with monkey skin, and black velvet semi-tight paletôts edged with skunk, were much worn.

A small bunch of yellow and white carnations, or of real rose-buds, was attached on one side of the bodice. Our French ladies wore necklaces of pearls and sapphires, and six-buttoned gloves.

A long, black, Henri III. plume was sometimes seen on bonnets; and bodices were made more and more in the style of the Middle Ages, until they strongly resembled the “corps piqués” of the time of Charles IX. “Inez” veils of Spanish blond, or of tulle trimmed with lace, and worn mantilla-fashion, afforded protection against the variations of climate. Some of the bonnets, made in the style of the Directory, were charming in shape; others were trimmed with figured silk of two shades, or of two colours mixed.

Fashions were borrowed from every period of French history. There were few original inventions, but many “reproductions,” to borrow a theatrical term.

Ribbon was profusely used to ornament dresses; “Renaissance” ribbons, “armuré” ribbons, “surah” ribbons and braid, &c. Some of these were both plain and brocaded in jewel designs, and were so beautiful, that for a time they held supreme sway. The flowers, also, with which bonnets were loaded, were perfect imitations of nature; so much so, that the bonnets of 1875 may be regarded as masterpieces of art, and not only as reminiscences of the past.

Full-dress gowns had trains made with “Bulgarian” plaits, and bodices laced or buttoned at the back, so as to display the shape of the bust as defined by the cuirass. These dresses were trimmed with open-work embroidery, white guipure lace, and Russian lace. “Mikado,” a very soft pale grey woollen mixture, slightly touched with black, obtained an extraordinary success.

Small Louis XIV. shoes, with two rosettes or puffs of ribbon, matched the costume. They reminded us of Mme. de Sévigné’s letter to her daughter on sending her a pair of shoes of this kind. “I must inform you,” she wrote, “that you are not to walk in your new shoes.” What an illustration of the saying: “Il faut souffrir pour être belle.”

Gold and silver braid was extensively manufactured. Mantles were trimmed with several rows of narrow silver braid; the buttons were very large, and of the same material as the garment; in the centre of each was a little design in filagree representing a lily or a small bell-flower. Buckles were also used in all full-dress costumes.

A heavy, rich, and handsome style of dress in damask, brocaded silk, or stamped velvet, was adopted in Paris and other great centres; yet more moderate costumes in neutral tints kept their place, the most fashionable of all dark materials being a reddish violet, bistre, mixed with black, and, above all, dark blue.

“Pouf” petticoats, or narrow dress-improvers, were made long enough to support the heavy folds of the gown.

In conclusion, it may be said that the long trains, the ornamented sleeves, and the tight bodices that combined reminiscences of the Middle Ages with the requirements of modern fashion, were principally remarkable for their details of all sorts—twists, fanciful arrangements, knots, bows, fringes, gold and silver braid, artistically carved buttons, and beautiful fur.

From the commencement of the year 1876, fashion became more and more of the composite order. Styles of every period were successfully blended. That of the reign of Henri II. was resorted to first. Gowns were made of sumptuous materials trimmed with Venice point, and with long trains. Figured silks, satin brocades in Arabesque designs, or flowers and foliage, were used for feminine attire, and looked to the full as splendid as the dresses of former times. Among head-dresses, the “Armenian toque” was very fashionable; then came the “Ophelia” bonnet in black lace, with two wreaths of rose-buds; and the “Danichef,” in beaded black net, taken from the bonnet worn by one of the actresses in a play of that name, which was performed at the Odéon for more than a hundred successive nights.

The fashionable world was at that time greatly interested in the splendid wedding of Mdlle. Bettina Rothschild, which was described at length in all the newspapers. The trousseau included under-garments worth 200,000 francs. The pocket-handkerchiefs were perfect marvels of needlework and Alençon and Mechlin lace. There were several magnificent cashmere shawls. Among the dozen and a half parasols, there was one deserving of particular mention. It was made of rose-coloured silk, shaded with white gauze, and again covered with point lace; the point was a cluster of emeralds and brilliants, and the handle was of jade, thickly encrusted with similar precious stones. A gold ring set with emeralds and brilliants was used to close this truly Oriental toy. The numerous fans comprised in the trousseau had been painted by our best artists.

I should need several pages for the bare enumeration of the contents of this young lady’s jewel-case. I shall therefore content myself with naming a microscopic watch set in a solid piece of coral, with a châtelaine hook, and a triple gold chain, the hook bearing a baron’s coronet, marvellously carved, surmounting the combined initials of the wealth-laden young couple.

I have digressed, I admit; but the digression is not out of place in a History of Fashion, for it proves that magnificent dress is as much appreciated under a Republic as under a Monarchy.

