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The Evolution of Fashion
BY
FLORENCE MARY GARDINER
_Author of "Furnishings and Fittings for Every Home," "About Gipsies,"
&c. &c._
[Illustration: SIR ROBERT BRUCE COTTON.]
London:
THE COTTON PRESS, GRANVILLE HOUSE, ARUNDEL STREET, W.C.
TO
FRANCES EVELYN,
COUNTESS OF WARWICK,
WHOSE ENTHUSIASTIC AND KINDLY INTEREST IN ALL MOVEMENTS
CALCULATED TO BENEFIT WOMEN IS UNSURPASSED,
THIS VOLUME,
BY SPECIAL PERMISSION, IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,
BY
THE AUTHOR.
IN THE YEAR OF
HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA'S DIAMOND JUBILEE,
1897.
[Illustration: _Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland._ _Princess Henry of
Pless._ _The Countess of Warwick._ _Lady Marjorie Greville._ _Lady Eva
Dugdale._
THE WARWICK BALL.]
PREFACE.
In compiling this volume on Costume (portions of which originally
appeared in the _Ludgate Illustrated Magazine_, under the editorship of
Mr. A. J. Bowden), I desire to acknowledge the valuable assistance I
have received from sources not usually available to the public; also my
indebtedness to the following authors, from whose works I have
quoted:--Mr. Beck, Mr. R. Davey, Mr. E. Rimmel, Mr. Knight, and the late
Mr. J. R. Planche. I also take this opportunity of thanking Messrs.
Liberty and Co., Messrs. Jay, Messrs. E. R. Garrould, Messrs. Walery,
Mr. Box, and others, who have offered me special facilities for
consulting drawings, engravings, &c., in their possession, many of which
they have courteously allowed me to reproduce, by the aid of Miss Juliet
Hensman, and other artists.
The book lays no claim to being a technical treatise on a subject which
is practically inexhaustible, but has been written with the intention of
bringing before the general public in a popular manner circumstances
which have influenced in a marked degree the wearing apparel of the
British Nation.
FLORENCE MARY GARDINER.
_West Kensington, 1897._
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER. PAGE.
I. THE DRESS, B.C. 594--A.D. 1897 3
II. CURIOUS HEADGEAR 15
III. GLOVES 25
IV. CURIOUS FOOTGEAR 31
V. BRIDAL COSTUME 39
VI. MOURNING 51
VII. ECCENTRICITIES OF MASCULINE COSTUME 61
VIII. A CHAT ABOUT CHILDREN AND THEIR CLOTHING 71
IX. FANCY COSTUME OF VARIOUS PERIODS 79
X. STAGE AND FLORAL COSTUME 89
THE EVOLUTION OF FASHION
CHAPTER I.
THE DRESS, B.C. 594--A.D. 1897.
"Fashions that are now called new
Have been worn by more than you;
Elder times have used the same,
Though these new ones get the name."
_Middleton's "Mayor of Quinborough."_
A hard fate has condemned human beings to enter this mortal sphere
without any natural covering, like that possessed by the lower animals
to protect them from the extremes of heat and cold. Had this been
otherwise, countless myriads, for untold ages, would have escaped the
tyrannical sway of the goddess Fashion, and the French proverb, _il faut
souffrir pour etre belle_, need never have been written.
[Illustration: EARLY EGYPTIAN.]
