THE

I N F R A N C E ;

THE DRESS OF WOMEN FROMTHE GALLO-ROMAN

PERIODTOTHE PRESENTTIME .

FROM THE FREN CH OF

MRS . CA SHEL HOEY AND MR. JOHN LILLIE .

310 1111011

- OW , MARSTON . SEART E, 8: RH’TNGTON,

CROWN BU ILDINGS, 1 88, FLEET STREET .

1 882 .

[A 11 mgr/1 1s reserved j

LONDON

PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIV INGTON, LIMITED,ST. JOHN ’

S SQUARE.

C O N T E N T S .

INTRODUCT ION.

V arious definit ions of fash ion—The grave side of its h istory—Quotations from the

poets—Character of Frenchwomen—The refinement of their tastes and fanc iesParis the temple of fash ion—The provinces—Mdlle . Mars’ yel low gown—Thecauses of fash ion—A say ing ofMme . de G irardin ’

s—A remark ofMrs. Tro llope ’sThe dress ofactresses—Earl iest theories of fash ion—The Gynaeceum of AmmanF irst appearance of the “ Journal des Dames et des Modes —Lame

’

sangere

Other publ icat ions—An anecdote concerning do lls—Plan of the H istory of

Fash ion in France

CHAPTER I .

THE GALL IC AND GALLO -ROMAN PER IOD .

Gal l ic period—Woad, or the pastel—Tunics and boulgétes Mavors”and “ Palla

-C leanl iness of the Gall ic women—The froth of beer or kourou —The womenof Marse illes ; the ir marriage -port ions Gallo-Roman period—The Roman

garment—The sto la —Refinement of e legance—Extravagant luxury of women

A rtificial a ids—A vest iaire ” orwardrobe -room of the period—Shoes—Jewe ls andornaments—The amber and crystal bal l—Influence of the barbarians

CHAPTER I I .THE MEROV INGIAN PER IOD .

Modificat ions in female dress after the Invasion of the Franks—Customs of the latterThe Merov ingians— Costumes of sk ins and fe lt c loaks and camle ts—The co if, theve il, the sku ll -cap, the gu impe,” the cape— Fash ionable Merovingian ladies adornthemse lves w ith flowers—Various art ic les of dress—The “

su int —Y oung g irlsdress the ir hair w ithout ornaments—St . Radeg'

onde—The hair ofmarried women

CHAPTER I I I.

THE CARLOV ING IAN PER IOD .

Re ign of Charlemagne—The women of the tenth century wear two tunics- Jud ith’sbelt—A ve il is obl igatory—M in iatures in the Mazarin Library Charles the Ba ld ’sBible—Shoes—Dress of Queen Lutgarde

—Dress of Rotrude and Bertha—G islaand other k inswomen of the Emperor—The successors of Charlemagne—CannesAde laide ofVermando is—The dress of w idows

PAGE

CONTENTS .

CHAPTER IV .

THE CARLOV ING IAN PER IOD .

Earl iest t imes of the Carloving ian period—Variety of costume in the prov incesFash ions in the Duchy of France —French taste,

dat ing from the e leventh century—Luxury increases w ith each generat ion—The dom in ica l—The “ bliaud —Canes

of apple -wood—Women in the twelfth century—Head -dresses—“ A fiche”

Serpent -tails— Pel isses—The th irteenth century Greves and ve i ls are in

fash ion—The “couvre -chef in the fourteenth century—The sk irt, or

“cotte

hard ie,

surcoat, or overal l, or oversk irt, cape , trained sk irt, and “gauzape

”

Accessories—Emblazoned gowns—Various k inds of stuffs

CHAPTER V.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE CRUSADES .

Severity of fem inine costume—Long gowns and gu z’

mpes—Margu erite of Provence“ Fermaux”—~Reappearance of splendour in dress—Eastern customs—The priestsof fash ion—Haberdashery and peacock-feathers—Female embro iderers—Taste forembro idery—Cont inual temp tations—Earl iest sumptuary laws—Furs—S t . Lou is’sopin ion on dress—Proh ib it ions by Phil ippe le Bel ; speech made by his wi feCrépine

CHAPTER V I .REIGN S OF J OHN AND OF CHAR LES V .

The S tates of Languedoc—A young French lady in the fourteenth and fift eenth

centuries—Low dresses—Saying of a mercer—Damoz'

selles—Garnac/zes and garde

corps—LaParemem‘o’er dames—Soc ial d ist inct ions—H igh character is worth more

than gi lded be lt—Prec ious stones—The castles and other dwe l l ings of the M iddleAges—Splend id fum itnre—Humble abodes of the poor— Evening assembl ies

CHAPTER VI I .

RE IGN S OF CHARLES V I . AND CHARLES V I I .Taste in dress becomes purer—Heart—shaped head-coverings, the “

cornette,”and the

henn in in the re ign of Charles V I . —Husbands complain—Preachers denounce—Thomas Connecte declaims against the d iabol ic invent ion—Brother R ichardtries to reform it—The “ hennin ” gains the v ictory—Costume of Jeanne de

Bourbon—“ Escofiion”—An absurd figure

—Gravouere—Isabeau de Bav iereGorgiase tés

—Tripes—Splendour of the court—Agnes Sorel Coifl'

e adournée

d iamonds ; the carcan—VValking-sticks

CHAPTER VI I I .

RE IGN S OF LOU I S XL,CHARLES V I I I ., AND LOU I S XII.

Duchesses and bourgeoises under Lou is XI. La grand’

gorre,”or sumptuosity

The troussoire”—Al legorical and moral costumes—Trains—Head-dresses

Col lets rebrassés”—W igs and false hair—Some resu lts of the war in I taly

I tal ian fash ions Sol lerets and slippers—Gorgets—Garters—Jean Marot wri tesagainst novelt ies—Anne of Bri ttany—P ins—Menot “ the golden-tongued ”—AParisian in the t ime of Lou is X I I .—Coat al ’ Italienne—Manufacture of stuffs

PAGE

CONTENTS .

CHAPTER IX .

RE IGN OF FRANC I S I.The court of Francis I .

—A speech of Charles V .—The k ing’s l iberal ity—Order of the

Corde liere—Word-pa int ings of the fash ions of the day, by Rabe la is— Costumes ofthe seasons—Feather-fans— Sunshades—The hoche-plis ” or vertugad in—Mme .

de Tressan saves her cousin ’

s l ife—Sat ires and songs—Mdlle . de LacepedeContenances ”—S l lk shoes w ith slashes—Head -dress called a

“ passe -filon"

Increase of love of dress—The bean - flower—Art ist ic head-dresses—Tw ists of hairca l led ratmprenaa

’es—Ferron ieres— Coaches in Paris the ir influence on the

fash ions

CHAPTER X.

RE IGN OF HENR I I I .

Fash ions under Henri I I .—The ruff—A sat irical print of the t ime Catherine de

Me'd ic is eats soup—The I tal ian taste—Regu lat ions for dress—Crimson—W ho

shal l wear si lk —Lines on ve lvet, by Ronsard—Rotonde Colle t monte’ ”Spring-water—S tyle of gowns and head-dresses—W ired S leeves G irdles Caps,bonnets, and hoods—The toure t de nez

” —The cofl’

m a roup ies —ShoesA quotat ion from Rabelais

CHAPTER X I .RE IGN OF FRANC I S I I .

The earl iest queens of fashionA Mary S tuart’s costumes ; her jewels—Descript ion of

bod ices and sleeves of that period—Crosses—The “ loup ” or smal l maskCo iffure “

en raque tte ”—An anecdote concern ing high heels Regulat ions re

spect ing fash ion—Remark of a lady of our own day on d ist inct ions in dressExord ium of the Edict of Ju ly 1 2, 1 549 Max imum of marriage port ions—Thefirst knitted si lk stock ings

CHAPTER XI I .

RE IGN OF CHARLES IX .

The wars of re l ig ion—The fash ions of I taly are brought across the Alps, and are

welcomed in France—Effec ts of the exped it ions into I taly—Art ic les from Ven iceand Genoa are very fash ionable- A cloud of sugar-plums, and a shower of scentsEffem inate style of dress—Charles IX . and his Ed icts against extravagant d isplay—Fash ion rebe ls against sumptuary laws—Women of h igh rank, bourgeoises,w idows, and sp insters—Wedd ing dresses—Observat ions of a Venet ian ambassadorCorps p ique’ Drawers—Paint Cosme t ics—Breast mirrors, girdle mirrors

Court dresses A rcelets

CHAPTER XI I I .

RE IGN OF HENR I I I I .Opposit ion to the laws of King Henri I I I . on dress—The w ife of President N

—How both sexes evaded the ed icts—Gowns from M ilan—M ixture of mascu l ineand femin ine fash ions—Rage for perfumes—Recogn it ion of rank is demandedCostumes worn at Cognac by Marguerite de V alo is in presence of the Pol ishambassadors, and her costume at B lo is—Brantome ’s op in ion— Po inted bod ices,puffed-out sleeves, and “ bourrelets ” -Remarks on hair—R id iculous dress of

men—Poucet, the preacher— Sat irica l l ines on Joyeuse—W itty remark of P ierrede l

’Estoile— S tarch used by Henri I I I .—Cush ions

3 2

0

vii

PAGE

CONTENTS .

CHAPTER X IVRE IGN S OF HENR I IV . AND LOU IS X I I I .

PAGEUn iversal mourning on the death of the Gu ises intolerance of showy dressVertugad ins, “

eSpoitrement,” “

corps espagnole” -Diversity of colours—Thepearls, jewe ls, and diamonds be longing to Gabrie l le d

’Estrées and to the queen

Dress of Marguerite de France—Low-cut bod ices— Head-dresses of hair—Variousstyles—Venet ian sl ippers—Ed icts of Lou is X I I .— Caricatures : Pompe funebrede la Mode ”—Words and fash ions—R ibbons or _

“galants —Dress of w idowsDem i-ce int ” girdles— Gloves of all sorts—Patches- Masks the ir use Cachela id —The Frondeuses—Mme . de Longuev il le

CHAPTER XV .

RE IGN OF LOU IS XIV .

Lou is XIV . commands—Court luxury'

and pleasure ; d isgu ises—The Temple jewe llery—Fash ion and et ique tte—Successive fash ions -Royal ed icts—The Tombeau dusens commun —Dress of La V alhere— Of Mme . de Montespan—Costume of a

lady of rank in I66S—The éche lles de Mme . de la Reynie—“Transparenc ies ”

—Manufac tures—Champagne, the hair-dresser— Female hair-dressers—“ Hurlu

berlus ” and Mme . de Sévigné—Moustaches for women ; patches— Palat ines

S l ippers ; h igh hee ls— Corsets fans ; swee t lemons—Dog-muffs—Ha ir dressed“ a la Fontanges ” -Engl ish style of dressing ha ir -

“Esther”—SteinkerksCremonas Amad is and Jansen ist Sleeves—Hair dressed al

’

effrontee

Dresses of the Duchesse de Bourgogne—M ignard ises

CHAPTER XVI .

RE IGN OF LOU I S X IV . (CONTINUED).Pa inted faces— Reply of a Turk ish ambassador- Ineffectual cri t ic ism—Mme . Turcare t

’s

pretintailles—Mme . Bonnet ’s law -su it— Brocaded materials Andriennes

”

Criardes Return of hoops and pan iers A sa i lor’s leap Actresses’

pan iers, and the Greek head-dress—Mme . de Létorieres—D’

Hele arri ves frozena t the Café Procope —Waterproofs—F in ish ing touches—Fans and fan-makers inthe seventeenth century—WhatMme . de S tae l-Holste in thought of fans—Transit ion

CHAPTER XVI I .

R E I G N O F L O U I S XV .

The Regency—W ar is declared against pan iers—The Oratorian Duguet—Op inion of

the “ Journal de Verdun — Various publ icat ions aga inst pan iers— Lines byVoltaire—Whale-fishery company —Paragraph from the “ Journal de Barb ierMmes. Jaucourt, De Se ine, Del isle, C la iron , and Hus—L ines in pra ise of corsets

N ew bod ices- Co loured prints are forb idden Perses or PersiennesBagnole tte

—Adjuncts of dress necklaces, rid icules, andpoupottes— Contents of apatch-box—A sermon by Massi l lon Les mouches de Massi l lon, or Massi l lon’spatches—“ F i lles de Mode, or Fash ion -g irls—Some passing fash ions— Powderrema ins in fash ion Monte -au -c ie l —S imply made gowns—The first cachem ire

CHAPTER XVI I I .

R E I G N O F L O U I S X V I .

The influence of Marie Anto inette on fash ion— Letter from Maria Theresa—Leonardand Mdlle . Bert in—Various styles of head~d1 esses—“Pouf”—The “Journal deParis” -Re ign of Lou is XV I .— Male and female hair-dressers—Pli1mes—Hair

CONTENTS .

worn low—The queen’

s“ puce -coloured gown ; shades of colour in dresses

Oberkampf and the Jouy prints —Expensive sat ins—Trimm ings, the irgreat numberand importance—Gauze, blond, tu lle, and ribbons—Some k indso f shoes—Venezy-vo ir—The Archduchess ribbons—A dress worn at the opera

CHAPTER X IX.

RE IGN OF LOU I S XV I . (CONTINUED).Peasant dress is universal—Fashion “a la Marlborough —Caps—Bonnets—Mdlles.Fred in and Quent in—Ruches—Low bod ices “ post iches —Costume of ContatSuzanne—Fashions a la Figaro —L iterature and pol it ics sign ified in dress the

Princess de Monaco ’s pou f—Pouf a la c irconstance the inoculat ion poufThe “ innocence made man ifest ” caraco—The “ harpy costume—Coats, cravats,and waistcoats—Sa ilor jackets and p ierro ts —Déshab il les the lying fichuEt ique tte in dress—Seasonable costumes—The queen’s card-table—S tate of tradein Paris, circa I 787 Pinceauteuses,

”or female co lourers

CHAPTER XX .

THE FRENCH REPUBL IC .

The year l 789—Mascu l ine style of dress—The double dress vanishes—Caps a la

grande prétresse,” ala p ierrot, and ala laitiere—The pouf bonnet - Paintand powder d isappear Pred ict ion by the Cabinet des Modes—Anonymous capsCap

“ 31 la Charlotte Corday ”—Trinkets “ a la Bast i lle ”—Mme . de Genl is’locket— Cap a la Bast i lle —Federal un iforms—C laims to equa lity in dressReac t ion under the Directory—“ Incroyables ” and “ merve i lleuses ”—Coifl'uresa la v ict ime ”

and “ a la Titus —B lond w igs and black w igs—The HOtelTh e

’

lusson—Wh ich is the most rid icu lous —Mme . Tallien’

s costume—Ep igramon bonne ts “ a la fol le —Ret icules—Transparent dresses—L ines by Despréaux .

CHAPTER XXI.

RE IGN OF NAPOLEON I .

Fash ions under the Emp ire—Sacks—“ Personnes cossues —A saying of Napoleon’

s

White gowns Valenc iennes lace Bal l dresses walk ing dresses Po l ish“ toquets ” and bonnets—Turbans—Musl ins—Artificial fl owers—Wenze l’s manufactory ; “ The Offspring of Imposture,” Campenon’

s verses—Parisian lad ies, assketched by Horace V em et Stays—Cashmeres—Pro test by Pns—Ternaux assistsin establ ish ing the manu facture of cashmere shawls in France—Cotton stuffsR ichard Leno ir ; importance of the Ronen manufacture—V io lets during theHundred Days—The “

e ighteen fo lds,” and wh ite si lk

CHAFTER XXI I .

RE IGN S OF LOU I S XV I I I . AND CHARLES X.

Importat ion of fore ign fash ions in 1 8 1s- Wh ite dresses, wh ite feathers, and fleurs

de lys—Em igrant lad ies—Russian toques—Male and female dressmakers

Ruch ings—Short sleeves and long gloves—Herbault’

s bonnets Chefs —Anglomania in 1 8 1 5—Green gauze ve ils : spencers —The “

canezou ”- Lacro ix, the

stay-maker—Dr. Pelletan and Charles X.-Wasps—The “

Ourika ” fash ionsThe famous leg-of-mu tton sleeves - Fash ions “a l

’

Ipsiboé,” “

an Trocadero,

and “a la Dame Blanche — B londe caps and turbans—Head-dresses— Fash ionsa la g iraffe the last sigh of Jocko —Female book-keepers shopwomen

The Café des M ille-Colonnes

ix

PAGE

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXI I I .

RE IGN OF LOU I S PH ILIPPE .

PAGEThe Revolut ion of Ju ly, 1 830

—Fash ions in Lou is Ph ilippe’s reign—M icroscop icalbonnets, cal led bibis,” “

cabrio le ts”—Varie ty of caps Fash ions of the M iddleAges and of the Rena issance—The stage— H istoric costumes— Influence of

Rache l, the actress—Greek and Roman fash ions—Co lours—Various designat ionsof materials—Bedou in sleeves—Bonnets and head-dresses—Pame la bonnetsNove l eccentric it ies—Tagl ion i gowns, gathered “a la V ierge,” laced a la

N iobé ,”&c .—The Sylvestrine — Costumes to be worn on occasions of attempts

on the k ing 5 l ife—Bouquets for balls

CHAPTER XXIV .

THE SECOND REPUBLIC.

Tricoloured stuffs of 1 848— G irond in mant les— Open gowns —Summer dresses—Kasawecks and the ir derivat ives— Beaver bonne ts ; ve lvet bonnets, and sat in or crapedrawn bonnets —C loches, Cornel ie, Moldav ian, and Joseph ine c loaks ; mantlesIsly green— Opera cloaks—Numerous styles of dressing the ha ir ; a la MarieS tuart, 51 la Valo is, Le’ da, Proserp ine, and Ceres— Marqu ise parasols— Jewe l leryS traw bonnets~ Orleans and armure -Work re t icu le or bag Ch ine’ sPagoda sleeves—Waistcoats basque bod ices— New and econom ical canezous

CHAPTER XXV .

RE IGN OF NAPOLEON I I I .Ready-made mant les— Talmas, mousquetaires, and rotondes—The Second Empire ;

rem in iscences of the re ign of Napo leon I .—Marriage of Napoleon I I I . ; dress of

the new Empress her ha ir dressed by Fé lix Escal ier court mant le and trainFour kinds of dress— Opera dress in 1 853

-

4— Bod ices a la V ierge,” Pompadour

bod ices, and Wat teau bod ices— Sk irt trimmings— A new colour, Théba ”

Light t ints— Soc ia l and theatrical ce lebrit ies— The Eugénie head -dress andMainnier bands— End of the first period of Imperial fash ions

CHAPTER XXVI .

RE IGN OF NAPOLEON III. (CONTINUED).Crino l ine inaugurates the second era of Imperial fash ions —The reign of crinol ine

S tarched pett icoats— Whaleboned pet tIcoats— S tee l hoops— Two camps are

formed, one in favour of, and one in im ical to crinol ine— Large collars~ Marie

Anto inette fichus and mant les—Exh ib it ion of l 8ss— Cashmere shawls—Pure

cashmeres— Ind ian cashmere shawls —Ind ian wool len shawls— “ Mouza ia ”shawls— Algerian burnouses—Pompadour parasols—S traight parasols— S choo l forfans—The fan dril l— The Queen of Onde ’s fans—The Charlotte Corday fichu

CHAPTER XXVI I .REIGN or NAPOLEON III. (CONTINUED).

Sea-bath ing and watering-places—Spec ial costumes —Trave ll ing-bags— Hoods and

woollen shawls— Convenient style of dress- Kid and sat in boo ts ; h igh hee lsIntroduc t ion of the severa l ” and the R istori —Expensive pocket-handkerch iefs—Waists are worn shorter—Zouave, Turk ish, and Greek jacke ts- Bonne t fronts

-Gold trimmings universal ly used—Tarlatane, tul le, and lace

CONTENTS . xi

CHAPTER XXV I II .

RE IGN OF NAPOLEON III . (CONTINUED).PAGE

Fash ions in 1860 and 1 86 1—Jewellery—Shape of Russian bonnets—Nomen

clature of g irdles—Difl'

erent styles of dressing the hair—The Ceres wreathF lowers and leaves for the hair—Proh ibition of green materials—Anecdo tes fromthe Union Me

'

dz'

cale and the 7oum al de la M'

évre—C loth and si lk mant les—Bra idand astrakan—Four types of bonnet—Morning bonnet—Artificial flowers

CHAPTER XXIX.

REIGN OF NAPOLEON III . (CONTINUED).Sunshades, eu -tout-cas, mate

'

s,in 1 862—Sa ilors’ jackets, jerseys, and p ilot - jackets

Princess or demi-princess gowns ; S.wiss bod ices ; corset or post ill ion be lts—Lyd iaand Lal la Rookh jackets Vespert ina opera c loaks Longchamps is no more

Bois de Boulogne—Russian or Garibald i bod ices—Pale to t vest— Empress be lt1 885 patents for invent ions regard ing dress are taken ou t in 1 864

— V ic toriaskele ton sk irts, Ind ian stays, train-supporters Tit ian -coloured hair— ThePeplum in 1 866—Epicyclorde stee ls ; aquarium earrings—Descript ion of a court

bal l-dresst The fash ions of Lou is XV . , Lou is XV I . , and the Emp ire are rev ivedSedan chairs—Handkerch iefs at all prices

CHAPTER XXX.

RE IGN OF NAPOLEON III. (END).

F ive d ifferent styles of dressing the hair in 1 868 and I 8O9—Pe t it catogan ; three triple

bandeaus—The hair is worn IOOSH Dress of the Duchess de Mou chy—Refine .

ments of fash ion—Various journals—New shades—Crino l ine is attacked ; it

resists it succumbs— Ch inese fashions

CHAPTER XXX I .THE TH IRD REPUBL IC .

The years 1 870 and 1 87 1— The siege of Paris— General mourning—S impl icity and

economy— Parisian ve lvet and pek in— A concert costume—A c loth costume

A lsat ian bows and costumes— Soirées at the Presidency— Marie S tuart and

M ichae l Ange lo bonnets Hunt ing stock ings - Rabagas hats —The years 1 872and 1 873

— Fan parasols Leopo ld Robert ” bonnets—The year 1 873—Re turn

of luxury Regent ” be lts and sovere ign dress-improvers —S ilks —“Moderate

”costumes—The burning of the Opera House - Sale on behalf of those made

orphans by the war—The bal l for the Lyons weavers— Cashmere tunics—Disliketo gloves

~ Pe tt icoats— Charles IX . shoes— S l ippers—The year 1 874—“ Page ”

bonnets and Margot hats—Hair in the Sw iss style false hair—The bal l givenby the Chamber of Commerce— Green—Jet- Various costumes—Haird ressingMercury bonnets

CHAPTER XXXI I .

FASH IONS OF THE PRESENT DAY .

Dinner, casino, and bal l dresses in 1 875— Importat ion of false hair—Manu facture in

France—Modification ofwaterproofs Este lle ” bonnets—Tunic -aprons —Cu irassbod ices- “Montespan sleeves Sant-du -lit — Shoes of past t imes Bonnefemme ” pockets— Henri I I I . plumes Inez ve ils—R ibbons and flowers

Heavy style of dress Pouf” pett icoats—Composite fash ions of 1876—Armen ian

CONTENTS .

PAGEtoques Ophe l ia bonnets “Danichef bonnets—Mdlle . Bet t ina Rothsch i ld ’swedd ing trousseau—A splend id paraso l—Gondol ier ha ir-nets Baby sashesand Baby bonnets Fontanges

”fichus Plat itudes — Red, as a co lour

Pockets of various k inds—Majest ic appendages— Princess dresses— Bouquets onthe bod ices—Hair dressed in the Greek style—A thousand curls Breton styleOrgan -p ipe fri l ls —Coat -bod ices— Trinkets in black and si lver

CHAPTER XXXI I I .

FASH ION S or THE PRESENT DAY (CONTINUED).The Internat ional Exhib it ion of 1 878

— Foreign countries— Japanese fans—The l ittlelace -makers of Pen iche—Re trospect ive exhibi tion of costume in France— Con

sideé'

atz'

om sur le Ve‘

temm t o’er Femmes, by M . Charles B lanc— HIstorical Exh ib it ionat the Trocadero—Comprehensive glance at the curiosit ies of that exh ib it ion“ The Movement in 1 879

“ N iniche,”

and o ther bonnetsP lush - Gown-stuff at a hundred francs the yard— Scarfs, casaques, and variousbod ices—Madras costumes - Under-cloth ing ; chemise-corsets, morn ing gownsHousewife fans ; fan-ho lders—Trinke ts—Newmaterials— V isi tes jacke ts bows ;neckt ies—The year 1 880—“ Cabriole t bonnets passe -montagnes ”— Thep ilgrim costume—Satinsfi Favourite co lours -Vests—A rt buttons— Bulgarian cos

tumes— Jerseys— Scented gloves— Flowers in pro fusion ; a brida l bouquetM idsh ipman bonnets— Nordensk iold—Dust c loaks—Revolu tion in bonnets— Artand fash ion Porte-ve ines

CHAPTER XXXIV .

CONCLUSION

THE HISTORY

FASH I

INTRODUCTION .

Variou s detinizions o f fash ion—Th e gra ve side 0 1. itsist ory

—Qt o ta-i ons i 0 21 t_ e pe e :

Charac t er of Frenchw omen— T’

ne re fin em ent of th e ir tas t es an d fi ‘Z‘ié S—PEJ ‘

IS

temple Of fa i iOQ—Tfi é provinces—Mlle . Mars y ellow gown—The cas es of sh ‘onA saying ofMme . de Girz din

'

s—A rem ark ofMrs .

—T2 € dress of ascresses

Ea rlies t me e rles c-f fa shi on—Fa e G fi zz—c ezm o f AM E —First ap pea ran ce of the

“Journal des Dam es e t des Modes —Q i e r p ublica i ozs—Anconcerning do lls— Plan of the H i s tory o

f Fashi on in France.

FA SH I ON i s the erpositor, from the s tandpoint of cos tume, of ourhabit s and our soc ial relations in a w ord

,of every t hing appertaining

to the charm of life .

Therefore t o writ e the history of female fashion in France i s a

more serious task than it migh t seem t o be at the firs t glance .

The levi t y Of the subj ect is mast ered by its m oral in t erest .

Mon tesquieu remarks,i nhis “ Let tres Persanes

,

” “ A certain ladytakes it in to her head that she must appear at an assembly“ in a

particu lar costume ; from that momen t fift y artisans hav e to goW i thou t sleep, or le isure e i ther t o eat or drink . She commands

,

and is obey ed more promp tly than a Shah of Persia,because self

int erest is the migh tiest ruler upon th e eart h .

Far from serving onl y as a source Of frivolous talk,even when

it i s Spec ially concerned W it h our dress and ornam en tation,the

subject of fashion, it has been W isely Observed, has its valu e as a

B

THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

moral S ign-post, and suppl ie s the historian, the philosopher,and

the novel ist w ith a gu ide to the prevai l ing ideas of the t ime .

F ash ion, in fact , act s as a sort of thermome ter of the infin itely

variou s tastes of the day, which are influenced by many external

Circumstances. It i s the con t inuou s development of Clothing in

its thou sand varying forms, in its mos t s triking improvement s, in

its most gracefu l or mos t whimsical fanc ies . The type of dress

scarcely changes with in the l imits of a century ; bu t its adjunct s

and Characterist ics vary frequ ent ly every year.

To the proverb, Tel l me your friends,and I will tel l you who

might we no t add,after seriou s reflec t ion

,

“ Tel l me

how su ch a person dresses,and I will te l l you her character ”

P

Numerou s poets have defined Fashion, and for the most partpetu lant ly and disdainfu l ly . One of them says,

J

you are ,

“La mode est un tyran, des mortels respec te’

,

D igne enfant du degout et de laAno ther adds

,

Les modes sont certains usagesSuivis des fous

,et que lquefois des sages

,

Que le caprice invente et qu’approuve l

’

amour.

A third remarks with tru th, and less severity,Le sage n

’

est jamais le premier a les suivre,

Ni le dernier a les quitter.

A nd La Bruyere asserts that “ it shows as much weakness to fly

from Fashion as to follow it c losely . W e mu st no t l imi t the

cau ses of Fash ion to three only, —love of change, the influence of

those with whom we l ive and the desire of pleasing them, and

the interests of traders in the trans ient re ign of Objects of luxury,

so that the ir place may be suppl ied with fresh novel t ies . Thereremains to be pointed ou t a fourth and nobler cau se ; it i s the

frequen tly though not always successfu l desire to improve the art of

dress, to increase its Charm,and to advance its progress .

1 “ Fashion is a tyrant,respec ted by mortals ;

The fi tt ing offspring of distaste and no velty .

2 “Fashions are c ertain usages, invented by caprice, and approved by love,which fools, and sometimes the w ise, observe .

3 “The w ise man is never the first to ‘ fo l low, nor the last to abandon them.

INTRODUCTION.

W e do no t under take to relate the history of fashion in male

at t ire,albe i t its variat ions and s ingu larit ies are by no means less

numerou s and remarkable than those of the history of fashion for

women,which in every age has proved itsel f both powerfu l and

tyrannical .

W e mu st restrict ourselves to the garment s worn by women in

each succeeding age, and indeed we mu st confine ourselves to

France alone,if we wou ld ach ieve as complete a picture as possible

of the transformat ions in female dress from the t ime of the Gau ls

to the day on which we Shall have accompl ished our task .

Grace,vivaci ty, and, we mu st add, caprice, are the dist ingu ish ing

Characterist ics of Frenchwomen . With some very few excep t ions

we Shal l.

find the qual it ies or the fai l ings of our charming country

women reproduced in the ir mode of dress . Be she a peasant or a

dwel ler in c it ies,a working woman or a duchess

,every French

woman in town or country reveals herself frankly by the Clo thes

she wears . Her innate desire to please makes her espec ially obj ect

to wear garments of any one part icu lar fashion for long . She i s

ingen iou s in devis ing count less novel accessories to her dress,and

adding to its effect . She adorns hersel f with embro idery, with lace,and with jewel s

,and

,i f need be

,wi th flowers

,that she may be

irresist ibly at tract ive .

A Frenchwoman endeavours to supplement those gift s bestowed

upon her by nature by the refinements,

of the toilet . She maintains

that fashion i s never ridicu lou s,becau se good sense is neverwant ing

in France to curb extravagance,and good taste will ever preserve

the harmoniou s proport ions that are an inherent necessity in dress .

It has been said by a woman of tact and observat ion,

“ It is

perhaps allowable to be sent imental in a Sky- blue bonnet

,bu t one

mu st not cry in a p ink one .

”

This remark as to the fitness of dress shows that Frenchwomen

are properly at tent ive to the harmony that Shou ld exist between themoral state of a person and the garment s su itable for her wear.

Mme . Emile de G irardin observes acu tely,

“ There i s bu t one

way of wearing a beau t i fu l gown, and that i s to forget it .

Go where you will,” wro te (in 1 83 5) the t ravelled Engl ish

B 2

THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

woman M rs . Trollope,

and you see French fashions, but only in

Paris do you see how they shou ld be worn . The dome of the

Inval ides,the towers of No tre—Dame

,the column of the Place

Vendome, the windm ill s of Montmartre belong to Pari s less

essent ially and less exclu sively than the s tyle of a bonne t,a cap, a

shawl,a curl

,or a glove when worn by -a Parisian in the c ity of

Paris .”

It is therefore perfect ly true to say that a h istory of fashion in

women ’ s dress in France has a singu lar l ikeness to a history of the

French female character. There exists not awoman,according to

Mme . de Genl is, who does no t possess at least one secre t in the

art of dress,and that secre t she is sure to keep to herself.

In France, the classic land of fancy, the empire of Fash ion has

assuredly been more deeply fel t than e lsewhere . From t ime

immemorial Frenchwomen have al tered the ir fashions each succeed

ing day. An eminent ly French poet was th inking of his country

women when he composed the following l ines,wh ich sum up all

that has been said on our present interest ing subjec t

Il est une de’

esse inconstante,incommode,

B izarre dans ses goats, fol le en ses ornemen ts,

Qu i parait, fuit, rev ient, renait en tous les temp sProte

’

e e’

tait son pere et son nom est la Mode.

” 4

Now,Pro teus the sea-god, in order to escape from qu est ion ing

upon the fu ture, changed his shape at pleasure .

It might be said that the poet‘

we have ju st quoted was referring

to Parisian ladies in part icu lar ; bu t this wou ld be a m istake ; for a

great number of elegant women reside in the provinces, and have

qu ite as fervent a devot ion to the inconstant goddess as theirParis ian sis ters . In former t imes Fash ion reserved its great effect s

and its u tmost bri ll iancy for the rich only ; in the present day itpervades every rank of soc iety, and exercises its influence evenover the nat ional costume of the peasant for a cot ton gownwil l nowbe cu t on the same pat tern as a velvet one .

4 There is a goddess,troublesome

,inconstant

,

Strange in her tastes,in her adornments fool ish

She appears,she vanishes

,she returns at all t imes and seasons

Proteus was her sire,and Fash ion ’

is her name .

INTRODUCTION . 5

Al l Frenchwomen l ike perpetual change in dress, and fore igners

follow French fashions almost implic it ly . Spanish women only,ac tuated by the ir nat ional pride, refu sed for a long t ime to make

any change in their costume, yet even they are now beginning to

dress a la Francaise .

”

A t present the type of feminine dress always originates in Paris,

and spreads thence,throu ghou t France, into the most distant

regions of Europe,and even into A sia and America . In both

those countries our fashion-books are widely c ircu lated . Pari s,

writes a contemporary au thor, possesses the undispu ted privi legeof promu lgat ing sumptuary laws for nat ions . The fashions of

Paris are and will be the fash ions of the world ; that of whichPari s approve s wi ll endure ; that wh ich Pari s condemns mu stdisappear. Bu t for the good taste and the fick leness of Pari sians

,

bu t for the invent ive gen iu s andmanual dex terity of the ir art i sans,

mankind might be clothed indeed,bu t never dressed .

And what of womankind ? Where i s the Frenchwoman, theEngl i shwoman, the Ital ian, the German, or the Ru ssian, who does

no t requ ire her mill iner to make her a bonnet on the pat tern of

those which emanate from a Parisian ‘atelier ’

? “ France,”

as

V ictor Hugo has said, wil l always be in fashion in Europe.

”

Those nat ions who are least in sympathy with her accep t and

observe her laws on elegance and ton .

’

This can be proved by figures . The exportat ion of art icles of

fash ion manu factured in France reaches a very h igh figure ; our

importat ions of fore ign goods of the same k ind are, on the contrary,

qu ite insignificant .

The word “ fashion seems to convey to young people an

almost_

abso lu te sense of novelty . Y e t are there dist inct ions .There

'

i s new and new,ju st as

,according to Mol iere

,there are

fagot s and “ fagots . ’ That which is new to-day may be bu t a

rev ival of what i s o ld, a remin iscence of the past . The axiom,

There i s nothing new under the sun,

appl ies with spec ial force

to Fash ion .

What ! nothing new ? No, absolu tely noth ing . Who knows

whether the pret ty trifles, the “ mouches worn by women at the

6 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

present day, are no t a reproduct ion or at any rate an imi tat ion of

similar adornments once worn by the Egyp t ians, the Greeks, the

Romans,or the Gau l s ?

The ru ffs which are so general ly worn at present were in fashion

in the t ime ofHenri III. They were then an adjunc t to mascu l ine

dress ; they hold the ir place now in a lady ’s wardrobe .

As we study the history of the variat ions of Fash ion in France

alone,we perce ive that femin ine fancy describes an endless c irc le ;

that a part icu lar garment i s readily cast aside ju st in proport ion as

it has been eagerly adop ted ; that supreme, unju st, and unreasonable

contempt su cceeds to irresist ible at tract ion .

Fash ion changes her idols at t imes wi th such rap idity,that one

might exc laim with reference to female dress,“Je n

’

ai fait que passer, il n’

était dejaplus ! ”

It frequent ly happens that the general publ ic will adopt any

cos tume,however eccentric

,which has been worn by a

ce lebrated person . That which seemed h ideou s before the whim

of a celebri ty induced her to appear in it,becomes the he igh t of

fashion immediately afterwards .

W e may quo te as an instance of this an anecdote that appears

in the Indiscrét ions et Confidences ofAudebert,awork publ ished

a few years ago .

Mlle . Mars was giv ing some performances at Lyons,and was

not a l i t tle as tonished,on the day after her first appearance

,to

rece ive a morn ing visit from one of the principal manu facturersin that c ity .

“Mademoiselle,said he

,

“ I hope you will pardon the mo t iveof my V isi t ; you can make my fortune.

”

“ I, monsieu r ? I shou ld be del igh ted,bu t pray te l l me how 9

By accep t ing this piece of velvet .

So saying, he spread ou t on the table several yards of yel low

terry velvet . Mlle . Mars began to th ink she was be ing “ interviewed by a madman .

M on D ieu she exc laimed in an ag itated voice,what do you

wish me to do with that velvet

To have a gown made of it,mademoise l le . When o nce you

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8 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

her through the ir opera—glasses ; there was loud applau se,and

What a charming gown ! ” was u ttered on all sides .

The next day all Paris was ringing with Mlle . Mars ’ yel low

gown,and the week was hardly over before a simi lar one was to

be seen in every drawing-room . Dressmakers were overwhelmed

with work, and from that day yel low has he ld its own among the

colours considered as the right thing for gowns .A few years later Mlle . Mars revisi ted Lyons ; the manu facturer

,

whose fortune she hadmade, gave a splendid fete in her honour,

at his charming country hou se on the banks of the Saone. He

had paid for the mansion ou t of the profit s aris ing from the

enormou s sale of ye llow terry velvet .

How often since Mlle . Mars ’ t ime have ac tresses dec isively

set the fashion in dress ! The Theatre-Franeais, the Gymnase,and the Vaudeville have been, as it were

,exhibi t ions

,where the

fem inine world has taken lessons in dress . Who does not recol lect

Sardou’

s comedy,“ La Famille Benoiton

,

”

in which for several

years there was a cont inuou s show of eccentric costumes ?It mu st be admi tted that ac tresses

,who charm by the ir geniu s

,

their gestures,and their dict ion

,confer on costum e all the expres

s ion of which it is capable,and lend a significance all their own to

the achievement s of the mantua—maker.

Is it enough to be brill iant ly at t ired ? to be remarkable foreccentric it ies in dress to display costumes of the most fantast i c

kinds ? Certainly no t . Bes ides these things the wearer mu stknow how to make the very most of her at t ire . Fashion and

coquetry are twins . It mat ters no t how far w e may l ook back

into ant iqu i ty, among the Egyp t ians, the nat ions of the East,the

Greeks, the Romans, or the inhabi tants of Gau l,we shal l always

find these two sisters l inked toge ther,giving each o ther mu tual

help, and adap t ing themselves to the c limate, to the pecu l iari t ies

of the soil, and to the pass ions of the inhab i tants .From earl iest chi ldhood our French g irl s are trained in coquetry

by the ir own parents, innocent ly enough no doubt, bu t st i ll such

training is no t wi thou t its dangers .

Lou ise,”

says a mo ther to her l i t t le daughter,i f you are a

INTRODUCTION . 9

good child you shall wear your pre t ty p ink frock on Sunday,or

your love ly green hat, or you r blu e socks, 85 C . The l it t le girl

accordingly is good,”in order to grat i fy her taste for dress

,and

her budding love of admirat ion : both of these qual it ies wil l

develops as her years increase .

“ Cast a glance on the gracefu l perfect ion,on the in im itably

at tract ive charm which dist ingu ishes the dress of a Frenchwoman

from that of all other women on earth,

” says a contemporary

writer, and you will soon see a difference be tween mademoise lle

and madame ; the very sound of the ir voices is no t the same .

The heart and the mental facu lt ies of a young girl seem to be

wrapped in slumber, or at any rate dozing,u nt i l the day comes

when they are to be rou sed by the marriage ceremony . So long

as only mademoise l le i s speaking, there i s in the tone, or rather in

the key of her vo ice, something l imp, mono tonou s, and insip id ; bu tlet madame address you ,

and you will be fasc inated by the charm

wi th which rhythm,cadence, and accentuat ion can inves t awoman ’ s

voice .