Moreover, at the period of Mdlle. Bettina Rothschild’s marriage, luxury had reached the highest possible development. Never had more splendid textures been seen, and never had dressmaking been more ruinously expensive. A few young matrons belonging to the aristocracy announced their intention of opposing such excess in dress, but their project of returning to simpler fashions failed of realization, and they soon found themselves obliged, willingly or unwillingly, to float with the stream that was bearing them away.

At the Grand Prix de Paris, the leaders of fashion carried large carob-coloured sunshades, either plain or trimmed with cream lace, and shortly afterwards “caroubier” was quite the favourite colour. This deep red was worn in neckties, bonnets, and costumes, and combined with black, white, grey, or blue. But this fancy, like so many others, soon passed away.

Even in summer ladies wore large quantities of hair, stuffed into a wide-meshed net called a “Gondolier,” which hung over their neck and shoulders. This net was made of silk braid, and ornamented with two “Catogan” bows, one in front and one behind.

A novelty of this period deserves special notice. It consisted of long gloves of open-work China silk in all colours, of extraordinary fineness and elasticity, fitting to perfection. Another novelty, the “Baby” sash, worn round the waist and tied behind, was a fashion borrowed from little girls, whose “Baby” drawn bonnets and low shoes had already been copied by their elders.

The hair was dressed “à la Récamier,” that is, curled all round; or in small rough curls like a poodle dog’s; or hanging over the forehead in a fringe as far as the eyes, with a large chignon behind, and heavy Catogan bows.

Veils, whose real use is to protect the complexion from the sun, were worn tightly clinging to the face. They were stretched in folds over the forehead; this was to use the veil Egyptian-fashion.

Fans, which were in greater demand than ever, were suspended to one end of a silk girdle that was fastened with a slip knot round the waist, at the other end was a large silk tassel.

“Fontanges” fichus in chenille fringe were an improvement on the small knitted shawls that had been loosely thrown over the shoulders.

No change of any importance took place in costume. Gowns were still made to fit closely over the front and sides of the figure, and to drag at the knees, and even lower down. They resembled sheaths of the exact shape of the body. Flat braid trimmings were still much used, and were wittily called “platitudes.” Skirts were trimmed with wreaths of leaves and flowers, many bodices were made of brocade, and many sleeves in the “Louis XV.” style, with under-sleeves of crape lisse.

Among accessories I must not forget “dog-collars” in ribbon or quilled velvet, the edges bordered with narrow tulle illusion or blond.

Bonnets were very various in shape and trimming. Some very elegant women wore “jugulars” in feathers or fur, instead of bonnet strings. A few bonnets were not unlike the leaning tower of Pisa.

Cashmere shawls regained their place. They were draped in the old classic way; the bust being enveloped in soft folds, while the amplitude of the rest of the figure was, as is always the case, increased.

It is my duty as a scrupulous historian to note the predominance of “cardinal” or “carob” red in the costumes of 1876. Red sunshades, red feathers, and red frocks abounded everywhere. This caprice could not be enduring, and we must acknowledge that it soon passed away, to the great advantage of real elegance in dress. Light shades took the place of red, and also of dark blue. The most fashionable summer materials were jaconets with pink, pale blue, grey, and lime-tree coloured stripes, trimmed with Irish lace, thread fringe matching the gown, or kiltings and bias pieces of the stuff itself.

Walking dresses were made with simplicity and good taste. Mantles were large and long, and on the approach of autumn were made with wide “Mandarin” sleeves. Polonaises in light woollen materials, with velvet sleeves, were also fashionable; and all woollen textures were in high favour. There was incredible variety in the shape of pockets; besides those of which I have already spoken, there were “cornets,” “hottes,” and “corniers,” all elegant articles of attire, beautifully made and embroidered, and fixed in various ways on the skirt.

Faille and brocades of different shades were used for full dress. Gowns were so tight, and so much “tied back,” that they almost impeded movement; the knees were encircled with garlands of flowers or buds. These flowers were succeeded by foliage, and there were more “Velledas” than “Floras” among our women of fashion, as was remarked by a clever journalist of the day. Metal buttons, at first enormously large, and afterwards reduced in size, and sometimes shaped like grélots (sledge bells), were used to ornament the costume. Skunk and Siberian fox took the place of Swedish and Canadian furs, temporarily out of fashion, while costly sable was worn by ladies of extreme elegance. A pelisse lined with sable is like a costly piece of furniture, or a precious jewel; its value is not affected by any caprice of the day.

Breton lace was used in morning dress, and this charming novelty looked extremely well with the cascades of coloured ribbon that were so generally worn.

To bring this short review of the year 1876 to a conclusion, I must state that the type of costume was little altered; the only change was in trimmings, or in the greater or less length of trains. Costumes consisted principally of a scaffolding of flounces, fringes, and kiltings, without the great trailing mass that had long been a result of wide skirts. Trains became positive tails; but they no longer interfered with the free action of the limbs, and developed into what might be termed a majestic appendage.

