REIGN OF NAPOLEON III. (CONTINUED).
1855 TO 1860.
Sea-bathing and watering-places—Special
costumes—Travelling-bags—Hoods and woollen shawls—Convenient
style of dress—Kid and satin boots; high heels—Introduction
of the “several” and the “Ristori”—Expensive
pocket-handkerchiefs—Waists are worn shorter—Zouave, Turkish,
and Greek jackets—Bonnet-fronts—Gold trimmings universally
used—Tarlatane, tulle, and lace.
Fashion does not assert itself only in the ordinary round of life. It
frequently enlarges its domain in consequence of some new custom, or, at
least, the development of some old one; and an exceptional occurrence
will produce variations in it.
For many years French people had been in the habit of frequenting
watering-places, and during the Second Empire the “villeggiatura” assumed
extraordinary proportions.
Fashionable crowds hastened to Dieppe, Trouville, Pornic, Biarritz, &c.,
or to Vichy, Plombières, Bagnères, and other thermal places, on the
pretext of health.
But these temporary absences did not emancipate them from the yoke of
Fashion. The most fantastic and even eccentric costumes were invented for
ladies, young girls, and children, and certain costumes that had been
popular at the seaside were worn during the ensuing winter season in
Paris.
Casaques, hoods, and capelines found their way from the sea-beach into
the towns, where, if not worn by great ladies, they were adopted by the
“bourgeoises” and working-women.
Travelling-bags, for instance, came into general use in France, and were
sometimes transformed into dressing-cases.
Extravagance in dress was the rule at watering-places. Ladies walked
by the sea splendidly attired in silk gowns, brocaded, or shot with
gold or silver. One would have imagined one’s self present at a ball at
the Tuileries, or some ministerial reception, rather than at a seaside
place of resort. On fine days ladies wore satin spring-side boots,
with or without patent leather tips, but invariably black; blue and
chestnut-brown boots being no longer in fashion. In the heat of summer,
however, grey boots were admissible. High heels were worn, and have since
that time become higher still, until one wonders how women will at last
contrive to keep their balance.
Generally speaking, boots were made entirely of kid, but sometimes they
were of patent leather. The most stylish were partly kid and partly
patent leather, ornamentally stitched, and laced on the instep.
To these we must add slippers, shoes with large bows or buckles, and even
modern sandals, which, although very elegantly arranged, were only worn
by a small minority.
At the time of which we speak, a singular novelty was produced, called
the “several,” from the English word meaning _many_.
A “several” contained within itself seven different garments, and
could be worn either as a burnous, a shawl, a shawl-mantle, a scarf, a
“Ristori,” or a half-length basquine. Although patented and of moderate
price, “severals” did not long remain in fashion. “Ristoris,” in
particular, ceased to be worn so soon as the celebrated Italian tragedian
whose name they bore, and who had been thoroughly appreciated in France,
had left our country.
Pocket-handkerchiefs were round, printed in colours, or with chess-board
borders, or hem-stitched, or trimmed with Valenciennes insertion and
stitched bias bands. The fashion of expensive handkerchiefs was by no
means new, yet never before had they been made with such exceeding care,
trimmed with such valuable lace, or so delicately embroidered. It was
usual for ladies to embroider their own handkerchiefs, a task on which
they bestowed extreme pains, achieving perfect marvels of patience and
art.
In 1859, waists were almost on a sudden perceptibly shortened, and a
considerable number of women seemed to fear that fashion was returning
to the ungraceful waists of the First Empire—a period which they looked
upon as the Iron Age of dress. The style of costume most generally worn
that year consisted of a dark green gown with pagoda sleeves, very full,
much trimmed, and a wide ribbon sash tied in front. The bonnet would be
white and green, with white curtain and strings edged with green, and
pretty artificial flowers—particularly daisies, that look like pearls,
notwithstanding their golden centres.
The apprehension of a return to short waists was not realized. Good taste
triumphed over the incomprehensible whim of wishing to resume former
fashions, which had given rise to the adverse and well-founded criticism
under which they had previously succumbed.
During 1859 and the following years there was a rage for Zouave, Turkish,
and Greek jackets, for “Figaros” and “Ristoris.” Ladies considered them,
and still consider them, very comfortable and becoming. They were made
in muslin for summer wear, and for the autumn in cashmere or cloth. Some
were black, and braided in various colours in the Algerian style, others
of different bright shades were braided in black, and some in gold. These
jackets were very much worn in the country.
Now it is next to impossible that a jacket should go well with a very
short waist, and as jackets were particularly graceful, they certainly
helped to maintain the reign of long waists still in fashion at the
present day.
Among adjuncts of dress we may mention bonnet-caps, consisting of
ruchings or twists, as being very much worn. Nets, also, were extremely
fashionable, as they well deserved to be; some were finished with bias
bands of velvet, and others with gilt buttons and buckles.
Shortly afterwards, gold began to be used in every possible way;
even bonnets were spotted with gold or trimmed with gold buckles.
Walking-dresses had gold pipings, bouquets of auriculas were worn, gilt
pins with little chains, and frequently large gold buckles.
White Arabian burnouses, shot with gold and silver, were used as opera
and ball wraps.
Tarlatans were made with diamond-shaped spots of black velvet, having a
gold pip in the centre, and tulles with gold stars; tarlatans, also, with
gold spots or stripes.
The extremely transparent muslin texture known as tarlatan is of unknown
origin—it had an immense success for balls and parties, and is still
much patronized by the most elegant women; at the present time it is
constantly seen in our salons.
[Illustration]