”

As we have said,Paris and the whole of France have for a

very long t ime inau gu rated the fash ions which every o ther nat ionhas adopted . Y et the first j ou rnal espec ial ly devoted to fashionwas not pu bl ished in France. One Josse Amman, a painter, who

was born at Z urich,and who died at Nu remberg

,brough t ou t

,in

I 5 86, a charming series of plates on the fash ions of his day, u nderthe t i t le of Gynmceum,

s ive Theat rum Mu lierum,8Zc . The

Gynaeceum or Theatre of Women,in which are reproduced by

engraving the female costumes of all the nat ions of

This work was publ ished at Frankfort,and although it cannot be

du ly apprec iated by women,becau se it is writ ten in Lat in

,it

mu st be regarded as the orig in of all the Journals of Fashionwhich have s ince grown and mu l t ip l ied .

Under the t it le,Les Modes de la Cour de France

,depu i s l ’an

1 67 5 jusqu’

a l’

année I two fol io volumes of coloured fashion

plates were pu bl ished in Paris ; bu t they princ ipally re lated to

spec ial costumes for the court iers o f Lou is X IV . the ci ty was

treated wi th contemp t,andadmirat ionwas reserved for fine court

I O THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

dresses . There was no periodical paper in France, relat ing to

novel t ies in female dress, before the t ime of the D irectory, in the

clos ing years of the e ighteenth century . Unt i l then there had

been no deve lopment of theories on this interest ing subj ect .’

O ur ne ighbou rs imitated our dress, after having vis ited our salons

or our promenades, or they consu lted some desu ltory drawings of

costume .

In June 1 797 , Selléque, in partnership wi th Mme . Clement

née Hemery, founded the “ Journal des Dames e t des Modes .

They were j o ined, in the mat ter of engraving only, by an eccle

siast ic named Pierre Lamésangére, a sober and grave personage,who a few years before had been Professor of Li teratu re and

Philosophy at the College of La Fleche, and who by reason of the

evil t imes was embarking on a career very far Opposed to that of

the Professor’ s chair. On the death of Selléque, Lamésangere

carried on the j ournal, and made it h is ch ief bu siness from the

year 1 7 99.

The “ Journal des Dames et des Modes was publ ished at

intervals of five days,w ith a pret ty coloured plate of a lady in

fash ionable dress . O n the 1 5 th of each month there were two

plates . Lamésangére h imse lf kept the accounts,

edited the

magazine w i th as l ight a touch as possible,and superintended the

engraving of the plates. He at tended the theatres and al l places

of publ ic resort in order to observe the ladies ’ dresses.

So su ccessfu l was the undertaking that Lamésangére acqu ired

a considerable fortune . H i s own at t ire was above cri t ic ism . A t

h is death his wardrobe contained a thou sand pairs of s ilk stockings,

two thou sand pairs of shoes,six dozen blue coat s

,one hundred

round hats, forty umbre llas, and ninety snuffboxes.Tru ly a well- provided wardrobe and great ly exceeding that of

a wealthy person at the present day.

The “ Journal des Dames e t des Modes re igned wi thou t a

rival for more than twenty years,viz . from 1 7 97 to 1 829. It

form s an amu sing col lec t ion of three- and-thirty volumes,and may

be '

consu lted with profit both by philosophers and fine ladies .

Some of h is contemporaries u sed to compare Lamésangere to

INTRODUCTION . I I

A lexander.His empire over the world of fash ion was as wide as

that of Alexander. A t his death his kingdom was divided, even

as the possess ions of the King of Macedonia were . Le Pet it

Courrier des Dames,

”Le Follet

,

”

La Psyché,

”and a hundred

other fashion- books appeared among them we mu st name La

Mode,

”a j ournal publ ished under the patronage of the Du chess

de Berri, sumptuou sly printed, and wh ich became a sort of arb iter

of fashion in high l ife .

”

A t the present day there are innumerable gu ide-books to

Fashion. Women are at no loss for descript ion,h istory,

pract ical detai ls, or informat ion concerning the bu siness of the ir

t oilet: Intel l igent m inds are dai ly at work to invent or to

perfect the numberless trifies that are e ither aids or snares to

beau ty .

In addit ion to books, albums, and newspapers,Fash ion also

makes u se of dolls for its propaganda. Dolls serve as model s to

the women of foreign nat ions,and for a length of t ime they have

played the ir part in this important mat ter. In I 3 9 1 , Isab'

eau de

Baviere, the Q i een of Charles VI .,made a present of dolls dressed

in the latest fash ion to the Q i een of England ; and the books of

the Royal Hou sehold ment ion a similar gift from Anne of

Brit tany to the celebrated Isabel la of Cast ile, Q i een of Spain

,

in 1 496 .

In the seventeenth and e ighteenth centuries these gifts of doll s

became Very frequent . They were so highly valued,that during the

terrible war of the Succession in Spain between the Engl ish and

French,the Cabinet s of Versailles and of St . James ’ s granted a free

pass for an alabaster doll, wh ich, with dress and hair arranged inthe newest fash ion of the Court of France

,conveyed our latest

novelt ies across the Channe l .

Like Dandin,the judge in Les Plaideurs

,who begs Int ime

the lawyer to pass on to the de luge ” so as to escape h is

lecture on the creat ion of the world, our fair readers mu st hope

that we are no t abou t to beg in our his tory wi th the origin Of our

country .

Bu t while we restrict ourselves wi th in proper l im its,it is no t

1 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

p oss ible to avoid speaking of the dress of the most remote

ancestresses who are known to u s,of the women o f Gau l and

Roman—Gau l.

W e mu s t,for a short Space, return to those far—off ages

,

becau se certain at tribu tes of dress wh ich existed of old have re

appeared at different t imes,and at the very date at which we

wri te,more than one Gal l ic or Gallo - Roman fash ion may be

recognized in the garments or the head- dresses of ou r country

women .

W e therefore ask permiss ion to dwell for a short t ime on the

earl ier centuries of our history . Then the Merov ingian period

will supply us with curiou s documents . The Carlovingians and

the early branches of the family of Cape t w i ll claim a larger share

of our at tent ion. Final ly we shal l dwel l on the Middle Ages,

and the period of the Renaissance,which were remarkable for

luxu ry,love of wealth, and splendour of A rt

,and so we shal l pass

on to the six teenth and seventeenth cen turies,over wh ich Fashion

re igned an absolu te monarch .

The Revolu t ion of 1 7 89, the Empire, the Restorat ion,the

Monarchy of Ju ly,the Second Empire—in a word

,Contemporary

H i story as it i s called, will bring u s to 1 88 1,and the fash ions of

which our fair readers can judge for themselves : we have no

intent ion of taking a place among archmologists, or array ing a

mu lt itude of historical no tes before them . M oreover document s

are few,and even i f we wished to relate ou r story in fu l l

,it wou ld

no t be possible, s ince we are bound to observe the l imit s of

h istorical tru th . W e may, indeed, endeavour to present it in a

pleasant ligh t, bu t we mu st no t change its natu ral expression.

CHAPTER I .

THE GALLIC AND GALLO-ROMAN PERIOD .

Gal lic period—Woad, or the paste l—Tunics and boulgétes— “Mavors

”and Pal la

C leanl iness of the Gal lic women—The froth of beer or leozn '

ozz—The women of

Marse illes the ir marriage . portions—Gal lo-Roman period—The Roman garment—The

staid— Refinement of e legance— Extravagant luxury of women—A rtificial a ids—Avest iaire or wardrobe -room of the period -Shoes— Jewe ls and ornaments—The amberand crystal bal l—Influence of the barbarians.

W E learn with horror from anc ient writers that certain women of

Gau l were accu stomed to dye the ir sk in with a whi t ish mat ter,procured from the leaves of the woad or pastel, a cruc i form plant

from wh ich is derived a starchy subs tance, t hat may be subst itu ted

for indigo for certain purposes . O thers were tat tooed in almost

the same manner as the savages of America .

Such were our mo thers in primit ive Gau l,a country which

differed l it t le in extent from modern France .

Bu t t ime did its work, and a l i t t le later,when the inhabit ant s

began to prac t ise indu strial arts, the costume of a Gall ic womanconsisted of a wide plaited t unic and of an apron fas tened round

the hips . She wou ld somet imes wear as many as four tunics, one

over the other, a mant le, part of wh ich ve iled her face, and a

“ mitre ” or Phrygian cap. She made use also of pockets or of

leathern bags, and of bou ls or bou lgétes,” made of network,

which are st ill in use in Languedoc, and are called ret icu les . ”

R ich women remarkable for the ir beau ty and e legance adorned

themselves with many-coloured l inen mantles,fas tening with a

clasp on the shou lder ; or else they were ent irely unc lothed to the

waist,and draped themselves in a large mant le

,wh ich floated over

their skirts, andwas kept in its place by a clasp or fibu la of gold

or s i lver,great ly resembling the modern brooch .

1 4 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

A ve i l covered the head and bosom ; when short, it was called a

‘ mavors when long,fal l ing for instance to the feet

,it bore the

name of palla.

’

The cleanl iness of the Gall i c women, which has been praised byhistorians, added another charm to the ir unrivalled natural beau ty .

No Gall ic woman,whatever her rank

,wou ld have consented or even

ventured to wear dirty, unt idy, or torn garment s ; nor did any one

of them fail to frequent the baths which were establ ished every

where,even in the very poorest local i t ies . The Gal lo-Roman

woman was admired for her fair complexion, her tal l and elegant

figure,and her beau t ifu l features ; and she neglected nothing that

might t end to procu re her that homage . Cold bath ing,ungu ent s

for the face and often for the ent ire body were to her a de l ight, a

du ty, and a necessi ty. In order to preserve the freshness of hercomplexion

,she bathed her face in the froth of beer or koarou,

dyed her eyebrows with tal low,or wi th a ju ice taken from the

sea-pike,a fish found on the coast of Gau l . She made frequent use

at her toilet of chalk dissolved in vinegar,a mixture injuriou s to

health,bu t very effi cac iou s as a pommade ; she coloured her

cheeks with vermilion, pu t l ime on her hair

,which she covered

with a ne t,or plaited it into narrow bands

,e ither throwing it back

or giving it the curve of a helmet .H er luxury was not l im ited to ornaments only

,to necklaces

,

bracelets,rings

,or waistbands of metal ; she borrowed her charms

from Nature too,and

,aswe have seen, had l it t le reason to complain.

Brace lets,which st il l held the ir place under the Merovingians

,do

no t seem to have been worn in the Middle Ages .In the sou th

,on the shores of the Mediterranean

,the women

were strik ingly beau t ifu l . They wore a quant ity of j ewels, a

short garment reach ing only to the knees,and a gorgeou sly bright

red apron, such as is worn by the Neapol itans to this day.

A t Marse i lles the civi l i zat ion of the Greeks had spread among

the people . The young girl s of the c i ty were always dressed.

with e legance,and

,dou bt less le st drink might impair the ivory

wh ite of the ir complexion,cu stom forbade them to partake of wine ;

also in order to guard against an excess of luxury,the law requ ired

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1 6 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

admired . Th is was fastened back wi th the vi t ta, a ribbon or band

which only patricians had the right to u se, crossed with narrow

bands or confined in a ne t,and arranged wi th mu ch skill . The

hair was frequent ly dyed red or ye llow ; or brown plaits wou ld be

concealed under the fair locks taken from some German slave, and

l igh t ly sprinkled with gold-du st .

The face of a Gallo-Roman lady was resplendent in beau ty,

thanks to the refined arts of dress, and her complexion remained

incomparab ly fair in sp i te of the lapse of years . Beneath the

tunic she Wore the strophium,a sort of corset which defined the

figure,and in which she cou ld carry her le t ters . Ovid observes

that to equal ize the shou lders, if one were rather higher than

the o ther,it was suffi c ient to drape l ight ly the lower of the two .

Thu s did “ post iches and padding orig inate .

TheGal lo- Roman lady soon began to make use of the sudarium

or pocke t-handkerchief, a p iece of stuff, e ither plain or em

broidered, which she held in her hand to w ipe the damp from herforehead

,or to u se as we use ou r handkerch iefs . W e can imag ine

her leaving her g i lded chariot , a sort of palanqu in whose shafts

were supported by a pair of horses,mu les

,or oxen . Th is was a

c losed carriage l ined wi th skins and strewn with straw,and the

noble lady lay wi th in it, softly repos ing on a pu lvinar,

”or large

s i lken cu shion scented with roses. She had adop ted the manners,if no t the morals of the East . She cou ld apprec iate and adm ire

and amass rings of gold,s ilver ornaments for her dressing—table

,

for the bath—room,for travell ing ; mirrors, earrings of incru sted

glass,rings

,and necklaces. She made u se of many different

perfumes scented and hyg ien ic pomatums,essence of l ilies

,roses

,

and myrrh, unguent s made from the cock and from puresp ikenard . She del ighted in waistbands and ribbons

,in cu sh ions

furs,and felt,—in one word, in all the luxuries that contribu te to

c leanl iness and e legance . She had a dec ided taste for showy

colours .The wardrobe of a Gall ic-Roman lady wou ld consist of t issues

of linen,cot ton

,or silk

,taking the place of the modern chemise ;

of a sort of boneless corset to support the bosom,of a dress ing

THE GALLIC AND GALLO-ROMAN PERIOD . I 7

gown,of robes of ceremony, of tunics, hal f tun ics, and viole t

coloured mant les, shaped mu ch like a modern pelerine . A

Frenchwoman of the presen t day has not a bet ter assorted ward

robe .

On going Ou t Gall ic -Roman ladies donned a short mant le,which covered the ir shou lders, and a scarf for the ir head, the l ight

and transparent ve il of which the ir head-dress was composed

sparkled wi th gold and s ilver spangles, mingled with narrow

bands,ribbons

,and beads . They left the ir pointed and cork-soled

sl ippers,turned up at the toes andwithou t heels, at home . S imilar

shoes may be seen to this day in the Mu seum at Clermont,in

Auvergne .

Whenever an elegant patric ian lady left her home to take a

drive or pay visits, she changed her shoes . Sandals took the

place of the “ lanc ia,

”or hou se—sl ippers . She somet imes wore

the “ cothurnu s,

a walking-boot,unrivalled, excep t by the l ight

shoes called campodes,” habi tually worn by the peasant women .

Shoes were marks of dist inc t ion. For instance,those called

“peribarides deno ted that the Gal lo-Roman lady

,the ir wearer,

be longed to one of the highest famil ies .

In Gau l,as in Rome, extravagance in jewe ls and ornaments

defied all the sumptuary laws, although the lat ter were as plent ifu l

as they were u seless. Gal lo-Romans wou ld no t be den i t he ir

gold and si lver ornament s .Cameos and engraved s tones

,emeralds

,amethysts

,sapphires

,

and the finest pearl s g ive immense value to the necklaces,rings

,

bracele ts, large circu lar earrings, and even garters,of that remote

period . Garters, we beg to po int ou t,were not u sed to keep up

stock ings, which were not worn in those t imes,bu t served to

confine asort of trou ser of fine l inen. Some of the Gallo- Roman

ladies wore these garters or anklets on the bare leg, as they worebracelet s on the arm.

Parasols, steel m irrors, fans -all these things were known to

the Gallo-Roman period . Perfumers were constant ly making

fresh discoveries, and there were dent ist s who manu fac tured

marvel lou s false teeth, so as to repair the irreparable inj uries of

C

1 8 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Time . A ny defects in the face were remedied by drugs of allkinds . The eye l ids were stained in order to give bri ll iancy to theeyes .

A t least twenty women were in the service of each patric ianlady

,and the lat ter always devoted mu ch t ime and thought to her

dress . These women at t ired her w ith exceeding care ; they wereadmirable hair- dressers, and u sed pomatum profu sely . One was

the proud bearer of a paraso l . A Roman fashion,borrowed from

the Egypt ians,prescribed that slaves shou ld carry in s i lver or

golden ne t s the amber and crys tal bal ls u sed by the ir mistresses .With what grace and skill d id these noble ladies twist and press

the crystal bal ls in the ir fingers at a publ ic fete,or at the c ircu s or

theatre ! They subdu ed by th is means the excess ive warmth of

the ir hands,and secured a constant coolness . When the crystal

bal l became heated,it was succeeded by one of amber

,which as it

warmed gave forth a most de l ightfu l Odour.

In l ike manner the fan Offered opportun i t ies for the Gal lo

Roman ladies to display all the ir grace and skill,and the fan has

re tained its place down to our own t ime,while it has found an

historian in M Blondel,who has publ ished a very curiou s

monograph on fans among ancient and modern peoples .

The Gau l s of both sexes had a patrio t ic love of the ir nat ionalcostume

,which they wou ld no t discard even when travel l ing in

Asia. Nevertheless,they did not refu se to learn from the i r

Roman conqu erors, whose advanced c ivi l izat ion took gradual

hold of our ancestors,and ended by metamorphosing them .

D id they borrow some th ing from the costumes of the Vandals,

Huns,Goths

,and Burgund ians

,from the variou s barbarians who

appeared in su ccession on the so il ofGau l ? W e may bel ieve that they

did,for the women who accompan ied those wi ld invaders mu st have

left everywhere behind them some trace of the ir passage . As

they sat making the ir garments in the ir tent s,they mu st have

inspired the Gallo-Roman women w ith a w ish to imi tate this or

that accessory of the toilet,so soon as the terror cau sed by the

presence of the soldiery had passed away . And though some of

these strangers wore only the skins of beast s, others were accu s

THE GALLIC AND GALLO -ROMAN PERIOD . 1 9

tomed to the purple, and to t issu es from the East ; some few

combined Greek e legance wi th Lat in wealth,and were covered

wi th valuable ornament s .

The Visigo ths mingled with the peoples of Sou thern Gau l, andthe women were suffic ient ly c ivil ized to be no t unpleasing to the

vanqu ished .

A t Tou lou se,where the Gothic kings had fixed the ir abode

,

a large and splendid court, which was dest ined to exerc i se an

undispu ted sway during many centuries, had ri sen round them .

The Burgundians, who had e stabl ished them selves between the

banks of the Lake of Geneva and the conflu ence of the Mosel le

and the Rhine, looked upon the Gal lo—Romans not as subj ec ts,bu t

as brethren nor did the ir laws forbid marriage be tween themselves

and the inhabitants of a conqu ered country . They evident ly

followed more or less slowly the progress of c iv il i zat ion in Gau l,

and the ir manners and cu s toms and even the ir dress influenced andwere influenced in their turn by those of the inhabitants of the

occupied country .

It may be that no history of the art of Dress wi l l ever beverified by the documents necessary for the accu rate reconstru ct ion of the details of female costume from the first invasionof the barbarians unt i l the last, that of the Franks, of which we arenow abou t to note the most strik ing effec t s .

Su ch lapses are to be regre t ted,bu t they cou ld no t be fi lled up

wi thou t ventu ring on unfounded hypo theses or unsupported fancy

It is be t ter to res tric t ourselves to the exact tru th than to changethe pen of his tory for that of romance .

C 2

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2 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

the deeds of father,hu sband, or son, or recounted the v ictories of

the confederacy . She resembled the o ther A llemanni women in

her dreamy creed and gent le supers t it ions, and she possessed qu iet

energy and comparat ive soc iabil ity which enabled her to triumph

over obs tac les . While holding t enac iou sly to many primit ive

cu stom s she was no t altogether averse to innovat ions, nor to art,

industries,and sou thern c ivil i zat ion. She held her place admirably

at the cou rt of Clovis,who

,as tradi t ion informs us

,l iked to dispense

h is favours and had a taste for magn ificence .

No sooner were the Franks firmly established this s ide of the

Rhine,on the northern and eastern territories

,than the rust ic i ty of

the Germans began to blend wi th the refinement s Of the Lat in

race,and in some cases to counteract the element s of corrup t ion

in the lat ter. The customs of t he Franks took roo t among the

Gallo-Romans,and for a t ime the smaller de tails of dress dis

appeared, or at least he ld the ir place w ith the u tmost diflicu lty.

During the first period of the Merovingian monarchy,both

men and women were clothed in the sk ins of an imals . A t t ime s

both sexes wou ld wear garment s of fe l t,or narrow

,short - sleeved

silken mant les, dyed red or scarlet , or garment s of a coarse

material m ade from camel s’ hair and thence named camlet .

Cam let was some t imes woven wi th a s ilk warp .

General ly speaking,the women covered the ir heads w ith coifs

,

not u nl ike the anc ient mitres that orig inated in Persia, or they

wore a l inen or cot ton ve il,ornamented with gold and gems, and

drew the end of the right side over the left shou lder. Bu t the

Frankish women proper wore a small sku ll - cap cal led an obbou .

”

A ny person who knocked this cap o ff rudely was mu lcted in a

heavy fine by the Sal ic law. Respect towards woman was

enforced by Franks and Germans al ike .

Q i een Clot i lde i s frequ ent ly represented as wearing a tunic,confined round the waist by a band of some prec iou s material .

Her mant le i s laced together across the breast, and her hair fall sin a long plait . Later than this

, St . Radegonde wore a sort of“ gu impe called “ sabanum,

made of lawn, rudely embroideredin gold

,i f we may credit Fortunat the poet, who was frequent ly in

THE MEROVINGIAN PERIOD . 2 3

her company . After her conversion the Q i een of Clo taire I .

fol lowed the fashions of the barbarians . Six years after her

marriage she withdrew from the court,in order to devote hersel f

t o rel igiou s exerc ises,divers ified by l iterary pursu i ts .

The Merovingian women were partial‘

to many- coloured tunics,to embroideries

,to flowered stuffs, and to a sort of cape known

to them of o ld. This cons isted of a piece of striped material of

c ircu lar shape,with an apertu re for the head . and two holes for the

arms ; it covered the ches t and shou lders, and was fastened by

strings round the loins. They wore two be lt s, one above and the

other be low the bu st . The ir arms were bare, as it was the cu stom

of dwe l lers on the banks of the Rh ine .

Some t imes—an instance i s suppl ied by Ultrogo the, the wife of

Childebert— they made u se of a large mant le,a sort of chlamys

,

fas tened at the throat or on the righ t shou lder by a clasp .

I f to this we add an escarcel le or purse,in wh ich kings and

queens carried coins to dis tribu te to the poor,my readers will

have an exact idea of the female dress of the t ime .

In su ch costumes the fair Merovingians were want ing ne i ther

in charm,nor d ignity, nor in a certain modest e legance . They

probably borrowed some detai ls of at t ire from the Gallo -Roman

fashions and added them to the ir own .

Bishop Fortunat, a Lat in poet of that day, who was present atthe wedding of Siegbert and Brunehilde, alludes to the cu stom hiscountrywomen had adop ted of wreathing the ir hair wi th sweetsme ll ing flowers . Another b ishop and h istorian

,Gregory of

Tours,who from his posit ion was also well acquainted wi th the

customs of the Merovingian court,speaks of silken robes

,which

he describes - as splendid .

Every wealthy woman loaded hersel f wi th jewel s . They worepearl necklaces, jacinths, d iamonds, gowns with long trains

,

mant les, tun ics,hoods

,ve ils

, and casqu es ; earrings,bracelet s

,

necklets, and rings ; stomachers and be lt s o f woollen,l inen

,or

s ilk .

The ir dresses on fest ive occasions sparkled wi th gold and jewe ls .St . Gregory of Naz ianzen rebuked t hem for the ir innumerable

24 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

perfumed plai ts of hair, yet they knew of one pommade only“ su int

,

”an animal grease which proceeds from the skin of the

sheep and cl ings to its wool . Su ch a perfume wou ld be nau seou s

to the women of our day, bu t it was much l iked by the Frankish

women, e i ther for its novelty, or from its efficac iou sness in g iving

smoothness to the skin .

A MS. of 660 gives the pic ture of a Meroving ian lady wearing

her hair smoothly parted on the brow and hang ing down in two

thick plaits, lessening in size as they fall over her shou lders . A

flu ted d iadem of gold,placed l ike a crown on the head

,confines

the hair, and imparts to the pictu red form a certain air of majesty .

Young girl s, with whom it was cu stomary to wear the ir hair

flowing loosely, were permi tted no ornament s on the head. This

was so general a cu stom that i f as they grew older they remained

unmarried,they were said to wear the ir hair. The beau t ifu l

Radegonde, after the murder of her bro ther by her hu sband

Clotaire I.,rece ived permission from the tyrant to w ithdraw from

the world . A s a mark of humil ity she placed on the al tar herdiadems

,bracelet s

,clasps of prec iou s gems

,fringes

,and golden

and purple t issu es . Then she broke in twain her be lt of massivegold . The sacrifice was consummated ; Radegonde belonged to

God alone . She died in the odour of sanct ity at the monastery

of Sainte -Croix,which she had founded at Poit iers .

One of the cou nc i ls forbade married women to cu t the ir hair,

as a symbol of the ir su bject ion to the ir hu sbands . Bu t this prohibit ion did no t cure them of the ir vanity they might st ill plait

the ir hair wi th ribbons, and wear it parted in the middle and

fal l ing in two wide plaits, l ike that of Swiss peasant s at the present

day.

Numerou s statues have preserved for us th is Merov ingianfashion, which was not want ing in grace, while it conferred onwomen an appearance of severe simpl ici ty

,less maj es t ic than that

of the figure I have described in speaking of a manu scrip t of theseventh century .

CHAPTER I I I .

THE CARLOVINGIAN PERIOD .

752 TO 987 .

Re ign of Charlemagne—The women of the tenth century wear two tun ics—Jud ith’ s beltA ve i l is obligatory—M in iatures in the Mazarin L ibrary—Charles the Bald’s BibleShoes— Dress of Queen Lu tgarde

— Dress of Rotrude and Bertha—G isla and otherk inswomen of the Emperor

—The successors of Charlemagne—Cannes—Adela ide of

Vermando is—The dress of w idows.

THE re ign of Charlemagne,and the passing away of the first race

of our kings,to be su cceeded by the second, made no essent ial

difference as to dress . W e cannot,in fact, ascribe much import

ance to the German and Byzant ine influ ences which su cceededeach o ther at that period

,bu t did not destroy what we may

denominate the Gallo -Roman style .

The most e legant dress of a woman in the tenth century

cons isted of two tun ics of different colours,one with long, the

other with short sleeves ; on the feet were boo t s laced up in front .Wide bands of embroidery bordered the throat

,s leeves

,and lower.

edge of the skirt . The waist -band was placed ju st above the hips .This belt was generally of great value

,be ing studded with gold

and jewels . The be lt belonging to Judith,wife of Lou i s le

Débonnaire, we ighed three pounds . A t the present day there are

no waist—bands e ither of that weight'

or value .

The Carlovingian women wore splendidly embroidered ve i ls,

covering the head and shou lders,and reaching almost to the

ground . This lent a character of severity to the costume,

which was espec ially aimed at by the women of that period.

The ve i l was indispensable,be ing regarded as the penalty

of the sin of our Mo ther Eve, and the hair was concealedbeneath it .

2 6 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Among the admirable min iatures in the Mazarin Library,

there is one of a queen wearing a triangu lar diadem,and a ve i l

fall ing on e ither s ide over the shou lders. The under- tunic is

b lack, the upper,in the style of a mant le

,i s v iole t . Both are

bordered wit h yellow,her shoes are ye l low also

,and borderings

and shoes al ike were probably ornamented with gold.

In the celebrated B ible of Charles the Bald, a most curiou s

h istorical treasure, there are paint ings of four women wearing the

chlamys in d ifferent colours .

The chlamys is always wh ite,with sleeves of gold brocade

,w i th

one excep t ion, when it i s rose - colou red . The under—garment s

are bright orange,l ight brown, l ight blu e, and v iole t

,with pale

blue sleeves,trimmed wi th strips of red embroidery on bands

of a gold ground .

W e find that gold was u sed everywhere and always,and while

making due allowance for the imaginat ion of the art i st,his

p ictures throw l ight on the costumes Of the period .

Observe that the four women all wear shoes, no t

i

boo ts.

The historian has in general bu t scanty material with which to

trace the dress of the princesses and ladies of the court under

the Carl ovingians, on account of the many wars both c ivil and

fore ign that took place between the t ime of Charlemagne and that

of Charles the S imple .

S t il l less do we know concerning the dress of the women of the

people, for on that point history is almost s ilent . W e learn,

however, that the ir skirt s were extreme ly long,and that they

wore ve ils much resembl ing the ve il of nuns,bu t th icker

,and

hanging more c lose ly round the figure .

Among women of noble rank the love of dress harmon ized

with the tas te for needlework d isplayed by the kinswomen of

Charlemagne, as recorded by the old chroniclers .

They worked wi th the ir own hands on silk and wool,bu t th is

did no t prevent them from lov ing and seek ing to acqu ire magn i

ficent possessions, splendid ornament s and trimmings Of excessive

richness . The Empress Judith, mother of Charles the Bald, was

considered to have great sk ill in embroidery . She gave to her

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28 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

frequent ly t ransparent, reveal ing the shou lders, arms,and lower

l imbs,and the gowns themselves were somewhat c l inging, so that

the gracefu l u ndu lat ing movement of the body was V isible, as inthe ant ique t imes .These transparent materials d isappeared by degrees under the

su ccessors of Charlemagne, and women’ s dress became heavier and

more ample . Long ve i ls were worn .

Under the last Carlovingians the splendour and e legance of

female dress decl ined . Ladies began to wear extremely s implehoods and copes . They retained the habit of be ing del icately shod

,

shoes be ing for the most part black and embroidered in beads .Were they already aware of the important part played by shoes in

the elegant appearance of a woman

Carloving ian ladies frequ ent ly made ‘

use in the ir walks of

a cane,ornamented at the top by a b ird ; the u se of a

st ick lessening the ir fat igu e and impart ing u prightness to the

figure.

If we may judge by the s tatue of Ade laide de Vermandois, the

widow of Count Geoffrey of Anj ou,su‘

rnamed “ Grisgonelle,”

who died in 987 , the dress of aged women in the tenth centu ry

was somewhat as follows —A mant le was worn over a wide- sleeved

gown,under wh ich appeared another garment

,wi th close-fit t ing

s leeves,bu t ton ing at the wri st . A gu impe covered the upper

part of the bu s t,enc irc led the throat and was j oined to the ve il

,

which,arranged in two large pads over the ears

,presented a

s trange appearance .

W e may conc lude by saying that the women of that period

preferred a rich bu t severe style of dress. Tight ly fit t ing gowns

di splayed the slenderness of the waist . The ir ornament s,some

t imes of inestimable value, had none of the gaudiness that afterwards

disfigured the dress of the noble court ladies . Intrins ic value in

jewel s was much apprec iated, and they were worn,accord ing to a

Byzant ine fashion,fas tened to the dress of wh ich they appeared

to form part . For a long t ime past jewe ls had been worn at tached

to the s ides of the c irc let or coronet, and fall ing over the hair as

low as the shou lders .

THE CARLOVINGIAN PERIOD . 29

It i s not iceable that the garb of widows resembled that of our

nuns . Ten centuries have scarce ly changed its princ ipal cha

racterist ics.

W e learn from the romances of chivalry that to have the inst eps

of the hose cu t open was a sign of mourning, and that damosel s

and the people of the ir su ite wou ld make a vow as a mark of

mourning to pu t on the ir garment s the wrong side ou t . Widows

of the highest rank wore the ir gowns high up to the throat, and

wrapped themselves in a ve il .The fashion of the ir head-dress was an important point w ith

Carlovingian ladies . If of noble birth they wore the ir hair l ong ,fal l ing beh ind the ears over the shou lders, and reaching below the

waist . It was curled or waved on the forehead. The ir earrings

were short pendants ending in a pearl .Like the Germans, they un i ted to a love of dress a love of

c leanl iness,andwere accu stomed to make use of the bath, e i ther at

the publ ic es tablishment s,

or in the ir own villas,which were

provided with every necessary for the ir dai ly want s . In these

respects certain customs of the East had rather gained than lost

ground,and this in spi te of the prohibi t ions of the Cathol ic

Church, which sought to prevent scandals, or exaggerated pract ices

hurt fu l to the publ ic health .

Bu t it wou ld be a great mistake to imag ine that baths were

taken during the Carlovingian period in splendidly decorated hall sl ike those of the Romans ; statues, paint ings, and mosaics wereal ike absent .

The thermae of Ju l ian on the left bank of the Se ine,of which

the ru ins remain to this day in the HOtel de Cluny’

on the

Bou levards St . Michel andSt . Germain,inc luded gardens, port icoes,nay,even . an immense palace

,in which many kings and queens of

the earl iest race took up the ir abode,and in all probabil i ty made

use of its baths . Childebert,for instance

, se t up his court therewith Ultrogothe and h is daughters.Bu t with these excep t ions no Merov ing ian or Carlovingian king

has possessed baths of such size . It i s almost certain that thegreat lords and ladie s bu i lt no large bathing establ ishment s in

3 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

connexion with the ir private dwe l l ings ; on the other hand,th e ir

to i let apparatu s,plate

,bru shes

,fine towel s

,and other art icles were

Often of very great value . The bath i t se lf was of wood,marble

,

or s tone .

The public baths served as a place of meet ing,where the

news of the day might be ascertained,and bu siness and pleasure

discussed .

CHAPTER IV

THE CARLOVINGIAN PERIOD .

987 TO 1 270 .

Earliest t imes of the Carlov ingian period—Variety of costume in the prov inces—Fash ions inthe Duchy of France—French taste dat ing from the e leventh century— Luxury increasesw ith each generat ion—The dom inical—The bliaud Canes of apple-wood—Women

in the twe lfth century— Head-dresses A fiche S erpent-ta ils— Pe l isses—Theth irteenth century Gréves and ve ils are in fash ion—The couvre-chef in the

fourteenth century—The sk irt, or cotte -hard ie,” surcoat, or overall, or oversk irt, cape,

trained sk irt, and gauzape—Accessories—Emblazoned gowns—Various k inds of

stuffs.

B Y degrees,according as the nat ion acqu ired unity

,and France was

in process of sel f- construct ion, dress became more original and

more spec ial . The remembrance of the Roman occupat ion and

the influences of the barbaric invasion were v isibly fading away.

Gallo -Roman, Frankish, and German women no longer dwe lt on

the soi l of our country, the ir place was taken by Frenchwomen of

feudal t imes and of the middle ages,‘

whose nat ional ity became

every day more dec ided . These were our real ancestresses,who

ne i ther in their dress nor in the ir homes were content to follow the

fashions of ant iqu ity .

From the accession of the Capet fam i ly unt i l the Renaissance,varie ty in dress became deve loped in all those wes tern provinces

that were dest ined to be welded at a later period into one

homogeneou s France . In Brit tany,Burgundy

,Flanders

,Gascony

,

and Provence,the women adopt ed a costume of the ir own, adding

to one general principle of form a number of detai l s . Some of

these st il l exist at the present day, bu t it wou ld be too tediou s to

describe them .

The Duchy of France,wh ich formed the kerne l of our modern

France,wi l l sufli ce to afford us an exac t idea of olden fash ions ;

3 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

ju st as Paris i s nowadays the great centre and start ing- point of

every innovat ion in the toilet of our fair contemporaries .

Dress, fashion, and luxu ry varied considerably from and after the .

e leventh cent ury . Wi l l iam,Archb ishop of Rouen

,cau sed a

Counc i l of the Church to be held in 1 0 96 . A t this counci l it was

decreed that men wearing long hair shou ld be excluded from the

Ch urch du ring l i fe, and that after death prayer shou ld not be

offered for the ir sou ls .

Taste in France became improved through the commerc ial

relat ions ex is t ing with the East,and the rudimentary style of

dress of the two earl ier races was su cceeded by someth ing more

art is t ic, and more easi ly adapted to the art of ch ivalry . Women

adorned their brows wi th bands of jewels, wreaths of roses, or

golden net s .

It i s no exaggerat ion to say that each succeed ing generat ion

saw greater at tent ion paid to dress by both men and women,the

lat ter espec ial ly ; that caprice began to show i t sel f in those curiou s

eccentric i t ies wh ich st il l afford u s food for laughter,and that

luxury reigned in consequence over all the popu lat ion,in spite of

the effort s of those in au thori ty,who endeavou red to regu late the

tastes of all classes by sump tuary laws .There are many miniatures of women of rank in the e leventh

century, in wh ich they are represented as wearing a mant le and

vei l . The lat ter was cal led a dom inical,

” becau se it was u su al ly

worn at the s erv ices of the Chu rch on Sundays . Women wereb ound to wear th is ve i l when receiving Holy Communion.

Accord ing to the synod ical statu tes women who were wi thou tt he ir ve il were obl iged to defer the ir Communion unt i l the

following Sunday. A t the moment of rece iving the Sacred Hostthey he ld one end of the dom inical in the left hand .

A crown or a diadem enc ircled the ve i l of queens andprincesses .Widows wore

, in addit ion, a bandeau covering the forehead and

fit t ing round the face so as to h ide the throat and neck . They

wore no j ewels, not even rings . The ve i l of a lady of gent le b irthreached to her fee t, bu t that of a plebe ian m ight no t fal l below the

waist .

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3 4 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

ornamented at each end with a network of fine workmanship in

prec iou s metal set w ith pearl . The handkerch ief, of some

valuable material, hung at the waist wi th the keys.

A t the end of the twelfth century, Mabille de Retz, a noble

and learned lady of Provence, wore a fur- bordered gown w ithout

a waist-band . The left s ide and left s leeve of the bod ice are

whi te,the other side blu e . Part ixcoloured garments were already

in vogu e .

A t t imes women wore the ir s leeves e? lee éambezrde, l ike the legof-mu t ton sleeves

,of which I shal l treat when writ ing of the

Restorat ion . A t other t imes they ornamented the ir gowns w i th

gold round the throat ; again,they preferred before everything

a dress e! queue de serpent . The Prior of V igeo is rai sed h is voice

against the long- tai led gowns . “ The tail, said he , “ gives a

woman the look of a serpent .

”

The Council of Montpel l ier forbade the appendices in quest ion

under penal ty of excommunicat 1on. Tunics made of fur were

called pel isses . The s leeves of bliauds were trimmed with

puffs,braid

,or embroidery. Beneath the bliaud drawers or

the bache were worn .

One hundred years later women divided the ir hair in front,

form ing a part ing that was cal led a‘greve (

‘

or shore). Many

of them began to dress“

the ir hair withou t extraneou s ornament , in

all kinds of ways,and with no l it t le skill . They wore a veil

,as

was rigorou sly enforced by the Church ; for according to an

Art icle of the Counc i l of Sal isbury,no priest might hear the con

fession of an unve iled woman. This ve i l covered the head

so ent irely that it was imposssible to see whether a woman hadany hair or not .

In the fourteenth century Frenchwomen left off the vei l infavour of the “ cornette

,

”a sort of co if or hood . The ir bats

were called couvre-chefs (or head- coverings). The frame wasof parchment

,covered w ith fine clo th

,s i lk

,or velvet ; it was

fantast ic enough,if I may make use of that modern expres

Sion .

But the couvre- chef d id not remain long in fash ion ; it lasted

THE CARLOVINGIAN PERIOD . 3 5

during a few years only, probably on account of its ex traordinary

appearance .

Wi th regard to head- dresses women were abou t to fal l, as we

shall see,into strange andcost ly vagaries, and even to take pleasure

in offending against the laws of modesty.

For a very long period Frenchwomen had assumed a costume

almost simi lar to that of men,and consequently of a grave style .

They had worn both the skirt or cot te hardie and the

surcoat,with a pointed head-dress, from which hung a ve i l

covering the ir shou lders and neck,something l ike the guimpe of a

nun. To the surcoats were added enormou s flowing sleeves,

which softened the severity of the ir appearance,and made them

more agreeable to the eye .

In the romance of Erm ine de Re ims the following passage

occurs“ Two women approached me, wearing surcoat s a yard longer

than themselves, so that they mu s t needs carry in the ir arms that

which wou ld have dragged on the ground ; and they had also

long cu ffs on the ir surcoats, hanging from the elbows .

The greater number of the romance writers of the M iddle

Ages describe costumes of a s imilar natu re . The surcoat,worn

by both sexes alike in the re ign of S t . Lou is,derived its name,

in all probab il ity,from the German word eurmt

,s ign ifying a sort

of gown . A garment worn over the ir cloaks by the Kn igh ts of

the Star,an Order inst i tu ted by John the Good

,was also cal led a

surcoat .