Morning caps were made of white or coloured foulard handkerchiefs twisted like a Mamamouchi turban, and ornamented with a little bunch of mignonette, with a pale rose in the centre. There was something both sentimental and artistic about these caps.

But even when the same style of dress lasts from one year to another, or for several years, there is an absolute necessity for many variations of type; otherwise we should cease to be ruled by caprice, which, as we know, will never abdicate its power.

In January, 1877, princess gowns were still in fashion, the princess shape being preferred to all others, both for morning and evening wear. In the latter case, they were made high behind, and either cut low and square, or in a V shape in front, and with sleeves to the elbow only. The bodice and skirt of princess gowns were cut from one piece, but the skirt was ornamented with fringes, sashes, and bows, or it was worn over another and longer skirt.

Many mantles were made of the same material as the dress, and many were black.

Bouquets of small delicate roses were worn on the bodice, one at the breast, and the other just below the shoulder. Bonnets were chosen, as far as possible, to match the rest of the dress. Some women wore their hair in the Greek fashion, bound with three blue fillets, and a little fringe of loose curls on the forehead.

Towards March a decided change took place in the shape of costumes, and women looked like walking statues, clad in drapery that adhered as closely to the front and sides of the figure as a wet bathing-gown, while it was gathered into a bunch at the back. The portion of the skirt that formed the apron hung flat, but the rest was gathered in soft folds towards the back of the train. The bodice, whether cuirassed or not, assumed reasonable proportions.

The ungraceful costumes copied from those of the First Empire were at length about to disappear!

Muslin kiltings were once more restored to favour. The hair was dressed in the “thousand curls” of which Mme. de Sévigné speaks, giving the head a round shape, which admitted of no ornament save a flower on one side. This was a becoming style in many instances.

For ordinary wear, costumes in the Breton style were largely adopted; and also a costume in fawn-coloured Scotch cashmere, with a plain, short skirt, a tunic flat in front, but not drawn tight; the plastron, or stomacher, consisted of a wide embroidered band. With this costume two square pockets, one on either side, trimmed at two-thirds of their depth with three rows of narrow braid, were worn. The attire was completed by embroidered or open-worked linen collars and cuffs, and a cravat-bow of foulard, embroidered muslin, or plush ribbon, placed at the opening of the collar.

Some of our “élégantes” seemed determined to rival Henri Regnault’s “Salome,” on the pretext that yellow was a fashionable colour.

Large turn-down collars were revived; some were plainly stitched, and were wide and rounded in the back; others, for instance, the “Artagnan” and “Richelieu,” were made of antique guipure; and others, again, of Renaissance lace—but all of them were very wide in the back.

Cuffs were worn on the sleeve itself, instead of on the arm.

The “blouse” gown, with full bodice and belt and buckle, was revived, with the addition of a second skirt. This costume was made in Oxford cloth, or light woollen textures, in foulard, or in Irish cambric. Tussore also became fashionable again on account of the delicacy of its folds.

A new way of wearing a watch, fastened on the breast like a decoration, was adopted by ladies of fashion. This only applied, of course, to the smallest watches, those of the diameter of a twenty-franc piece, and which were usually emblazoned with the coat of arms.

Sunshades in plaid silk succeeded to red or yellow ones. Coloured glass beads were manufactured for trimming costumes; “Périchole” and “Fleur de Thé” bonnets were much worn; also Japanese hats lined with red silk, and trimmed with flowers or fruit on the brim. Dust-coloured fans were used. China crape was no longer despised, and Indian shawls remained in favour; lace was worn in profusion on every article of attire.

“Louis XIII.,” “Louis XIV.,” and “Louis XV.” costumes, “Charles IX.” collars, “Henri IV.” ruffs, Marie-Antoinette, and “Directory” fichus, “Adelaide” collars of worked organdy muslin, trimmed with valenciennes,—all these things were adopted by Fashion, which, while it progressed with the times, made use of every style of dress belonging to the past.

I must not omit to mention tulle-ruchings called “organ-pipes,” placed on the front of the skirt; white satin shoes with “Louis XV.” heels; “Rubens” hats copied from those which we see in the portraits of that great master of the Flemish school, and some few hats in Russia leather; “Gabrielle” cuffs, and “Mousquetaire” collars, large cloaks lined and edged with fur; and lastly the “Pierrot” collars and cuffs, in plaited muslin, trimmed with Valenciennes, and fastened with bows of ribbon alike on both sides.