The costume of our progenitors was chiefly remarkable for its extreme
simplicity; and, as far as we can gather, no difference in design was
made between the sexes. A few leaves entwined by the stalks, the
feathers of birds, the bark of trees, or roughly-dressed skins of
animals were probably regarded by _beaux_ and _belles_ of the Adamite
period as beautiful and appropriate adornments for the body, and were
followed by garments made from plaited grass, which was doubtless the
origin of weaving, a process which is nothing more than the mechanical
plaiting of hair, wool, flax, &c. In many remote districts these
primitive fashions still prevail, as, for example, in Madras, where, at
an annual religious ceremony, it is customary for the low caste natives
to exchange for a short period their usual attire for an apron of
leaves. In the Brazilian forests the _lecythis_, or "shirt tree," is to
be found, from which the people roll off the bark in short lengths, and,
after making it pliable in water, cut two slits for the arm-holes and
one for the neck, when their dress is complete and ready for use. The
North American Indian employs feathers for purposes of the toilet, and
many African tribes are noted for their deftly-woven fabrics composed of
grass and other vegetable fibres, while furs and skins are essential
articles of dress in Northern latitudes. Perhaps the earliest specimen
of a modiste's bill in existence has recently been found on a chalk
tablet at Nippur, in Chaldea. The hieroglyphics record ninety-two robes
and tunics: fourteen of these were perfumed with myrrh, aloes and
cassia. The date of this curious antique cannot be less than two
thousand eight hundred years before the Christian era. In ancient times
it must be remembered that the principal seats of civilisation were
Assyria and Egypt, and upon these countries Western nations depended for
many of the luxuries of life. The Jews derived their fine fabrics from
the latter place, which was particularly noted for its linen
manufactures and for magnificent embroideries, of which the accompanying
illustration will give some idea. Medes and Babylonians, of the highest
class, partially arrayed themselves in silk, which cost its weight in
gold, and about the time of Ezekiel (B.C. 594) it is known to have been
used in the dress of the Persians. It is a remarkable circumstance that
this animal product was brought to the West manufactured in cloth, which
was only half silk; and it is said the plan was devised of unravelling
the stuff, which was rewoven into cloth of entire silk. Owing to its
high price, the Romans forbade its being used for the entire dress by
men, complete robes of silk being reserved for women. It is numbered
among the extravagant luxuries of Heliogabalus that he was the first man
who wore a silken garment, and the anecdote is well known of the Emperor
Aurelian, who refused, on the ground of its extravagant cost, a silk
dress which his consort earnestly desired to possess.
Monuments still in existence show that the Egyptians, owing to the
warmth of their climate, were partial to garments of a semi-transparent
character, while those living on the banks of the Tigris, who were
subjected to greater extremes of temperature, wore clothing of similar
design, but of wool, with heavy fringes of the same as a trimming. In
some cases this feature of Assyrian costume is shown in double rows, one
pendent, while the other stands out in a horizontal direction.
[Illustration: GREEK.]
The early Greek dress, or chiton, was a very simple contrivance,
reaching to the feet. If ungirdled, it would trail on the ground; but
generally it was drawn through the zone or waistbelt in such a manner
that it was double to the extent of about thirty inches over the vital
organs of the body. The great distinction between male and female dress
consisted in the length of the skirt. The trimmings were of embroidery,
woven diapers, figure bands with chariots and horses; and, in some
cases, glass ornaments and thin metal plates were applied. Among the
working classes the chiton was, of course, homespun, or of leather.
[Illustration: ROMAN.]
The stola was the Roman equivalent for the nineteenth century robe or
gown, and in many respects resembled the Greek chiton. The fabrics
employed were wool and linen up to the end of the Republic, though at a
later date, as has already been stated, silk was imported. Colour, under
the Emperors, was largely used, and at least thirteen shades of the dye
obtained from the murex, which passed under the general name of purple,
could be seen in the costume of both sexes.
When the Roman Empire was dismembered (A.D. 395) a style of dress seems
to have flourished in the important towns of the Mediterranean, which
was similar to that worn in mediaeval times in Britain, and which may be
examined in the specimens of statuary adorning tombs of the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries. The semi-tight under-dress and sleeves appear to
have been elaborately embroidered, and the loose mantle of plain
material was edged with a border.
[Illustration: BYZANTINE.]