The su rcoat was passed over the shou lders . It was as w ide

behind as in front, and was hollowed ou t at the sides . It reached

to below the h ips, where it was at tached to a very long skirt .

Marguerite de Provence, the w ife of St . Lou i s, wore a surcoat of

ermine, and a gown, the lower edge embro idered w ith pearls and

prec iou s stones.

According to some bas- rel iefs in ivory ( twe lfth century) the

Q i een' of France wore a dress bu t toned in front

,with sleeves also

bu ttoning from the e lbow to the wrist ; a mant le open at the

s ides so as to afford a passage for the arms,and a large collar

D 2

3 6 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

that left the throat and neck uncovered,ending in two point s .

The other figures wear gowns c losed in front,and in some

instances with dou ble sleeves . The upper sleeve is wide at the

edge and reaches only to the e lbow.

A t the same period both men and women wrapped themselves

during the severe cold_

of winter in a cape or cope,a l ong mant le

with a hood that cou ld be drawn over the head in wet weather.

The chape aplu ie,” hood or cope, was probably gathered in front .

How indispensable it must have been to ladies in travell ing ! It

preserved them from cold and fog, and was as u sefu l as the

waterproof of the present day. A n anc ient wri ter speaks of a

count and countess whose poverty was so great that they had bu t

one“chape ” between them . In the re ign of Lou is V II. only

v irtuou s women had the righ t to wear these garment s in the stree ts .

By retaining only the u pper part of the chape or mant le, the

hood came into existence,wi th its cu rtain or cape for the shou lders .

To th is was generally added a roll on the top, and a ve i l hang ing

down behind . The chaperon or hood was —a sign of plebeian

estate,and remained in fashion for several centuries .

The long-trained skirt of princesses and noble lad ies,w ith turned

back collar and narrow c losed sleeves,was somet imes Open down to

the ground in front,and somet imes closed and trimmed wi th

bu t tons,and covered with a mant le . The lower part of the face

and throat were h idden by a gu impe .

” Ladies frequ ent ly

adopted the gauz ape or sleeveless gown,which was emblazoned

,

long- trained,

and bordered with ermine,thu s d ist ingu ish ing

them from plebe ians ; for the most part they wore a handsome hood,or a coronet of pearl s, and an aumOniére or bag,

remarkable ei ther

for its material or the needlework lavished upon it . Th i s wasgenerally speak ing e ither a gift

,or embro idered by the fair hands

of the wearer. When the lady was travell ing, her aumOniére

contained besides coin and jewel s,

a few s imple medicament s,writ ing—tablets, e tc . It was a smal l bag closed by a clasp or a

running- s tring . It was dest ined to remain in fashion during all

the Middle Ages,and afterwards to reappear as a pass ing caprice at

variou s periods .

THE CARLOVINGIAN PERIOD . 3 7

The costumes of B lanche of Castil le, and of Margu erite of

Provence,are interest ing examples of the fashions of the ir day.

Feminine dress first became splend id in the thirteenth century,when great ladies and weal thy bourgeoi ses with the ir long tresses

and with someth ing in their carriage not unl ike the Greek priestess,or the Roman matron

,began to wear c losely—fi t ting gowns,

frequent ly ornamented with a belt of s ilk,or cloth of gold ; the

surcoat,and the fur-bordered mant le. A vei l

,fastened on th

crown of the head,flowed over the shou lders . Occasionally the

gown was Open on the chest,and disclosed a sort of collar or

chem iset te artist ically embroidered .

The ladies of highes t b irth then began to emblazon these c losely

fitt ing gowns, fastened high at the throat . On the right side

they placed the ir hu sband ’s coat of arms,on the left that of the ir

own family . They cu t Open their sleeves in an extraordinary way,from elbow to wrist

,whence hung a piece of the stu ff .

A gown was made historical by embro idering it with fl ew :

de-lz’

s,birds

,fishes

, and emblems of all sort s, and thu s became a

portable gu ide to genealogy.

Let u s here remark that materials for garment s had great ly

increased in number. There was “ cendal almost the same as

our s i lk at the present day, and sami te which apparent ly great ly

resembled cendal . The lat ter was made in every colour,both

plain, and striped in two or three shades . Sam ite, a thick silk of

six strands, was, for the most part, white, green, or red. Then

there was “ pers, or dark blue c loth “

camel in,

a fabric made

from came ls ’ hair,of which barracan was only a varie ty . The

warp of the barracan assumed the appearance Of bars,whence

many historians derive the name of the material it self. There was“ isambrun

”also

,v iz . c lo th dyed brown ; “ molekin

,

”a l inen

material ; “ brunet te,

”a brown stu ff ; “ bonnet te

,

”a green c loth

,

and galebrun,”a brown coloured c loth .

There was also a material s t i l l coarser than camel in cal led

bureau,”

there was fustaine,

a strong stuff manufactured from

cot ton, and final ly serge,” woven of wool and occas ionally mixed

wi th thread.

3 8 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

The arts of weaving and dye ing had made extraordinary

progress ; a taste for handsome materials had spread even among

the lowest ranks of soc iety .

It wou ld appear that the si lk manu facturers of Rhe ims were no tverv scrupu lou s . They cheated the ir cu s tomers by introducing

wool or thread into stu ffs that they sold as pure si lk ; or they

made use of silk badly dyed . A t Rhe ims and many other placesthe say ing

,He l ies l ike a dyer

,

” passed into a proverb .

CHAPTER V

THE INFLUENCE OF THE CRUSADES .

1 270 TO 1 3 50 .

Severity of fem in ine costume—Long gowns and gu impee~ Marguerite of Provence“ Fermaux

”—Reappearance of splendour in dress t Eastern customs—The priests of

fash ion—Haberdashery and peacock-feathers— Female embro iderers—Taste for em

bro idery— Continual temp tat ions—Earl iest sumptuary laws—Furs— S t . Lou is’s op in ionon dress - Proh ib it ions by Phi l ippe le Bel speech made by his w ife—Crép ine .

OW ING to the influence of the Cru sades and the predilect ions of St .

Lou is,the dress of women assumed mu ch of that severity proper to

mascu l ine garment s . Under Lou is VIII . a mant le had been the

dist inct ive mark of a married woman . It i s asserted that St .

Lou is’ s daughters,whose legs and feet were i ll- shaped

,contrived to

wear very long gowns in order to hide them . This was sure ly a

pardonable p iece of coqu etry, and long skirt s became the order ofthe day. S imilar cau ses have led to s imilar resu lts in more recent

t imes .

When once the long skirt had been intro du ced,it resisted many

at tempts to dislodge it . In the re ign of Phil ip III . women hidthe ir bust s under a gu impe

,

”and looked almost l ike our s isters of

Chari ty . The coat and the gu impe seem to have been introduced

by Marie,the k ing ’ s second wife

,whose » throat was too long,

while her bu st was absolu te ly flat,and the wives of the court i ers In

this instance also copied the Op een of France . Imbued with the

rel igiou s spirit that exerc i sed at that t ime so great a power overthe imaginat ions of mank ind

,or at any rate overmastered by it

,the

ladies of the court,wi th few except ions

,were modest in the ir att ire .

They added indeed to the e legance of the ir ve ils,bu t cont inued

to wear them in obedience to ecclesiast i cal decrees . Q i een

Margu eri te of Provence wore a dress c lose- fit ting in the bodice,

40 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

the sleeves were long and narrow ; her mant le was embro idered

withfieure- a’e-Zl

’

e,and was made wi th long open sleeves . Her ve il

was folded with a band beneath the chin,bu t no t set t ing c losely to

the face . H er head-dress was not u nl ike a t urban.

Bu t such humil ity as this cou ld not long prevai l over the

mal ic iou s demon of coquetry . On the one hand,people of wealth

indu lged themselves in luxury and splendour, and manyknight son returning from the Cru sades, retained in France the habi ts they

had acqu ired in the East, and on the other, the middle and lower

classes tried to walk in the steps of the nobles, and the bourgeoises

endeavoured to array themse lves l ike the haugh ty consorts of theCru saders .

In consequ ence of the re lat ions ex ist ing between France,Eu rope

,

and the East, and no twi thstanding the deep rel ig ious convict ions

of the t ime, innumerable art i sans and work ing women wereemployed in the serv ice of Fashion ; drapers or weavers

,dress

cu t ters and makers, trimmers, ribbon-makers,manufacturers of

thread, or silk- fringers who made coi fs ; weavers of the coarseflaxen thread cal led “canevas,

” se llers of preciou s stones orj ewe l lers,

who exhausted the ir ingenu i ty in hundreds of new invent ions ;goldsm iths, whose art as ton ished the world ; gold -beaters and

si lver- beaters, dyers, sk ilfu l in altering the colours of materials ;mou lders of buckles and del icate c lasps ; furriers who possessed

the rarest and most cos t ly furs ; and makers of brass,copper

,and

wire bu t tons .

It was at the shops of haberdashers that the wives of the nobles

bought the splendid parures wi th wh ich they ornamented the irheads . Gowns of siglaton and cendal (a material l ike moderns ilk) were ornamented wi th rubies and sapph ires .Head—dresses in Pari s were somet imes surmounted wi th peacock ’ s

feathers ; and these soon called into ex istence paoniers or

peacock- bat ters . One Genevieve had great cu stom as a feather

seller, and after hav ing made a large fortune by her trade,she

devoted it to the decorat ion of a chape l .A very striking head- dress, though s impler than that of

peacock ’ s feathers,consisted of wreaths of natural flowers

,prin

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4 2 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

shoemakers,who we l l knew how to turn the point of a shoe

a‘

[d pouZezine— that is

, ex travagant ly curved u pwards and

resembling the prow of a sh ip . Generally speaking the shoe(2[a peulaz

'

fl e distorted the foot very unpleasant ly.

In the goldsmi ths ’ shops women’ s eyes were dazz led by clasps,

brace lets,necklaces, and other art ic les of marvel lou s workmanship ;

tailors exhib ited goods that were in fact only too splendid . Some

few m irror manu factu rers kep t open shops ; the ir wares were

exqu is ite ly lovely . W e may ment ion one m irror represent ing a

betro thal, that may st il l be adm ired in a celebrated collect ion .

On every side there was constant temptat ion . Fortunes were

swallowed up by the pass ion for dress, and poorer people madethe most senseless sacrifices in the same cau se . It was becom ingimpossible to determ ine the rank of a Frenchwoman by her

garments.

In order to restore respect for the inequal i ty of ranks, wh ich

inequal ity was a fixed princ iple actual ly corroborated by dress

i tse lf, and to prevent one woman from wearing garmentsexclu sive ly reserved for another

,sovere igns began to issue

sump tuary laws .

Phil ip Augu stu s raised h is vo ice against fur ; though his court

set no example of s implic ity .

“The gown and furred c loak of

the Q i een,at St . Remy, cost twenty-e ight pounds, less three

sou s.

It i s interest ing to learn what St . Lou is,’ ninth of the name,

thought abou t fash ion and its right s . H e said to h is court iers

Y ou shou ld dress yourselves wel l and neat ly,in order that your

wives may love you the more, and you r people also wi ll esteem

you the higher for it .

” Women of rank consequ ent ly dressed

w ith great Splendour. They frequent ly wore a long t rain

fastened to the ir o u ter garment , and gilt bel t s enriched wi th

jewel s . They often wore two tun ics,and a ve i l that was brough t

round under the chin . The fastenings of their mantles were of

gold and jewe ls. They had rosaries of bone,ivory, coral, amber,

or jet .

Lu xury knew no bounds . The copes, or mant les withou t

THE INFLUENCE OF THE CRUSADES . 43

hoods,made of s ilken c loth, and trimmed wi th -

erm ine, em

broidery,and edgings of gold were magnificent , and overloaded

with or-nament .

After the Cru sade the ru l ing powers endeavoured to repress

the prevai l ing extravagance . St . Lou is issu ed several enactments

prev iou s to the prohibit ions of Phil ippe le Bel respect ing dress .

The wording of those prohibit ions enl ightens u s considerably

w ith regard to the manners and cu stoms of those t imes . No

bourgeoise may possess a chario t . No bourgeo is and no

bourgeoise, says Phil ippe le Bel, may wear m inever,or grey

fur,or ermine

,and all su ch persons mu st get rid of those fu rs

in the ir possession w ith in a year from next Easter,and they may

no t wear gold, nor jewel s, nor belts, nor pearl s . Dukes,count s

,and barons, with six thou sand l ivres a year or more

,may

have fou r pairs of gowns a year and no more, and the ir wives

may have as many No damosel,unless she be Chatelaine in

her own right,or lady of two thou sand l ivres a year or more

,

shal l have more than one pair of gowns a year, or if she be, then

two pairs only and no more . No bourgeois nor bourgeoise,

nor - esqu ire,nor c lerk shal l burn wax l igh ts.

It was forbidden to barons ’ wives howsoever great to weargowns

.

of a highe r value than twenty- five sou s (of the Tours

mint) by the Paris yard the wives ofi

knights—banneret and lords

of the manor were restric ted to material s at eighteen sou s ; and

the gowns of bourgeo ises might cost sixteen sou s n ine deniers bythe yard at the very most . The sumptuary law of Phil ippe le Belproceeded probably from the follow ing c ircumstance . On the

occasion of h is w ife ’ s solemn entry into Bruges in 1 3 0 1 , she had

seen the bourgeoises so gorgeou sly apparel led that she exclaimed,

“ I thought I was the Q i een,bu t I see there are hundreds

From a documen t relat ing to the king’ s hou sehold in I 3 0 2, we

learn that the comple te costume of a lady of the palace cost e ightl ivres, that Of a woman of inferior rank one—th ird less

,and that

of a wai t ing-maid fifty—e ight sou s . The price of a Parisian

bourgeoise ’ s cashmere shawl at the t ime of the Restorat ion wou ld

have renewed the whole wardrobe of a court lady .

44 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Accord ing to another document of 1 3 26, Isabelle de Francewore a head—dress

,sugar- loaf shape, of prodigiou s he ight ; a vei l

of the finest gau ze depended from it and concealed her hair.

C ertain head—dresses of the period were ornamented wi th

feathers,o thers were shaped l ike bu shels of greater or less alt i tude .

Occas ionally the hair was confined in a net, called a

“crest ine,

crépine,

”or

“crespinet te .

’

The side- locks were shaped into

horns. Somet imes, too,women dyed their hair

,or wore false

hair.

Gu impes were arranged something l ike colleret tes ; and were

made l ighter and l ighter in material,so as to harmon i ze wi th every

kind of costume .

CHAPTER V I .

REIGNS OF JOHN AND OF CHARLES V.

1 3 50 To 1 3 80.

The S tates of Languedoc—A young French lady in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries— Low. dresses—Saying of a rriercer—Damoi

'

sellelv Garnae/zes and garde-eorpr—La

Paremem‘a’es dames— Soc ial d istinct ions—H igh character is worth more than gilded bel t

— Prec ious stones—The cast les and other dwe ll ings of the m iddle ages— Splend idfum iture—Humble abodes of the poor— Even ing assembl ies.

NOTW ITHSTANDING the efforts of legislat ion,extravagant expen

diture on dress cont inued as great as ever,while the large maj ority

of the French nat ion was su ffering from great poverty . In 1 3 56

the States of Languedoc forbade the use of rich c lothes unt il the

release of King John, who was a pri soner of war in England .

Bu t noble lords and ladies insu lted the nat ion in its hour of

misfortune by the ir prodigal ity,and defied the regu lat ions that

forbade them to wear gold,s ilver

,or fur on the ir garment s or

open hoods,or any o ther sort of ornamentat ion.

As for widows,they found themselves u nable to oppose the

established custom . They therefore conformed to the regu lat ionforbidding them to wear voilet tes

,crépines

,and couvre- chefs.

In l ike manner with nuns, they never appeared in publ ic w ithou t agu impe that ent ire ly concealed the head, ears

, chin, and throat .

There‘ seems, however, to have been no part i cu lar e t iquettefor the nobil ity as to mourning, before the reign of Charles V .

W e may endeavour to sketch the portrait of a lady as she

existed in feudal t imes, by means of the scanty materials in our

possession,for we have no paint ings

,and very few scu lptures of

the t ime,only a few learned wri ters who supply us with valuable

hint s .

4 6 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

W e know, however, that the gowns of the fourteenth century

were of the same shape as those of the th irteenth ; we also know

that the Frenchwoman of the period—

began to discover the

beau ty of a small waist , and endeavoured to compress her own by

means of lac ing, and, finally,we know that

,dat ing from the

later years Of the re ign of Charles VI . a habit of uncovering

the shou lders to an ex tent that at t imes became immodest wasadop ted

The ir couvre—chefs of s ilk were made by a spec ial class

of workwomen,called “ makers of couvre—chefs . The couvre

chefs of Rhe ims were specially renowned .

There were no m ill iners in Pari s e i ther in the thirteenth or

the fourteenth centuries . The haberdashers,of whom I have

already spoken,so ld art ic les of dress

,scents

,and elegant finery .

In the Dit d’

un Merc ier we find the following l ines

J’

ai les m ignotes ceinturétes,J’

ai beaux ganz adamoiselétes,J’ai ganz forrez

,doub les et sangles,

J’

ai de bonnes bouc les aangles ;J’

ai chainé tes de fer beles,

J’

ai bonnes cordes a vielesJ’

ai les gu impes ensafranées,

J’

ai aiguilles encharnelées,J’

ai escrins ametre joiax,

J’

ai borses de cu ir anoiax,

77 )etc .

A t mercers ’ shops,besides, lad ies bought mo lekin, fine

cambric, ru ffs for the neck with gold bu t tons,the tressons or

tressoirs that they were fond of twist ing in the ir hair, and gold or

pearl embro ideries u sed for head - dresses,or for ornament generally

,

the s ilken or velvet gown be ing even bordered with them

somet imes .

Lay figu res, called “ damoisel les,were u sed for fit t ing on

lad ies’ dresses and other garment s .

A young Frenchwoman in the fourteenth century wore her hair

The mercer’

s l ist inc ludes so many art ic les of which the names are

ob solete,that it is not possib le to translate it .

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48 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

pet t i coat bordered with ve lvet . The ir hat s were of straw, and a

becoming white gu impe encircled the face .

Hoods or“aumu sses

” pro tected the head in bad weather.

The chaperon or hood was much l ike a domino . It was made

during the re ign of Phil ippe le Bel in a peak,which fe ll on the nape

of the neck, and was called a“cornet te ; there was an Opening

or“visagiére

” for the face . As for the aumu s'

se,made e i ther

of cloth or velvet,it resembled a pocket

,and fel l over on

one side or o ther of the neck . On fine days ladies would carry

the ir aumu sse on the ir arm,as is done w ith a shawl or mant le .

In Le Parement des Dames,

” by Ol iver de la Marche,the poet

and chronic ler of the fifteenth century,he ment ions sl ippers

,

shoes (of black leather probably), boots, hose, garters, chem ises,cot tes

,stomachers

,stay- laces, pinholders, aumOniéres

,portable

kn ives,mirrors

,co ifs

,combs

,ribbons

,and “

templet tes,”so - called

,

becau se they enc ircled the t emples and followed the edge of the

coif wi th an u ndu lat ing l ine . To these we mu st add the

“ gorgeret te,” gloves of chamo is and of dogskin

,and the hood

,

and we shal l unders tand the under dress of a noble lady in the

earl ier half of the fifteenth century . With regard to the ou ter”

dress,we mu st remember that the material nearly always bore

a large brocaded pat tern . The patern-oster or rosary pu t a

finish ing touch to the costume . These rosaries were e ither of

coral or of gold, and were considered as ornaments tak ing the

place of brace let s .Notwithstanding legislat ive prohib it ions and soc ial d ist inct ions,

the desire of at trac t ing at tent ion led all women to dress al ike .

From this resu lted a confu sion of ranks absolu tely incompat ible

with medimval ideas .

St . Lou is forbade certain women to wear mant les,or gowns

with tu rned—down collars,orwi th trains, or gold belt s . He wished

that both in Paris and throughou t h is whole k ingdom the

d ist inct ion of c lass shou ld be defined and obviou s .

Afterwards, in 1 4 20 , the Parl iament of Paris renewe d the same

prohibit ions w ith no greater success . It is said that women of

high character comforted themselves by say ing : “ Benne re

REIGNS OF JOHN AND OF CHARLES V . 49

nommée fvaut mz

'

eux que ceinture doree.

” 2 This, whether true or

not, has passed into a proverb .

A great number of jewellers existed in Paris in the four

teenth century . Y et real pearls were l it t le known . The

Government thought they had provided against every danger

by forbidding the sale of coloured glass in the place of real stones .

Trade with the Levant init iated us into the sc ience of prec iou s

stones,and at firs t they were regarded with general reverence

,

supernatural virtues being at tribu ted to them . People imagined

that rubies,sapphires

,and sardonyx produ ced certain marve llou s

effec ts .

The second period of the M iddle Ages was fu l l of art is t ic

inst inct s , and beau t ifu l cast les and dwel l ings rose up on every side .

Meanwh i le,home l ife had become more refined in some c lasses of

the popu lat ion.

Every man who had acqu ired wealth, or even a modes t com

petence only, bu ilt h imsel f a residence according to h is taste,and frequent ly displayed magnificence far beyond h is means .

Dressers,cupboards, carved chests

,ivory

,bronze

,enamel led

copper,m iniature statu es, re l iquaries

,and a quant i ty of o ther

art icles,h itherto unknown

,were to be seen in palaces andweal thy

hou ses,and even in humbler abode s .

Bu t among the poor there was no su ch change . The ir homes

had remained the same for many centuries,the ir cot tages and l i t t le

enclosures of land were unaltered. These contained the bares tnecessaries only. Y e t a marked improvement was apparent infurniture and cooking-u tensils.

With greater comfort in the ir homes and with be tter furniturethan in the past, both Frenchmen andFrenchwomen were making

an onward progress in their mode of l i fe and the ir soc ial re lat ions .In the towns as we l l as in the depth of the country

,people met

together of an evening to l isten to a band of ski lfu l minstrel s

a sort of concert . O n the eves of feas ts the women sat togetherat the ir embro idery or the sp inning-wheel . Long legends werenarated

,to the del ight of family c ircles

,and children were made

2 “ Fair fame is better than go lden belt. ”

5 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

happy by l i t t le picture-books drawn expressly for the ir amu sement,

while maidens and you ths wou ld draw sweet mu s ic from the ir

lyres .These assemblies natural ly developed a tas te for dress . The

poet Eu stache D eschamps speaks of the splendour of women ’ s

dress,of the ir gold and silver chains and bel ts

,and of the lit t le

bel ls with wh ich thev adorned the ir garment s .

CHAPTER V I I .

RE IGNS OF CHARLES VI . AND CHARLES VI I .1 380 To 1 46 1 .

Taste in dress becomes purer—Heart-shaped head-coverings, the “cornette,

”and the

“ henn in ”in the re ig n of Charles V I .—Husbands complain—Preachers denounce

Thomas Connecte declaims against the d iabo l ic invent ion—Brother R ichard tries toreform it—The “ hennin ” gains the v ic tory—Costume of Jeanne de BourbonEscofli on —An absurd figure—Gravouere - Isabeau de Bav iere - Gorgiasetés

—TripesSplendour of the court—Agnes Sorel—“ Co iffe adournée d iamonds ; the carcan

VValking-st icks.

IT i s a cu riou s fact,of more frequent occurrence than might be

imagined,bu t the terrible Hundred Y ears ’ W ar

,which cost

so much French and Engl ish blood,in nowise dimini shed

women’ s passion for dress and fash ion,wh ims and extravagance

of all kinds .

It mu st even be acknowledged that this melancholy period of

our history was remarkable for the splendour of its fashions .

From the t ime of the Capets there had been much variat ion in

dress and in luxury . The tas te of the nat ion was st imu lated andimproved by fore ign importat ions . Emblazoned garment s had

become a thing of the past .

In the re igns of Charles V . and Charles VI . espec ially capricebegan to play an important part in the dress of women . The

begu ins, or hoods,were changed at first into h igh heart—shaped

head- gear, wi th two w ide w ings fastened to the head wi th w ireand bearing a strong resemblance to the sail s of a windm i ll .Next

,the heart - shapes having been crit ic ized by the clergy

were transformed into hennins,

the rec plus ultra of fashion,

and were of a most prodigiou s he ight .

Very different from the mascu l ine head- gear bearing the samename was the cornet te or

“ hennin worn by women . This

E 2

5 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

was a kind of two- horned head-dress, w ith horns abou t a yard

high,which was int rodu ced into France by Isabeau de Bav iere

,the

wife of Charles VI . The hennins ” were made of lawn st iflly

starched and kept in shape by fine wire,bu t were of less

exaggerated s ize .

Su ch a novelty was irresist ible ; all the ladies eagerly cop ied the

Q i een,and vied w ith each other as to who shou ld wear the most

handsome head- gear,

“peaked l ike a steeple

,

” says Paradin,and

the tal lest horns . From these horns there hung like flags,crape

,

fringe, and o ther material s,fal l ing over the shou lders . Su ch

head-dresses were natural ly very expensive, and husbands were

l oud in complaint . Matrons and maidens al ike “ went to great

excesses,and wore horns marvel lou sly h igh and large

,having

great wings on e ither s ide,of su ch width

,that when they wou ld

enter a door it was impossible for them to pass through it .

The he ight of the hennins was so great that a smal l woman

looked at a distance l ike a moving pillar.

In mourning, however, the corne tte was rolled round the throat

and thrown backwards .

Never,perhaps

,

” observes V iolle t- le -Duc, did extravagance

in head—gear reach su ch a p itch with the fair sex as during those

melancholy years from 1 40 0 to 1 4 50 ; the hair it sel f formed bu t

a small part of the head-dress hoods,couvre- chefs

,chape ls

,horns

,

cornet tes, hennins, twists, kno ts, frémillets and chains were bu il tup into the most extraordinary edifices .”

Y et it was far worse than all th is in England,where eccen

tricity and caprice reached a he ight never at tained at the French

court .Confessors in France, and monks espec ially

,added the i r

animadversions to those of grumbl ing hu sbands . They con

sidered the “ hennin ”as an invent ion of the Evi l One

,and

a deadly warfare agains t the obnox iou s art icle was soonorganized .

In 1 4 2 8 a Breton monk,named Thomas Connecte

,preached

throughou t F landers,Artois, Picardy, and the ne ighbouring

provinces. He travel led from town to town,r iding on a small

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54 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

more economical in dress than their hu sbands . In the re ign of

Charles V . ,beau ty had already asserted its c laims, and coquetry

fi lled the heart of women who sought for admirat i on. They

gave up the fashions of the Middle Ages, and uncovered the ir

bosoms; in addi t ion to hennins they wore padded head dresses

with horns, or pieces of stufl'

cu t ou t and laid one upon the other

l ike the petals of a flower.

At the beginning of the fifteenth century, scal loped sleeves were

at tached to the corsets, or rather to the bodices, which were

separated from the skirt behind, end ing in a hori zontal fold on

the hips, while in front they were ungirdled, and reached down

to the feet . These bodices were cu t very low in the neck : the

shou lders were sl ight ly covered by a hood .

Jeanne de Bourbon, the wife of Charles V ., wore “ royal

robes wide and flowing,en 5m m ; f ort ified/es, that they call

chapes ’ or copes, that is, mant les of gold or silk covered wi th

jewels .” The wives of barons wore earrings, “ ou trageou s toes

to the ir shoes,and they seemed to be sewn up in the ir too

scanty garments .”

The expression too scanty was probably appl ied to the

mant illa introdu ced by Q i een Jeanne,and wh ich was cal led a

corset .

”The mant i l la reached to the waist bo th in front and

behind ; in winter it was made of fur, and in summer of cloth

or of silk ; it had a sort of b'u sk covered with gold braid,and

matched in colou r the borders of the surcoat , thu s rel ieving the

monotony of the l ines as we l l as the sameness of colouring .

Those ladies who wore trains to the skirt s of the ir surcoat s, u sed

to tuck them up for walking . The surcoat,in fact

,was very

similar to a gown,and its dimensions soon became so enormou s

,

that , as we learn from Christ ine de Pisan, a man—mill iner of Paris

made a cot te hardie for a lady in Gat inais,in which were five

yards, long measure, of Bru ssel s cloth . The train lay threequarters of a yard on the ground

,and the sleeves fell to the feet .

This, no doubt, was an expens ive costume . There were womenwhose surcoat s were longer than themselves by a fu l l yard .

They

were obl iged “to carry the trains thereof over their arms

, and

REIGNS OF CHARLES V I . AND CHARLES V II. 5 5

there were long cu ffs to the ir su rcoats hanging to the e lbows, and

the ir bu st s were raised h igh up.

”

The fash ions of head-dresses changed from bare heads to

crép ines,and coifs with tow underneath

,and stu ffed a l

’

escof

fion,

”a sort of padded beret ta. The name escoffi on

” became

afterwards popu larly u sed for the head- dress of the women of the

lower orders,or the peasant -women, or that of women with the ir

hair badly done . The fishwomen, when quarrel ling, had a trick

of tearing o ff each other’ s escoflions.

A t the same period,the most absurd adjuncts to dress were

daily invented,cau s ing that charming poe t

,Eu stache Deschamps

,

to exclaim,

Atournez-vous, mesdames,autrement,

Sans emprunter tant de barribouras,” 181 0 .

In the re ign of Charles VI . , the houppelande was the funda

mental art icle of women’ s at t ire, bu t pass ing from one extrava

gance to another,they at last adopted the strange fashion of

giving an abnormal development to the front of the figure !

Th is cont inued in fashion for forty years .

In the Charvet Collect ion there i s an earring of the fifteenth

century, ornamented wi th a polyedrus in incru sted purple glass .W e s t i ll possess framed rings (fugue: elzevulz

'

érer) and other orna

ments of that period, and, in part icu lar, one si lver—gilt medal in theshape of a heart ; on the reverse the Virgin and St . Catherine

are represented in mother- of- pearl . Ename lled gems were mu ch

in vogue among the nobil i ty during the re ign of Charles VI .There were also enamel s of flowers

,insect s

,domest ic animals

,and

small ornamented human figures, in it ials, and mot toes .A l i tt le instrument was invented for part ing the hair. It was a

sort of“

s t ilet to or bodkin cal led a gravouére,” general ly made of

ivory or crystal, and somet imes mounted in gold . It remained in

use as an art icle of the to i let during the whole of the Middle

Ages .

The cu stom of wearing bracelet s and necklaces dates so far back

1 “ Attire yourselves,mesdames, I pray, otherw ise than in all those

falbalas,” 81 C .

5 6 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

as the reign of Charles VI ., when Isabeau de Baviere introduced

the fashion of trinkets . They were cal led gorgiasetés” in the

language of the day, and it used to be said of persons whose dress

exceeded the l imi ts of decorum,that they dressed gorgiasement .

”

Isabeau also patron ized very long trained gowns, and mant les

wi th trains, carried by ladies’-maids or pages .

This custom s t ill prevails at court ; likew ise l iveries of certain

colours to dist ingu ish all the hou sehold of great nobles . Liveries,wh ich had already existed for several centuries, became much

more prevalent in the re ign of Charles VI .

The cot te hardie was long and flow ing,bu t was confined at

the waist, part ial ly reveal ing the ou t l ine of the figure . It was

l ined with rich fur. As the surcoat concealed the cot te everywhere

excep t at the sleeves,the lat ter were tucked up very high by the

wearers so as to display the valuable material of the cot te

hardie .

” They also made an opening in the surcoat in order

to show the girdle. Sermons were vainly preached against the

latter fashion.

Isabeau de Baviere, the sovere ign arb i ter of dress,had fancifu l

tas tes which became law to other ladies,both in the mat ter of

head- gear and of toilet generally .

There appeared successive ly the tripe,

a sort of l ight j ockeycap made of kn itted silk ; the

“atour

,

” s tuffed with tow ; and,

las t ly, head- dresses of such towering height that the ce il ings inthe Cast le of V incennes

, then a royal abode,were raised to

enable the ladies to move abou t in comfort and safety .

It was of course absolu te ly necessary to be beau t ifu l, to

at tract adm irat ion, to dazzle the crowd,to make use of every

device to prove that un iversal homage was both deserved and

obtained . To this end therefore the French ladies heaped orna

ment upon ornament . Beau t i fu l prayer-books were in generaluse

,and indeed formed an integral port ion of fash ionable at t ire

Heures me fau lt de Nostre-Dame,Si comme il appart ient a fame ( femme)Venue de noble paraige,Qu i so ient de sou til (sub til) ouvraige,

REIGNS OF CHARLES VI . AND CHARLES VI I . 5 7

D’

or et d ’azur, riches et cointes,Bien ordonnées et b ien pointes,De fin drap d’

or tres b ien couVertes

Et quand e lles seront ouvert es,Deux fermaux d’

or qui fermeront,” 2 & c .

These prayer- books were carried in cases su spended to the arm

or waist .Unt il the re ign of Charles VI . the under- garments of French

women were of coarse stu ff or serge,that is

,of woollen material .

Isabeau de Baviere Was the first to wear a l inen chem ise ; she

possessed, however, two only ; The fine lad ies of the fifteenth

century naturally imitated her, and in order to show that they wore

l inen under-garment s, they made Open ings in the ir gown sleeves

that the chemise might be seen ; they even opened the ir skirts on

the h ips in order to display the length of the chemise ; and they

ended by having those garment s made of fine l inen only in

the parts visible to the publ ic,the rest was in” coarse stu ff or

serge . Linen chemises were regarded as luxuries unt i l the t ime

of Lou is XI . They were cal led “robes- l inges .”

In the re ign of Charles VI . , the dress of servant -maids wasgeneral ly composed of three p ieces ; a bodice of one colou r

,a

tu cked up skirt of another, and a pett icoat wi th a kilted flounce at

the edge, such as are worn at the present t ime. The hair wascovered with a k ind of cap ala mu su lmane.

Such is the costume we find represented in theminiatures of thelat ter period of the fourteenth century.

Every one knows what evil t imes had befallen our country

under Charles V I. The English were masters of a great part of

France,at the t ime that Charles, VII . ascended the throne and was

cal led in mockery K ing of Bourges .” That affront was wiped

ou t by Joan of A rc . A t that period,Fash ion was confined for a

2 “My book of hours, those of Notre-Dame, I must have,And it shall be such as beseemeth noble dame of high l ineage .

Of sub tle workmanship, gold and azure,rich and rare

Wel l ordered and wel l shapen ;Covered in fine cloth, or in wrought gold,And when it is opened, to be c losed againWith two golden c lasps,” &c .

58 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

long t ime w ithin narrow l im it s ; bu t no sooner had France

returned to her normal state, than the c ourt of Charles VII .

displayed a magnificence of which the sovere ign set the example

on the occasion of his entry into Rou en . H e rode a pal frey

caparisoned in blue ve lvet, embroidered wi th gold l il ies, and the

chanfre in, or nose -piece,was of plates of sol id gold w i th

ostrich plumes .

The beau t i fu l Agnes Sore l was as much devoted to splendou r as

Isabeau de Baviere . Certain changes began to take place in

women’ s dress . W e meet wi th trail ing gowns, h igh head- dresses

in great variety, splendid stu ffs, lace, gloves, mi t tens, rings, and

necklaces, towards the m iddle of the fifteenth century ; and w i th

sundry addi t ions of a st i ll more extravagant nature ; w i th conical

hats of which our Cauchoises have retained the shape, and the

coiffe adou rnée,”

a cyl inder or tube diminish ing in size towards

the top, where it e i ther terminated in a flat crown, or curved over

towards the back and hung down l ike a ve i l .

Agnes Sorel, famou s both for wit and beau ty, acted as it were

the part of a queen. A l l women were led by her in the mat ter of

dress, and this bril l iant creature, su rnamed the Lady of Beau ty,

”

began to adorn herse lf in the most magnificent costumes . If we

may bel ieve a chronicler of those t imes,her “ train was a third

longer than that of any princess in the k ingdom,her head -gear

h igher,her gowns more numerou s and cost ly

,

”and her bosom bare

to the waist .

She i s thu s represented by a painter of the t ime, whose portraitof her may be seen in the Historical Gal lery of Versai lles . The

fash ions introduced by the Lady of Beau ty,

” were indecorou s inother respects besides that of uncovering the shou lders. D isplay

became excessive under her au sp ices ; she was the first to weardiamonds in the hair

,and it is said also that she first endeavoured

to ge t them cu t w i th facets . Her heavy and splend id diamondnecklace she cal led my carcan.

” 3

3 The iron collar by which criminals were bound to the gibbet was cal led acarcan.

”Transla tor":uefe.

REIGNS OF CHARLES VI . AND CHARLES VI I . 59

Isabe l le de Portugal wore a necklace from which hung a locket .

The necklace was of pearls strung on gold thread .

In the fifteenth century the scarlet coat of a duke or baron cost

twenty l ivres the ell (abou t 40 0 francs of our coinage). Two el ls

and a half were necessary for a very sumptuou s coat , which

therefore cost 1 0 0 0 francs ; it lasted however for several years .

Cloth of gold cost ninety l ivres the ell ( 1 80 0 francs).

This gives us some idea of the cost of clo thes in general .

Women ’ s gowns requ ired a greater quant ity of material, becau se

of the ir greater length . A lady who had ne i ther page nor hand

maiden to carry her train, was obl iged to fold it across her arm .

Certain dresses,

“ a qu inze tuyaux ”

(or fifteen-fl u ted), fell in

s t iff tubes round the sk irt,l ike the pipes of an organ. On

horseback women wore shorter gowns, called “robes courtes a

chevau cher.

”

Many women of rank carried at that period l ight walking—st icks

of valuable wood,wi th handles ornamented with the image of a

bird . In place of mit tens they wore violet—scented gloves,which

were, according to O l iv ier de la Marche,imported from Spain .

Towards the end of the fifteenth century,kid and silk gloves were

in fashion, with gold and s ilver embroidery on the back . It was

indecorou s to give one ’ s hand gloved to any one,or to wear

gloves for danc ing . In France at the present t ime the contrary iso ur cu stom .

Women made use of fans at church to disperse the fl ies . The irfans .were ordinari ly made of feathers

,peacocks ’ feathers in

part icu lar.

The Q ii een of France astonished the Paris ians bydriving abou tamong them in a swinging chariot of great splendour

,that she had

rece ived as a present from the King of Hungary. For a l ongt ime she was the on ly woman in France who possessed su ch a

veh ic le .

The court was beginning to decree Offic ial costumes ofceremony . Fashion had now founded her absolute ru le .

During the whole of the Middle Ages fair hair alone was

considered beau t i fu l . On this point the French and the anc ient

60 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

Greeks were of one m ind . Homer has described the fai r hair of

Aphrodi te,Hera

,and Pallas A thene ; in l ike manner our ancient

poe ts describe their heroines as blonde beau t ies, and they invented

t he word blondoyer,

”to become

,or to grow fair-haired . Th is

fashion mu st have led to the manu fac ture of enormou s quant it ies

of fal se hair.

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CHAPTER V I I I

REIGNS OF LOUIS X I ., CHARLES V I I I . , AND LOUIS X I I .1 46 1 To 1 5 1 5.

Duchesses and bourgeo ises under Lou is X I . La grand’

gorre, or sumptuosity—The“trousso ire —Al legorical and moral costumes—Tra ins—Head-dresses—“ Col lets

rebrassés —W igs and false hair—Some resu lts of the war in I taly—I tal ian fash ions“ So llerets and sl ippers—Gorgets—Garters—Jean Marot writes against novelt iesAnne of Brittany—P ins—Menot

“ the go lden-tongued ”—A Parisian in the t ime of

Lou is X I I .—Coat a. l’I talienne—Manufacture of stuffs.

THE Empire of Fash ion was scarcely founded, ere it began to

promu lgate those despot ic laws wh ich have never been relaxed to

the present day.

The spread of luxury, art,and comfort

,which became mani

fes t at the dawn of the Renaissance, led to a sudden change

in the whole character of costume . Th is fact has been commented

on by all historians ; and can be verified and explained by the

archives of the period .

A l though for the most part Lou is X I . affected a great s implic i ty

in his dress,and was fond of playing the “ bourgeois

,

”

yet at

t imes he desired to see h is palace filled with nobles richly at t ired,

and wearing magn ificent stuffs, even of fore ign manu facture.