Gold and silver braid were quite out of fashion, and had been succeeded by trimmings of chenille or of stamped and cut-out velvet, sometimes placed on the edge of the garment and sometimes diagonally. Egyptian veils were very popular, and were, in Eastern fashion, crossed at the back, and tied in front. Sometimes they were tied in a large bow, framing the face very becomingly. It was considered good style to arrange the hair at the back, “knocker-wise,” or in graduated waves; the hat was placed on the top, and this fashion was both coquettish and extremely convenient.

The bonnet-strings, or “jugulars,” in fur, chenille, or plaited ribbon, that had been so fashionable in the winter of 1876-7, were succeeded by strings of flowers.

On the whole, women’s garments were less narrow; and the excessively clinging “sheath” dresses disappeared. This was a great gain to freedom of movement and grace, for feminine attire should not sharply reveal the female form, but only indicate it. The charm of mystery ought to be retained, and the too much or too little of substance should be carefully concealed.

There was an obvious tendency towards greater simplicity in dressing the hair, enormous quantities of false hair being no longer worn, as they would have been out of harmony with the rest of the dress. The hair was sometimes divided in a slanting direction; or on the forehead with a second parting from ear to ear; or it was drawn back, Chinese fashion, and then divided into two loose twists crossed one over the other, and arranged something like a helmet above the forehead; or in rings on the forehead. Every style was admissible—plaits, curls, and straight or waved bandeaux.

In like manner, bonnets were worn of very different shapes—in coloured straw, or chip, and trimmed with roses, azaleas, eglantine, and rose-buds. The “plate”-bonnet was rather popular, as were also small bonnets in Belgian straw. I am now speaking of summer bonnets.

Feather aigrettes came once more into fashion.

The favourite textures were “Milan moss” and “swan’s down.” The favourite ribbon was that in the new colour called “pink-coral.” Light-coloured belts, with gilt and inlaid buckles, and harmonizing with the colour of the dress, were very much worn. Jewellery was restricted to a simple bracelet, a “porte-bonheur,” a locket, studs in the ears, and a white fan suspended to the wrist by a pink ribbon. A few ladies took to wearing Japanese trinkets. Long Swedish gloves with at least four or six buttons, and “Charles IX.,” “Molière,” “Victoria,” and “Richelieu” shoes were adopted.

At the approach of winter, gowns and mantles were trimmed with fur: blue fox, marten, and sable were preferred; chinchilla and Astrakan came next in order. “Coat-bodices” partially revived the fashions of Louis XIII. and Louis XIV.; they were worn with long waistcoats, embroidery, cascades of lace, and gold braid. Plaited chemisettes fastening behind, were generally worn with square-cut bodices; also pocket-handkerchiefs in clear cambric and “Fritz” fichus.

The “La Vallière” cravat was succeeded by a longer one with square ends, and by the “Malesherbe” in silk guipure, or in guipure and grenadine. Nickel and strass buckles were extremely fashionable, and looked remarkably well with corded silk belts.

Dress stuffs had curious designations in the year 1877. For instance, “ventre-saint-gris,” a woollen texture with long rough hairy surface, in two shades of grey and green; “mousse-des-bois,” (wood moss); “frisé” (curled) “Malabar;” “frimas,” a speckled material; “chenillé velvet,” and “myosotis,” a mixture of wool and silk, speckled in two shades of blue, and in gold-colour. English velveteen now seemed to have reached its zenith of fashion.

I must note the very handsome muffs that made their appearance about the end of November. They were of small size, and made of cloth, velvet, or satin, lined and bordered with fur, and ornamented with a large ribbon bow. They were transformed into scent-sachets, perfumed with essences of heliotrope, rose, and gardenia.

A manufacturer of fans invented a fan composed of real flowers and leaves; but it was not a success, on account of the extreme fragility of such an article. Fans were then made of artificial flowers; but these too were a failure, for they sinned against good taste. And both were far inferior to mother-of-pearl, tortoise-shell, and ivory fans, either beautifully painted or trimmed with lace.

Costumes, bonnets, and mantles, were designated by Russian names, doubtless on account of the war that had just broken out between Russia and Turkey. Otter-skin, fur, and plush hats were much worn. Flowers were “out,” but feathers were “in,” and the plumage of the “impeyan,” the owl, the golden ouzel, and the gorgeous breast of the pheasant, were profusely employed. Jewelled ornaments were worn on bonnets, and double-headed pins in jet, gold, or pearl. “Sita” veils, and veils of mohair lace, with white and black shawls, mantles, “Marie-Antoinettes,” and elegantly contrived headkerchiefs, served to shield the fair wearers from the cold winds of winter.

In December, a novelty made its appearance in the shape of ornaments, in _black silver_. These did not detract, however, from the value of coral, which became more and more fashionable every day, from that of old silver, filagree, or, especially, the old jewels, whether simple or rich, of past eras.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: Present Fashions 1879

Present Fashions 1880]