One of the earliest descriptions of the female dress in Britain is that
of Boadicea, the Queen of the Iceni, whom we are told wore a tunic woven
chequerwise in purple, red, and blue. Over this was a shorter garment
open on the bosom, and leaving the arms bare. Her yellow hair flowed
over her shoulders, upon which rested an ample cloak, secured by a
_fibula_ (brooch). A torque, or necklet, was also worn; a pair of bronze
breastplates as a protection from the Roman arrows, and her fingers and
arms were covered with rings and bracelets.
[Illustration: ANGLO-SAXON.]
The costume of the Anglo-Saxon ladies consisted of a _sherte_, or
_camise_, of linen next the skin, a kirtle, which resembled the modern
petticoat, and a gunna, or gown, with sleeves. Out of doors a mantle
covered the upper portion of the body, and with the coverchief, or head
rail, formed a characteristic feature of the dress of the day. Cloth,
silk, and linen were the favourite materials for clothing, and red,
blue, yellow, and green the fashionable colours. Very little black and
white were used at this period. Saxon women were renowned for their
skill with the needle, and used large quantities of gold thread and
jewels in their work. Among other instances quoted, Queen Editha
embroidered the coronation mantle of her husband, Edward the Confessor.
For some years after the Norman Conquest, women retained the costume of
the Anglo-Saxon period, with certain additions and modifications. Fine
coloured cloths and richest furs were used by both sexes, and sleeves
and trains were such a length that it was found necessary to knot them,
so that they should not trail upon the ground.
The next important change was the surcoat and tight bodice, which was
fastened in front to fit the figure.
There are evident traces that as civilisation advanced the love of dress
and the desire of the fair sex to appear beautiful in the eyes of all
beholders increased in like proportion. From ancient MSS. and other
sources, we have ample proof of this. St. Jerome calls women
"_philoscomon_," that is to say, lovers of finery, and another writer
states: "One of the most difficult points to manage with women is to
root out their curiosity for clothes and ornaments for the body." St.
Bernard admonished his sister with greater candour than politeness on
her visiting him, well arraied with riche clothinge, with perles and
precious stones: "Such pompe and pride to adorne a carion as is youre
body. Thinke ye not of the pore people, that be deyen for hunger and
colde; and that for the sixth parte of youre gay arraye, forty persons
might be clothed, refreshed, and kepte from the colde?"
The increased facilities for travelling offered to those engaged in the
Crusades, and the necessary intercourse with other nations, caused
considerable quantities of foreign materials to be imported to England
during the Middle Ages: and this had a corresponding effect upon the
costume of the period, which was chiefly remarkable for its richness and
eccentricity of form. Among the materials in use may be mentioned diaper
cloth from Ypres, a town in Flanders, famous for its rich dress stuffs;
tartan, called by the French "tyretaine," meaning _teint_, or colour of
Tyre (scarlet being indifferently used for purple by ancient writers,
and including all the gradations of colour formed by a mixture of blue
and red, from indigo to crimson). There was a fine white woollen cloth
called Blanket, named after its inventor, Sarcenet, also from its
Saracenic origin, and gauze which was made at Gaza in Palestine. Ermine
was strictly confined to the use of the Royal Family and nobles, and
cloth of gold, and habits embroidered with jewellery, or lined with
minever or other expensive fur, could only be worn by knights and ladies
with incomes exceeding 400 marks per annum. Those who had not more than
200 marks were permitted to wear silver cloth, with ribands, girdles,
&c., reasonably embellished; also woollen cloth not costing more than
six marks the piece.
[Illustration: 12TH CENTURY.]
The tight forms of dress now in common use among women were an incentive
to tight lacing, an injurious practice, from which their descendants
suffer. A lady is described
"Clad in purple pall,
With gentyll body and middle small,"
and another damsel, whose splendid girdle of beaten gold was embellished
with emeralds and rubies, evidently, from the description, had a waist
which was not the size intended by Nature.
[Illustration: 14TH CENTURY.]