The astu te sovere ign apprec iated the influence of fashion on

commerc ial prosperity .

Then commenced a compet i t ion in dress between the hour

geoisie of the towns and the nobil ity ; as says the poet ,

En Paris, y en a beaucoupQu i n

’

ou t d ’argent, vergier, ne terre,Que vous jugeriez chascun coupA ll iés aux grands chefs de guerre .

Ils se disent issus d’

Angleterre,

D’un comte, d

’

un baron d’

Anjou ,

6 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Parents aux sénéchaux d’

Auxerre,

Ou auxchatelains du Po itou,Comb ien qu

’

ils soient sail l is d’

un tron,

De la c liquette d'

un meunier,

Vo ire ou de la lignée d’

un chou,

Enfans a que lqu e jard inierUne simple bu issiere

,ou clergesse

Aujourd ’hu i se pre’ sumera

Au tant et plus qu’une duchesse

Heureux est qui en finiraUne simple bourgeoise aura

Rubis, diamans et j oyaux,

Et Dieu sait si e l le parleraGravement en termes nou veaux 1

Mai l lard,a preacher of the day, declaimed agains t gorgeou s

women femmes a la grand’

gorre rebuking them for the ir long

trains, the ir furs, and gold ornaments . He sketched the portrait

of a lawyer’ s wife dressed l ike a princess . O ther preachers drew

comparisons between the poverty of the people and the self

indu lgence of fine ladies . The poor,

” says one of them,

“are

dying of cold ; wh i le you , Madame Pompou s,Madame Boastfu l

(“ la braguarde you have seven or e ight gowns in your coffer

that you do no t pu t on thrice in the year .So long as the bourgeoises dressed above the ir stat ion, it was

natural ly next to impossible that the female aristocracy shou ldnot endeavour to ec l ipse their humbler rivals . “ The married

ladies, and the young ladies at the court of Lou is XI . , no longer

wore trains to the ir gowns, bu t they wore borderings of fur and

of velvet, and of other materials the same width as velvet ; on

the ir heads they wore round padded caps,‘with peaks half a yard

in he ight— some more,some less— and fas tened above these were

1 “There may be seen in Paris many who possess ne ither money,house, norland, but whom you wou ld take, at a glance, to be al l ied to the greatest ch iefsand warriors. They say that they come from England, and are the issue of a

count, or a baron of Anj ou

,and related to the seneschals of Auxerre , or the

lords of manors in Poitou . And for the most part they come from ho les andcorners

,out of the loft of a m i ller, perhaps, or of the lineage of a cabbage,

ch ildren of a gardener. The w ife of a mere c lerk,or a doorkeeper, presum es

nowadays as much as a duchess. It wou ld be we l l there shou ld be an end

of this ! Y ou shal l see a simple bourgeoise decked out with d iamonds andj ewels, and talking gravely, in good sooth, in all the new phrases .

”

REIGN OF LOUIS x1 . 63

long veils reaching to the ground behind, w ith silken girdles four

or five inches wide, with both the metal work and the t issue wide

and gilt, and we igh ing six or seven s i lvern ounces and on the ir

necks broad collars of gold of diverse workmansh ip .

One side of the ir long skirts was held up by a troussoire or

clasp.. The troussoire cons isted of a chain, of more or less value,

which was at tached to the girdle and to wh ich a small scent

box,some keys, and a strong clasp for hold ing up the gown,

bes ides o ther l it t le art icles, were su spended .

O l ivier de laMarche in his poem of Le Triomphe des dames

recommended fine ladies to wear costumes of allegorical

and moral s ign ificance, viz .,sl ippers of humili ty

,shoes of dil igence

,

stockings of perseverance, garters of firm purpose, a cot te of

chast ity, a waistband of magnanimity, a p incu shion of pat ience, a

purse of l iberal ity, a knife of ju st ice, a r ing of faith,a comb of

st ings, a hood of hOpe, St e .

He spoke in jest ; bu t Jean Juvenal des Ursins was in seriou s

earnest, when in 1 467 he told the States-General, Ano ther wound

of the State l ies in coat s of s il k ; and as to women,God knows

how they are at t ired, in gowns of the said material, cot tes, and in

many and divers ways. In bygone days we have seen how

damosels ando ther women,by mere ly t urn ing up the edge of their

dresses in a fash ion called “ profit,

” looked l ike handsome whi te

cats ; nowadays they make these profits of s ilk material as wideas cloth, w i th great horns or high towers on the ir heads, or couvre

chefs of stuff or silk reaching to the ground .

Dresses were now profu sely t rimmed w i th ribbons and cords ;and the mode of the s ilk corset separate from the skirt was

adopted ; the gown was of Florence sat in, open up the front, and in

winter l ined with badger’ s fur. By these means noble ladies

marked the dist inct ion between themselves and mere bourgeoises

A thin wooden bu sk in the front of the corset was called a coche .

Occasional ly the chem ise,art ist ical ly arranged, took the place of the

corset,properly so-cal led, wh ich had it sel f su cceeded to the

bliaud.

”

Towards 1 4 80 ,women uncovered the neck very much in fu ll dress

,

64 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

and collets or collars were worn turned downwards almost to

the arms . These were called “ rebrassés,”and were often trimmed

with fur.Villon ment ions them in h is Grand Testament z”

Dames arebrassez collets,De quelconque condic ion ” 2

Working women going into the towns to sel l the ir merchandise

or the ir work, wore a white apron and a gown of cloth, serge, or

woollen ; they were bareheaded, the hair be ing confined by a band

on the forehead and hanging loosely behind . They im itated the

bourgeoises in the make of the ir dresses, bu t refrained from trains .

The fash ion of hanging sleeves was su cceeded by that of t ight ,close- fit ting ones . Gowns were made with bodices laced up in

front l ike the Swiss cos tume ; and the collars,sleeves

,and edge of

the skirt were bordered with a wide band of velvet ; the sleeves

hung down to the ground . A girdle of Velvet covered with goldwork fitted t ight ly to the wais t . Ano ther girdle cal led a surceinte

embroidered wi th mot toes, init ials, and even with herald ic arms,

confined the ou ter garment .

There were three k inds of head-gear, the pyramid, the truncated,terminated by a bu tton, and the smal l barille t

,

” wh ich was l ike a

l i t t le barrel . Hats were more general under Charles VI . and

Charles VII .,and were worn at all t imes .

Long hair, whether natural or false, was called a wig. Poet s

raised the ir voices against the false hair,which was worn over the

forehead t i l l it tou ched the eyes ; the ears were hidden by it,and

the ends,reaching to the shou lders

,were cu rled . The hair was

e ither wh ite,or of the bright ye llow colour fashionable at the

present day. An infu sion of on ion- sk in was somet imes u sed asa dye .

In the re ign of Lou is XI .,French lad ies adorned themse lves

wi th enormou s head- dresses,three qu arters of a yard in he ight

,

stu ffed into variou s shapes, viz .

,a heart reversed

,a shell, or a

cushion, and covered with beads and prec iou s stones. Doorways

Ladies w ith turned-down col lars,

Of whatever cond ition .

”

REIGN OF CHARLES VI I I . 65

were widened that ladies might pass through them . Montesqu ieu,wri t ing on the subjec t

,says that “

archi tects have often been

obliged to contravene the ru les of the ir art as to the dimensions of

entrances to our apartments, in order to bring them into proport ion

with women ’s adornments .”

The fash ion of long hair and also of false hair lasted unt i l the

close of the re ign of Lou is XII .The admirable m in iatures on the manu scripts of the fifteenth

century certainly point to an improvement in head- dress ing,as

we l l as in at t ire general ly . W e learn from them that the sugarloaf head-dress was in fash ion during the whole of that century.

It was ordinarily bordered in front wi th gold embroidery on

black velvet . That port ion of the dress which covered the chest

was of black velvet, embroidered in the upper part,and of gold

t issue as far as the wais t . The ou ter dress was of blue velve t,embroidered in gold

,and l ined and bordered wi th crimson velve t .

The edge of the sleeves was of the same . The ve il was whi te

and transparent,the belt green, and Sparkl ing with gold orna

ment s. That part of the under- dress which was visible below

was v iole t the shoes were black .

Generally speaking, the train of a great lady was borne by a young

girl . The head—dress of the lat ter was black or brown ve lvet .

O ur fair readers will remember that Charles VIII . , son of

Lou is X I .

,made a warl ike exped it ion into Italy

,where the

French fury ”was lavishly displayed . They are familiar

,no

doubt, wi th accounts of the entry of Charles VIII . into Florence,

Rome,Capua

,andNaples su ccessively .

“The discovery of I taly,

”

an historian very just ly remarks, “ had turned the heads of the

French ; they were no t strong enough to wi thstand its charm .

W e u se the right expression when we say‘ discovery .

’

The

companions of Charles VIII . were no t less astounded than were

those of Christopher Columbus .

”

The I tal ians, on the other hand, great ly admired the agreeable

manners of the French . As Charles VIII . made h is progress

through the ir country, they assumed the French mode of dress,

and sent for all manner of finery from France . Victors and

66 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

vanqu ished made mu tual exchange of manu factured produc t ions .

The French,who st i l l wore the s triking costumes of the days of

chivalry, exc ited eager curiosity wheresoever they went,and the

greater the contrast be tween the ir garments and those of the

Italians,the more did the lat ter del ight in wearing the French

fashions . They wil l ingly exchanged the ir Genoese trinkets and

jewel s against the produc t s of the Arras looms,if only from mere

love of nove lty .

When the King of France had once more crossed the A lps and

re turned to h is cap ital, the French ladies in the ir turn experienced

the fasc inat ion that the soldiers of Charles VIII . had su ccumbed

to in I taly. The ir “ heads were ” l ikewise “turned

,and the ir

enthu s iasm natural ly had its effect on the fash ions of the day.

Our fair countrywomen laid aside the sombre garments of the

t ime of Lou is X I . , and began to wear the brightest colours, aswel l

as several materials of Milanese or Vene t ian manu facture .Many

I tal ian fash ions were added to our nat ional costume— viz . t ightfit t ing bodices, highly ornamented ; very w ide s leeves ; whitegowns trimmed wi th many- coloured fringes ; and black ve i ls .The ladies wou ld no longer wear the hennin

,which had been so

fashionable in the re ign of Charles VI . , and declared it was horrible .

For pou laines solleret s were subst itu ted ; these were roundedto the shape of the feet . Very l ight s l ippers were made in velve tor sat in, of the same shape as sollerets ; and Shoes

,something l ike

high pat tens, that were worn over the Sl ippers . Nos mignonnes,

”

says the poet Gu illaume Coqu il lart,in LesDroit sNouveau lx

,

”

N 0 5 mignonnes sont si treshaultes,Que, pour paraitre grandes et be l les,E l les portent pantoufles hau ltesB ien a V ingt et quatre semel les.

Hose, or stockings, were composed of several p ieces of s tu ffsewed together. Chemises of woollen stu ff were in general use .

The gorgeret te ”or gorget , a l inen co llar, e ither plain or plaited

,

3 Our fair ones are so grand,

That to appear tal l and fair,

They must have high sl ippersEven w ith four-and- twenty soles.

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68 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

A considerable number of wealthy ladies began to frequent the

court , at tracted thi ther by the fasc inat ing manners o f Anne of

Brit tany, the good queen, whose whims became a law,accord ing

to which all Frenchwomen regu lated their dress, whatever might

be the ir posit ion in the soc ial scale .

It is worthy of remark that, at the close of the Middle Ages and

during the first years of the Renaissance, brides wore red or

scarlet on the ir wedding-day.

Anne of Brit tany was celebrated for the beau ty of her leg and

foot,and l iked to wear her skirts Short . Mos t women followed

her example in that respec t .

For a long t ime pas t ladie s had made u se of pins,gil t pins

even ; they now began to ou tstrip the bounds of moderat ion in

the ir u se . Oh,ladies ! ” exc laimed M ichel M eno t

,the Franc iscan

monk, surnamed the Golden Tongue, “ Oh, ladies ! who are so

dainty,who so often miss hearing the W ord of God, though you

have only to step across the gu t ter to enter the church,I am

certain it wou ld take less t ime to c lean ou t a stable for forty-fourhorses than to wai t unt i l all your p ins are fastened in the ir places .

When you are at your toi let you are l ike a cobbler,whose

business i s to stop up,’

and to rub,

’

and to pu t to rights,

’

and

who needs a thou sand different art icles for b i ts and patches . He

added A shoemaker’ s wife wears a tunic l ike a duchess .

Vainly did the preacher thunder against p ins . Fash ion cou ld

no t be in the wrong . Presumptuou s were they who at tacked her,

for her part isans increased wi th the number of her opponent s .W e mus t now po int ou t a change in the mode of wearingmourning .

The former queens of France had worn wh i te for mourning .

On the death of Charles VIII . ,Anne of Bri t tany for the first

It is my be l ief cannot be doneWith honesty .

Beware of be ing the inventressOf new att ire, for many a sinnerM ight make thee her exemplar.If thou wou ld please God and the world

,

Wear the dress that deno tes simpl ic ityIn honesty .

”

REIGN OF LOUIS xi 1 . 69

t ime wore black . She wore a white silk cord round her waist ,

and had a s imilar cord aflixed to her coat -of- arms, knot ted in fou r

p laces and twisted into four loops, forming the figure of so as

public ly to d isplay her grief for the loss of so beloved a hu sband .

Clement Marot,the son of Jean Maro t, has given us the

following sketch of a fash ionable Paris ian lady in the t ime of

Lou i s XII0 mon Dieu qu ’

e l le estoit contente

De sa personne c c jour- la;

Avecques la grace qu’

el le a,

E l le vous avoit un corse t

D’

un fin bleu, lace’

d’

un lacetJaune, qu

’

e lle avoit faic t expres.

E lle vou s avoit pu is apresMancherons d

’

escarlate verte,Robe de pers, large et ou verte .

Chausses no ires, pe tits pat ins,L inge blanc, ce inture houppée,Le chaperon faic t en poupe’e .

Some commentary is needed on the above descript ion to enable

the reader to form an accu rate idea of a fine lady in Maro t’s t ime .

The corset d’

un fin bleu mu st be rendered by a bodice of

the finest Sky- blue Instead of “ mancherons d’escarlate

,

”we

mu s t read,brassards or sleeves of the finest possible qual i ty

,

”

becau se the word écarlate,

”or scarlet

,was u sed in those days to

denote qual ity, no t colour,as at present . The “ chaperon faict

en poupée was a piece of s tu ff placed on the head- dress .5 A cord twisted so as to form a figure of 00 was called a lae d

’

amour,or

love-knot — Tram laz‘or’s nole.6 “Heavens ! how satisfied she wasWith her good looks that dayWith all her dainty gracesLook you, she had a bodiceO f the finest sky-blue , lacedWith a lace of ye llow, made for her.

And then she had sleeves of greenOf rich stuff

,and a gown

Both w ide and open .

Black hosen,l itt le slippers,

White linen, a looped girdle,And a fair kerchief on her head -dress.

7 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Somet imes,as we see by a manu scrip t in the Nat ional Library,

French ladies wou ld dress after the I tal ian fashion,that i s, wi th a

greater quant i ty of jewels,and withou t head- gear ; the ir hair

be ing curled at the side,and plai t s wound round the head .

Al though extravagance in dress had no t ye t reached the point

which it afterwards at tained under the chivalrou s Franc is I. , yet

it began to be universal ly disp layed in both mascu l ine and feminineat t ire .

A t the privileged fairs,quant i t ies of material s of more or less

valu e were offered for sale . Bourges was so famou s for its c loth,

that weal thy purchasers frequent ly s t ipu lated that the ir coat s

shou ld be made in fine Bourges c lo th .

” Fore ign manu factures

of gold, silver, and S ilk entered France by way of Su sa, whencoming from Italy ; Spanish goods were sent by w ay of Narbonne

and Bayonne,whence they were forwarded direc t to Lyons, where

they were u npacked and sold . The Paris ell was longer by one

hal f than that of Flanders, Holland, England, and other countries .

Ordinary wool for women ’ s garment s was sufli cient ly plent ifu l

in France . The finer c loths were generally manu fac tured’

from

English and Spanish wools . Lower Bri t tany and Picardy sup

pl ied,it is true

,a somewhat finer qual ity

,which was used in

the manu facture of certainc loths,and in part icu lar for one cal led

mmelot . Linen- c lo th was produced in considerable quant it ies, bu twas inferior in qual i ty to the Du tch l inen

,wh ich was mu ch

esteemed, and formed an important i tem in the trou sseaux ofyoung girls .

CHAPTER IX .

RE I G N O F F RAN C I S I .1 5 1 5 To 1 545.

The court of Franc is I.—A speech of Charles V .

—The k ing’s l iberal ity—Order of the

Corde l i ‘ere—VVOrdp aint ings of the fashions of the day, by Rabe la is—Costumes of

the seasons— Feather- fans—Sunshades—The “ hoche-pl is ” or vertugad in—Mme . de

Tressan saves her cousin’

s l ife—Sat ires and songs—Mdlle . de Lacepede— “Contenances — S i lk shoes w ith slashes—Head -dress cal led a passe -filon —Increase of loveof dress—The bean-fl ower—Artist ic head-dresses—Twists of hair called rafraprenaa’erFerron ieres —Coaches in Paris the ir influence on the fash ions.

UNDER the gal lant knight, Franc is I. ,the court of France shone

with a new and more refined splendour than that of the Middle

Ages,and to th is was added all the magnificence of Ital ian art .

A n eye-wi tness has described the court of Franc is for u s w ith

characterist ic and intell igent simplic ity . Michael Suriano, the

Venet ian ambassador, makes the following remarks

H is Maj esty expends crowns on himself andhis court,

of which are for the qu een . The king want s

crowns for bu ilding abodes for himself. Hunt ing,including

provisions,chariots, nets, dogs, falcons, and other trifles, costs more

than crowns . Lesser amu sement s and luxuries,su ch as

bouquets,masqu erades

,and o ther diversions

,crowns .

Dresses,tapestries, and private gifts cost as mu ch more . The

lodgings of the king ’ s hou sehold, of the Swiss,French

,and

Scot t ish guards, more than I am now speaking of men .

As for the ladies, the ir salaries, it is said, amount to nearly

crowns . Thu s there is a firm bel ief that the king ’s person,h is

hou sehold, h is children, and the present s he makes, cost yearly a

mill ion and a half crowns . If you saw the French cou rt the sum

wou ld no t surprise you . There are general ly six,e ight

, t en, eventwelve thou sand horses in the stables . Prodigal ity is boundless ;

7 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

visi tors increase the expendi ture by at leas t one - third, on account

of the mu les, carts, l itters, horses, and servants that are necessary

for them,and that cost more than double the ordinary prices .

”

On his j ourney through France, Charles V. saw the treasury

and the crown jewels. There is a weaver of mine at Augsburg,

he disdainfu lly exc laimed, “ who cou ld buy up all that ! ” It i s

no t the less true,notwi thstanding the words Of the enviou s

Charles V . ,that the court of Franc is displayed the u tmost

magnificence, and that the king him se lf l ived in the m idst of

dazzl ing splendour. The court of this sovere ign, n icknamed

Long- nose,

”or Nosey by the people, was a rendezvou s for

the pu rsu it of pleasure .

Judging from print s of the t ime,the court of Franc i s I .

differed considerably from that of h is predecessors . The ladies

no longer took up the ir stat ion near the queen exc lu sively,nor

did the men remain by the king. The two sexes mingled to

ge ther at the dai ly recep t ions, and Franc is I . formed a cou rt in the

true sense of the word . H is l iberal ity was very great ; he gave

away presents of c lothes far beyond any gifts of h is predecessors .

BrantOme te l l us that many ladies possessed wardrobes and coffers

so fu ll of clothes given them by the k ing, “ that it was a great

fortune .

”

Women soon acqu ired extraord inary influence ; everyth ing was

in their hands,

even to the appo int ing of generals and captains . ”

Ladies of the palace were nom inated and l ived at the Louvre .

They be longed to an order of knighthood called the Order of la

Cordel iere,

” intended to reward the most prudent and virtuou s

women among the nob il i ty . Franc is I . almos t invariably worea very splendid costume

,and was cons idered the finest gent leman

in the k ingdom. W e are no t concerned here w i th the numerou s

d ifferent fashions adopted by the king and his nobles,suffice it to

ment i on that the “robes of the gent lemen Of the t ime were no

whi t less magnificent than those of the ladies,and that consequent ly

there was a S truggle for pre-em inence between the two sexes .Feminine dress was coque tt ish

,and general ly Speak ing

,very

gracefu l in form . Francois Rabelais, that encyclope dic wri ter

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74 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

ne i ther shape, nor price, nor colour. H e instructs us as to theI

fashions of each season ; he ment ions fans, and “eventoirs in

feathers .

W e Observe, however, that there is no ment ion of au tumn

fashions in his interest ing descrip t ion . W e mu st infer, therefore,

that the fal l of the year was included half in the summer and half

in the winter season, and that the ladies of the s ixteenth century

were as yet unacquainted wi th that refinement of fash ion at the

present day, the au tumn costume .

Umbrellas, wh ich at first were i l l-made, did no t“take in

France .They were considered inconvenient things . There is

no season more inimical,” says Montaigne, “

than the burning

heat of a ho t sun, for the umbre llas that have been u sed in I taly

from the t ime of the ancient Romans, fat igue the arm more than

they re l ieve the head .

”

Head -gear varied wi th the seasons . In winter it was worn

according to the French, in spring to the Spanish,in summer

to the Turkish fashion ; excep t on Sundays and fest ivals,when

women covered their heads in the French s tyle, as be ing morehonou rable andmore suggest ive of matronly chast ity .

”

On thoseoccasions they generally wore a Velvet hood with hanging curtain.

The cap of the women of Lorraine consisted of a p iece of stufl"

wound abou t the head in cyl inder shape ; that of the Basquewomen resembled a horn of plenty upside down

, it was made of

whi te lawn trimmed w i th ribbon ; and that of the Bayonne3women was a

“ gu impe ’

arranged l ike -

a turban,wi th a l i t t le

peak or horn in the front .

The greatest innovat ion in fem inine costume was the appearance of the vertugadin

,or hoop

,in 1 53 0 . Dresses were s tretched

over wide, st iff pe t t icoats mounted on hoops of iron,wood

, or

whalebone . A band of coarse l inen,supported by wire

,l i fted

them up round the waist .It is said that Lou ise de M ontaynard, the w ife of Franco is deTressan, contrived, by the aid of her hoop

, to save the l i fe of hercou sin, the brave Due de Montmorency. The duke was

hard beset by a great number of the enemy in the town of Beziers .

REIGN OF FRANC IS 1 . 7 5

Lou ise bade him hide under her huge bel l- shaped hoop, and thu s

saved him from the vengeance that threatened him .

The fash ion of wearing three gowns, one over the other, shows

the prejudices of the time wi th respect to dist inct ions in dress :

Pour une cotte qu’

a la femme du bourgeois,La dame en a sur soy l

’

une sur l ’au tre trois,Que tou tes e l le faic t également paroistre,Et par 15. se faic t plus que bourgeo ise cognoistre .

Songs and sat ires against “ vertugad ins abounded . The

Débat e t Complainte des Meuniers et Meuniéres a l’

Encontre

des Vertugadins ” appeared in 1 5 56, and the “ B lason des

Basqu ines et V ertugales, avec la Remontrance qu’

ont faic t quelques

Dames,quand on

“ leur a remontré qu ’ i l n’

en falloit plus porter,

”in

1 563 . Next came the Plaisante Complainte by Gu il laume

Hyver, beginning as fol lows

Ung temps fu t avant telz usaiges,Lorsque les femmes estoient sages.

This epigram was qu ickly answered

La vertugalle nous aurons,

Mau lgre eulx e t leur fau lse envie,Et le busque au sein porteronsN ’

est-cc pas usance jolye3

Charles IX .,Henri III . ,

and Henri IV . ,all issu ed edict s against

the hOOp . Bu t far from disappearing , it became more and more

generally worn . Lit t le shopkeepers im i tated the great ladies and in

the “ D iscou rs sur la Mode,” publ ished in 1 6 1 3 , we read as

followsLe grand vertugad in est commun aux Frangoises,

Dont usent maintenant librement les bourgeoises,

1For one coat that the w ife of a bourgeois wearsThe great lady puts on three, one over the o ther

And letting them all be seen equal ly,

She makes herself known for more than a bourgeoise .

There was a t ime,before these customs

,

When women were w ise.

”

3 The vertugal ’ we wil l have,Spite of them and their false envy ;And the busk at the breast we w ill wearIs it not a pret ty usage

76 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Tou t de mesme que font les dames, si ce n’

est

Qu’

avec uh plus pe tit la bourgeoise paroist ;Car les dames ne sont pas b ien accommode

’

es

Si leur vertugadin n’

est large dix coudées.

”

In Paris, the royal edic ts against hoops had fal len into

disu se, bu t in the provinces certain parl iaments had maintained a

merc iless severity . It is recorded that at A ix a Demoiselle de

Lacepede, the w idow of the S ieur de Lacoste, hav ing been accused

before the court of’

wearing a hoop of sedi t iou s w idth, appeared

before the counsel lors and gave her word of honour that the

exaggerated si ze of her hips, which was the cau se of complaint,

was simply a gift of nature .

”

The judges laughed, and she was

acqu it ted .

The fashion of vertugad ins was espec ially pleas ing to women

of humble birth,who also wore hooped gowns

,and thu s, l ike

high- born dames and maidens, at tained a l ikeness to’

pyramidal

towers or gigant ic beehives . This ex traord inary wh im Of fashion

was des t ined to reappear,wi th variou s modificat ions

,at d ifferent

periods .Mu ffs, l ike those of the present day, were already u sed by

women of rank . They were called “contenances . ” Long gold

chains, or cordelieres, were tw isted in the wai s tband, and fe l l

almos t to the feet .

The women vied wi th the men in splendour of dress . A t

court or in town they wore an under- skirt, show ing below the

gown, which was made with pointed bod ice, the skirt wide ly

opened in front,w ith narrow sleeves to the e lbow

,where they

suddenly w idened,and were bordered wi th lace or fur. The

bodice was cu t low ,disc losing a colleret te of fine open—worked

cambric or of lace .

Si lk and sat in Shoes were st il l in fash ion,wide ly opened on the

“The large vertugad in is common to all FrenchwomenThe bourgeoises wear it free ly now,

Just the same as the great ladies, if it be no t

That the bourgeoise is content w ith a smal ler oneFor the great ladies are not satisfiedWith a vertugadin less than five yards w ide .

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76 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Tou t de mesme que font les dames, si cc n’

est

Qu’

avec un plus petit la bourgeoise paroist ;Car les dames ne sont pas bien accommodéesSi leur vertugadin n

’

est large dix coudées

In Paris, the royal edicts against hoops had fal len into

disu se, bu t in the provinces certain parl iaments had maintained a

merc iless severity . It is recorded that at Aix a Demoiselle de

Lacepede, the w idow of the S ieur de Lacoste, having been accu sed

before the court of’

wearing a hoop of sedi t iou s width, appeared

before the counsel lors and gave her word of honou r that the

exaggerated S ize of her hips, which was the cau se of complaint,

was simply a gift of nature . The judges laughed, and she was

acqu i t ted .

The fashion of vertugad ins was espec ially pleasing to women

of humble birth,who also wore hooped gowns

,and thu s, l ike

high- born dames and maidens, at tained a l ikeness to.

pyramidal

towers or gigant ic beehives . This extraordinary whim of fash ion

was dest ined to reappear, wi th variou s modificat ions, at difl‘erent

periods .

Mu ffs, l ike those of the present day, were already u sed by

women of rank . They were called “contenances . ” Long gold

chains,or cordeliéres, were tw isted in the waistband

,and fe l l

almost to the feet .The women vied w i th the men in splendour of dress . A t

court or in town they wore an under- skirt,showing below the

gown, which was made wi th pointed bodice, the skirt widely

opened in front,w ith narrow sleeves to the e lbow

,where they

suddenly w idened,and were bordered with lace or fur. The

bodice was cu t low, disc los ing a colleret te of fine open-workedcambric or of lace .

Si lk and sat in shoes were st il l in fash ion,wide ly opened on the

4 “The large vertugadin is common to all FrenchwomenThe bourgeoises wear it free ly now,

Just the same as the great ladies, if it be not

That the bourgeoise is content w i th a smaller oneFor the great lad ies are not sat isfiedWith a vertugadin less than five yards w ide .

REIGN OF FRANC IS I . 7 7

instep,which

,it mu st be owned, was no t conduc ive to the

e legance of the foo t . Some ladies preferred slashed shoes .

Bu t i f there was l it t le change in shoes, there was mu ch in the

fashion of head—dresses . Small rounded coiffures in sat in or

ve lve t,form ing a harmoniou s frame to the face, su cceeded to the

ancient head - gear; or e lse gracefu l turbans,whose de l icate softness

cou ld be perceived beneath a ne twork of pearls or prec iou s stones .

The head-dress a la passe-filon,dat ing

,from the t ime of

Lou is XI . , retained its place :

Les cheveux en passe fillon,Et l ’oeil gay en émerillon,

” 5

says Clément Marot .

The hair was somet imes worn in curls round the face,and

falling on the neck . Many women,however

,im itated Margueri te

of Navarre, by wearing ringlets on each side of the temples,and

draw ing back the hair above the forehead . W ire pins were first

imported from England abou t 1 54 5 before this invent ion ladies

made use of extremely fine and flexible wooden pins or skewers .

W e have already m ent ioned these .

There were,in fact , two dist inc t periods in the fash ions u nder

Franc is I .

From 1 5 1 5 to 1 5 26 fem in ine at t ire was st ill influ enced by theMiddle Ages

,no t only as regards fOrm and cu t

,bu t also as to

colouring,which was somewhat g rave . Ladies were averse to

low dresses, nor did they care for any fanc ifu l trimm ings . Somefew even abs tained from j ewel s and diamonds ; the ir dress wasgracefu l

,bu t wi thou t studied e legance .

From 1 53 0 to 1 54 5 , on the contrary,tastes whol ly changed .

Women began to wear necklaces and beads,l ight- coloured stu ffs

,

andrich trimmings ; they became accu stomed to baring the bosomand shou lders

,and the hab i t grew ye t more upon them .

Dress

became a mass of small detai ls,and women were ingeniou s in

contriving no t to omi t one of the thousand trifl es intended to add

to the ir at trac tions .In one word, coque try began to wie ld its exc lu s ive sway over

5 Ne tted hair and hawk-bright eye .

78 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

the act ions of women . To please became the ir only bu siness .

They u sed perfumes of all sorts— V iolet powder, Cypru s powder,civet, mu sk, orange flower

,ambergris, rosemary, essence of roses.

They refreshed the ir complexions with an infusion of the bean

flower,and washed with mu sk soap .

In the lat ter part of the reign of Franc i s I. , femin ine head—dresses

assumed a thoroughly art ist ic character, Of almost exaggerated

grace . The Church and certainwriters began to murmur,bu t

wi th as l i t t le effec t as in the fifteenth century . A book ent i t led“ Remontrance Charitable aux Dames e t Damoisel les de France

su r leurs Ornements dissolus,” implored women to renounce the ir

twists of hair,

” which the au thor cal ls ratrapenades.

” Ano ther

work,

“ La Gau léographie,”

thundered agains t the indecency of

plai ts and a pamphle t, La Source d’Honneu r, bestowed good

advice on women, which they were carefu l no t to follow .

La be lle Ferroniere invented the head- dress which bore her

name . A sku l l- cap of velvet or sat in, splendidly embroidered, was

set amids t curls that only reached to the shou lders . A narrow

ribbon,

or chain,in the centre of which was fixed a j ewel or

ferroniere, passed across the brow and was fas tened in a large

knot at the back of the head .

Another style of head -dress formed the hair into bands half

concealed by lappets fal l ing over the cheeks anda ve il ; the folds at

one endwere gathered together into a golden t ul ip terminat ing in

a cluster of prec iou s s tones . The art of the goldsmith was thus

combined wi th that’

Of the hairdresser,and the most ce lebrated

beau t ies adorned themse lves in every conce ivable way.

They must have dreaded, especial ly after n igh tfal l,the numerou s

thieves abounding in the capi tal . Fancy going on foot so dazzlingly .

arrayed !

It i s wel l to bear in m ind that in the t ime of Franc i s I . there

were but three coaches in all Paris one belonged to Queen Claude

of France,a daugher of Lou i s X II . another to D iane de Poictiers

,

who at the age of thirty- two had lost her hu sband,Lou is de Breze

,

Count de Mau levrier, High Seneschal of Normandy, and who

always wore the widow ’

s garb even in the days of her greatest

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80 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

from exposure to the weather, and w ithou t at tract ing the at tent ion

of thieves.Hence

,from the first appearance of coaches to the e legant

carriages of our own day, a part icu lar style of dress has ex isted,

su i table only for persons possessing equ ipages, and ridicu lous

when worn by pedes trians through rain,mud

,and du st .

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8 2 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

French agains t the fashion ofwearing ru ffs . Beneath the engravingare four German and fou r French l ines, of a highly sat irical

nature

Hommes et femmes empesent par orgue i lFraises longues pour ne trou ver leur pare i lMais en enfer le d iable soufli era,

Et abrusler les am es le feu allumera .

BrantOme,the historian, relates an amusing anecdote concerning

the s tarched ruffs. H e tells u s that on one occasion M . de

Fresnes-Forge t, in conversing wi th Queen Catherine, expressed his

surprise that women shou ld wear su ch deep ru ffs,and affected to

doubt that they cou ld eat their soup when thu s at t ired.

Catherine laughed . The next moment a valet handed her a

bouillz'

e for collat ion . The qu een asked for a long - handled spoon,

ate her l ouillz'

e easily and wi thou t soil ing her ru ff,and then said

,

Y ou see,Monsieur de Fresnes, that with a l i t t le intell igence

one can manage any thing .

French ladies cop ied the Ital ian fash ions in the ir dress,bu t wi th

more grandeur and magnificence . The influence of the Renais

sance st ill prevai led, and art regu lated the s tyle of dress to a con

siderable ex tent . There was l it t le change in the actual shape of the

garment s worn,more espec ial ly among the middle c lasses .

It became necessary to restrict fore ign importat ion,in order

no t to cru sh our home manufac tures,and Henri II . al so though t

it right to i ssu e edict s wi th reference to proprie ty of at t ire,and

to the diversity of ranks as indicated by dress . Laws were even

passed concern ing the qual ity and colour of stu ffs .Thu s, no woman, no t be ing a princess, might wear a costume

ent ire ly of crimson ; the wives of gent lemen might have one partonly of the ir u nder dress of that colour. Maids of honour to thequ een, or to the princesses of the blood

,might wear ve lve t gowns

of any colou r except crimson ; the at tendant s on other princesses

6 Men and women ou t of prideStarch the ir long ruffs unt il they find no equalBu t in hel l the dev il wil l blow (the be l lows),And the fire w i l l be lighted to burn sou ls .

”

REIGN OF HENRI I I . 83

were res tricted to ve lve t,e i ther black or tuuué

,viz . an ordinary

red, no t crimson .

The wealthy bourgeoises, wi thou t excep t ion,longed to wear

the forbidden material, and thu s to V ie w i th the great ladies ; bu t

the ir amb i t iou s des ires were necessari ly thwarted,and the law only

al lowed them velvet when made into pe t t icoats and sleeves .Working—women were forbidden to wear silk . This was an

ex treme ly expensive material, and women wou ld make any

sacrifice to procure it .

Bu t as we have already remarked,no th ing is so diffi cu l t of

app licat ion as a sump tuary law. The wives of gen t lemen,of

bourgeois,and of art isans were loud in complaint .

Then was the lawgiver moved wi th compassion, and gave

perm ission for bands of goldsmi th ’s work to be worn on the head,

for gold braid as borderings to dresses of ceremony , for necklaces

and belts of the same prec iou s me tal .

He al lowed work ing-women to trim the ir gowns wi th borders

or l in ings of silk ; and silk was also allowed for false sleeves, the

whole dress only of su ch cost ly material was forbidden .

Bu t ju st in proport ion as the re laxat ion of the firs t rigorou s

enactment s was reasonable and right,so did the au thori t ies show

themselves stern and severe towards,those women who ventured

to transgress the king ’ s commands .

Ronsard,the poet, exclaims admiringly, like the clever court ier

he was

Le ve lours, trop commun en France,Sous toi reprend son v ie il honneur ;Tel lement q ue ta remontrance

Nous a fait vo ir la d iffe’ renc eDu valet et de son seigneur,Et du muguet charge de soye,Qu i a tes princes s

’

esgaloit,

Et,riche en drap de soye, allo it

Faisant flamber tou te la voye .

Les tusques ingénieusesJa trop de volou ter s

’

usoyen t

Pour nos femmes dél ic ieuses,Qui, en robes trop préc ieuses,Du rang des nobles abusoyent .

G Q.

84 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Mais or la laine m esprise’

e

Reprend son premier ornement ;Tant vau t le grave ense ignement

De ta parole au torise’

e .

”

Starched and plai ted l inen ru ffs, or ro tondes, were first worn

in this re ign,also Spanish capes and col le ts montés .

”

The proverb ial expression, a collet monté,”was applied then

as now to persons who affec ted great gravity of manner. It owe s

its orig in to the severity of the Spanish dress, wh ich was adop ted

in certain quarters in France .

Catherine de Medic is, who deemed it incumbent on her to

grieve unceasingly for her royal hu sband,mani fested her sorrow

by means of the widow ’s dress she habitual ly wore . Her costume

was remarkably austere . It consisted of a sort of cap, with the

edge bent down in the middle of the forehead, a colleret te w ith

large gofferings, a t igh t ly- fi t t ing bu t toned bodice, a wide plaited

skirt, and a long mant le w i th col le t montant,

”or high s tand

up collar.

This simplic i ty of dress on the part of the queen-mother formed

an excep t ion to the boundless caprices of the ladies who formed a

bril l iant court c ircle around Catherine de Medic is . While con

fining herse l f to black,She made no Object ion to the sp lendid

at t ire of her companions . Coquetry reached to the highest pitch .

The beau t ifu l D iana of Po i t iers preserved her beau ty by bathing

her face, even in winter,in spring water; Th is heroic prac t ice

Ve lvet, grown too common in France,

Resumes, beneath your sway, its former honour ;So that your remonstrance

Has made us see the d ifferenceBetween the servant and his lord

,

And the coxcomb, silk-bedecked,Who equalled your princes,And rich in c lo th of silk went gl itteringOn his way, show ing Off the bravery of his attire .

I have more indulgence for our fairwomenWho

,in dresses far too prec ious,

Usurp the rank of the nobles.

Bu t now,the long-desp ised wool

Resumes its former stat ion.

”

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86 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

Exqu is ite lace , imported from Venice, completed the adorn

ment of feminine cos tume, and made it of immense value .

Variou s S ty les of head—gear were in fashion, and were worn

withou t dis t inc t ion by persons in all ranks of society . There

were caps,bonnets

,and hoods .

The hairwas first kept in its place by a l it t le bag cal led a cale,and then the head- dress was pu t on. Cales remained in u se

for a long t ime,and you ng girls of the c lass known as the

people were su bsequent ly called by the name .

The cap was toque-shaped, and general ly of velvet, with a wh ite

feather over the right ear. The constant movement of the feather,

a ing in every breeze,produced a charm ing effect

,and conferred

on the fair wearers a l i t t le caval ier air that poets have frequent ly

sung,and that modern nove l-writers have no t overlooked .

Hats,which seem to have been less general ly worn than caps

or hoods,were u sual ly of oval shape . They were high w ith wide

brim s,and were made in rich materials, or in Very fine fe lt .

Hoods (a favouri te head-dress of Catherine de Medic is) werealso general ly preferred by Parisian women

,and were very l ike

those of modern t imes . They were made of ve lvet, cloth, or s ilk,wi th deep fronts

,s trings

,and a curtain . By a royal edict

,ve lvet

hoods were forbidden to all excep t the ladies of the court ;”

on

which the bourgeoises ingeniou sly concealed the velvet under goldand si lver embroidery, or a mass of beads and jewels .The co if suggested the anc ient shape of the hood

,of which

we shall Speak hereafter. It was padded, and had a short ve i lfal l ing down at the back .

For going ou t in cold weather,observes M . Ju les Q i icherat

,

a square of stu ff was fastened to the strings of the hood,and

covered all the face from the eyes downwards,like the fringe of a

mask .

” Th is was called e ither a touret de nez,

”or a coflin a

roupies, accord ing to the humour of the sat irists,whose jests

,

however, did not prevent ladies from wearing it .W e mu st add that lad ies also wore capes w ith hoods in the

severe cold of winter.

Nor mu st we omit the quest ion of c lo th ing for the feet .Th is

RE IGN OF HENRI II. 87

is one of the most important parts of dress, and the woman with

the pret t ies t shoes will general ly be found the most gracefu l in

other respects . Ladies wore shoes and sl ippers, both adap ted

for indoor wear only,and qu ite unsu i ted for the hard stones

and thick mud of Paris . In the s treet s there were bu t few

coaches or l it ters, and so ladies wore pat tens wi th cork soles, over

the ir Shoes or sl ippers,to protec t them from cold and damp .

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CHAPTER X I .

RE I G N O F F RA N C I S I I .1 559 To 1 560 .

The earl iest queens o f fash ion Mary S tuart’s costumes her jewels— Descript ion o f bod ices

and sleeves of that period— Crosses—The loup or sma l l mask— Co iffure “en

raque t te — A h anecdo te concern ing h igh heels Regu lat ions respect ing fash ion—Remarkof a lady o f our own day on d ist inct ions in d i ess -Exord ium o f the Edict Of Ju ly 1 2 , 1 549

Max imum o fmari iage pOI tions—The fi i st knitted silk stockings.

WOM EN of celebri ty exerc ise a great influ ence on dress in general ;and certain historical personages of the s ix teenth century gave

laws on the qu es t ion of Fashion . Whether the ir ce lebri ty over

ru led the caprices of the ir contemporaries, or whether the ir perfec t

taste compelled the approbat ion of the dandies and fine ladies of

their t ime,certain it is that the ir portrait s are typical

,and cou ld

we be Shown any of the costumes in which they have been painted,the original wearers wou ld immediate ly be suggested to us.

Su ch a ce lebri ty was Mary Stuart, n iece to the Gu ises,and

wife of Franc is l I. ,whose misfortunes and tragical fate have made

her a deeply interest ing character.

There existed,only a few years ago, among the rare books

,

manuscrip t s,and print s in the l ibrary of St . Genevieve

,in Paris

,

two sketches in coloured chalk,be ing probably cop ies of p ortrait s

of the Q i een of Scots, painted from l ife by the famou s Francois

Cloue t,abou t the year 1 5 5 8 .

Those ske tches,among many others

,have been removed from

St . Genevieve to the Nat ional Library,where they are less easy of

access to the pu bl ic than they formerly were in the less pre tent iou s

establ ishment of the Place du Pantheon .

Let us p icture M ary Stuart in her you th,and again in her

widow’ s garb . No th ing can surpass the puri ty and del icacy of

90 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

ou t l ine in those two portrai t s . Calm inte ll igence s its on her brow,

and shines from her dark eyes . H er head is dressed in the Ital ian

fash ion, as was then the custom at court ; a high col lere t te encirc les

the throat , round which is a pearl necklace .

On the day Of her marriage w ith Franc is II . , the beau t ifu l queen

wore a gown of dark blue ve lvet, covered with jewe ls, and white

embroidery of beau t ifu l workmansh ip, so that it was admirable to

see .

” Two young ladies, standing beh ind her, bore her long train.

On her head She wore so splendid a coronet of jewel s,that it was

valued by many persons at crowns, abou t

francs of our present money.

A t bal ls, the queen of Franc is II . wore a t rain nearly twelve

yards in length ; it was borne after her by a gent leman. Nothing

cou ld be more majest ic than the royal mantle thrown over the

gown on occas ions of ceremony . Mezeray describes Mary S tuart

as wearing a ruff open in front and standing high beh ind . Her

hair i s arranged in two curls that only cover part of the ear ; her

crown is placed on a wide and starched coif,coming down on the

forehead,and widen ing at the s ides . She was fond of j ewels .

When,on the death of Francis, she was set t ing ou t for Scot land

,

her uncle,the Cardinal de Gu ise, sugges ted that She shou ld leave

her j ewel s behind, unt i l he cou ld send them to her by some safe

hand .

“ If I am no t afraid for myself, said Mary Stuart,why Shou ld

I fear for my jewel s ? ”

Bu t we mu st now leave individual h istory, in order to cont inue

our account of fem inine at t ire in general . A t the period of which

we are now treat ing, the shape of dresses was ex traordinari ly

elegant,and they have often been cu t on the same ou t l ines s ince,

in the vary ing phases of French Fashion . It w i l l be Observed that

the bod ice i s generally provided w ith epau let tes,andwi th a basque

two or three inches in depth . It was u sually worn high up to the

throat, and opened somet imes between the throat and the wais t,

in order to display the under-garments,espec ial ly a wais tcoat or

pourpoint of handsome material . Sleeves were moderate in size,

and became narrower as they approached the wrist ; they were

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92 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Last ly,some ladies

,Mary Stuart and her at tendants in part icu lar,

had the ir hair curled,confined it in a l ight net

,and enc irc led it

wi th a diadem of beads or me tal .

The coiffure en raqu et te consisted of open baske t -work plait s .

Low shoes and Sl ippers were st i ll exclu s ive ly worn ; bu t when

it was necessary to leave home and brave the mud, or when ladies

wished to add to the ir defic ient stature,they wore l igh t pat tens

with cork soles over the ir hou se Shoes . In the lat ter case,pat tens

Occasionally became perfec t pedestal s, marvel l ou sly increas ing the

he ight of dwarfs, and lay ing them open to many i l l - natured jests .“ I recollec t

,

” says BrantOme,

that one day, at court,a very

fine and beau t ifu l woman was looking at a tapes try whereon D iana

and her nymphs were very innocent ly dep icted in short garments,

and displaying the ir beau t ifu l fee t and legs . Bes ide th is lady

stood one of her companions,who was very short and small

,and

who also was admiring the tapestry . Ah,my dear,

’ said her

friend,

‘ if we were all dressed after that fashion, you wou ld no t

gain by it, for you r high pat tens wou ld be seen . Be thankfu l to

the t imes and to the long skirt s we wear that h ide your legs so

neat ly— the which,wi th the ir great pat tens

,are more l ike c lubs

than legs ; for if any one had no weapon for fight ing,he need bu t

to cu t Off you r leg, and holding it at the knee, he wou ld find your

foot and Shoe and pat ten wou ld s trike right wel l .

May we no t say the same thing at the presen t day Now that

l it t le women wear inordinate ly high heel s to give themselves ’ the

appearance of m iddle he ight, dwarfs are indu ced to think them

selves almost giant s .

Bu t wi thou t further digression let us return to the fash ions

of 1 5 59 - 60,and to the edic t s of the period .

When we speak of past fashions, alas ! we mu st always ment ionsumptuary laws at the same t ime ; that is to say, remedial measuresagainst the excesses of caprice and luxu ry . As i f wisdom cou ldbe decreed by law

W e know the ir unsuccessfu l resu lts . Bu t even at the presentday, when difference of rank is no longer marked by difference ofdress, we somet imes mee t wi th persons who are indignant with a

REIGN OF FRANC IS II . 93

working woman i f she Ventures to wear a silk gown or a velve t

cape on Sunday .

“No,I cannot unders tand the Government not interfering,

exclaimed a charming great lady,”

the other day in my presence .

Only a week ago I was almost e lbowed in the Champs E lysees

by a girl wi th a gown ident ical ly l ike my own ! It is really dis

gracefu l ! ”

In a conc il iatory tone I repl ied, Probably she had good taste

l ike yourself."

“ It i s disgu st ing ! becau se, after all,the rest of the costume did

no t harmoni ze wi th the gown,and the effect was wretched .

”

Y ou mu st have been glad of that, madame.

”

G lad

Y es ; for harmony is everything, or almost everything in dress ;and i f

“

that y oung workwoman cou ld no t display an Indian shawl

l ike yours, you have no thing to complain of. ”

On the contrary,I do complain . Extravagance and equal ity

in dress are the ru in of scores of working girls . There ough t tobe a law against it . ”

There were laws in former t imes,madame

,I replied ; bu t

they were an absolu te failure .

”

And then I repeated almost word for word what I have said

farther back in this book,concern ing reforms imposed by law .

Bu t all my argumen ts failed to convince my hearer,who was

bl inded by her prejudices . It i s certain that sumptuary laws, even

i f they cou ld be revived at the present day, wou ld be as ineffectualas in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance . Ne i ther fines noreven imprisonment wou ld pu t a s top to coquetry

,in whatever

rank of life .

The opinions of my fair friend were probably the Opinions of

ladies in the re ign of Henri I I .,for in the exordium of an edic t

i ssued by that king on Ju ly 1 2, 1 549, we read that “ gent lemen

and the ir wives went to excessive expense for the ir gold and silverstufl

‘

s,the ir embro ideries

,braids

,borderings

,goldsm iths ’ work

,

cords, cannet i lles, velvets, sat ins, or s ilks striped wi th gold and

s i lver. These art icles,therefore

,were forbidden

, excep t to

94 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

princes andp rincesses . Those exal ted persons,however

,se t a bad

example in the mat ter, that was too oftenfol lowed .

The chapter of prohibit ions having been thu s begun,arbi trary

measures became numerou s . A maximum was ac tual ly fixed formarriage port ions ! Fathers and mo thers

,or grandparents giving

the ir daugh ter or granddaugh ter in marriage,might no t endow

her wi th more than l ivres (Tournois) ! Tru ly a mos tobnoxiou s regu lat ion ! for was no t such a law an interference w i th

marriage,and an encroachment on the rights of parent s ?

The wives of plebe ians were forbidden to wear coat s l ike ladies,

and head- dresses of velvet . Dark colours only were perm it ted

them,and common material s .

Bu t of what avai l are severe laws,when broken ? The stream

of fashion was in favour of splendid garment s, and of all the aids

that are given by dress .

The firs t hand-kni t ted s ilk s tock ings were worn by King Henri

II . , at the wedding of Margueri te of France wi th Emmanuel

Phil ibert of Savoy,in the month of June

,1 5 59 . The common

people, and even the we ll - to do c lasses,cont inu ed for a l ong t ime

to wear s tockings made of p ieces of stuff sewed toge ther.

Extravagance and luxury pursued the ir way, and became more“

versat ile and ru inou s than ever. M en and women spent their

money, as well as money that was no t the ir own,on dress.

Frenchmen and Frenchwomen seemed bent on proving themselvesabsolute arbiters of fashion .

Now to hold the sceptre of taste and toilet involves obl igat ionsas onerou s as nobili ty i tse lf

,and to exci te the admirat ion and envy

of coqu et tes i s a costly privilege .

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96 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRAN CE .

When fore ign fashions were l ike ly to add to the ir at trac t ions,

Frenchwomen have never refused to adop t them . They have

al ternately worn pret ty art icles of dress from Spain, o r copied the

costumes of ou r fair Engl ish ne ighbours, to which they imparted

an elegance all the ir own . They have seldom cared for the severe

German s tyle, bu t from Italy they have frequ en t ly borrowed some

of her Sou thern graces, offspring of that sunny land and deep

blu e sky

Thu s,in the s ixteenth century

,did I tal ian fashions cross the

A lps with Catherine de M édicis. Heaven only knows whe ther

the fine ladies of the cou rt were most interested in the bloodshed

of the fatal night of August 24 , 1 57 2 , or in the quant i ty of

Milanese S ilks imported abou t the same t ime . I have no t the

heart to blame them for tu rn ing away from such frightfu l episodes.

Bu t wherefore this love for the produc ts of I taly, for the per

fumed sachets of V enice, for the gold fi lagree-work of Genoa ?

Unt i l that period Frenchwomen appear to have been unacquainted

even wi th the names of the countries which form the Shores of theAdriat ic, and suddenly they become versed in all the m inu tede tai l s of the costumes of those countries !

This mu st no t surpri se my readers . On ly that I fear to be tediou s,

I wou ld rem ind them that l i t t le th ings may spring from great, aswel l as great things from l i t t le, and I wou ld enter upona lengthy

historicO - philosoph ic dissertat ion .

Le t it sufli ce to state that the filagree-work of Genoa

,and the

perfumed sachets of Venice, found the ir way into France as a

consequ ence of the fatal expedit ions of Charles VIII Lou is X II. ,and Franc is I . in to I taly . From Italy also came cambric hand

kerchiefs embro idered in tent - s t itch wi th red silk .

I need no t dilate further on this subj ect,bu t I will add that we

may fix the period of which I am Speaking as that of an invasionof France, by fashions of I tal ian prodigal i ty, and sudden and

striking effec t .

Charles IX . was entertained one day at d inner by a gent lemanfrom the sou th . Towards the end of the banque t the ce i l ing

sudden lyopened, a dense c loud descended,and burst wi th a no ise

REIGN OF CHARLES IX. 97

l ike thunder into a hai l storm of sweetmeats, fol lowed by a gent leshower of perfumed water.

W e mayjudge from this instance how childish were the splendid

customs of the age, and understand the edicts by which the king

vainly endeavoured to curb the folly of h is cou rt iers, who vied

wi th him in magnificent extravagance, and ru ined themse lves by

the ir efforts to rise to the he ight of the times, and to sh ine in galasand private entertainments .W e mu st begin by stat ing in a general way .that the new

fashions for women were immensely popu lar, and influ enced those

for men in the highest degree .

Gent lemen adop ted an effeminate s tyle of dress,which unfor

tunately was perpe tuated and developed in no small measure by

the ir immediate descendant s .

Charles IX . ,however, open ly professed his contempt for extreme

at t ent ion to dress .Ou t side pol i t ical affairs he cared for nothing bu t the pleasures

o f the chase,and locksmith ’ s work , in which he great ly de l ighted .

H e cou ld not endure that men shou ld wear busks to the irpourpoints

,nor dress l ike Amazons at tournament s ; nor wou ld

he even tolerate the cost ly fancy of sending to Italy or the Eastfor silks

,ostrich feathers

,perfumes

,and cosmet i cs .

In the very first year of his re ign, on Apri l 2 2, 1 56 1 , he drew

up an ed ic t at Fontainebleau , from which we ex tract the following

passages

We forbid our subj ec ts, whether men,women

,or ch ildren

,

to use on the ir clo thes, whether silken or no t,any bands of em

broidery,s t i tching or pipings of silk, gimp , & c .

,wi th which the ir

garments, or part thereof,might be covered and embell ished

,

except ing only a bordering of velvet or s i lk of the width of afinger

,or at the u tmost two borderings

,chain- st i tch ings or back

st itchings at the edge of the ir garment s .“W e permit ladies and damse l s of birth

,who dwe l l in the

cou ntry and ou t side our towns, to wear gowns and cot tes of silk

stu fl" of any colour,according to the ir estate and rank

,provided

always, they shall be withou t ornamentat ion. A nd as for those

H

98 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

who be long to the su i te of our said sister, or other princesses and

ladies, they may wear the clothes they now have,in whatever S ilk

or manner they may be embel l i shed, and only when they

are in ou r su ite, and not e l sewhere . W e al low widows the use of

all s ilken stu ffs, excep t serge and s ilk camlet , taffety,damask,

sat in,and plain ve lvet . As to those of birth l iving in the country

and ou tside ou r towns, wi thou t any kind of embell ishment , nor

other bordering than that which is pu t to fasten the st itches .

Nor shall women of whatever sort wear gold on the ir heads,

unless during the first year of the ir marriage, Sec .

”

Such a king as that wou ld, me thinks, find mu ch cau se for

prohib i tory edict s at the present day ! What a fidget ty kil l-j oy !

What a despiser of fine clothes

Charles IX . issued four edic t s on the same subj ec t . O n

January 1 7 and I 8,1 563 , he forbade vertugadins of more than a

yard and a half in width,gold chains, gold work whether w ith or

withou t enamel, plaques, and all o ther bu t tons for ornament ing

head-dresses ; and in 1 567 he regu lated the dress of all c lasses,

permi t t ing si lks on ly to princesses and du chesses,proh ib it ing

ve lve t,and allowing bourgeoises to wear pearl s and gold in the ir

rosaries and bracele t s only . The above edic t s are to be found ingreat awkward fol io volumes, amid dry jud ic ial regu lat ions . They

form part of a mass of material s for the his torian of the manners

and cu stoms of France .

DO my fair readers imagine these sumptuary laws were obeyed ?

DO they no t fee l that many women Wou ld prefer paying fines to

the mort ificat ion '

of not dressing according to the ir inc l inat ion ?

I leave them to dec ide the quest ion,and I proceed to describe

feminine at t ire in the re ign of a prince w'

ho ventured to say to

Fash ion, Thu s far shal t thou go,and no farther.

”

What an extraordinary ru ler was Charles IX . ! He offeredbat tle to Fashion, a more absolu te sovere ign than h imsel f l— to

Fashion, whose cau se was that of mill ions of women ! Moreover,

he infringed h is own laws,by giving perm iss ion to the ladies of

Tou louse, in I 565 , to wear vertugales.

”

Fash ion gained the victory . Gowns wi th h igh collars were

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1 0 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

It is to a Venet ian ambassador, an Observer of French fash ions

towards the t ime O f Charles the N inth’ s death, that we are indeb ted

for the above interes t ing de tai ls . H e adds : “ French women

have inconce ivably slender wais ts ; they swe l l ou t the ir gowns

from the wai st s downwards by st iffened S tu ffs and vertugadins,

the which increases the elegance of the ir figure . They are Very

fancifu l abou t the ir shoes, whether low sl ippers or escarpins . The

cot illon (underskirt), which in Venice we cal l eurpefl ez, i s always

very handsome and e legant, whether worn by a bourgeoise or a

lady . A s for the upper dress, provided it is made of serge or‘escot,

’ l itt le at ten t ion is paid to it,becau se the women, when

they go to church, knee ! and even sit on it . Over the chemise

they wear a buste or bodice, that they cal l a corps piqué,

’

to give

them support it i s fastened behind, which is good for the chest .

The shou lders are covered wi th the fines t t issue or network ; the

head, neck, and arms are adorned w i th jewe ls . The hair i s

arranged qu i te different ly from the I tal ian fash ion ; they u se

circ lets of wire and tampons,

’ over wh ich the hair is drawn in

order to g ive greater wid th to the forehead . For the most part

the ir hair i s black, which contras t s with their pale complexions ;for in France, pal lor, if no t from il l- health

,is considered a

beau ty .

”

O ur Venet ian performs his task adm irably . There i s nothing

omit ted from his descrip t ion of the French ladies of the t ime ; he

is gal lant,too, in the highest degreefi H e moved in the best

society,among the fine ladies of the town and court .

The corps piqu é ment ioned by h im wasmu ch l ike the corset

or stays of the present day, and t ight ly compressed the wai st of

women who were determined,at any cost

,to be slender ; and all

the more determined that the men,as we have said before, vied

wi th them in slenderness of waist . They compressed the ir wais ts in

an incredible and unbecoming manner,qu ite unworthy of the ir sex .

On the other hand, women took more than ever to wearing the

mascu l ine “ calecon,”

a special kind Of pourpoint made withhose .

W e have already ment ioned masks we must now treat of paint,

REIGN OF CHARLES IX. 1 0 1

which was introdu ced into France, it is said, by Catherine de

Médicis.

Many of the court beau t ies coloured the ir cheeks in the evening

with subl imate,rendering it necessary to cou nteract its corrosive

effect s the next morning . They u sed both pomades and cool ing

lot ions for the face . Perfumers manu fac tured the ir cosmet ics for

the toile t, by pu lverizing and blending together the c laws and

wings of pigeons,Venet ian turpent ine, l il ies, fresh eggs

,honey,

shel ls called porce laines,” ground mother-o ’—pearl

,and camphor.

A ll these ingredients were dist il led wi th a small quant ity of mu sk

andambergris.

What a mixture ! it i s l ike an invent ion of Mephistopheles .I am no t aware whe ther perfumers of the present day compound

su ch prescript ions, bu t I do know that to my mind lad ies have

resumed the cu stom of paint ing the face more than is desirable .

Bu t to proceed .

Jean de Caurres, a writer of the s ixteenth century, says that the

ladies of his t ime, when masked, wore a mirror on the breas t, and

that the fashionwas becoming general so that in course of t ime,

he adds, “there will be ne i ther bourgeoise nor se rv ing-maid

withou t one .

This curiou s fashion did no t last long ; that of wearing mirrors

at the girdle, in order that women migh t see whether their head

dress was in order, was of longer durat ion . The mirrors inquest ion were round, wi th a more or less handsome handle

,by

which they were hung alongside the aumoniere .

Catherine de Médicis, whose shou lders were remarkable forbeau ty

,had her dresses cu t as low in the bosom as at the back .

H er ,court imi tated her, and many i ll—made women dared no t dress

o therwise than the ir sovere ign, to whom also is to be at tribu tedthe spread of the fashion of whaleboned bod ices

,so fraught wi th

evil to numberless generat ions of women . Oppos it ion does no t

exist among good court iers“ Catherine de Médicis, says BrantOme

, was the first whorode on a s ide—saddle .

”

Court dresses were made w i th immense trains !

at ball s these

1 0 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

were he ld up by a metal clasp or ivory bu t ton. Notwithstanding

the ir we ight,l ined as they were with ermine or miniver, no lady

wou ld appear withou t one, even at the ri sk of suffocat ion.

Let us,however, do j u s t ice to the women of the t ime Of Charles

IX . ,and while crit ic iz ing certain detai ls of the ir at t ire, admi t that

it was of enchant ing grace, and extremely harmon iou s in design.

Can there be any costume in better taste than one in whi te

brocade ? What can be more elegant than borderings in coloured

s tones or glass beads ? Then there was the fur mant le that a fine

lady threw over her shou lders, when a cool air made her tremble

for her del icate health ; and the white kid gloves,so common now

,

so rare at that t ime, and the lace ruffs ; and those pret ty wh itehoods

,whence fe ll a long whi te vei l hal f conceal ing the figure

,

and the “arcelets

,or wire c ircle ts

,by which the hair was raised

from the temples . And what be t ter fini sh cou ld there be . to acostume of a grave s tyle than those deep red l in ings

,that starched

gorgerette, that s imple, yet gracefu l, black hat ?

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CHAPTER X I I I .

RE I G N O F H E N R I I I I .1 574 TO 1 589 .

Opposit ion to the laws ofKing Henri I I I . 0 11 dress—The w ife o f President N —How

both sexes evaded the ed ic ts - Gowns from M i lan—M ix ture of mascu l ine and fem in inefash ions—Rage for perfumes— Recogn it ion of i ank is demanded—Costumes worn at

Cognac by Margueri te de Valo is in presence of the Po l ish ambassadors, and her

costume at B lois~ Brant6me’

s op in ion—Po inted bod ices, puffed out sleeves, and “ bourre lets ” —Remarks on hair—R id iculous dress o f n i en—Pouce t, the preacher—Sat irica ll ines on Joyeuse—W it ty remark of P ieri e de l’Esto rle— S tarch used by Henri I I I .Cush ions.

S IMPLIC I ’

I‘

Y seems to have been the mo t to of Charles IX .,as we

have seen by the sumptuary laws he issued .

The ideal of his su ccessor Henri III. was, on the contrary,splendour of every kind . H is court iers indu lged in the wildest

ex travagances,in imitat ion of the ir sovere ign

,whose l ife was

passed in cont inual divers ions and magnificent fetes, and who set

the example of extravagance in dre ss, and ye t constant ly issued

fresh edict s against luxury .

Henri de Valois cannot be said to have preached by example,

for his conduc t was in flagrant contradic t ion of h is precepts . A

strong opposit ion sprang at once into ex is tence when he issued a

sumptuary law forb idding his great nobles to wear garments of

gold or s ilver c lo th.

It is told of the queen,that she was

,0 11 one occasion

,in a

l inendraper’ s shop, and see ing a lady dressed with great elegance,

She asked,A nd who are you ?

The lady,withou t looking at the speaker

,replied that she

was the wife of President N

In good tru th,Madame la Pres idente, observed the queen

,

you are very smart for a woman of your rank .

”

1 0 4 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

A t any rate,I am no t smart at you r expense, re turned the

lady ; and then suddenly recognizing the queen,she threw

herse lf at her fee t .Lou ise de Lorraine gent ly remonstrated wi th

her upon her extravagance ; she herself having l i t t le tas te for

dress or display .

Those su bjects of the king who fel t offended by his edict s did

no t think proper to vis i t the c ity in garment s of serge, l ike

Lou ise de Lorraine ; they had recou rse to ano ther expedient, and

evaded the royal commands by arraying their vale t s in the sp lendid

clo thes forbidden to themse lves . The lacqueys of the great

nobles were thu s att ired in heavily embro idered l iveries of silk .

Every one, on see ing a servant wi th all the seams of h is coat

embroidered in gold, conce ived a high idea of the noble personage

h is master,and of that master’ s weal th . Liveries served as an

advert isement of nobil i ty and a demonstrat ion of pride .

Women,however, ac ted on a different plan . Far from dressing

up the ir maids in pearls and diamonds, a proceeding by wh ich

they m igh t have created rivals t o the ir own beau ty,they discovered

another way of evading the law . They had recourse to sub

terfuge .

S ince brocades were forbidden,they sent to Milan for gowns

which, wi thou t a thread of gold or si lverin them,cost

,generally

speak ing, 50 0 crowns each ; and the I tal ian manu facturers gained

by all that ou r own lost .

F ive hundred crowns for the material o f a dress ! This was a

round sum . F ive hundred more were spent by French ladies on

adjunct s and ornaments,

on fringes,braidings

,twists

,and

canne t illes ; and they were de l ighted with the splendour they

had at tained wi thou t the help of e ither gold or silver. The ir lovefor the beau t ifu l was sat isfied the Milan gowns were qu ite equal

to brocade !

What righ t had Henri de Valo is, asked the bel les o f the period,what right had he who starched h is wife ’ s collars and curled herhair, according to mal ic i ou s reports

,to Show such severity

concern ing other women ’ s dress

D id no t he h imself wear a velve t hat,wi th a plume and an

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1 0 6 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

walking, as in the re ign of Charle s IX . ,was no t at tached by strings

,

bu t held by a glass bu t ton be tween the tee th . A round mirror,

wi th a handle, hung at the waist, and afforded means of ascertain

ing the state of the toile t at any moment . This fash ion had exis ted

u nder Charles IX .

The head- t ire most u sual ly worn was a“

toque wi th orwi thou t an

aigre t te,a bou rrelet,

”or a small h igh-crowned hat

,of which the

material was, as it were, crumpled up .

Many women st il l wore the old- fash ioned hoods ; for young

unmarried ladies they were made of'

velvet wi th long fall ing lappet

at the back, with a high touret and ear-p ieces,somet imes orna

m ented wi th gold, and cal led “ coqu il les (shel ls). The hoods

worn by bourgeoises were made of cloth,and wi th a square

tournet te . Difference of rank was st i l l indicated by difference Of

dress,and was dest ined so to cont inu e for several Centuries to come .

The heart- shaped head-dress of the fourteenth and fifteenth

centuries again made its appearance, bu t the heart was now

construc ted of the hair it self, instead of a piece of stu ff as formerly .

Complain ts began to be made by great ladies that certain

bourgeoises were so bold as to wear velve t and gold orna

ments . Pet i t ions from the nobles at the Etats'

de Blois,1 5 88,

se t forth that the wives of advocates,procureurs and treasurers

,

bourgeo ises, and o ther lgnel le women shou ld no t be allowed towear velve t hoods.

What wou ld be the feel ings of women Of the present day, i f

any one ventured to forbid them any sort of head—dress ! Can we

picture to ourselves the w ives of lawyers or merchants prevented

from dressing as they please

The ideal cos tume of the re ign of Henri II I . was real ized inthe dress worn by Margu eri te de V alo is at Cognac

,on the occas ion

of her vis it to that town at the commencement of her j ourneythrough France, and before hermarriage wi th the King of Navarre .

She pu t on her handsomest and mos t superb apparel, that she

wore at court on occasions of the greatest magnificence .

”She

desired to dazzle the inhab itan ts of Cognac . Besides,

” said she,extravagance is with me a family fai l ing .

”

REIGN OF HENRI 1 1 1 . 1 9 7

Margueri te was cont inual ly promo t ing fetes and tournaments,where splend id dress was combined w i th sparkl ing wit .

Let us hear what Pierre de Bourde illes, Abbot and Lord ofBrantOme

,says on the subject

Margueri te appeared,superbly at t ired in a gown of c loth of

silver and colomb ine colour a la Bou lonnaise,’ wi th hanging

sleeves ; a magn ificent head-dress and a whi te ve il, ne i ther too

large nor too smal l . Al l this was accompan ied by so sweet and

grac iou s a majesty, that she seemed more l ike a goddess from

heaven than a queen of the earth .

The qu een said to her

My chi ld, you look very we l l !

A nd she answered

Madame, here I wear ou t the gowns I brough t with me from

court,becau se when I return thi ther, I shal l no t take them w ith

me . I shal l take on ly scissors,and materials, in order to set myself

up again in whatever may be the re igning fashion .

’

The qu een replied

Why do you talk thus ? S ince you know that it i s yoursel f

who invents all the pret ty fashions we follow ; and wherever youmay go, the court wil l copy you , and no t you the court . ’

Catherine de Médicis, who always feared that the sceptre of

government migh t be wrested from her,endeavoured by these

words to make her daugh ter desirou s only of the sceptre of

Fashion .

A nd in tru th whatever Margueri te de Valoi s wore became at

once the rage among her sex .

The charm of her beau ty and her st ill greater charm of mannerinvested her with supreme ru le over all the - finery of the greatcourt ladies . On one occas ion She wou ld appear in a whi te sat ingown, adorned with t insel

,wi th a tou ch of crimson here and

there, and a salmon-coloured crape or Roman gauze ve i l throwncarelessly over her head ; on another

,her orange and black gown

and large ve i l wou ld el i c i t general admirat ion ; or she wou ldexc ite the most ecstat ic del igh t by invent ing a perfec t ly originalcostume .

1 0 8 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

O n the arrival of the Polish ambassadors who brough t the news

of the elec t ion of the Duke d’

A leneon (afterwards Henri III .) to

the throne of Poland, and were de legated by the nat ion to rece ive

the oath of the ir new king, Margu erite de Valo is wore a gown of

Spanish crimson velvet richly trimmed wi th gold, and a toque of

the same material adorned wi th jewe ls and brigh t feathers . Thu s

at t ired, she looked so d iv ine ly beau t i fu l that she had her portrai t

painted in that cos tume . Margu erite had resolved no t to be ou t

done by the Pol ish envoys, who were at t ired in the semi—Oriental

semi—fantast ic stV le, wi th great plumes and w idespread eagles

W ings .

H er abundant hair requ ired no art ific ial aid. On Easter Day

at Blois,at the process ion

,she wore large pearl stars in her hair

,

and a gown of c loth of gold of Eastern manu facture, which hadbeen given by the Grand Tu rk to the French ambassador

, who in

his turn had presented it to Margueri te . It was so heavi ly

weighted with jewels, that only so strong a woman as she was

cou ld have carried the we ight of it .

Bu t notwithstanding BrantOme’

s approbat ion, Margu eri te de

Valois is ju s t ly accu sed , by an eminent archaeologis t,of h aving

degraded rather than improved the fashions of her t ime . H e

asserts that her taste was no t good .

Marguerite de Valo is was certainly m istaken in lengthen ing the

wai sts of dresses to a prepos terou s degree ; in invent ing sleeves

pu ffed ou t at the top and t ight at the wrist ; and, final ly, in

replac ing vertugadins by masses of padding on the h ips, wh ich

made the skirt look l ike a big drum, and took away all l ightness

and e legance from the figu re .

Margueri te de Valo is had magnificent black hair,bu t, set t ing

l itt le value on this gift of nat ure, she u sual ly covered it w ith false

hair of a l igh t shade . She is said to have selected fair- haired

pages, whose long locks were occas ional ly shorn for her“ benefit .

Much the same cu s tom prevai ls at the present day, the hair

market be ing supplied by peasant girl s .According to the Gaigniéres collect ion in the Nat ional Library

,

which consist s of thou sands of draw ings and engravings,the ladies

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1 1 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

O ften heard of you, and how you make the people laugh by your

sermons. ” “ It i s righ t that I shou ld make them laugh, the

preacher coldly replied ; “ since you make them weep over the

subsidies and great expenses of your wedding .

Joyeu se withdrew withou t daring to strike Pou cet, as he had

intended to do .

The king and Joyeu se were dressed prec ise ly al ike at the

wedding of the latter. They were covered with embroidery,pearls

,and prec iou s stones . Like the court ladies, they were

scented wi th cordial water, c ivet, musk, ambergris, and aromat ic

substances ; the ir ruffs were starched and goffered . They carried

off the palm from the “ poupins . ”

Fol lowing the ir example,the dand ies of the t ime no t only

adopted the Ital ian turn-over collars, bu t at t ired themselves in su cha fash ion as to at trac t the bi t teres t sat ire . The following l ines

were aimed at Joyeu se and his imi tators :

Ce pet it popeliret,Frisé, fraisé, blondelet,Dont la relu isante faceFait meme honte ala glace,Et la délicate peauAu plus beau teint d’

un tableauCe muguet don t la paroleEst bleze, mignarde et molleLe p ied duquel, en marchant

,

N’

iro it un oeu f escachant,

L’au tre jour pri t fantaisieDe s

’

épouser 21 Marie,

V é tu e aussi proprement,

Peu s’

en fau t, que son (galan t).

Et, venant de vant le temple,Le pretre, qu i les contemple,Demande

,facét ieux

Que l est l ’ époux de vous deux P 1

That l i tt le pop injay,

Curled,ruffed

,and milk-skinned,

Whose sh ining facePuts even his mirror to shame

,

And his delicate skinOu tdoes the t ints of a p ic ture

REIGN OF HENRI I I I . 1 1 1

The starched ru ffs,or flu ted collars

,at firs t so fashionable at

the court of Henri III . , and then capric iou sly discarded,made

their appearance once more, extraordinari ly improved,for the

k ing ’ s own wear. Th is was in 1 57 8. The k ing appeared wearing

a ru ff made of fifteen bread ths of cambric, and half a yard in

depth .

“ To see his head agains t that ru ff,

” said Pierre de

l’

Estoile, pu t one in the mind of St . John the Bap t ist ’ s head on

a charger.

Bu t the king ’ s triumph was complete ; and h is favourites were

equal to the occasion, and expressed rapturou s admirat ion of his

good taste .

Be ing a true amateu r in the mat ter of flu ted collars,he had

judged that ordinary starch wou ld no t sufl'ice to hold up such aquant ity of material as st iffly as was necessary

, and the king of

France had de igned to invent a subl ime m ixture ; h is augu st hands

had obtained a sat isfactory resu lt from rice flour, and he had du ly

experimented upon it !

From the combinat ion of the mascu l ine and feminine s tyles,

dress in general had assumed an ungracefu l st iffness . The at t ireof Henri III . was considered monstrou s by the seriou s minds o fthe t ime. D’

Aubigné exclaimed

S i, qu ’

au premier abord, chacun estoit en peineS’

il voyoit un roi-femme ou bien un homme-reine .

The ladies of the cou rt, fortunately, were no t su ch thorough

That coxcomb whose mode of speechIs minc ing, soft, and lisping,And whose foot when he wa lksWou ld not crack an eggshel l,Took a fancy

, the other day,To marry Marie .

She was dressed almost as gailyAs her gal lant .

And when they came to church,

The priest,looking at them,

Asked,jestingly

‘Which of you two is the husband ?2

SO that at a first glance , each comer was at a lossTo know whether he beheld a king-woman or a man-queen .

1 1 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

court iers as to overpass all the bou nds of decorum . They adop ted

the fash ion of cushions, which remain ing fixed behind,while

the hOOp swayed, gave size and roundness to the hips, bu t they did

no t im itate the king ’s gent lemen in wearing the panse,

or

paunch,an absurd invent ion,which gave the male wearer a l ikeness

to Punch and was the exact opposi te of the “ bu ste aj u sté .” The

bus te flat tened the figure,while the panse

,

” cons ist ing of a

quant ity of cot ton wool, formed an enormou s Pantagruel ians tomach

,and imparted a tru ly grotesque appearance to those who

wore it . This absurd fashion was of short durat ion ; men found itcumbrou s

,and perhaps became ashamed of the ridicu le it exc i ted .

If my fair readers will look at a paint ing at the Louvre,by

Clou et,otherwise Janet

,circa 1 584 , they will feel flat tered ; for

they w i ll perce ive that the palm of absurd i ty and singu lari ty

belonged of righ t at that t ime to the sterner sex.

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CHAPTER X IV

RE IGNS OF HENRI IV . AND LOUIS XI I I .1 589 TO 1 643 .

Universal mourning on the death of the Gu ises into lerance of showy dress— Vertugad ins,“espoitremen t,

”corps espagnole —Diversity of co lours—The pearls, jewe ls, and

diamonds belonging to Gabrie lle d’

Estrées and to the queen— Dress of Marguerite deFrance— Low-cu t bod ices—Head-dresses of hair—Various styles—Vene t ian sl ippersEd icts of Lou isXI I .— Caricatures Pompe funebre de la Mode —Words and fash ions—Ribbons or galants — Dress ofw idows -

“Demi -ce int ” girdles—G loves ofall sortsPatches~ Masks the ir use Cache-la id —The Frondeuses—Mme . de Longuevil le .

TH ERE i s no diflicu lty in ascertain ing the relat ion between the

events of a certain period and the fashions of the same date .

It may be that i f the Spirit of the age be seriou s, i f the soc ial

community be exposed to severe trials,i f cont inual misfortunes

befal l the mass of the people,the mode of dress will reflec t those

v ic iss itudes of the t ime and,generally speaking

,such is the case .

Some t imes,on the contrary

,ex travagance and luxury seem to be

flaunted in the very face of the general poverty, and the small

prosperou s minority are so profoundly indifferent to the mis

fortunes of the greater part of mankind, that they make no t the

slightest change in the ir mode of l iving, bu t indu lge in every whimand caprice

,and cont inu e to bend the knee before the “ fickle

goddess .”

A remarkable excep t ion to this ru le i s worthy of note . It

occu rred in Paris in December,1 583 , immediate ly after the murder

of the Due de Gu ise at the Etat s de Blois. Deep mourning

prevailed among the “ leagu ers of the cap i tal, and numerou s

expiatory or funereal processions took place . NO fashionable

costume was tolerated. If a demoisel le was seen wearing a ruff

‘ a la confu sion,

’

nay, even a single ‘rabat ’ of extra length

,or

1 1 4 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

sleeves too open, or any other superfluou s adornment, the

people wou ld at tack her, drag O ff her ru ff,and even tear her

clo thes .”

Bu t this, we repeat, was an except ion. In the mos t troubled

t imes of our h istory, fashion and luxury appear to have yielded

none of the ir righ ts Frenchmen,and s t i ll more Frenchwomen

,

feel so imperiou s a need of pleasure ! Ennu i comes to them so

readily ! The l ove of admirat ion,or to speak more accurate ly

,

the love of elegance and of change i s so deeply rooted in the

nat ional character. If luxury did no t exist in France,we shou ld

be compe lled to invent it . When it vanishes, we think that all is

lost— even our country

It is unnecessary to recal l the event s of the re ign of Henri IV . ,

which began in c ivi l war,and ended w ith his assass inat ion. The

hero of the day, the conqueror at Ivry,the k ing who “ confounded

both Mayenne and Iberia,” loved fetes as mu ch perhaps as bat t les,

for in both he was triumphant over all rivals .H i s cou rt followed his example . M en s t i ll wore the curl s and

ringlets of preceding re igns ; ladies cont inu ed to u se masks,so

conduc ive to tricks and adven tures of all kinds . Nor did they

give up the ir perfumes,whether ambergris

,mu sk

,or cordial

water ; moreover they astonished the world by the si ze of the ir

vertugad ins .”

The vertugadin consisted of c irc les of iron,wood

,or whalebone,

resembling the hoops of casks . These were sewn inside the

Skirt s . It dated from the firs t hal f of the s ix teenth century, bu tat tained no ex traordinary size under the Valois . Many eccentri

c it ies may be laid to the ir charge,as we have seen, bu t on this

point they were tolerably reasonable .