During the Wars of the Roses both trade and costume made little
progress, and after the union of the Houses of York and Lancaster by the
marriage of Henry VII. with his Queen, Elizabeth, their attention was
chiefly concerned in filling their impoverished coffers, which left them
little opportunity for promoting new fashions in dress. Henry VIII.
afforded ample facilities for the revival of the trade in dress goods,
and there is little difficulty in tracing female costume of the
sixteenth century when we remember that in the course of thirty-eight
years he married six wives, besides having them painted times without
number by all the popular artists of the day.
[Illustration: 16TH CENTURY. _From Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots._]
J. R. Planche in his "History of British Costume," says: "The gowns of
the nobility were magnificent, and at this period were open in front to
the waist, showing the kirtle, or inner garment, as what we should call
the petticoat was then termed." Anne of Cleves, who found so little
favour in Henry's eyes, is said to have worn at their first interview "a
rich gowne of cloth of gold made round, without any train, after the
Dutch fashion;" and in a wardrobe account of the eighth year of this
Bluebeard's reign appears the following item: "Seven yards of purple
cloth of damask gold for a kirtle for Queen Catherine of Arragon." The
dress of Catherine Parr is thus described by Pedro de Gante, secretary
to the Spanish Duke de Najera, who visited Henry VIII. in 1543-1544:
"She was robed in cloth of gold, with a 'saya' (petticoat) of brocade,
the sleeves lined with crimson satin and trimmed with three-piled
crimson velvet. Her train was more than two yards long." Articles of
dress were often bequeathed by will. In one made on the 14th of August,
1540, William Cherington, yeoman, of Waterbeche, leaves "To my mother
_my holyday gowne_." Nicholas, Dyer of Feversham, 29th October, 1540,
"To my sister, Alice Bichendyke, thirteen shillings and ninepence _which
she owed me_, and two kerchiefs of holland." John Holder, rector of
Gamlingay, in 1544 leaves to Jane Greene "my clothe frock lined with
satin cypress." These entries are from wills in the Ely Registry.
[Illustration: 17TH CENTURY.]
A peculiar feature in the costume of both sexes was sleeves distinct
from the gown, but attached (so as to be changed at pleasure) to the
waistcoat. Among the inventories we find three pairs of purple satin
sleeves for women, one pair of linen sleeves paned with gold over the
arm, quilted with black silk and wrought with flowers; one pair of
sleeves of purple gold tissue damask wire, each one tied with aglets of
gold; one pair of crimson satin sleeves, four buttons of gold being set
on each, and in every button nine pearls.
We are all familiar with the distended skirts, jewelled stomachers and
enormous ruffs which adorned the virgin form of Good Queen Bess. In the
middle of her reign the body was imprisoned in whalebone, and the
fardingale, the prototype of the modern hoop, was introduced, as it was
not to be supposed that a lady who is said to have left three thousand
dresses in her wardrobe would remain faithful to the fashions of her
grandmother; and Elizabeth's love of dress permeated all classes of
society.
The portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, who was considered an authority on
matters of the toilet, and whose taste for elegance of apparel had been
cultivated to a high degree during her residence at the French Court is
given. There is a subtlety and charm about it which is wanting in the
costume of her cousin Elizabeth, and it may be considered a fair type of
what was worn by a gentlewoman of that period. The full skirt appears to
fall in easy folds, and the basqued bodice, with tight sleeves, is
closely moulded to the figure and surmounted by an
elaborately-constructed ruff of muslin and lace.
[Illustration: 19TH CENTURY. BALL DRESS, 1809.]
To the great regret of antiquarians, the wardrobes of our ancient kings,
formerly kept at the Tower, were by the order of James I. distributed.
At no period was the costume of Britain more picturesque than in the
middle of the seventeenth century, and we naturally turn to its great
delineators Velasquez, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Rubens, who delighted in
giving us such fine examples of their work. Women had grown tired of the
unwieldy fardingale, and changed it for graceful gowns with flowing
skirts and low bodices, finished with deep vandyked collars of lace or
embroidery.