From the firs t appearance of the vertu gadin,which has become

a type in the h istory of Fashion,splint s of wood were employed

to compress the waist,and give it slenderness and grace . Bu sks,

whalebone bodices,and corse ts were u sed later. The object was

to render the wai st smaller ; hence resu lted a whole architecturalsystem intended to compass the resu lt at which ou r own contem

poraries some t imes aim by means of the corse t . The waist was

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1 1 6 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

The d isplay of diamonds was dest ined to increase as t ime

went Oil .

The re ign of the vertugadin, which Mme . de Mo t teville de

scribed as a round and monstrou s machine,”

came to an end in

1 63 0 . Bu t red silk stockings, called bas de fiammette,

”cos t ing

more than seventy—five francs a pair,shoes with flaps fastened by a

love -knot a la Choisy ” in blue or red sat in, and crimson ve lve t,

pat tens wi th high cork soles, survived the vertugadin, as did

l ikewise velve t, m iniver, and ermine mu ffs in winter.

Marguerite de France,the daughter of Henri II . and wife of

Henri IV. ,is dep icted wearing the following costume : Pearl

necklace and earrings, Open-work fan,k id gloves comple tely cover

ing the hands and wri st s,where they were drawn under wh ite

cuffs,a cap, since known as the Marie Stuart cap, her hair fri zzed

and drawn up symme trical ly over the forehead, an under- dress of

black sat in, the upper one trimmed with gimp, an Open flu ted

colleret te,and an immense ru ff reach ing to the nape of the neck

Margu erit e de France,whom court iers called the goddess

,

was extraordinari ly beau t i fu l,and was gracefu l, l ively, and fasc i

nat ing in the highes t degree . H er carrures (shou lder-breadths)and sk irts were made by her orders

,it is said, mu ch w ider than

was necessary. She was enormou sly stou t, and by way of

improving her figu re applied steel bands to each S ide of her

wai st . There were,it seems

,no t a few doors through wh ich the

fair princess cou ld not pass .

Gowns were made no t on ly of sat in bu t of ve lve t, damask, andsi lk of every colou r. There were dresses acollets débordés

,

”or

wi th collars fal l ing over the Shou lders and upper part of the arm

there were ruffs a grands godrons,

” so cu t ou t and open-workedthat the Skin was eas i ly d iscern ible behind them ; there were be l ts

of exorbitant price,to which were su spended needle- cases

,gold

handled scissors,and gold -braided ve lvet purses .

By degrees, through the fatal effect of bad example,the pass ion

for low- cu t bodices assumed a boundless sway .

Innocent XI . , who was at enm i ty wi th France,rebuked th is

craze from the chair of St . Peter, and showed no greater favour

REIGNS OF HENRI IV . AND LOUIS X I I I . 1 1 7

to the weaker sex than to the pol i t ic ians o f France . He issued a

bu ll by which he enj oined on all women, married and single, to

cover the ir bosoms,shou lders

,and arms down to the wrist,

wi th non—transparent materials,on pain of excommunicat ion .

”

Bu t the thunderbolts of the Church were hurled in vain, and

l ight,transparent

,and low- cu t gowns enj oyed a long career. The

Vat ican and the French Parl iament m ight speak if they chose, bu t

they cou ld not prevai l against the cu stoms of the day.

Dat ing from the year 1 5 87 , one of the last years of the troubledre ign of Henri III . , women had taken a violent fancy to wearing

hair only as a head—dress,surmounted by a feather. They wore

false hair or wigs powdered with violet powder for brunet tes, and

w ith iris for fair women . A sort of gum or muc ilage kept the

hair in its place ; the ir heads seemed to be pasted . The women of

the people made u se of the du st of rot ten oak,and the peasant s

of flour for the same purpose .

There were four different s tyles of head- dresses of the period

F irst,the coiffure a bouc les fri sées

,

”or curled ringle ts

,the

style of which is suflficiently indicated by its name ; secondly, thatapasse fi llons thirdly, that a ore i l let tes,

”

a hat wi th a high

crown,the material of which be ing crumpled of itsel f (naturelle

ment chiffonnée) fell into a quant ity of l it t le folds ; and, fourthly,the coiffure al’espagnole, or Span ish head—dress .The lat ter deserves some not ice on accou nt of its elegance and

S ingu larity . My readers can imagine the effect of a handsomeSpanish toqu e, embroidered or braided in gold

,and art ist ical ly

placed at the back of the head,wi th the hair in curls all round the

front . In addit ion,there were several plai t s intermingled with

ribbons and jewels, which fel l l ight ly on the neck and floated inthe wind . This head-dress met with l i t t le or no opposit ion .

Transparent dresses a l ’ange,

”

or a la vierge,

”

skirt s of

yell ow sat in, l ike those of Francion’

s wife, and l ight head—dresses,

were worn with very de l icate and fanc ifu l shoes . Venet ianS l ippers were mu ch pri zed, al so coloured shoes wi th high heel s .During the re ign of Henri IV.

,Venet ian and F lorent ine lace

became so fashionable in France,that

,in ju st ice to nat ive manu

1 1 8 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

facturers, the ir importat ion was forbidden . Bu t a system of

fraudu lent traffi c was set up, and French vanity almost got the

better of the law . The king chose to banter his min ister on the

extravagance of women, and Su l ly immediate ly took certain steps

which succeeded in temporari ly s topping the excess of expendi ture

on dress .Lou is XIII . , the son of Henri III . , endeavoured to walk in the

path traced ou t by Su lly,and in 1 63 3 and I 63 4 he issued two

fresh edicts lec turing Frenchwomen on the ir caprices . A l l the

women instant ly cried Shame ! ” and numberless caricatures were

publ ished in defence of the ir cau se .

One art ist depicted a steady tradesman of Flanders, reduced to

a state of despair,tearing h is hair, and wildly curs ing th ings in

general,while he tramples h is embroideries under foot and

exclaims

Que fait-ou publ ier ? que venous-nous d’

entendre

Mettons bas la bout ique, et de nos passements

Faisons des cordes pour nous pendre 1

Ano ther print bore the following t it le Pompe funebre de laMode

,avec les larmes de Démocrite et les ris d

’

Héraclite .

” Fourwomen are leading Fashion along, fol lowed by a crowd of work

women,barbers, embro iderers, and tailors

,who are endeavouring

to make the best of the ir evil fortune,and brandish ing

,after the

fashion of banners, wands laden with lace and finery . In the back

ground is a sarcophagu s bearing the fol lowing epitaph

Ci-g ist sous ce tableau, pour l ’avo ir mérité,La Mode

, qui causait tant de fo lie en France .

La mort a fait mourir la superfluité,Et va faire bientOt rev ivre l ’abondanc e .

What is it that is pub l ished ? what do we hear?Let us shu t up shop

,and of our goods make ropes

To hang ourse lves withal .”

Here l ies under this p ic ture,for hav ing deserved it

,

Fashion,which caused so much madness in France .

Death has pu t superfluity to death,And wil l soon revive abundance .

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1 2 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

they wi th the ir daughters wou ld be taken for noble ladies rather

than for bourgeoises and shopkeepers .”

Great ladies also condescended to wear hoods, bu t only in

winter.

According toMenage, Anne ofAu stria introduced the fashion of

garcettes,” which took the place of the padded wigs . The hair

was frequent ly dressed “en t ire- bouchons,

”or corkscrew-fashion,

and in loops, with a cu lbu te or ribbon- bow fixed in the

chignon .

Widows were never seen withou t a l it t le coif on the ir heads .

After two years’ deep mourning in gu impe and mant le,says a

modern wri ter, widows were restricted for the rest of their l ives,unless they married again, to black and wh ite made in the s implest

manner. Mme . d’

A igu illon, the n iece of Cardinal R iche l ieu, was

the first who ventured to wear colou rs after her hu sband ’ s death .

Y et she did no t throw aside the hood,wh ich remained in existence

under different names— some t imes languet te,Somet imes ban

deau —unt il the close of the seventeenth centu ry .

According to St . S imon, Mme . de Navai lles,who died in 1 70 0 ,

was the last widow who wore a bandeau .

”

For undress,great lad ies wore smal l coifs or round caps

,fit t ing

close to the head . Servant s and women of the people added a k ind

of flag, which hung down between the shou lders, and was called

a“bavolet te, andwas probably the forerunner of the “ bavolet

,

”

or

bonnet -curtain of our own t imes. Countrywomen wore instead

of a coif a thick s t i tched bégu in, which is st il l in u se in certain

country places . In Picardy it is cal led a cale or calipéte.

”

Women of the people wore no gowns,only two pet t icoats and

a bodice ; the lat ter was some t imes laid as ide for a hongreline,

or loose bodice wi th deep basques,and in all cases an apron.

They almost all possessed gold ornament s.The girdle consisted of a demi-ce int of s i lver, and a broad

band of silk ornamented with chased or enamel led gold—work .

The “ demi - ce int ”

was somet imes worth forty crowns ; knives

keys, sc i ssors, & c . , were su spended to it by a chain . Takenal together, the dress ofa maid—servant was rather complicated .

REIGNS OF HENRI IV. AND LOUIS X I I I . 1 2 1

Femin ine at t ire altered very l it t le u nder Lou is XIII . W e may

note,however

, the muff and the l it t le mu ff- dog,seldom

separated from h is m istress.

Essences were st i l l u sed, also wh i te lead and vermil ion. Every

art ic le of dress was scented, inc luding Shoes,

and espec ially

gloves . There were gloves a l’

occasion,

”a la nécessi té

,

”a

la cadene t,

”a la Phyll is,

”a la Frangipani made ou t of highly

perfumed skins,and gloves a la Nérol i

,so cal led from a

princess of that name who had, it seems, invented an exqu is ite

scen t .In the D iscours de la Mode ( 1 6 1 5) we read

Une dame ne peu t jamais estre prise’

e

Si sa perruque n ’

est mignonnement frisée,Si e l le n

’

a son chef de poudre parfuméE t un m illier de noeuds, q u i 9a q ui la semé

,

Par quatre, c inq on six rangs,ou b ien davantage

,

Comme sa chevelure, a plus ou moins d’

é tage .

” 3

For the benefit of their complexions,women appl ied lard to

the ir faces at night

The préc ieu ses, whom Moliere thought ridicu lou s, and who

refined our language unt i l they go t ou t of the ir depth, u sed to cal l

fans zephyrs. This is rather an appropriate express ion, and at

any rate it is less affected than the euphemism of “ bapt ized

mu les,by which they designated the porters of the ir sedan chairs .

Bright coloured silk stockings were s t i ll in fashion,and red

sat in shoes, or l it tle sl ippers Of variou s hues.

W e mu st cal l at tent ion to one nove lty,the appearance of

patches, which are first ment ioned in print in 1 65 5, and cont inued

to be in fashion unt i l the t ime of the Regency,when seven

princ ipal patches were recogn ized .

A patch was s imply a smal l bit of black silk st icking—plaister,

3 A lady c an never be adm iredI f her wig be not trim ly curled,If she wears not perfumed powder in her hair,And a mu l t itude of knots, pinned here and there

By four, five, or six, or many more,As in her head-dress pleasant ly d ispersed .

1 2 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

placed on the face, which looked all the fairer for the contrast .

Each lady placed the patch to su it the expression of her coun

tenance . In the midst of a promenade or street a great lady

migh t be seen suddenly to stop, to open the patch-box She carried

everywhere with her, to survey herse lf'

in the mirror which l ined

its l id, and qu ickly to replace a patch that had fallen o ff . The

fash ion of patches was no t , as might be imagined, a product ion of

the seventeenth century . It was a remin iscence of early Roman

t imes,during which even orators wore patches when speaking

from the Tribune . W e may tru ly say that there is noth ing new

under the sun .

It i s said that certain plais ters ordered as a remedy for head

ache had originally suggested these black spo ts,and what had been

at first prescribed for health ’s sake, was retained as an aid and acces

sory to the beauty of ladies who wished for art ific ial at tract ions .

After endeavouring to animate and improve the countenance by

patches,the next step was to conceal those faces to which nature

had been unkind behind a mask or e lse to envelope beau ty in

mystery,by making its presence doub tfu l

,and exc it ing the curiosity

of the incredu lou s .

Masks orig inated in the re ign of Henri I I . They reappeared

in tenfold force under Lou is XIII . Ladies avoided recogni t ion

by wearing black velvet masks,l ined wi th whi te sat in

,that folded

in two l ike a pocket - book . There were no strings w i th which to

fix them on,bu t a s lender si lver bar ending in a bu t ton was

fastened on the inside,

and pu t t ing th is between her teeth, the

wearer cou ld hold her mask in its place . Moreover,the tone of

the voice was so altered by a mask,that many persons, anx iou s to

avoid sat irical remark, kept on their masks in pu bl ic promenades,at balls, and even in church .

The poet Scarron describes the pret t ies t kind of mask in his

Epi tre Burlesque to Mme . de Hau tefort

Parlerai-je de ces fantasquesQu i portent dente l le a leurs masques,En chamarrant les trous des yeux

,

Croyan t que le masque est au mieux ?

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1 24 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

of Condé,so as to escape the observat ion of the enemies of the ir

cause .

There are port rai t s in existence of that arch -Frondeu se the

Duchesse de Longuevi lle . She is represented with he lmet and

cu irass ; her air and at t itude are those of a heroine . Several

princesses took her for the ir mode l ; and the period is one of note

as regards fash ion, espec ial ly for great diversi ty in dress .

No commands were laid on great lords and ladies in those t imes

of anarchy among the nobles . There was ample l iberty,not to

say l icence, in dress .

The women,” says a contemporary writer

,shone in j ewe ls

at a bal l g iven by Anne of Au stria,and as mu ch as they cou ld

—

in

beau ty also ; and others in embroidery,feathers, ribbons, andgood

looks,each according to her means and the gift s o f nature .

”Bu t

for them liberty in dress was no t dest ined to be of long durat ion .

CHAPTER XV

R E I G N O F L O U I S X I V .

1 643 To 1 70 5.

Lou is XIV . commands—Court luxury and pleasure ; d isgu ises—The Temple jewe l leryFash ion and e t iquette—Successive fash ions— Royal ed icts—The “ Tombeau du sens

commun -Dress ofLa Vall iere— OfMme . de Montespan—Costume of a lady of rank in1 668—The “ éche lles de Mme . de la Reynie

”—“ Transparenc ies ”—ManufacturesChampagne

, the hair-dresser—Female hair-dressers Hurluberlus and Mme . de

Sevigne—Moustaches for women patche s— Palat ines—S l ippers h igh hee ls—Corse tsfans swee t lemons—Dog-muffs—Hair dressed “ a la Fontanges —Engl ish style of

dressing ha ir Esther — S teink erks Cremonas Amadis andJansen ist sleeves—Hair dressed al

'

effrontée —Dresses of the Duchesse de Bourgogne—M ignard ises .

A K ING who knows how to command now appears upon the

scene . In his you th Lou is X IV . ru led over pleasure, in h is old

age over consc ience .

B ut whether in you th,middle age, or at the c lose of l ife

,Lou is

XIV . cou ld not dispense wi th a numerou s company of court iers of

both sexes,whom he at tracted by means of fetes and fashion

,by

cont inual amusements,and by pleasures of every k ind .

In 1 650 , Mme . Belot, the wife of a Maitre des requ étes,

first wore and set the fash ion of the “ j ustau corps,

” which was l ikethe “ hongreline of former years, bu t shaped in some respect s

l ike a man ’ s pourpoint . As a riding or hunt ing costume it wasalso adopted by the bourgeoises .

Scarfs came again into fash ion in 1 656. Bu t some disbanded

soldiers amu sed themselves by wandering through the s treet s ofParis and snatching those l ight garments from the shou lders o f

ladies passing by, on the pretext that Lou i s XIV . had forbiddenthe wearing of them . A few of these scoundrel s were hanged

,

withou t ceremony,by the pol ice .

During the Carn ival of 1 659, the court, says Mdlle. de Mont

1 26 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

pensier,only arrived at the beginning of February . W e

often masqu eraded in mos t del ightfu l fash ion. On one occasion,Monsieur, Mdlle. de Villeroy, Mdlle . de Gou rdon, and I, wore

c loth of si lver wi th rose- coloured braid, black velvet aprons, and

stomachers trimmed wi th gold and s i lver lace . Our dresses were

cu t l ike those of the Bresse peasant s, with collars and cu ffs of

yel low cloth in the same style, bu t of somewhat finer qual i ty than

is u sed by them,and edged wi th Venet ian lace . W e had black

velvet hats ent irely covered w ith flame- coloured,pink

,and white

feathers . My bodice was laced up wi th pearl s and fastened with

diamonds, and had diamonds all abou t it . Monsieur andMdlle .

de Villeroy also wore diamonds, andMdlle . de Gou rdon emeralds .

O ur black hair was dressed in the Bresse peasant style,and we

carried flame- coloured crooks ornamented wi th silver. For

shepherds we had the Due de Roque laure,the Comte de Gu iche,

Péqu ilain, and the Marqu i s de V i lleroy,St e .

In 1 66 2,“ pleasure and plenty were re igning at court ; the

court iers l ived high and played h igh . Money was abundant,every purse open

,and young men got as mu ch cash as they chose

from the notaries . There was a constant su ccession of feasts,dances

,and entertainment s .

In 1 664 , Lou i s XIV . dis tribu ted present s of dress - stu ffs to all

h is court iers,who were posi t ively no longer free to dress as they

l iked . After he had bu il t the pavi l ion at Marly,every court lady

found a complete costume, and a quant i ty of the most exqu is ite

lace,in her wardrobe . A nd when by spec ial favour the royal

princes were allowed to obtain embroidery in blue s i lk,it was

offic ially reckoned among the benefit s rece ived from the k ing .

Material s were magn ificent ! Gros de Naples was brocaded wi th

gold leaves and red,violet

,or gold and si lver flowers .

The Mercure Galant of the same year contained the following

let ter on the fash ions,addressed to a countess in the country

As I am aware, madame, that your country ne ighbours aremuch interested in the new fashions

,I paid a visit lately to one of

those ladies who can only talk of skirts and finery.

Dresses painted wi th figures and flowers are S t il l worn, bu t

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1 28 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

or gold trimmings brought down so low as to adorn laundresses

wi thal ? A nd i s it no t true that c lothes ough t to be infal l ible

tokens by which to dist ingu ish rank and condit ions in l i fe,and that

in the gardens of the Luxembourg -or the Tu i leries we ought tohave no difficu l ty in dist ingu ish ing a duchess from a booksel ler’ s

spou se a marchioness from a grocer’ s wife, or a countess from a

cook

O ur au thor forgets that extravagance does not -

always indicategeneral wealth

,though it frequent ly cas t s su sp ic ion on the moral

tone of soc iety .

On the one hand,the king signed edic t s against extravagance

,

while on the o ther he encouraged it by his splendid fetes . The

bourgeois alone approved of edict s forbidding gold or si lver- laced

l iveries,and fix ing a l imi t to the price of the handsomest material s.

The edict of 1 7 0 0 was followed by the publ icat ion of a print ,underneath wh ich was the follow ing d ist ich

A femme deso le’ e mari joyeuxTreve a la bourse du mari jusqu

’

anouve l le mode .

A decree of the counc i l, dated Augu st set forth thatno woman

,s ingle or married

,shou ld be admi t ted “ marchande

lingere,”unless she professed the Cathol ic, Apostol ic, and Roman

faith .

F i fteen years later,a poe t wro te the following l ines

On ne distingue plus nos dames

D’

avecque le commun des femmesDes qu

’

une personne d’

honneur

Prend que lque juppe de cou l eur,Ou des qu ’

e l le change de mode,Enfin

,des qu ’

e lle s’accommodeDedans un estat éc latant

,

Une bourgeo ise en fait au tantE l le s

’

ornera de panaches,

Et s’

appliq uera des moustaches,Des post iches, des faux cheveux,Des tours

,des tresses et des noeuds,

Mourning w ife has joyfu l husband,And the purse a truce unt i l a new fashion arrives.

REIGN OF LOUIS XIV. 1 2 9

Des coeffes demi—b lanche ou jaune,O I

‘

I les toiles entrent par auneDe ces beaux taffetas rayez,Qui parfois ne sont pas payez,Car sou vent tant de braverie (coquetterie)Cache beaucoup de gueuserie .

” 2

The above sat irical and descript ive t irade may, perhaps, have

annoyed the be lles of the day, bu t it did not reform them.

Law and crit ic ism were al ike in vain, and the history of dress,both mascu l ine and femin ine, from the minori ty of Lou i s XIV .

to the year 1 7 1 5, presents a varie ty of phases that reflec t the

su ccessive changes at his cou rt .

When Marie Therese arrived in Pari s in Augu st,1 660 , she was

at t ired in a gown enriched with gold, pearls, and prec iou s stones,and was adorned with the most splendid of the crown jewels . ”

A year afterwards,at a fete at Vaux, Mdlle . de la Val l iere wore

a white gown, wi th gold stars and leaves in Pers ian st itch,and a

pale blue sash t ied in a large knot below the bosom. In her fair

waving hair,fall ing in profu sion abou t her neck and shou lders

,

she wore flowers and pearl s mingled together. Two large emeralds

shone in her ears . ’ H er arms were bare, and enc ircled above thee lbow by a gold open-work brace le t set wi th opals . She woregloves of cream- colou red Bru ssel s lace .

N0 longer are our ladies to be d istinguishedFrom the women of the peopleS ince a person of honour

Wears a coloured pett icoat,

Or changes the fash ion of her c lothes,In short

,since she dresses herself

In a gaudy manner.

A bourgeo ise does as mu ch as that

She too w il l pu t on plumes,And st ick on moustaches,False hair and pads

,

Tours,

’ plaits, and knots ;White and ye l low coifs,

With e lls of lawn in themAnd those fine striped silksWhich are somet imes not paid for ;For often such bravery of dressH ides much roguery.

1 3 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Langlee,direc tor of the royal sports, says Mme . de Sevigne,

gave to Mme . de Montespan a gown of gold upon gold,

embroidered in gold, bordered with gold, above wh ich was a

band ( frise) of gold, worked in gold mixed wi th a part icu lar

kind of gold ; and forming the m ost div ine material that can

be conce ivedAl l women

,inc luding the qu een-mo ther, had made u se of masks

unt i l the year 1 663 .

This fashion passed away as pol it ical adventures gradual ly

ceased . Bu t in 1 695 it st i ll prevailed . With regard to lad ies,

says the Trai té de la Civil ité,” publ ished in Paris

,

“ it i s wel l toknow that in addi t ion to the curtsey

, they have other means, su ch

as the mask, the coif,and the gown

,wi th which they can express

respec t ; for it is reckoned unc iv i l for a lady to enter the room of

a person deserv ing of cons iderat ion with dress tu cked up, face

masked,and coif on head

,unless the co if be transparen t . It i s an

inc ivil ity also to keep on her mask in any place where a person of

eminent rank is present , by whom she might be perce ived,except

when in a coach wi th su ch person . It i s u nc ivil to keep on the

mask when curtseying to any one,unless from afar off ; and even

then it mu st be removed for a royal personage .

The above ru les Show how great ly the mask had been in use .

In 1 668, women of rank always wore an under- skirt of watered

or glacé sat in,w ith an over—skirt trail ing behind, and carried over

the left arm . Sleeves were pu ffed,and trimmed wi th lace and

ribbon, and scarce ly covered half the arm . They were no t slashed .

The bodice reaching to the hips,and fi t t ing t ight ly to the waist,

ended in a point . The u nder- skirt had a dou ble border of gold

and silk embroidery,while the upper one had bu t a single border,

l ike the Greek and Roman tun ics .Here and there on the bodice were trimmings of gimp and

ribbon,and a lace colleret te covered the shou lders and chest .

Women general lywore pearl necklaces . Cu ffs held an important

place in a carefu lly arranged toi let “ I have been told,

” writes

Fure tiere, that the wife of President Tambonneau takes a whole

hou r to pu t on her cuffs.”

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1 3 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

of smal l means,—other kinds, of marve llou s beau ty, cou ld only

be compassed by women of fortu ne .

The fine ladies of the seventeenth century, l ike those of the

sixteenth,had the ir gowns made by men

,viz . a certain Renau d,

l iving opposite the HOtel d’

A ligre ; a Sieur Vil leneuve,near the

Place des Victoires ; Lal lemand, Ru e S t . Mart in ; Le Brun, Le

Maire and Bonjuste, all of the Rue de Grenelle ; and last ly,Chalandat , Rue de l

’

A rbre—Sec .

As real pearls were very cos t ly, a Frenchman, named Jacqu in,invented a subst i tu te for them in the century of which we are

treat ing . He had Observed that the water in wh ich smal l fish

called ablet tes (wh i tebai t)were washed, contained a quant i ty of

bright and S ilvery part icles, and by fi l l ing hol low blown glass

beads with this sediment, he succeeded in produc ing an admirableim i tat ion . B iI t abou t twenty thou sand wh itebai t were requ ired to

supply one pound of essence of pearls !

S i lks of every kind were manufactured at Lyons,and a work

man employed there su cceeded in produc ing them wi th a bright

lu strou s finish the process is cal led donner eau .

”

The silkworm whose S ilk is a perfec t white was now abou t to

be introduced into Francé.

The firs t period of fem in ine dress under Lou i s XIV . was ch iefly

remarkable for its monumental head- dresses .

The Sieur Champagne,by reason of his sk il l, and also of the

value he contrived to confer on himse l f,was in great demand by all

the fine ladies of the t ime .

“The ir foolish behaviour made h im qu i te insupportable,and

he made the most impert inent remarks to them ; some ladies hewou ld leave with the ir hair half dressed .

” Mai tre Adam petu lan t lyexclaim s

J’

enrage quand je vois ChampagnePorter la main avos cheveux .

” 3

It was on this account,perhaps

,that many of the most refined

3 “ It makes me furious to see ChampagneLay his hands upon your hair.

”

REIGN OF LOUIS XIV . 1 3 3

women of fash ion preferred female hair- dressers, some of whom

were wide ly celebrated, V iz . Mesdemoiselles Canillat, Place du

Palais Royal ; D’

A ngerville, in the same ne ighbourhood ; De

Gomberville, Rue des Bons-Enfant s ; Le Brun, at the Palai s ;and Po i t ier

,near the Hospice des Q i inze-V ingt s . ” They were

all wives of wig-makers .The hair was dressed “ a la N inon, carefu l ly parted in front

and flowing in loose ringle ts,and part ly concealed at the back by

a wh ite gauze veil .An appretador, cons ist ing of a row of diamonds or string of

pearls,was somet imes mixed with the hair ; or twist s of hair of

variou s colours, and post iches or false hair.

A t the t ime of the marriage of the Duke of Orleans wi th the

Princesse Palat ine the fash ionable s tyle of hair was called

hurlupée or hurlu berlu . Mme . de Sevigne thought it

most extraordinary .

“ I was great ly amu sed at the head—dresses,

”

she says,

and fel t incl ined to g ive a slap to some of them .

The word hu rluberlu meant incons iderate, bru squ e, though t less .

Certain lad ies were blamed for be ing

Mme . de Sevigne afterwards changed her. m ind .

A female hair- dresser named Mart in,who succeeded to the

favour accorded to Champagne, introdu ced a fashion that wasvery becoming to some faces . The hair on each side was cu t

in graduated lengths, and hung in thick curls,the longest no t

fal l ing mu ch lower than the ear. R ibbons were fixed into it in

the u sual way, and a large curl drooped on the neck .

The “ hurlu berlu developed into many variet ies,among o thers

into “ paresseu ses,”the false wigs or long ringlet s that fine ladies

pu t on in the ir dressing- rooms on rising.

When Mme . de Montespan was at the he ight of favour,

She

wore point de France, and her hair in numberless curls, one on

each s ide of the temples, fal l ing low on her cheeks . Black ribbons

in her hair,pearl s which had belonged to the Maréchale de

l’

HOpital, and bu ckles and ear- drops of magnificent diamonds .Three or four hair-bodkins no coif.

Hurly-burly .

1 3 4 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

On the whole the seventeenth century was prol ific in pret ty

head- dresses . When the head was dressed a la garcon,”

a

part ing was made hori zontally along the forehead, a few l i t t le

curls waving loose,while all the rest of the hair was drawn up,

and cu t short on the neck. Mme . de Sevigne advised Mme.

de Grignan to adopt the above style, somewhat modified : “the

hair knot ted low at the back of the head, so as no t to conceal

e i ther its pu ri ty of ou t l ine or its harmoniou s proport ions ; the

short undergrowth of hair in l ight curls on the forehead gives

piquancy to the physiognomy, while showers of fi lmy ringlet s on

the temples add softness to the express ion .

”

For two years “ le faire brelander was in fashion,that is

,the

hair was cu t Short and curled . On the o ther hand,Nanteu il

,the

famou s engraver,has bequeathed to us portrait s of women with

most luxuriant hair ; long ringlets mixed with pearl s rise from the

crown Of the head, and fal l down on e i ther side .

The “ capel ine of the seventeenth century was a hat worn by

ladies when hunt ing,or at a bal l or masquerade . It was generally

made of straw,wi th a deep brim l ined wi th s ilk or sat in

,and was

covered wi th feathers . Somet imes it was merely a velve t cap,

trimmed w ith feathers of no great value .

Long ringle ts were called “ mou staches . Women worecurled mou s taches hanging down over the cheeks

,and reach ing to

the bosom . Servants and bou rgeoises met w i th great disfavour

when they wore mou staches l ike young ladies.

”

From the t ime

'

of the Fronde,many Frenchwomen had con

t inued very part ial to patches . A poet,wri t ing under the name

of La Bonne Fai seu se,” says

Tel galant qu i vous fait la n ique,S’

il n’

est pris aujourd ’hui, s’y trou ve pris demainQu’ il soit indifferent ou qu’ il fasse le vain,A la fin la mouefie le pique .

” 5

However a gallant may slight you,I f not to -day, he w il l be caught to -morrow ;Whe ther he be indifferent or conce itedIn the end the fly (moue/ze) stings him.

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1 3 6 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Francois Colletet exclaims in Les Tracas de Paris

Mais considere leur pat inQui d

’

un demi-pied les eleve .

And Regnard

Lise veut etre grande en dép it de nature.

While Voltaire adds, more recent ly

Vous aurez maussades actrices,Moit ié femme et moitié pat in .

” 9

Among the best shoemakers for ladies were Raveneau,Rue des

Cordel iers ; Vernon, Cou teaux, Gaborry, Rue des Fossés—St .Germain ; Bisbot, Rue Dauphine ; Sulphour, Rue St . Severin .

The Shoemaker Des Noyers,Ru e St . Anne

,only made very neat

shoes,

and charged a gold lou is for them,from which we may

conclude that those of a more elegant sort were excessive ly dear.

The t ight stays, so inj uriou s to health, were adopted by the

ladies of the seventeenth century, and to conceal the discomfortoccasioned by them,

fans were in constant use ; these were beaut i

fu lly painted and mounted in wood,mother-of—pearl

,ivory

,Steel,

or gold .

In 1 656, Chri st ina of Sweden,while j ourneying through

France,astonished everybody by her eccentric it ies and the strange

ness of her dress . Some French ladies asked her op inion as to

whether they shou ld u se fans in summer as wel l as in winter.

The Q i een of Sweden repl ied, somewhat coarse ly“ I think no t ; you are windy enough as you are .

Bu t they u sed the ir fans in summer,Christ ina’ s advice

notwi thstand ing .

They also carried a sweet lemon in the left hand,and occa

sionally set the ir tee th in it,so as to redden the ir l ips .

Bu t just think of their pattensWh ich raise them half a foot .”

Tal l Lise will be, despite of nature .

You w il l have c lumsy actresses,

Half woman and half patten .

”

REIGN OF LOUIS X IV.

From 1 660 to 1 680 there was l i t t le material alterat ion in fem i

n ine at t ire . There were, however, a few changes in minor de tai ls .

The long pointed bodices, the short sleeves, and the fu l l Skirts

tucked up over narrower pet t icoat s, remained in fash ion. Scarfs

reappeared frequent ly. Masks had no t been given up ; and mu ffs,that were very general ly worn, often served to carry abou t l i t t ledogs. Dog—mu ffs were sold in the shops .

A n unexpected variat ion took place in head—dresses . The

Duchesse de Fontanges was present at one of the royal hunt ing

part ies, when a gust of wind blew her head-dress aside ; she t ied

it in its place wi th her ribbon—garters, the ends fal l ing over her

forehead . Lou is XIV . was del ighted w i th this curiou s,improvised

,

and,so to speak, historical invent ion, which was due to a mere

chance. It was consequent ly adopted by the lad ies of the court,

in the first instance, and afterwards by the Paris ian bourgeoises,

under the name of “ co iffure a la Fontanges.

”

Imagine a framework of cap-wire,at least hal f a yard in height

,

d ivided into several t iers, and covered wi th bands of mu sl in,

ribbons, chen ille , pearls, flowers,aigret tes

, Sec .

Each separate part of the wondrou s structure -had its own

appe l lat ion, viz . the sol itary one,the duke

,the duchess

, the

Capuch in, the cabbage, the asparagu s, the cat,the organ—pipe

, the

first or second sky, and the mou se . The last named was a l it t lebow of nonpare il, fixed in the mass of frizzed hair that wasarranged below the curled fontange .

Une palissade de ferSou t ient la superbe structure

Des hau ts rayons d ’une coiffureTel, au temps de calme sur mer,Um vaisseau porte sa mature.

” 1

If a woman only moves, the edifice trembles and seems abou tto fal l .” Bu t ne ither the diflicu lty of the ir construct ion, nor the

1 A stockade of wireSupports the supurb struc ture

Of the lofty head-dressEven as in t ime of calm upon the sea,

A vesse l bears its masts.

”

1 3 8 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

care requ ired for their preservat ion,prevented women from

wearing these things .Y et the king disapproved, and for a few months after the death

ofMme . de Fontanges the ladies of the court submi tted to h is

taste, after that interval they followed the ir own .

For thirty y ears those gigant ic heads held their place at

V ersail les,under the eyes of the old monarch who pro tested in

vainagainst towering head- dresses .

There were t ignons,”

or torsades, in many plai ts,to annoy

h is majesty there was the passagére, a bunch of curls on the

temples ; the favorite,

a c lu ster fal l ing on the cheek ; cruches,

”

l it t le curls on the fore part of the head confidants,”

S t il l smallerones near the ears ; and “

creve—coeurs,two curls on the nape of

the neck .

Each day brought forth some new complicat ion . When was a

l im it to be reached ?

Two Engl ish lad ies,w i th the ir hair worn low

,having been

presented at the Versai l les court in 1 7 1 4,-

‘Lou is XIV. said to the

wives of his cou rt iers,

“ If Frenchwomen were reasonable be ings,they wou ld at once

give up the ir ridicu lous’

head- dresses, and wear the ir hair in the

Engl ish fash ion .

”

Notw ithstanding the ir Sp iri t of insurbordinat ion, how cou ld the

court lad ies bear to be cal led ridicu lou s,

”

espec ial ly by the ir king ?

They went from one ex treme to the o ther ; and the desire to

im itate the Engl ish ladies induced them to do that which the

king ’ s au thori ty had fai led to obtain from them . They very

soon made the ir appearance in the k ing ’ s c irc le wi th the ir hair

dressed low . The poet Chau l ie u ment ions the fac t

Paris cede a la mode et change ses parures ;Ce peuple im itateur e t singe de la cour

A commence’ depuis nu j our

D’

humilier enfin l’

orgueil de ses co iffures.

” 2

2 Paris y ie lds to fash ion,and changes its adornments

This people, given to imitation, and copyist o f the court,

Has begun a day sinceTo pul l down the pride of its head-dresses.

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1 40 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

Opera of T/zet z'

s et Pelee. This was a del icate compl iment, and it

was apprec iated and copied .

A l l nove lt ies in j ewe llery were a la S te inkirk . The fash ion

of the cravat s did no t last long, bu t was revived later in the Shape

of “ fichus,

”

or three- cornered si lk neckerch iefs, trimmed wi th

lace,gold fringe

,or gold and si lver thread.

Another fash ion was derived from war Cremonas, or l igh t

trimmings e ither pu ffed or plai ted, and sewn to both edges of a

ribbon, made the ir appearance in 1 7 0 2 . They were intended to

commemorate Prince Eugene’ s entry into Cremona

,where the

Maréchal de V illero i was made prisoner

In 1 684, women st i l l wore u nder—skirt s trimmed with falbalas

or bands of p lai t ings, or pu ffs e i ther placed high up or low down

on the skirt— and upper gowns wi th long trains, l ike those of

1 668 bu t the bodice of the same colour as the train,was made

with a small basqu e cu t away in front . It was half open,and

disc losed a braided stomacher, above which was a chemiset te of

fine mu sl in or lace, or a folle t te, a very l ight kind of fichu .

Sleeves were no longer pu ffed, bu t were worn c lose fit t ing,w i th

a lace fri ll .Roset tes in sat in ribbon were ou t of fashion. Amadis sleeves

were seen for the first t ime in the s tage dresses of Amadis eles

Getulee, an opera, of wh ich the mu s ic was by Lu ll i, and the words

were by Q i inau lt . They had been designed by the Cheval ier

Bern in for Mdl le . le Rochois,in order to

'

conceal the ugliness of

her arms .Hal f dress, or négl igé,

” consisted of a black gown, black

adjuncts, and a white apron . Widows dressed in whi te .

Ano ther kind of S leeve, covering the arm,was called the

Janseni st,in al lu s ion to the severe moral s of the Port Royal is t s

,

who were always warring against insu fli cient or l ight clothing.

The hair was dressed in art ist ical ly arranged curls,beneath a

coif of moderate he ight , no t u nl ike a hollow toque,generally

speaking goffered, and made e i ther of starched musl in or

magnificent lace .

There were many sort s of caps,wi th hanging lappets, or

REIGN OF LOUIS X IV . 1 4 1

one lappe t or “ jardini ere . Wasps or bu t terfl ies made of bril l iants,says Boursau lt

,

Paraissaient vo l tiger dans les che veux des dames.

There was al so a fash ionable head- dress, placed at the back of

the head,and showing the car ; this was cal led the “

effrontée,”

or barefaced .

”

The costume was completed by a necklace,the inevi table fan,

and the high- heeled shoes that are charac terist ic of a whole epoch

in dress .On the occasion of the be tro thal of the daughter of Monsieur

with the Due de Lorraine,the Du chesse de Bourgogne wore on

the firs t day a gown of S ilver t i ssue,with gold flowers, tou ched

with a l i t t le flame- colour and green,and in her hair the finest

of the crown diamonds . The next day her gown was of grey

damask, with silver flowers,and she wore diamonds and emeralds .

Mademoise l le wore a coat of gros de Tours richly embroidered in

gold ; her skirt, of si lver t issue, was embroidered in gold tou ched

wi th flame- colour. She wore a splendid se t of diamonds,and

a mant le of gold point d’

ESpagne, six yards and a hal f long,

and her train was carried by the Grand Duchess . Ano ther t ime

her coat and skirt were both of c loth of si lver, all laced with

silver. H er jewel s were diamonds and ru bies .“ Towards says Michele t

,

“the women of the t ime no

longer Show the c lassic features of a N inon,or a Montespan

,nor

the rich deve lopment that they so freely displayed. Bu t the

devil was no l oser. If backs and shou lders are concealed from

our gaze, the smal l port ion that we are perm i t ted to admire,and

that'

is, as it were, offered to our inspec t ion,is bu t the more

at tract ive . There is a sort of audac i ty abou t the uncovered brow,

the hai r drawn back so as to Show its every root, the high comb,

or diadem -cap, that seems l itt le in harmony wi th the soft and

childish features of the day. This childishness,so devoid of

innocence, comb ined w i th the mascu l ine Ste inkirk, gives them the

appearance of pets of the seragl io, or of impudent pages who havestolen women’ s garments .”

3 Seemed to flutter in the lad ies’ hair.

1 4 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

For a long t ime the art is t Mignard enj oyed the pleasant

monopoly of paint ing portrai t s of the court lad ies,and these

Madonnas of his were so completely the rage, that the Versail les

ladies wished to be dist ingu ished by the ir “ m ignarde ” faces ;they endeavoured to ob tain “ m ignardise ” of express ion

,they

smiled “m ignardement , and pu t on l it t le “ mignard ” affecta

t ions . The word became part of ou r language,and was u sed

wi th great frequency in the compl imentary talk addressed to

women.

Mignard was su cceeded by a painter called Largilliere ; and

mignardise ” began to give way to a colder and simpler style,though s t il l somewhat t inged wi th affec tat ion . Mme . de Main

tenon on one occas ion wore a gown of dead- leaf damask, qu i te

plain, a head-dress “en bat tant l ’ce il

,

”and a cross composed

of fou r d iamonds on her neck— a cross a la Maintenon. The

quasi-queen having thu s set the fash ion of ve ils and grim coifs, all

her faithfu l followers looked l ike heaps of black and sombre

materials .

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CHAPTER XV I .

REIGN OF LOUIS X IV. (CONTINUED).

1 70 5 To 1 7 1 5 .

Painted faces—Reply of a Turk ish ambassador- Ineffec tual cri tic ism—Mme . Tu i care t’

s

“pre tintailles

” — Mme. Bonne t ’s laws u i t — Brocaded matefials Andriennes”

Criardes ”— Re turn of “ hoops ” and pan iers—A sai lor’ s leap—Ac tresses’ pan iers,and the Greek head-dress—Mme . de Létorieres—D

’

Hele arrives frozen at the CaféProcope

—Waterproo fs—F inish ing touches—Fans and fan-makers in the seventeenthcentury—What Mme . de S tael-Holste in thought of fans—Transit ion .

TH E women of this district (Versai l les), writes La Bruyere,hasten the dec l ine of the ir beau ty by the u se of artifices which

they imagine will increase the ir charms ; they‘

paint the ir l ips,

cheeks, eyebrows, and shou lders, and l iberally display them as

we l l as the ir bosom,arms

,and ears . If by the fau lt of natu re

women became such as they make themse lves by art,that i s to

say, i f the ir complexion suddenly lost all its freshness, and looked

as fiery and leaden as they make it by’

the use of rouge and pain t,they wou ld be inconsolable .

”

A nd he adds “ If the ir wish is to

be pleasing to men,if it is for the men ’s sake that they lay on the ir

white and red paint, I have inqu ired into the mat ter,and I can

tel l them that in the opinion of men,or at least of the great

majority,the use of whi te paint and rouge makes them hideous

anddisgu s t ing ; and that rouge,by i tself, both ages and disgu ises

them.

”

Th is reminds us of the reply of a Turkish ambassador who,on

be ing quest ioned as to the beauty of Frenchwomen,said

,I am

no judge of paint ing .

”

La Bruyere crit ic ized sharply ; while Fénelon, with characterist icgent leness

,pointed ou t that the elegant simpl ic ity of the ant iqu e

races was far more favourable to beau ty than the fashions of the

1 44 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN ‘ FRANCE.

day, which were tending more and more‘ to affectat ion and over

ornament .

While moral ists were thu s test ifying against the ir interpretat ion

of the art of pleasing, women cont inued perseveringly to“ im

prove upon Nature,”and load themse lves wi th pre tent iou s finery .

They sneered,l ike the men

,at the Abbe de V assetz

’

s“ Traité

contre le Luxe des Coiffures,”

and at the sat irical prints on

extravagant dress .Exaggerat ion robbed the t ight -fit t ing bodices of all grace ; and

pretintailles,”

enormou s cu t - ou t pat terns laid on to skirts of a

different colour, made the dress unbearably heavy. There was an

ex traordinary variety of nomenclature in the fashions of the re ign

of Lou is XIV . The au thor of d t tendez -moz’

mus l’

Orme,a come

diet ta in one act,performed in May 1 694 , pu ts the fol lowing

remark into the mou th of one of his characters,Agatha

,a

farmer’ s daugh ter“How c lever the Pari s lad ies mu st be to invent such pre t ty

names ! ”

To which Pasqu in,the valet , replies,

Malapeste ! The ir imaginat ion is l ively enough ! Every

fashion they invent is to conceal some defect . Falbala h igh up

for those who have no hips ; lower down for those who have too

mu ch . Long necks and fl at chest s brought in the Ste inkirk ; and

so it i s wi th every thing .

The cri t ics were in the righ t,bu t let u s adm it that women were

no t in the wrong .

On what grounds did the form er at temp t to l imit femin ine

caprice ? Cri t ic ism is easy ; the art of pleasing is much more

difficu lt .

Large cu t - ou t patterns laid on a dress were cal led pert intailles

or“pret intailles. Lesage ment ions them as a new thing in

Turmret

“ I am always eager after new fashions,says Mme . Turcare t .

I have them all sent to me ( in the country) immediately after

they come ou t,and I flat ter myself that I was the first to wear

pret intailles in the town of Valognes .

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1 46 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

The “pretintaille cont inued to encroach .

A “ devanteau , or apron , was somet imes pretintaillé to

such an extent,that the bigge st p iece was no larger than the

palm of the hand . Falbalas were pre t intaillés,”for instance, by

pu t t ing on first a red,then a green

,then a yel low one, and

then al ternat ing the above colours. Flounces were pretintailles

in four or five colours first,a green one

,then -

yel low, red, blu e,and white su ccess ive ly .

When the fash ion of pretintailles” firs t came in

,Mme .

Bonnet ’s dressmaker brought an act ion agains t her for t he sum

of 80 0 l ivres, the cost of mak ing a“pret intaille sk irt, and

gained her cau se . Mme . Bonnet was condemned in cos ts . The

bargain had been made at one denier for every yard of sewing .

After the rage for “

pret intailles had passed away,materials

w i th large brocaded pat terns in gold or colours came into fashion,and gowns resembled window- cu rtains . Kno ts of ribbon were

fixed on the tu cked -up Skirts ; bu t these again were succeeded by

andriennes,

or long,loose

,open dresses, l ike those worn by the

ac tress Marie Carton Dancourt in Terence ’s Andrienne .

”

For a long t ime past women who w ished to show off a slender

waist had been wearing criardes,or dress—improvers of st iffened

linen . In 1 7 1 1 the vertugad ins came again into fash ion under the

name of hoops and “ paniers .Certain au thors contend that hoops first made the ir appearance

in Germany,whence they found their way to England, and then

returned “

to the Cont inent by way of France . Paniers were bu t

revived vertugadins,of exaggerated size .

The noi se made by the s t iffened l inen,when pressed against

ever so l ight ly,ob tained for them the expressive name of

No matter who invents it,

So that it is extravagant,Good taste y ields to it,

La, la, la, & c .

B u t it d isappearsAlmost as soon as it appears,For all changes and w i l l change ,

La, la, la, & c .

REIGN OF LOUIS X IV . 1 4 7

criardes . Paniers were so called becau se they resembled

cages,or pou ltry- baske ts . The ir framework was open, and the

hoops of s traw,cord

,cane, or whalebone were fastened together

by tapes .

Small women, wi th these paniers on them,were as broad as

they were long, and looked at a dis tance l ike moving bal ls . A t

the concert in the grand recep t ion- room,Mdlle . du Maine

,who

was wearing enormou s paniers, placed hersel f too near the queen,

and incommoded her so much that her majesty cou ld no t bear

it in s ilence . In order to prevent the recurrence of such incon

venience, it was ordered that thenceforth the princesses shou ld not

draw the ir seats so near the qu een, nor on the same l ine w ith her

armchair.

Coopers and basket -makers undertook the manu facture of dress

improvers . In vain were these art icles railed against ; they pre

vai led over sat ire of every kind . Paniers were the ru in of homes,

the dread of husbands,and the m isery of passers -by.

Paniers for morning wear were cal led considerations.

If we may be l ieve M . Emile de la Bédolliere, a writer on

fash ions in France, one Panier, a maitre des requ étes,”was

drowned on the passage from Mart in ique to Havre , H i s name

became a catch—word ; and lad ies amu sed themselve s by asking

each other as they displayed the ir dress,

How do you l ike my maitre des requétes

The jest produced laughter,bu t the wit is open to crit icism .

Paniers,however, remained in fashion, and even increased in

s ize . In vain did men protest against them . There is a story

told of a sai lor,who

,meet ing two ladies in the c i ty of Pari s whose

paniers took up the whole wid th of the s tree t,found it was

impossible to ge t past them . Pride forbade him to turn back,

and in a moment he had taken a flying leap over paniers andladies, to the admirat ion and applau se of the spectators of both

sexes .An actress, who was mak ing her first appearance in the characterof a princess betro thed to a king of Sparta

,appeared on the stage

in a panier five yards and a half in c ircumference,under a sk irt

L 2

1 48 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

of si lver gauze . This was trimmed wi th puffs of gold gauze and

pink crape, edged wi th blue jet, and with bouquet s of roses

scattered here and there . The under—skirt was of p ink silk .

Trai l ing garlands of roses were fastened on by sashes of fringed

ou t cloth of silver. The train dragged six yards on the floor.

Handsome si lver embroidery, m ingled with white roses,bordered

the gown ; the sleeves were half- long, draped l ike the skirt, and

caught up w ith diamond but tons, over p ink silk l ike that of the

sl ip . H er brace let s were of ru bies and diamonds, and above

the pan ier was a belt of “ s trass,

”or imitat ion diamonds and

rubies .

H er hair was dressed in what the celebrated hair- dresser Herain

was pleased to cal l the Greek style . A quant ity of hair, frizzed

into the shape of a pyramid upside down,was framed in roses,

gems,and silver gau ze . A regal crown surmounted the whole,

and a long ve il hung down to the edge of the gown. The ve i l was

“avapeur d ’argent,”that is

,of very l ight gau ze covered with gold

spangles ; on the left s ide was an enormou s clu ster of pink and

whi te feathers,topped by a gigant ic heron.

This extraordinary at t ire was completed by gloves from

Mart ials ; white silk stockings wi th pink and s i lver c locks,and

shoes to match, w ith hee ls at least three inches in he ight .

Lou is XIV . presented Mdlle . de Brie and Mme . de Mol iere

wi th the mant les worn by them in the comedy of the Sic il ien.

”

This was an addit ional reason for actresses to be inc luded among

the queens of fashion . Did they no t rece ive present s from

the king ?

It i s hard to bel ieve, bu t members of the s terner sex

also y ielded to the fasc inat ion of hoops . They, too,had the ir

paniers,consist ing of whalebones fit ted into the w ide basques of

the ir coats .M . de Létori eres had “

a straw—coloured watered si lk c oat,faced with a dark green material Shot w ith gold ; a green and

gold Shou lder knot (aigu illet te), and a set of large and smal l

crystal opal bu t tons set in brill iants, as al so was the handle of his

sword ; h is hair was arranged in two wav ing locks powdered

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1 50 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Let us pic ture to ourse lves,wrote Mme . de S tae l to a friend

,

at a later period,

“ let us pictu re to ourselves a most charming

woman,splendidly dressed, gracefu l and graciou s in the highest

degree : yet i f with all those advantages she manages her fan in

a bourgeoise way, she may at any moment become a laughing

stock . There are so many ways of playing wi th that prec iou sappendage

,that by a mere movement of the fan one can tel l

a princess from a countess,a marchioness from a plebe ian . A nd

theh it imparts su ch gracefu lness to those who know how to

manage it ! Twirl ing, c los ing, spreading, ris ing or fall ing, according to c ircumstance !

Mme . de Stael carefu l ly abstains from describing fans as adop tedfor the “

chast isement of wives and daugh ters .” A monstrou s

innovat ion, probably, in her opin ion .

There is a scarcely percept ible trans it ion between the re ign of

Lou is XIV . and that of Lou is XV .

Mme . de Maintenon ’ s influence,which had cau sed a momentarv

ecl ipse in the bril l iant costumes of Versai l les, soon passed away,and the passion for the most eccentri c novelt ies became stronger

than ever, at court, in the palaces of princes, and in the salons of

the l aurgeoisz'

e.

CHAPTER XVI I .

RE IG N O F LOU I S XV .

1 7 1 5 T0 1 774»

The Regency—W ar is declared against pan iers—The Oratorian Duguet—Op inion of the“ Journal de Verdun -Various publ icat ions ag ainst pan iers—Lines by VoltaireWhale -fishery company— Paragraph from the “ Journal de Barb ier —Mmes . Jaucourt,De Se ine, De l isle, C la iron , andHus—Lines in pra ise ofcorsets—New bod ices Colouredprints are forb idden Perses ” or Persiennes ’ —Bagnole tte Adjuncts of dressnecklaces, rid icules, andpoupottes—

‘

Contents of a patch-box—A sermon by Massfl lon

Les mou ches de Marn i/on , or Massi l lon ’s patches—E lles (12 M ade, Fash ion g irls—Somepassing fash ions—Powder remains in fash ion Monte -au-c ie l —S imply made gowns—The first cachem ire .

IT is impossible to draw any l ine with regard to fash ion between

the Regency of the Duke of Orleans and the re ign of Lou i s XV .

Both the regent and the king appear to have acted on the same

Bo th y ielded the empire of fash ion

into the hands of women, withou t at temp t ing to exerc ise the

mot to : “Al l for pleasure .

almost absolu te sway of Lou is XIV . over dress, even when no t of

an oflicial character, and women ru led wi th a high hand,and for

no small Space of t ime . The poe t Destouches pu t s the following

l ines into the mou th of one of the characters in L’

Homme

Singu l ier

Je fais mon plus grand so in du so in de me parer,

Rien ne me flatte plus qu’

une mode nou vel le .

” 1

Both sexes proved him to have been in the right,by indu lging

all the ir personal fanc ies and predilec t ions .During the Regency of the D uke ofOrleans

,dress was essent ially

l ight in material ; gowns were made wi th basqu e bodies, pagoda

sleeves,and trimmed with kno ts of ribbon, or chicorées

,

”or even

1 My chiefest concern is the care of my att ireNothing pleases me more than a new fashion .

1 5 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

w ith art ific ial flowers . The hair is dressed e ither a la cu lbu te

or a la dogu ine .

”

Enormou s paniers were worn in the re ign of Lou is XV . they

came_into fashion in 1 7 1 8, and were very c leverly constructed .

Few lad ies were found to obj ect to them,although in walking

they occupied a space,from left to righ t

,of qu ite six feet, the ir

circumference be ing at least e ighteen .

W ar was, however, declared against pan iers, ju st as in former

t imes against vertugadins ; the c lergy espec ially at tacked them

violent ly .

An Oratorian named Dugu et publ ished a “Trait é de l’Indécence

des Paniers .” After many phrase s w ide of the mark, we come

to the following, which seems to be the best argument of all

against pan iers : “ This fash ion i s owned, even by those who are

mos t devoted to it,to be very inconvenient . Paniers are most

uncomfortable,both for the wearer and for every one e lse .

”Bu t

ladies heard the Oratorian and heeded no t, anymore than they had

heeded an edic t which, during the madness indu ced by Law ’ s

specu lat ions, had forbidden them to wear jewe ls or diamonds, for

fear they m ight be exchanged for shares or notes of the M iss iss ippi

Bank .

The “Journal de Verdun, October, 1 7 24 , wri tes in the same

sp iri t as Pere Duguet : “ In former t imes mothers u sed to take

exceeding pains that the ir daught ers shou ld have slender and

supple waist s ; bu t at the present day the vertugadins of Spain

and Italy have been introdu ced into France under the name of

paniers ; th is is a fashion conduc ive to false modes ty . But the

ladies in this instance,also

,heard and heeded no t

,and the “Journal

de Verdu n after a t ime discont inued its at tacks .

Many cases of consc ience were argued ou t between Jesu i ts and

Jansenis ts on the subject of pan iers . One member of the Soc ie ty

of Jesu s wro te a l it t le work cal led L’Entretien d ’une Femme de

Q i alité avec son D irecteur sur les Paniers .” It was.

publ ished in1 7 3 7 , and i s a very scarce and curiou s l i t t le book .

An anonymou s pamphlet had been publ ished in 1 7 27 , ent i t led,Sat ire su r les Cerceaux, Paniers, Criardes , e t Manteaux Volant s

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1 54 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

su ch as paniers a guéridon, o r ext ingu isher shape ; and “ a

coudes,

”or

“elbow paniers, on which the e lbows m igh t be

supported .

The fashion prevai led so generally, that our trade w i th Holland

was materially augmented . In June, 1 7 2 2, the States—General

of the Netherlands au thori zed a loan of florins in support

of a company es tablished in East Friesland for the whale fishery,

the t rade in which increased dai ly by reason of the demand fo r

whalebone u sed in the construct ion of hoops for women .

”

W e see here that the resu lt of the polemical d iscu ss ions described

above was twofold . Paniers became a quest ion of interest to

Europe,and a source of profi t to Holland .

The “ Journal de Barbier ” observes : “ It will scarcely bebel ieved that the Cardinal de Noailles has been much exerc ised

w i th regard to the paniers worn by women under the ir sk irt s in

order to make them s tand ou t . They are so large, that when the

wearer s i ts down, the whalebones be ing pu shed fly up in an

ex traord inary manner, and armchairs have '

had to be constructed

expressly for them . The largest boxes at the theatre will nowhold only three women. The fash ion has been carried to an

extreme,and is consequent ly qu i te extravagant ; so much so, that

when the princesses take the ir seats bes ide the qu een,the ir skirts

rise up, and qu ite conceal those of her majesty . This appeared

l ike an impert inence, bu t it was difficu lt to find a remedy. A t

last,by d int of reflect ion, the cardinal invented an expedient

there shou ld always be one armchair left empty on each side of

the queen, who wou ld thu s be spared any inconvenience .

”

Mdlle . Jau court played the part of Galatea in Pygmal ion in

1 7 7 5, and wore a polonaise wi th pan iers, sat in s l ippers, and a

colossal “ pou f ” ornamented with green leaves, and surmounted

by three ostrich feathers . MM . de Beauvau , De Guéménée, De

Pompadour,and others

,had suppl ied her wardrobe . A great

number of the court ladies sent her beau t i fu l dresses, made by

themse lves,and worn at the Dauphin’ s marriage, that she m ight

appear in them on the s tage. Lou i s XV . presented her w ith atheatrical costume.

REIGN OF LOUIS xv. 1 55

In November, 1 7 2 1 , he had given Mme . de Seine,an actress

of the Comédie Francaise, a coat worth 80 0 0 francs . N inehundred ounces of s i lver were woven into the material .A t abou t the same t ime the Comte de Charolai s presented

Mdlle . Del isle wi th a costume of pure S ilver,worth 20 0 0 crowns,

in which She danced a pas in the bal le t of Pirithoiis.

Mdlles . Clairon and Hus,of the Comédie Francai se, gave up

wearing on the stage the awkward machine called a punter,”

and

a l it t le book was publ ished short ly afterwards, cal led Les Paniers

supprimés au Theatre .

”Some ladies of high rank followed the

example of the two celebrated ac tresses .Mdlles . Clairon and Hus had exerc ised more influence than

preachers,pamphleteers

,or j ou rnal ists !

Ac tuated by a hatred of paniers,a poetaster wro te in praise of

corsets,and women discarded one fol ly for another.

Est -il rien plus beau qu ’

nn corset,

Qui naturel lement figure,

Et qui montre comme on est faitDans le mou le de la nature ?

” 3

Thereupon women wore the bodice of their gowns t ight ly

drawn in at the wais t, and with busks that bru ised the chest of

the wearer.

Then again,as in 1 694 , sleeves were made flat, and trimmed

wi th frills . A new material was u sed for gowns,l i t t le bouque t s

printed or brocaded on a ground of si lk, marcel l ine, or sat in .

The arms were protected from the cold by a miniature muff and

warm furs .“ Robes volantes, or loose gowns w i thou t a belt

, came into

general use abou t 1 7 3 0 . For the most part they were made of

white or rose- coloured silk, espec ial ly for young girls, who also

often wore gauze or embroidered mu sl in frocks over a coloured

silk S l ip .

2 Is there anything more beau tifu l than a corset,

Which natural ly defines the figure,

And shows how one is madeIn the mou ld of nature i‘

1 56 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

A few years later, Christophe Phi lippe Oberkampf introdu ced

indiennes,

”or coloured print s, into France . On the ir firs t

appearance, su ch jealousy was excited in the variou s gu i lds,that

not only were those who manu fac tured them sent to the gal leys,

bu t women who ventured to wear these prints were l iable to a

fine on a mere accu sat ion . The examiners at the cu stom stat ions

were directed to remove by force the gown of any de l inquent , or

even to tear it in pieces wh ile on her back. It is d iffi cu l t in ou r

day to understand such severe treatment .

Before Oberkampf ’ s t ime, coloured cambrics from Ind ia,called

Perses or Pers iennes,

” becau se they came by way of Pers ia,were much worn . A beau t ifu l pers ienne was of more valu e than

a sil k gown . The most brill iant woman,perhaps, of the period

ent reated the French ambassador in Ru ssia to procure her a set

of furs and some perse . Y e t a while,and the purchase of a

gown wou ld have become an affair of s tate ; or the king might

have declared war in order to obtain a costume des ired by the

queen .

The hair was dressed en dorlot te (or pamper—fash ion), en

papillon ”

(or bu t terfly- l ike),“en verget te (or whisk- fash ion),

and “en deséspoir

”

(despair),“ équ ivoque ”

(su sp ic iou s -wise),and en tete de mou ton (Sheep

’ s head). A kind of curtain less

hood was worn, called a bagnolet te .

”

In summer,women wore the mant i l la, a varie ty of the scarf,

and in winter,furred pel isses, bu t toned from top to bo t tom .

They wore embroidered stock ings and wh ite shoes with high heels,

as previou sly . The ambi t ion of all was to have the smallest

possible shoes ; and women contrived, as it were, to manu facture

feet for the ir shoes, in im itat ion of Camargo, the dancer,whose

Shoemaker amassed a large fortune . Parasols,or sunshades

,were

no t made to c lose ; umbre llas,on the contrary, were made to fold

and shu t .

Among the accessories of dress were necklaces, bags or re t icu les,

pers istent ly called rid icu les,

”

poupo t tes,”

or horsehair pocket s

which the bourgeoises wore fastened to the ir gowns,eyeglasses

mounted in gold and enamel, gold needle- cases,tablets set in

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1 5 8 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

or the court of Versai lles, withou t what was cal led an oeil, or

sl ight sprinkling of powde r.

The “ filles de mode,”

as fash ionable mill iners were called in

the e ighteenth century, had no l ight du t ies to perform . It was a

seriou s task to dress a lady of qual i ty from head to foo t . They

had to carry ou t the ideas that orig inated with the queens of soc iety .

According to Mme . de Lespinasse, the prim Mme . du Deffant

was the best mill iner of her day,”

that i s, her taste in composing

an irreproachable costume was superior to all others,and the

greatest coquet tes cop ied the fashions seen in her drawing- room.

In “ La Mode,”

a comedy in three acts by Mme . de Staal,a

marqu is is made to say,“ Y ou need only hear an account of our day ! In t he morn ing

,

discu ssions with workpeople and tradespeople over the cho ice of

our dress ! A nd what trouble do we not take to secure the last

nove lty, to choose all that is in the best taste,and to avo id any

prej ud ice concerning a part icu lar fash ion Next comes the

excessive labour of making our to i le t,w i th all the at tent ion

necessary to ensu re be ing wel l dressed

The Comtesse de Mai l ly ret ired to rest every night wi th her

hair dressed,and wearing all her d iamonds . She u sed to call her

tradespeople her l i t tle cat s .

H igh head- dresses came into fash ion again for a short t ime,

during the re ign of gigant ic pan iers, and were worn with powder.

It took a whole day to complete one of those monuments of the

capillary art,which were of such enormou s size , that accord ing to

“Le Mercure de France ” of 1 7 3 0 , ladies cou ld no t sit in the ir

coaches,bu t were obliged to kneel .

The irwoolly whi te hair,

” says Lady Mary Wort ley Montague,

who visi ted Paris at the t ime, and fiery faces,make them look

more l ike skinned sheep than human be ings . ”

Mme . de Graffigny, the au thor of Lettres Péruviennes,

protested agains t the h igh head-dress . She wore her hair pow

dered,bu t c lose to her head and covered wi th a l itt le cap . This

l it t le cap was adopted by many women of rank,and for several

years was worn by all Frenchwomen . Women of the peop le st i l l

REIGN OF LOUIS XV . 1 59

wear round caps with two plai ted wings coming forward on the

temples,and cal led “ le bat en l

’

cxeil .” “ The bourgeoises have

retained,says Le Livre de la Couture,

” “the fu l l—crowned cap,

surrounded wi th ribbon twists o r bows,with two lappet s fall ing

over the chignon,and fri ll s of lace cu rving round the temples . ”

Some ephemeral fash ions were in troduced into France by thePol ish princess Maria Lecz inska, the wife of Lou is XV.

“ Hongrelines” were worn, and polonaises, or hongro ises

,

trimmed wi th brandebourgs ; and, in 1 7 29, embroidered man

t i l las of velve t and sat in l ined with ermine or o ther fur, the two

ends finished wi th handsome tassels,that were t ied behind the

wai st .The “ palat ine was thu s no longer a sol itary German fashion

on the banks of the Se ine .

Powder remained in vogue for more than hal f a century . No

dou bt the softness it conferred on the features,and the bril l iancy

it lent to the eyes, made it pleasing to everybody . It was st il l

worn in 1 7 60 , and again in 1 7 80 , and after the Revolut ion itreappeared under the D irectory in 1 795 .

There is no occasion,therefore, to speak of powder more

part icu larly . In 1 7 60 ,a lady wore powder

,bu t her hair was

drawn back a la Chinoise,”and on the summit was a smal l kno t

of coloured silk . She wore s tays, desp ite all that might be said

against them by the doctors and the crit ics ; and a fichu or

kerchief straight across the shou lders, and cal led a“ monte- au

c ie l .” She had a casaqu in ’

only garment a pe ignoir,”a loose robe no t confined at the waist ,

and fastened down the front with bows of ribbon . Round the

t hroat was a ru che of the same material as the dress ; the sleeves

or a caraco . She wore as her

extended to the wrist, where they became cons iderably wider, and

cou ld e ither be hooked up l ike those of French advocates at thepresent day, or were fin ished off with turned—back cu ffs .The first Indian shawl, or cachemire

,

” seen in our countrywas imported towards the end of the re ign of Lou is XV . It was

long the talk of both court and town,bu t no at temp t was made

to manufacture simi lar shawls in France .

1 60 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

A t the period we have now reached, the s implic i ty of women’ s

att ire contrasts with previou s styles; and is in harmony with the

seriou s tone of soc iety u nder Lou is XVI .A transformat ion in dress i s at hand . W e are abou t to see

ex traordinary and bril l iant fash ions adopted by ladies of rank, and

by those of the hau te bou rgeoisie,

”

bu t not fol lowed by the

middle c lasses, on account of the ir great cost . The gues ts at

Versail les andTrianon cou ld afford to dress a la mode, because

the ir wealth was immense and the ir extravagance bou ndless .

The re ign of lace ended wi th the e ighteenth century, for Lou is

XVI . cared lit t le for embro idery and finery

The drive to Longchamps in Holy Week afforded to the rich

an opportunity of display ing the splendou r both of the ir equ ipages

and the ir dress, and it has cont inued to ex ist to the present day.

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1 6 2 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

very h igh and w i thou t powder, and encircled by a ribbon that

kept thi s horrible tangle in its place . Th is style of head-dress,

somewhat modified, and redu ced to a“ demi-hérisson

,

”or hal f

hedgehog, was in fashion for several years .

Marie Antoinet te cont inued to invent new s tyles, su ch as

“jardin a l ’anglaise,

” parterre,

” “ forest,” “

enamelled meadows,

”

foaming torrents,

”8 m. How

’

many ridicu lou s names were given

to the invent ions of ladies endeavouring to im itate and surpass

the ir qu een ! The hair was dressed bu t terfly fashion,or

“ span iels ’ ears or“milksop

,

” or “ gu éridon,

”or commode,

”

or“ cabriolet

,or mad dog

,

”

or“ sportsman in a bu sh,

” by

t u rns.

A t the clubs or in the publ ic gardens, every one talked in

raptu res of the ach ievements ofLeonard, Academic ian in co iffures

and fash ions,”and those of Mdlle . Bert in

,a mil l inerwho at a later

period del ivered herse lf as fol lows

The last t ime I worked with the queen, we dec ided that the

new caps shou ld no t come ou t for another -week .

”

A d idac t ic mode of expression Turgot or Necker cou ld nothave spoken more solemnly . It is true that Mdlle . Bert in ’s fame

had spread throughou t Europe .

In the coiffure ala Dauphine the hair was cu rled,and then

drawn up from the forehead, fall ing at the back of the head ; that

called monte- au -c ie l was of enormou s size .

In 1 7 65, caps were worn ala Gertrude,so called from the

opera- com ique [54 55 113 ai Gertrude, by Favart and Blaise ; and

in 1 7 68, caps ala mo issonneu se (the reaper)and ala glaneu se

( the gleaner) came into fashion, cop ied from those worn in the

opera of the Maissonneurs, by Favart and Dun i . Head-dresses

named “ d’

apparat”

(or state head-dresses) or“ loges d ’opera ”

(opera—box head-dresses) were seventy-two inches in he ight ; theycame in in 1 7 7 2 . G luck ’ s Iphige

’

m’

e en Aulzde was performed in

1 7 74 . The s inger who took the part of Iph igenia wore, when

abou t to be sacrificed,a wreath of black flowers

,surmounted by a

silver crescent,and a long white ve il flow ing beh ind . Every lady

immed iately adopted the lugubriou s co iffure a l’

Iphigénie.

”

REIGN OF LOUIS XVI . 1 63

Now that we are on the su bject of theatricals, I may ment ion

that in 1 77 8, Devismes, the d irector of the opera, made it a ru le

that only head-dresses of moderate height might be worn in the

amphitheatre .

The comet of 1 7 7 3 gave its name to certain head-dresses, in

wh ich flame -coloured ribbons played a striking part ; in 1 7 74 a

quésaco head-dress was invented,

1consist ing in part of a large

bunch of plumes behind the head . A t court the “ pou f au

sent iment ” was mu ch in favour ; it was composed of variou s

ornaments fastened in the hair,viz . birds, bu t terfl ies, cardboard

Cupids, branches of trees, and even vegetables . Lou is Ph il ippe ’ s

mother wore a pou f” in which every ‘

one might admire the Due

de Beauj olais, her e ldest son,in the arms of h is nurse, a parrot

peck ing at a cherry, a l it t le negro,and variou s designs worked

with the hair of the Dukes of Orléans,Chartres

,and Penth ievre .

The coiffure a la Belle Pou le cons isted of a sh ip in fu ll sail,reposing on a sea of th ick curl s . In the Jeu des Costumes et desCoifl

'

uresdes Dames,”an imitat ion of the Royal Game ofGoose

,

”

the winning number, s ix ty-three, was assigned to the Bel lePou le .

”

The scaffolding of gauze,

flowers, and feathers was raised to

su ch a he ight that no carriages cou ld be found lofty enough for

ladies ’ use. The occupant s were obl iged e i ther to pu t the ir headsou t of the w indows, or to kneel on the carriage floor

,so as to

protect the fragile stru ctures . This seems l ike a retu rn to the

re ign of Lou is XV .

In a let ter addressed to the actors of the I tal ian Theatre,in

January 1 7 84 , by Lenoir, the l ieu tenant of pol ice, we read as

follows : “ There are constant complaints of the size of head

dresses and hats, which, be ing loaded with plumes, ribbons, andflowers, intercept the V iew of spec tators in the pit .

A number of caricatures,of which some —to the horror of all

monarch ists— actual ly reprodu ced the features of Marie Antoinet te,

were brough t ou t in rid icu le of the fashionable head -dresses.

This is a Provencal expression, meaning,

“What does it mean ? or

What is it all aboutM 2

1 64 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Hair-dressing was a diffi cu lt art,requ iring t ime and labour.

Country lad ies employed a resident female hair-dresser in the ir

hou se,by the year

,and on the occu rrence of any family fest ival

she wou ld be kept at work nearly the whole day.

In order to show the importance of this subject,we quote from

the “ Journal de Pari s of February 1 0 ,1 7 7 7 , to wh ich was added

a supplementary engraving wi th the following explanat ion

W e add to our issue of this day an engraving represent ing twodifferent dress ings of the hair, back and s ide v iews ; they are

drawn from nature by a clever art ist who has been k ind enough to

give us h is assistance . The figures 1 and 2 refer to one of these

methods,the figures 3 and 4 to the other.

“ If by this at temp t we su cceed in g iving pleasure to those

lad ies who are inc luded among our subscribers,we shal l be happy

to renew an expenditure that proves our zeal in the ir service .

”

No sat ire was intended by the above publ icat ion . The Jou rnal

de Paris was a grave product ion, and the print s it publ ished

were of moderate head-dresses,i f I may so express myse lf, of

no excessive he ight,powdered

,and such as m ight be worn by

bourgeoises wi thou t appearing extraordinary .

Besides the fash ions we have described,there were others from

1 7 74 to 1 7 89, v iz Grecques aboucles bad ines (or Greek withplayfu l ringlets), a l

’

ingénu e, a la conseilliére,’ l ’oiseau

royal,

” “ ch ien couchant,

” “ les parterres galant s,

” “ les caleches

retrou ssées,”

and many others, the descrip t ion of wh ich wou ld fil l

volumes .2

Marie Antoinet te cont inued to ru le the fashionable world ; nor

can we be surprised that the flat tery of court iership took up the

tale .

”

In honou r of Lou is XV I.

’s accession, hats were invented

under the name of del ights of the Augu s tan age,”

and a colou r

cal led queen’ s hair,of a pret ty blonde t int .

For many years a great rivalry had subs isted between the male

2 It w il l not assist the reader’s imaginat ion much to give the translation o f

these extraord inary names ; bu t here they are“the ingenuous maiden,

”

the counsel lor’s wife,” “the royal b ird,” dog ly ing down,

” “gallant pits,caleches with the hoods up.

”

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1 66 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

we,too

, are eng ineers so far ; a crescent advantageou sly placed by

us is hard to contend against, and it se ldom happens that theenemy does not surrender at discretion ! A lady ’ s hair- dresseri s,as it were

,the first offi cer of the toilet and under his

art ist ic hands,am id h is art is t ic influences

,does the rose expand

and acqu ire her most bri ll iant beau ty .

”

The conclu sion to be drawn is that wig-makers and the ir

assistant s are evident ly unfit to dress the hair of women .

The law proceedings, however, d id no t prevent the compe t it ion

of wig-makers and female hair- dressers,even at the period when

all trade gu i lds were suppressed .

“ The to ilet of the queen of France was a masterpiece of

et iquet te,according to Mme . Campan ; everything was done by

ru le the lady of honour and the lady of the bedchamber were both

present,ass isted by the firs t dresser

,and two others who did the

principal part of the service ; bu t there were d ist inct ions to be

observed . The lady of the bedchamber (dame d’

atours) pu t on

the queen ’ s pet t icoat and handed her gown, the lady of honour

poured ou t water for wash ing the royal hands, and put on the

queen’ s chemise .

”

Marie Antoinett e carried the fashion of panaches or plumes

to an extreme . If we may bel ieve Sou lavie’

s memoirs o f the

period, “ when Marie An toinet te passed through the gallery at

Versai l les, one cou ld see nothing bu t a forest of waving plumes a

foo t and a half h ig her than the ladies ’ heads .” The king’ s aunt s,

who cou ld not make up the i r m inds to fol low such extraordinary

fashions,nor to copy the queen

’ s dress day by day, u sed to call

her feathers ornaments for the hair.

”

The maj ority of the cou rt ladies, however, imitated the

queen .

Hat s and caps were so overladen w ith feathers, that not only

were coaches too small to contain the plumed dames of the period,

bu t ladies were fain to bend the ir heads in the “entresols of

certain su ites of rooms, becau se of the lowness of the ce il ings .Neverthe less,

” says a lady of the court , “ it was a fine s ight

to see that forest of plumes in the Versai lles Gal lery, waving with

REIGN OF LOU IS XV I . 1 6 7

the least breath of air. It looked l iked amoving garden of brigh t

coloured flowers, gent ly caressed by the zephyrs .There was

,however, a party in opposit ion . According to

Mme . Campan, mothers and hu sbands grumbled,and there was

a general feel ing that the queen wou ld ru in all the French ladies . ”

Bu t d iscontent and crit i cism were vain ; Fashion as u sual had her

way, and feathers somet imes fe tched as much as fifty lou is ( 1 2 50

francs) apiece .

Generally speaking, the smal lest caprices of Marie Antoinette

were rece ived as law by the ladies of the court . When,on the

occasion of the birth of one of her ch ildren,her beau t i fu l fair hair

was cu t o ff,and she consequent ly adop ted a coiffure basse

,

”

the “ coiffure a l ’enfant,”

or baby ’s head-dressing, immediately

became the rage . No one cou ld be found to say a word against

it,nor to hesi tate at sacrific ing her hair to the prevai l ing fash ion .

There were,nevertheless

,many s tyles of dressing the hair:

“au

plais ir des dames ( the ladies’ pleasure), a l

’

urgence (the

urgent), and “ a la paresseu se ”

( the idle). A t the same t imevariou s hat s came into fash ion

,viz . the “

art iste ( the art ist), thegrandes prétent ions,

”

(great pretensions), the“bandeau d ’amou r

(the bandeau of love), the Carme l ite,

”the “ lever de la re ine

(Queen’ s lever), the novice de Cythére ( the Cy therean novice),

and the ‘

iprétresse de Vénu s”

( the priestess of Venus). The

hat a la révolte was so cal led in allu sion to the Flou r warfare,

or Grain disturbances, under Turgot .

WhenMarie Antoinet te took a fancy for playing at shepherdessesand a so -called rural l i fe at Trianon

, the great lad ies of Versail les

dressed their hair ala lait iere (milkmaid) and a la paysannede la . cour (court peasant). The Parisians

,on the contrary

,wore

su ccess ive ly hats “a la Suzanne (from Le Mariage d’e Figaro),

“ a la Randon ”

(from Bayard, a play by Monve l), and “a la

diademe,

”or turban- shaped .

In the early summer of 1 7 7 5, the queen made her appearance ingown of a k ind of chestnu t -brown

,and the king said laugh ingly

,

That pu ce (flea) colour becomes you admirably .

”

The next day every lady at the cou rt wore a price-colou red

1 68 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

gown,old puce

,young puce ventre de pu ce (flea

’

s bel ly),dos de puce (fl ea

’

s back), 85 C.

As the new c olour did not soi l easily, and was therefore less

expensive than l ighter t ints,the fash ion of puce gowns was

adop ted by the bourgeoisie, and the dyers were unable to meet the

pressing requ irement s of the ir customers .

During the re ign of Lou is XVI . , many new colours were worn

e ither in combinat ion or success ively, such as pu ce,” rash tears,

“ Paris mud,” Carmel ite

,

“entraves de procureurs (procu reur

’ s

tricks), 85 0 . These were all qu iet colou rs, and were u sed for

simple costumes .

In 1 7 63 , the Opera Hou se was burnt down ; and the fine ladies

wou ld wear nothing bu t “ cou leur t ison d ’opera,

”or brand from

the opera ;”in 1 7 8 1 , they he ld to

“opera brulé,

” or burnt

opera-hou se . I shou ld find it difficu l t to describe these two

shades o therwise than as flame—coloured.

After the performance of f it/zalie at the Court Theatre,in

1 7 80 , women of fash ion wore the Jewish Levit ical tunic ; and

short ly after the opera of zi tys (by Q l inau lt and Lu ll i) had

resumed its place on the stage, they dressed the ir hair a la doux

somme i l (gent le slumber). Mme . Dugazon, in B lak e at Baaet ,an opera by Desede ( 1 7 83 wore a blue s ilk skirt shot wi th pink

,

and sho t silks became all the fashion In 1 7 86 the same ac tress

set the fash ion of caps “ 21 la N ina, from Dalayrac’

s opera of

that name . Coifl'

ures a la créole ” were worn nex t,made of

Madras handkerch iefs,l ike those in Kreu tzer’ s opera of Paul at

V irginia and last ly, hat s a la Primerose,

” from ano ther play of

Dalayrac’

s.