A studied negligence, an elegant _deshabille_ prevailed in the Stuart
Court, particularly after the Restoration. Charles II.'s bevy of
beauties are similarly attired, and the pictures in Hampton Court show
us women whose snowy necks and arms are no longer veiled, and whose
gowns of rich satin, with voluminous trains, are piled up in the
background. Engravings and drawings which may be seen in every
printseller's window make special illustrations of this period
unnecessary.
[Illustration: 18TH CENTURY. WALKING COSTUME.]
Dutch fashions appear to have followed in the wake of William and Mary.
Stomachers and tight sleeves were once more in favour, and fabrics of a
rich and substantial character were employed in preference to the softer
makes of silk, which lent itself so well to the soft flowing lines of
the previous era.
An intelligent writer has remarked "that Fashion from the time of George
I. has been such a varying goddess that neither history, tradition, nor
painting has been able to preserve all her mimic forms; like Proteus
struggling in the arms of Telemachus, on the Phanaic coast, she passed
from shape to shape with the rapidity of thought." In 1745 the hoop had
increased at the sides and diminished in front, and a pamphlet was
published in that year entitled "The enormous abomination of the hoop
petticoat, as the fashion now is." Ten years later it is scarcely
discernible in some figures, and in 1757 reappears, extending right and
left after the manner of the court dress of the reign of George III. For
the abolition of this monstrosity we are indebted to George IV., and
ladies' dresses then rushed to the other extreme. Steel and whalebone
was dispensed with, and narrow draperies displayed the form they were
supposed to conceal, and were girdled just below the shoulders.
[Illustration: 19TH CENTURY.--TEA DRESS, 1830.]
These were in time followed by the bell-shaped skirts worn at the
accession of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, during whose reign fashion has
indeed run riot. The invention of the sewing machine was the signal for
the appearance of frills and furbelows, and meretricious ornament of
every kind. In the middle of the present century crinolines were again
to the fore, skirts were proportionately wide and generally flounced to
the top. The bodice terminated at the waist with a belt; but in some
cases a Garibaldi, or loose bodice of different texture, was
substituted. The next change to be noted was that hideous garment the
"polonaise," which was a revival of, and constructed on similar lines
to, the "super froc" of the Middle Ages. For many years English ladies,
with a supreme disregard for the appropriate, wore this with a skirt
belonging to an entirely different costume. But at last people got
nauseated with these abominations, and under the gentle sway and
influence of "Our Princess" a prettier, more useful and rational costume
appeared. In 1876 the graceful Princess dress, which accentuated every
good point in the figure, was generally worn; and though this costume in
the latter part of its career was fiercely abused by the rotund matron
and Mrs. Grundy, for clinging too closely to the lines of the human
form, it was distinctly an advance as regards health and beauty on the
varying styles which preceded it.
[Illustration: 19TH CENTURY.--THE POLONAISE, 1872.]
The aesthetic movement has also had a marked influence on our taste in
all directions, but more especially in the costume of the last few
years; and though the picturesque garb of the worshippers of the
sunflower and the lily may not be adapted to the wear and tear of this
workaday world, it is beautiful in form and design, incapable of undue
pressure; and for children and young girls it would be difficult to
imagine a more charming, artistic, and becoming costume.
[Illustration: TAILOR-MADE DRESS, 1897.]
Once more we are eschewing classical lines for grotesque which makes
caricatures of lovely women, and drives plain ones to despair. The
subdued and delicate tints which a few seasons since were regarded with
favour have been superseded by garish shades and bright colours, which
seem to quarrel with everything in Nature and Art. Unfortunately, we
English are prone to extremes, and possess the imitative rather than the
creative faculty. Consequently, our national costume is seldom
distinctive, but a combination of some of the worst styles of our
Continental neighbours, who would scorn to garb themselves with so
little regard for fitness, beauty, and the canons of good taste.
[Illustration: TEA GOWN, 1897.]
[Illustration: AN ARTISTIC DRESS, 1897.
_After a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds._]
[Illustration: MODERN EVENING DRESS.]
Two dominant notes, however, have been struck in the harmonies of
costume during the last twenty-five years--the tailor-made dress, which
may almost be regarded as a national livery; and the tea gown, that
reposeful garment to which we affectionately turn in our hours of ease.
How well each in its way is calculated to serve the purpose for which it
is designed, the simple cloth, tweed, or serge costume moulded to the
lines of the figure, adapted to our changeful climate, and giving a
_cachet_ to the wearer, not always found in much more costly apparel, a
rational costume in the best sense of the word, and one which women of
all ages may assume with satisfaction to themselves and to those with
whom they come in contact. The tea gown, on the other hand, drapes the
figure loosely so as to fall in graceful folds, and may be regarded as a
distinct economy, as it so often takes the place of a more expensive
dress. Beauty, which is one of Heaven's best gifts to women, is useless
unless appropriately framed, and a well-known exponent on the art of
dressing artistically, has laid down the axiom that harmonies of colour
are more successful than contrasts. If we turn to Nature we have an
unfailing source of inspiration. The foliage tints, sunset effects, the
animal and mineral worlds all offer schemes of colour, which can be
readily adapted to our persons and surroundings. And to look our best
and, above all, to grow old gracefully, is a duty which every daughter
of Eve owes to humanity. The manner in which so many women give way
early in life is simply appalling. While still in the bloom of womanhood
they assume the habits and dress of decrepitude, submit to be placed on
the social shelf without a murmur, and calmly allow those slightly their
junior, and in some cases their senior, to appropriate the good things
of life, and to monopolise the attention of all and sundry. Mothers in
their prime willingly allow anyone who can be persuaded to do so, to
chaperone their daughters, and to pilot them through the social eddies
and quicksands of their first season, and through sheer indolence fail
to exercise the lawful authority and responsibility which maternity
entails. The unmarried woman, conscious that she is no longer in her
first youth, and indifferent to the charms of maturity, takes to
knitting socks in obscure corners, and assumes an air of self-repression
and middle-agedness which apparently takes ten years from her span of
existence, and conveys to the casual onlooker, that she has passed the
boundary line between youth and old age. Why should these women sink
before their time into a slough of dowdyism and cut themselves off from
the enjoyments civilisation has provided for their benefit?
Equally to be deprecated are those who cling so desperately to youth
that they entirely forget the later stages of life have their
compensations. Women who in crowded ballrooms display their redundant or
attenuated forms to the gaze of all beholders, whose coiffure owes more
to art than nature, and who comfort themselves with the conviction that
in a carefully shaded light rouge and pearl powder are hardly
distinguishable from the bloom of a youthful and healthy complexion. A
variety of circumstances combine to bring into the world a race of
people who cannot strictly lay claim to beauty, but who nevertheless
have many good points which might be accentuated, while those that are
less pleasing could be concealed. A middleaged woman will respect
herself and be more respected by others if she drapes her person in
velvet, brocade, and other rich fabrics which fall in stately folds, and
give her dignity, than if she persists in decking herself in muslin,
crepon, net, and similar materials, because in the long since past they
suited her particular style. Gossamers belong to the young, with their
dimpled arms, shoulders of snowy whiteness, and necks like columns of
ivory. Their eyes are brighter than jewels, and their luxuriant locks
need no ornament save a rose nestling in its green leaves, a fit emblem
of youth and beauty.
With the education and art training at present within the grasp of all
classes of the community there is nothing to prevent our modifying
prevailing fashions to our own requirements; and common sense ought to
teach us (even if we ignore every other sentiment which is supposed to
guide reasoning creatures) that one particular style cannot be
appropriate to women who are exact opposites to each other. If each
person would only think out for herself raiment beautiful in form, rich
in texture, and adapted to the daily needs of life, we should be spared
a large number of the startling incongruities which offend the eye in
various directions.