During many years of the reign of Lou is XV I.,the court of

Versai l les was ignorant of the very name of Oberkampf,

a

manu facturer who had at last ( 1 7 59) obtained permiss ion to

establ ish a factory of coloured prints (ind iennes) near Versai l les .A mere acc ident made h im suddenly famou s . A certain great

lady,whose Persian cambric was the envy of al l the princesses

,

had the misfortune to tear it . She hastened to the factory atJouy, and c laimed the help of Oberkampf

,who succeeded in h is

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1 70 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

waist of perfec t innocence ribbons of marked at tent ion, and

shoes of the queen’ s hair embro idered in diamonds,wi th the

venez—y-voir in emeralds . Her hair was curled in su stained

sent iment s,”a cap of assured conques t ” trimmed w ith waving

feathers and ribbons of “ sunken eye,”

a“cat

”or palat ine of

swans’—down on her shou lders of a colou r cal led newly-arrived

people ”

(parvenu s), a“ Médicis ” arranged “

as befit t ing,

”a

despair ”in Opal s

,and a muff of momentary agitat ion.

”

S ince that evening how many extraord inary costumes have been

displayed at the opera,and have at tracted the at tent ion of the

fair spectators !

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1 7 2 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

of every fash ion ; everything nowadays is ( a la Marlborough,

’

and all the ladies walk abou t the s treet s, or go to the play, wear

ing the gro tesque hat in which they are pleased to bury the ircharms, so great is the emp ire of nove lty .

”

Marie Antoine t te part ially revived the rage for fashions a la

Marlborough .

”

Four years later,Frenchwomen gave up the caps I have

ment ioned for straw bonne t s from I taly,which were immediate ly

pre ferred above all others,and which remained in fashion for

above a century . One m i l l iner wou ld choose a shape with

perpendicu lar crown,h idden under a mass of ribbon ; another

wou ld adopt an enormou s funne l - shaped brim,loaded wi th feathers

or flowers .

It has been calcu lated that in the cou rse of two years, from

1 7 84 to 1 7 86, the shapes of hat s were changed seventeen

t imes . There were some called hat - caps,

“chapeau -bonnet s

,

”

becau se the ir bal loon shape resembled a cap. There were smal l

c lose shapes in silk,

'

trimmed wi th feathers and flowers,worn on

one side of the head ; and soon afterwards there were very large

bonnet s a l’

amiral. W e read in the Journal des Modes deParis

,

”

1 7 85“ There is a hat on V iew at Mdlle . Fredin

’

s,

mill iner,at the sign of the ‘ Echarpe d’

Or (Golden Scarf), Rue

de la Ferronnerie, on which is represented a ship,with all her

rigging complete, and her battery of guns . A t Mdlle .

Q i ent in’

s, in the Ci té, there are pou f ’ hats composed of mil i tary

troph ies, the flags and drums arranged on the brim have a

charming effect .

’

Some hats were so enormou sly large that they

overshadowed the whole face l ike a parasol . A nd some aimed at

sat ire ; they were of black gauze, and called a la Caisse d’Es

compte,becau se they were withou t crowns (sans fond). Th is

referred to the wretched s tate of the publ ic treasu ry ; the Caisse

d’

Escompte having ju st su spended payment .

Gowns,whether of silk or of plain material

,cont inued to be

made open down the front,over an under- sk irt of another

colour ; bu t for a simple style of dress, both sk irt s might be al ike .

Gimp trimmings had been succeeded by ru ches of mu sl in or

REIGN OF LOUIS XV I . 1 7 3

lace, sewn to the edge of the dress, and arranged l ike flounces.

Sleeves were always t ight and short ; fans and bracelets, pearl

necklaces,and somet imes a watch, fastened at the side, were worn

also, and immense earrings a la créole,

”that had been first seen in

M irz a, a bal let by Gardel . Gowns were worn rather long, scarcelyreveal ing the sat in shoes with bu ckles

,and the smooth-drawn whi te

stockings .

W e may here recall the calembourg made by the Marqu i s

de Brévre to Marie Antoinet te : “Madame,

” said he,

‘ l ’uni

vert ( the un iverse) i s at your fee t .By way of compensat ion for the length of the skirt s

,bodice s

were cu t so low that the shou lders were V isible .

Pan iers were ou t Of date,bu t post iches had taken the ir place .

These post iches soon became so enormou s, that even young and

slenderwomen looked like towers of s i lk,lace, ribbon, andflowers .

Fashionable marqu ises wore sat in pel isses, wh ite, pink, or sky

blue,trimmed w ith ermine or min iver, and a mu ff in winter.

Occas ional ly,in a fit of simplic i ty

,they contented themselves

wi th a s ilk hat, and an elegant caraco,or a sat in mant le trimmed

w ith broad lace .

Somet imes,also

,they expressed the ir l iterary or pol it ical pro

clivit ies by the ir dress .The “ Philadelphia cap was intended to commemorate the

independence of the Un ited States,abou t the t ime of Frankl in ’s

vis it to Paris .The immense success of Le Mariage a

’a Figara effected a

change in the fashions,and the costume in which Mdlle . Emil ie

Contat had been applauded to the echo in the part of Suzanne

became the order of the day. A ll that year, the ladies adoptedle déshabil lé ala Suzanne,

” dressed the ir hair ala Cherub ino,wore the ir gowns a la Com tesse

,

”and their bonnet s and caps a

la F igaro.

”

After the performance of La Brouet te da V inaigrier, by

Merc ier,caps a la brouet te ”

(wheelbarrow) came into fash ion .

La Caravam’

,by Gretry, brought ou t caps “ 21 la caravane .

”

La Veuve a’

a .Malaaar, a five-act tragedy by Lemierre,was so

1 74 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

popu lar,that extraordinary caps were devised

,

“ a la veuve deMalabar.

Lou is XVI . thought proper, on a certain occas ion, to forb id thecourt in general to enter the royal carriages in order to fol lowthe hunt . To ensure greater freedom,

he desired the company

of real sportsmen only. The nobles immediately protested,and

the Princesse de Monaco expressed her disapproval of the new

regu lat ion through the medium of her pou f” hat,on which was

displayed,

the king ’ s coach in miniature, padlocked, and two

gent lemen in gai ters following the hunt on foot .

O n the left side of the pou f de c irconstance, worn at the

accession of Lou is XVI ., was a tal l cypress,wreathed wi th

purple pansies,a twist of crape at the foot represented its roo ts ;

on the right was a wheatsheaf ly ing on a cornu cop ia,from whence

tumbled a profu sion of figs, grapes, and melons,made of

feathers .

In honour of the d iscovery of inocu lat ion for smal l-pox,Mdlle .

Bert in invented the pou f a l’ inocu lation,” v iz . a rising sun, and

an ol ive - tree in fu l l fru it ; round this was entw ined a serpentbearing a club wreathed with flowers . The serpent and the club

represented medic ine,and the art by which the variolou s monster

had been vanqu ished ; the rising sunwas emblemat ic of the young

king,in whom were centred all the hopes of the monarch ists ; and

the ol ive- tree symbol ized the peace and tranqu i ll i ty resu lt ing from

the operat ion to which the royal princes had subm it ted.

The “ innocence made mani fest ” caraco was invented in 1 7 86, in

honour of Marie Francoise V ictor Salmon, who had been tried on

a charge of poisoning,and acqu it ted in the June of that year. The

counsel for the defence was one Cau chois. The same caracos were

also called a la Cauchois.

” They were of l ilac pekin,wi th

collars and fac ings (parement s) of apple-green . They were

fastened on one side of the front by four large mother- of-pearl

bu t tons, and sim i lar bu t tons were placed on the lapel s .

In the catalogue of ex traordinary costumes worn in 1 7 83 and

1 7 84 we mu st inc lude the “ harpy costume, which owed its

existence to the publ ished account of the d iscovery in Chil i of a

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1 76 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

coats, and wore two watches with chains,

“ breloques, and seals.

Some even wore men ’ s hats, and carried canes .The same ideas from across the Channe l induced women to wear

sailorjackets and pierrots .” This lat ter appel lat ion was given to a

t ight -fi t ting garment, cu t low in the neck, and fastening in front, very

open at the bot tom ; the sleeves were t ight, wi th turned over cu ffs

(parements), and the long basques were trimmed w ith bu ttons .A st i l l more eccentri c style of dress was that of gowns “ a la

Circassienne w i th a fichu or“canezou

,

”and an undress gown

en caraco,so cu t as to expose the pit of the s tomach

,

notwithstanding the immense cambric kerchief that s tood ou t

preposterou sly in front,and was cal led by the mal ic iou s a fichu

menteur (a dece i tfu l or ly ing fichu).and a la Circassienne were for occaGowns al

’

Anglaise

s ions of ceremony ; coat s, pierrots, and caracos formorn ing dress .

W e may also ment ion among the whimsical it ies of fash ion,

garment s “ a la M ontgolfier,”

after the invent ion of balloons,

sheath-dresses al’Agnés,

”and chem ises

"

a la Jésu s .”

The difference between fu l l dress and half dress cont inued to be

strict ly observed ; and before proceed ing further we may point

ou t that from the re ign of Lou is X IV . to the French Revolu t ion

the dress of men and women al ike was ent irely regu lated by

et iquette,by wh ich we mean no t the code of court iers only, bu t

the sanct ion of recognized cu stom .

Materials were class ified accord ing to the seasons . In w inter,dress was restricted to velve t

,sat in

,rat teen

,and c loth . After the

fetes of Longchamp,which may be considered as the assizes of

fashion,the lace called po int d’Angleterre made its appearance .

Mechl in lace was worn in summer. In the intermediary seasons

of spring and au tumn, l ight cloth, camlet s, l igh t velvet s, and

s ilks were hab i tual ly worn .

Immediate ly after the Feast of Al l Saint s, November I st,all

furs were taken from their cardboard receptac les, and at Easter

t ide most ladies pu t away the ir mu ffs.

Fu l l dress was obl igatory for promenades in the Tu ileries

Gardens .

REIGN OF LOUIS XVI . 1 7 7

A t court, when a lady had at tained her e ighth lu stre, or,to

speak more prosaically,when she reached the age of forty, she

wore a coif of black lace underneath her cap, and t ied it below

her ch in. The editor of the “Memoirs of Mme . de Lambal le

tells us that after “the queen ’ s card- table ( jeu de la re ine)

most of the ladies ret ired to change the ir gowns,becau se the

front had been soi led by the gold they had rece ived . Possibly

they did no t wish Lou is XVI . , who disapproved of the queen’ s

card- table,

”to perce ive that the ir taste did not correspond

with his .

A t the close of the e ighteenth century,Paris contained 3 8

master makers of needles and pins, 54 2 knit ted cap and cu ff

makers, 82 female bouquet - sel lers and florists, 262 embroiderers

,

1 824 shoemakers, 1 7 0 2 dressmakers, 1 2 8 fan-makers, 3 1 8 workers

in gold and silver stu ffs, & c .,2 50 glove-makers and perfumers,

7 3 diamond- cu t ters, 659 lingéres, 1 43 danc ing-masters, 2 1 84

mercers, 7 0 0 barbers and male and female wig-makers,24 feather

dressers and plume-mounters, 7 3 5 ribbon-sellers,and 1 884 cu t ters

ou t of coat s and gowns.

In 1 7 7 6 the feather-dressers combined their bu siness w ith that

of fashionable dressmakers . Mercers sold lace,s ilks brocaded in

gold and silver, gold braid, gold and si lver net-work,and woollen

materials of variou s kinds.

Tu rgot suppressed the gu i ld of female bouque t -vendors, and

ru led that women shou ld pass masters ” in any profession su itable

to the ir sex,no t only as embroiderers and mill iners, bu t also as

hair—dressers . Increased grace and del icacy in feminine at t ire was

the resu lt of this innovat ion . Large numbers of skilled mechan ics

obtained a respectable l ivel ihood by goldsmiths ’ and jewel lery work,

by skin-dressing, or working in silk, wool, c loth, and cashmere .

Coloured cot tons were sold in great quant it ies ; women were

employed in the ir manu facture, to colour the material . They

were called “pinceau teuses.

” Very superior mu sl in was produced

in France, and the art of dye ing made cont inual progress,owing to

the efforts of the greatest chem ist s of the age .

From the princess to the working woman, the fair sex neglected

1 78 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

nothing that migh t increase the ir at tract ions . A moral ist hasju st ly observed :“ I have heard of women want ing bread

,bu t never

of one who went withou t pins .

W e shal l meet with some except ions to this ru le during the

Revolu t ion : bu t they only help to prove it,and were of brief

durat ion.

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CHAPTER XX .

THE FRE N C H RE PU B L I C .

1 789 TO 1 804 .

The year 1 789—Mascul ine style of dress—The double dress van ishes—Caps ala grande

prétresse,” ala pierrot,” and a la laiti

‘

ere—The pouf bonne t —Pa int and powderd isappear Pred ic t ion by the Cabinet dc: Modes—Anonymous caps Cap a la

Charlotte Corday ”—Trinke ts “ a la Bast il le ”—Mme . de Genl is’ locket— Cap a la

Bast il le —Federal un iforms— C laims to equa l ity in dress—React ion under the DirectoryIncroyables and merve i lleuses ”—Co iffures a la vict ime and ala Titus

B lond w igs and black w igs—The H6te l Thélusson Wkicli is the most ridicu lous

Mme . Tallien’

s costume—Epigram on bonne ts “ a la fo l le ”—Ret icu les Transparentdresses—L ines by Despréaux .

TIM E has passed, and we have reached the year 1 7 89 . For a

while,at least, we mu st bid farewell to the re ign of Fancy .

Farewell,Arcadia ! Farewell

, ye shepherdesses ! Fashion i s about

to become s impler, as the horizon darkens .

A t the period we have now reached,the tastes of women were

seriou s,ju st as those of the ir hu sbands were pol i t ical . They

repaired to the Champs Elysees in the dress of Amazons,wearing

great coats and black hat s, carrying a cane or a whip,wearing a

watch on each s ide, and a bunch of rat t l ing “ breloques,

” seal s,

and other appendages. The ir hats were he lmet- shaped .

Such was the costume of the more audac iou s among them .

O thers,who shrank from adopt ing mascu l ine att ire, assumed a

matronly appearance by wearing long trail ing gowns of sober t int .

e ither in s ilk or some fancy material .

All wore very short -waisted bodices, display ing a good deal of

the bosom,unless it were h idden by a gau ze kerchief, or long

scarf, which was e ither printed in colou rs, braided, or brocaded .

The fashion of two dresses, one worn over the other,that had

been so general in the lat ter half of the seventeenth century, and

the first half of the e ighteenth,had complete ly disappeared in

N 2

1 80 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

favour of one gown only . The arms were e ither altogether bare,

wi th a sort of padded strap at the shou lder,or were covered from

shou lder to wri st by plain t ight sleeves .Caps were occasionally worn, with ve lvet or silk crown

,lace

frill ings,and a gracefu l bow of ribbon above the forehead . These

caps were t ied under the ch in by a ribbon of the same colour,

and fastened at the back by a s imilar roset te .

The caps of former t imes were l it t le worn Some,however

,

st ill remained in fashion ; for instance, caps a la grande prétresse ”

(high priestess) ; these were made of whi te gauze, and

enc ircled by a broad ribbon . O ld lad ies st i l l wore caps “ 51 lapierrot trimmed w ith quant it ies of lace . Nor were caps “ 21 la

Iaitiére (milkmaid) qu ite given up ; they were worn at the back

of the head . In 1 7 89, the nat ional cockade was worn .

Generally speaking, ladies preferred bonnets, and straw bonnet s

in part icu lar,trimmed with flame-coloured ribbon

,and display ing

waving locks under the brim . O thers wore “ pou f bonnets,

with the most extraordinary arrangement s, on the ou ts ide,of

mil i tary or naval trophies ; these were very popu lar for several

years .Everybody carried a fan

,or an embro idered handkerch ief, in

the left hand .

Bu t the women wou ld no l onger u se e ither paint or powder

a miracle due to the Revolu t ion . Powder they considered un

necessary,paint ridicu lou s

,and both savoured of aristocracy .

What a change had taken place between 1 7 89 and 1 795, in the

aspect of the fair sex. A t the t ime of the Convocat ion of the

Notables,caps were made “

a la notable,”

trimmed with beads,

art ific ial flowers,and feathers ; next came caps ala Turque

,

”

a

la Béarnaise,”and last ly a l

’

anonyme,

”for new names cou ld no

longer be found for all the vagaries of fashion .

The Cabine t des Modes of Nov . 5, 1 7 90 , observes :“ Our

way of l iving is becom ing purified ; extravagance and luxury arediminishing.

”The ant ic ipat ion was correct, bu t it applied to a

very brief period .

Women e ithe r wore caps a la Charlot te Corday,

a shape that

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1 8 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION I N FRANCE.

Fashionable Frenchwomen adorned themselves wi th jewels a

la Const itu t ion, also known under the name of “ Rocamboles .”

The ir so -called Const i tu t ional ” earrings were of white glass,in

imitat ion of rock-crystal,

and bore the word “ Patrie .

’ A very

large bouqu et, a la nat ion,

”

was worn high up on the left side,

composed of flowers of the three colours, mingled wi th a profusion

of myrt le .

A costume ala Const itu t ion comprised a he lmet -shaped cap

of black gau ze,a cambric neckerch ief

,a vermill ion sash, and a

very fine cambric gown covered wi th l it t le bouquet s of wh ite, blue,and red flowers .

In the course of the following year,1 7 90 , the Federat ion at the

Champs de Mars was commemorated by the creat ion of the

Federal uniform for ladies by a dressmaker of the Palais Royal .

Fans a la fédérat ion were on sale,and women

,j oining in the

movement,wore hat s in honour of the nat ion and the charms of

l iberty,

” with flowers,feathers

, and tricolou red ribbons .I might give many more examples

,for each event of the

Revolu t ion wasmarked by a corresponding innovat ion in dress,bu t

let it su ffice to state that at the period of which I am speaking,the

whole theory of fash ion was based on the assumpt ion of equal ity

in dress . This may be proved by referring to an engraving of

the t ime,that I have publ ished in my H is toire-Mu sée de la

République .

”

A l l classes were comm ingled,will ingly or unwi l l ingly

, through

love or through fear ; and many weal thy persons rig idly adopted

simple at t ire .

It i s easy to understand the effec t of th is s tate of things on

Fashion . The Revolut ion had proscribed gowns of s i lk or whi te

mu sl in,as recal l ing too v ividly the at t ire of the A nc ien Regime .

The Republ ican style of garment ent irely enveloped the wearer,

and gracefu l ly defined the figure . It was fastened with bu t tons,and a sash a la Romaine was knot ted on one s ide“. The effec t

,

taken as a whole,was charming . Jouy cambric was the material

u sually adopted ; the “ déshabillé a la démocrate,3 , however,

al lowed of a p ierrot in brownish-green sat in .

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC . 1 83

The re ign of Rose Bert in had ceased wi th that of MarieAnto inet te .

Bu t although the queen of France found no one to take herplace, that of the queen of . Fashion was aspired to by a Mme .

Rispal, who, advert is ing in the “ Jou rnal de Pari s,

” “ offered a

choice of dresses ‘ pékin velou té et lacté (ve lvety and milk- l ike),in African s ilk and in Chinese sat in. She undertook, moreover,to make up caracos “ a la Nina,

” “ a la Su ltane,

”and “ a la

caval iere ;” short sk irts a la Junon

”

and “ a la Renommée ;and gowns ala Psyche,

”

ala ménagére,”

a la Turque,

”and

au lever de Vénu s . ”

The above were republican garments,of Which the cost bore no

comparison with that of dress in the eighteenth ,century .

Bu t the react ion of Thermidor was followed by a_

react ion in

dress and under the D irectory, when the Terrorwas over, womenwent from one extreme to the other

,and spent ru inou s sums in

flowers,jewellery

,and diamonds .

In this respect the year 1 7 95 is a remarkable one . Were the

fashions of Lou is KV .

’

s t ime abou t to return ? Were red hee ls,

paniers,powder, and patches coming in ”

again P We ll,no t

absolu tely ; bu t the retu rn to things of the past was man ifested inmany ways

,and the more so becau se the number of part ies

,ball s

,

and concert s was simply incalcu lable .

The imi tat ion of the classical dress worn by the Greeks and

Romans produced the incroyables and the merve il leu ses,

the mere pictures of whom seem to us at the present day l ikecaricatures, and afford u s some idea of the extraordinary freaks of

Fashion .

Carle Vernet has given u s adm irable types of the merve i lleu ses,

who were the feminine exaggerat ions of the t ime of the D irectory ;of the incroyables it is no t wi thin ou r province to speak .

However,amid all the ir exaggerat ion

,the chief types

,of fash ion

under Barras and La Reveillere—Lepeaux are plainly discern ible .

Anglomania was the rage . Everything that is untouched by

Anglomania,

” says“Le Messagerdes Dames ” in 1 7 97 ,“ is declared

,

by our merve i lleuses,to be ‘ bourgeois ’ to a frightfu l degree ; to be

1 84 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

in h ideou sly bad taste This somewhat singu lar predilect ion,at

a t ime when we were at war with the Engl ish,is explained by the

fact that Mdlle . Rose Bert in ’ s workwomen had left France in

order to take up the ir residence in London

The Angloman ia of the merve i lleuses,however, soon faded

before a more seri ou s passion Every woman

wished to dress in the ant ique style, and painters provided model s

for ladies “ de grand genre .

’ Head-dresses were variou s . The

hair was some t imes cu t short and curled,and some t imes powdered

and drawn back from the face, after a fash ion that recall s to some

ex tent the re ign of Lou is XVI .

Gowns were short waisted, with long t ight sleeves or short

ones,the arms bare

,or covered wi th long kid gloves ; the skirt

rather trai l ing, and trimmed w ith gimp, pu t on in Greek pat terns .The foot and wh i te stocking of the “ merve i lleu se was scarcely

V is ible beneat h her dress a la Flore ”or

“ a la D iane.

”She

also affected tunics a la Ceres and a la Minerve,

”and coat s

a la Galatee .

”

A simple kerch ief, or a smal l shawl of plain cashmere, wasworn

on the neck . Felt hats, not unl ike those worn by men,were

occasionally trimmed wi th flame - coloured ribbons. Bu t the morefashionable “merveil leu ses ” preferred a toque trimmed with

ribbon in l ike manner, and very effect ive ly ornamented with a

couple of whi te aigret tes .“What confu sion

,andwhat fickleness the brothers De

Goncourt . Caps a la paysanne,a la Despaz e, and P ierro t caps !

Caps 5 la fol le,a la Minet te

,ala Dél ie

,ala frivole, al

’

Esc lavonne,

a la Ne lson ! There a simple bit of mu sl in, and an unpretend ing

gau ze lappe t ; here a turban turned up wi th five blue’

feathers !

A turban,made by La Despaux,

‘that Michae l Angelo of

m ill iners,

’ will be formed of a pink handkerch ief ; another wil l

be of l ilac crape,two

‘

rows of beads,and above them a rose and

a heartsease ! And as for hats ! hats ‘ a la Primrose,

’negl igent ly

covered w i th a half handkerch ief ; turban hats,round hat s ‘ a

l’

A nglaise,’ gleaner’ s hats, Spencer hats, and beaver hat s

,owe

their names to Sau lgeo t ! Does Mme . Saint-Aub in take the part

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1 86 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

A l l the adj uncts of dress rem ind us of ant ique t imes we may

note the shape of shoes in part icu lar— when,indeed

,women were

no t sat isfied with wearing gold rings on their feet . It is curiou s

to remark how great ly shoes resembled sandals,onl y part ially

covering the upper part of the foo t . They cons isted of a l ightsole

,fastened to the leg by ribbons . Coppe was the principal

“cothurnu s maker, and was said to lend to that class of

foot- covering “ inconce ivable colouring,freshness

,e loquence

,and

poe try ! ”

Dresses cal led “Athenian were made of diaphanou s material .They were open at the sides

,from the waist to the lower edge of

the tunic . Gowns made wi th trains were worn for walk ing .

The celebrated Eu lal ie was part icu larly clever at drawing the

long trains Of gowns “ a l’

Omphale”through the sash . If any

one presumed to assert that from the ir feet to the ir heads women

were too l i t t le clothed, they wou ld reply,

“ Le d iamant seu l do it parerDes attraits qu e b lesse 1a laine .

The ir l ight at t ire exposed them to d iseases of the chest,nay,

to death i tse l f,bu t they braved all dangers for the sake of Fash ion.

The gold rings sh ining on the ir fee t cou ld no t protect them from

the cold of winter, and ye t they remained faithfu l to gau ze -veiled

nudity . A fashion of wearing no chemise las ted only one week .

In consequ ence of the deprec iat ion of the paper currency, s ixty

four francs in assignat s was charged for'

the making of two caps ;gauze for three caps cos t 1 0 0 francs ; two dozen cambric-mu sl in

pocket - handkerchiefs cost 240 0 francs ; a brown silk gown,1 0 40

francs ; and a bat iste gown edged wi th si lk, 2 50 0 francs.

This was in 1 7 95 . A year later an embroidered tarlatan

mant le cost 7 0 0 0 francs ; the making of a cap cost 3 0 0 francs ; a gown

and a fan, francs and the si lk for a mant le, 3 0 0 0 francs .

These extraordinary prices rose higher s t i l l as the value of the

paper currency dimin ished .

The best dressmakers were Nancy for Greek, and Mme.

2 “ The d iamond only ought to adornCharms which are hurt by woo l .”

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC . 1 8 7

Raimbau t for Roman costumes . A Parisian lady requ ired 3 65head-dresses, the same number of pairs of shoes, 60 0 gowns, and

twelve chemises .

Among the ephemeral fash ions of the D irectory one was to dressthe hair a la v ict ime .

” Th is entailed the loss of the v ict im ’s

tresses,wh ich were cu t off qu i te close to the head. Ladies who

adop ted the coiffure a la Titu s were absolu tely compel led to

wear a red shawl and a red necklace,that the whole costume

might be in harmony .

Many ladies always dressed the ir hair “ a la sacrifiée .

” Theywere also part ial to wigs, blond at first

,and afterwards black

,

though th is ant i-revolu t i onary style met wi th great opposi t ion

bo th on the stage and in print . Twe lve blond wigs were inc luded

in Mdlle . Lepellet ier de St . Fargeau’

s wedding trou sseau . Mme.

Tallien possessed thirty ; each cost five and twentv lou i s .

A t a party at the Hote l Thélusson, great admirat ion was

exc i ted by a lady whose hair was dressed in the Greek s tyle,— a

band of cameos represent ing Roman emperors enc ircled her head.

H er gown was of crape,embro idered in steel .

Between 1 7 99 and 1 80 1 , the fashions, it mu st be conceded,

were no t part icu larly gracefu l . A caricature that has almostbecome an h istorical document, appeared under the Consu late . It

represent s a gent leman and lady bo th dressed in the extreme of

fash ion, in 1 7 89, 1 7 96, and 1 80 1 .

Beneath the picture the au thor asks the quest ion,

“Which is

the most ridicu lou s

Bu t women cared li tt le for what m ight be said of them ; they

laughed at comment s, epigrams, and caricatures al ike .

No t only did Mme . Tallien create a furore of adm irat ion at

the Frascat i bal ls, in an Athenian gown,wearing two c irc lets of

gold as garters,and with rings on her bare and sandalled fee t

,bu t

there were other heroines of fashion, if I may so express myself,

who dressed “ a la sauvage,

”or threw over the ir shou lders a

blood- red shawl (sang de boeuf), squ eezed the ir waist into stays

al’

humanité,

”

andwore on their heads e ither a hat a la ju st ice ”

or a cap a la folle .

”

1 88 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

The following epigram was composed on the caps a la

folle

De c es v ilains bonnets, maman,quel est le prix

—Dix francs—Le nom — Des bonne ts a la fol le .

Ah c’est b ien S ingu lier, interrompit Nico l le

Tou tes nos dames en ont pris.

” 3

Fine ladies carried an embroidered bag or re t icu le,vu lgarly

cal led ridicu le .

” 4’

In 1 80 3 a certain great lady wore a tun i c of net tedbeads, wi th

pearl s in her hair, which was dressed diadem fash ion . A t the

King of Etruria’s fete, her hair was arranged l ike the qu il l s of a

porcupine ; a long gold chain and enormou s locke t hung round

her neck .

’

Another lady adopted a cap exact ly l ike her“

grand

father’ s n ight—cap, a ve i l fall ing below her wai st , and a tunic w ith

wh ich her pu ce s ilk spencer made a start l ing contrast . O thers,

again,adhered to the

‘

transparent costume, w ith shoes sandalled

high up on the leg.

It was difficu lt to tel l from the appearance of these ladies

whether they were Greek,Turkish, or French women . The

over-transparency of the ir at t ire gave rise to the fol low ing song,by Despréaux , in e ight verses, of wh ich I t ranscribe the first

on lyGrace a la mode

On n’

a plus d’cheveux (bis)Ah ! qu

’

c’

est commode !On n

’

a plu s d’

cheveux

On dit qu’

c’est m ieux 1” 5

3 What is the price, mamma,of those ugly caps ? ”

Ten francs.” The name ? ” Madwoman’

s caps.

Ah,that is strange

,

”interrupted Nicol le

,

For all our ladies wear them .

”

4 The au thor re lates an anecdote here to which justice cannot be done in

Engl ish,as the play upon words cannot be translated. The anecdote is as

fol lows Une dame, ayant perdu son sac,vou lut le faire afii cher. Fi done

lu i dit nu mauvais plaisant,

‘faire afficher un ridicu le,quand on en a tant

5Thanks to the FashionNO one has any hair (bis)O how convenientNo more hair,They say it is better so 1”

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1 92 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

brought pallor into fashion . Rouge was al together abolished,whi te pearl -powder was un iversally u sed

,and women tried to be

interest ing by making up the ir faces a la Psyche.

”

This departure from the ways of the e ighteen th century did

no t prevent Frenchwomen from cont inu ing to borrow some fewfashions from fore ign countries and other t imes

,v iz . Palat ines

from the north,Falbalas from the re ign of Lou i s XV .

,and some

minor accessories from Spain, I taly, Turkey, and England .

For the most part women wore front s instead of the ir own

hair,

and d iamonds in place of flowers . They were above all

anxiou s to show off the ir wealth . Many of them were parvenues

who sought to do honour to the ir hu sbands ’ pos it ion .

Y et the whi te gowns with spiral trimm ing of pink sat in,and

a wreath of brigh t ly colou red flowers round the bot tom of the

sk irt,mu st have been pret ty . The bodice was fastened on the

shou lders by many - coloured ribbons,and trimmed at the neck

wi th Valenc iennes lace of great cost . The bare arms were

covered wi th long white gloves ; round the throat was a necklace

of real pearls,and on the hair

,worn in cu rls

,a wreath of roses .

Such a dress as the above was for ball- room wear ; the sk irt

was short, reveal ing the ankle and foot in a whi te sat in shoe .

Walk ing costumes were mu ch the same as to shape,with the

excep t ion of the skirt, which was very long . They were much

heavier by reason of the kerchief round the neck,and the shawl

covering the shou lders . Dresses were worn a la Jean de Paris,

”

an opera by Boieldieu ; the hair was dressed a la Chinoise,with

gold p ins,from which hung li t t le gold balls .

Wi th the same style of hair,the “

cap- bonnet

,trimmed wi th

feathers,was fastened under the ch in wi th s ilk strings . There

were t oqu e ts of embroidered tu lle,and hats a la Polonaise

,

” of

a somewhat ungracefu l square shape ; turbans also in clear mu sl in

spot ted with gold,

and turban—caps, both souven irs of the

Napoleonic v ictories in Egyp t . How many fine ladies resembled

Mamelukes !

Some women wore cloth,merino, or velvet coat s ; and almost

all excessively short wai sts . The ir gowns were indecent ly low .

REIGN OF NAPOLEON I. 1 93

H igh gowns made withou t fu lness were frequent ly trimmed wi thmany rows of flounces or falbalas .

From the beginn ing of the centu ry,the manu facture of mu sl in

,

which is said to be so named from the town ofMossou l,had been

great ly developed at Tarare andSt . Q i ent in .

In addit ion to this,the princ ipal innovat ion of the period was

the defini t ive introdu ct ion of art ific ial flowers,which

,unt i l then

,

had only been occasionally employed in feminine at t ire .

The Ital ians had long possessed the art of produ c ing art ific ial

flowers, and had pract ised it wi th great success ; bu t in Francethis branch of industry had only been introdu ced in the year 1 7 3 8 .

A man named Ségu in, a nat ive of Mende,and a very clever

chemist and botan ist,su cceeded in manu fac turing art ific ial flowers

qu ite equal to those of I taly . H e also made them after the

Chinese method,from the pith of the elder—tree ; and he was the

first to invent a sort of flower made of si lver- leaf,which has been

mu ch u sed to Ornament feminine at t ire .

Wenzel, a maker of art ific ial flowers in variou s material s, who

rece ived an award at the Indu strial Exhibi t ion in 1 80 2,sold very

admirable spec imens of h is art,and great ly contribu ted to the

success of art ific ial flowers when employed for the dress or hair.

F lowers were worn mingled with braids of false hair.

Phil ippe de la Renaudiere dubbed'

these the offspring of im

posture . Campenon, in his“Maison des Champs

,exclaimed,

Ou i, lo in des champs, il est une autre Flore,

Que l ’art fait naitre et que Paris adoreSur ces bouquets m éconnus des zephirs,Um p inceau sur adroitemont déposeL

’

or du genet, le carm in de la rose,

Ou de l ’ iris nuance les saphirsPu is on les voit dans nos fo lles orgies,Au sein des bals

,lo in des feux du sole il ,

S’

épanou ir aux rayons des bougies.

L’

art applaudit a leur éc lat verme i lMais sur c es fl eurs

,enfants d ’une au tre Flore,

Je cherche en vain les pleurs d ’une au tre Aurore .

Y es,far from fie lds there is another Flora,

Born of art,and adored by Paris

1 94 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

The art of flower-making has made some progress since 1 7 3 8

and 1 80 2, and it may be said that art ific ial flowers are indis

pensable to an elegant costume .

The Empire was the period of toqu e t s in embro idered

tu lle .

Horace V ernet,the great painter, although very young in 1 8 1 3 ,

has portrayed “ Les Dames de Paris in the re ign of the first

Napoleon. Nothing seems to us more hideou s than the ir hat s and

feathers,the ir sleeves t igh t to the wri st, and the embroidery on

the ir gowns .Mme . de Stae l ’s Corinne turned the heads of the fair sex in

1 80 7 and 1 80 8 . They assumed an inspired expression, fanc ied

themse lves on I tal ian shores, played on the harp,and wore scarfs

that floated wi th every breeze .

The fashions of the Empire have been much, ye t on one

important point,perhaps

,no t su ffi c ient ly cri t ic i zed . W e allude

to the u se of s tays,which came in wi th the winter of 1 80 9, and

have held the ir place ever since,in spite of all the sarcasm that

has been lavished on those mechanical aids to dress . By way of

compensat ion, the Empire gave us Cashmere shawls, first brought

into France at the t ime of ourEgypt ian expedi t ion ( 1 7 98

Previou sly to that,Tippoo

-Sa’

ib had inc luded shawls among the

gift s he had sent to Lou is XVI . ; bu t they were not general ly

worn unt i l later. Piis wrote the following l ines on the subject

D’

ailleurs,c es schalls si sol ides,

Que vous portez a l ’envi,A des Arabes perfidesDe ce intures ont serv i .

Upon nosegays of which zephyrs know nothing,A skilfu l brush lays cunninglyThe go ld of the gorse, the carm ine of the rose

,

Or the sapphire t ints of the iris ;And then we see them, amid our org ies,In the bal l-room,

far from the sun . rays,B loom in the glare of the wax lights.

Art applauding their bril liancy ;But on those flowers, ch ildren of another Flora

,

In vain I seek the tears of another Aurora.

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1 96 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

occas ion ari ses on wh ich very grand and imposing at t ire i s required

a woman of fashion buys one of those splendid produ cts of the

Indies .A t solemn family gatherings, a cashmere i s indispensable ; itproclaim s the wealth of the wearer.

The cot ton manu factures of France were of l it t le importance

unt il 1 7 87 , in which year the Government set up sp inning

machinery at Rou en ; but the manufacture began to flourish only

under the F irst Emp ire, when the energy of R ichard Leno ir con

tribu ted great ly to its su ccess. From the t ime that machinery

was subst itu ted for the old sp inning-whee l, an amount of labou r

wh ich formerly employed a thou sand sp inners cou ld be aecom

plished by a mere ch i ld .

For more than s ixty years the coloured cot tons manu factured

at Rouen,and cal led in consequ ence Rouenneries,

” have served

to c lothe the maj ority of Frenchwomen .

During the Hundred Days,su cceeding the return of Napoleon

from Elba,violet s became the fashion . They were regarded as a

pol i t ical emblem . From May 20,1 8 1 5, no Imperial ist lady

appeared in public wi thou t a large bunch of violets on her breast .

Some morn ing caps were trimmed with viole ts and immortel les

s ide by side, and several jewel lers manu factured ornament s of the

same design . On the other hand,the Royal ist ladies wore jaconet

gowns w ith e ighteen tucks in the skirt,in honour of Lou is

XVIII ., and bonne ts of white silk striped with plaited s traw, asmal l square cashmere shawl w ith a vermil ion border, and dark

blue prunella boots .

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1 98 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

which remained as short waisted as underNapoleon I . In the early

part of January, 1 8 1 6,a weal thy foreigner appeared at the Opera

wearing a Ru ssian toque . She created qu i te a sensat ion ; and the

nex t day a first- rate mil l iner of the Ru e Vivienne had reproduced

the head—dress, which soon afterwards was universally worn .

There was a general craving for splend id dress . Enthu siast ic

Royal i s ts gathered round Lou i s XVIII . and the Com te d’

Artois,

and thronged the apartments of the Tu i leries . Nothing was

thought of in the Fau bourg St . Germain bu t balls,concerts

,and

entertainments . A great revival took place in trade,and served

as the general excuse for extravagance .

In a very short t ime Paris possessed four renowned ladies ’ tailors,

thirteen mill iners in large pract ice, seven noted florist s,three

favourite stay-makers, e ight famou s dressmakers, ande ight excellentladies’ shoemakers .

White gowns, trimmed at the bot tom with flowers,were

generally worn bo th at offic ial andprivate bal ls . F lowers,roses for

the mos t part, were worn in.

the hair. Plaid dresses were in fashion,

dresses a l’

indo lente,

”and dresses trimmed with chinchilla.

Dresses were made in vari ou s styles . Somet imes sleeves wereshort and pu ffed, and trimmed wi th several rows of ruching ; and

somet imes they were funne l- shaped, that i s, there was a certain

amount of fu lness at the shou lder wh ich gradual ly dim inished as

they reached the wrist, where they were hermet ically closed by a

ribbon over a coloured kid glove .

Dresses were cu t“ low, and necklaces of pearl s or garne ts were

worn . When the sleeves were short,long gloves concealed the

arm,and the effec t was very pret ty . Embroidered “

toques ”

were also in fashion, ornamented with pearl s and a wreath of

marabou t feathers .

Long gloves were expens ive ; bu t no well-dressed womanhesi tated to pii t on a new pair every day, a soiled glove no t

be ing adm iss ible . Tan was a favouri te colour.

Valuable j ewels,wide brigh t - coloured sashes

,del icate fans

,and

embro idered or braided ret icu les comple ted the at t ire,and gave it

charac ter as wel l as intrins ic worth . Married women wore l it t le

REIGNS OF LOUIS XVI I I . AND CHARLES X . 1 99

half—handkerchiefs t ied round the throat,and young girls wore

apron-dresses (tablier-robes) ent irely in whi te .

The hair was arranged in l it t le curls c lose round the foreheadand temples

,and in small rolls . at the back of the head . Art ific ial

flowers were u sed,bu t sparingly .

Bonnets were made withou t curtains, and were worn rather

t il ted forward over the face, so as to display the chignon and neck ;they were trimmed with art ific ial flowers . Large chip hats and

whi te feathers were purchased at H erbault’

s,who also sold small

white sat in ones,the brim s of which were cu t into point s or

squares,and surmounted wi th marabou t s. O ther mill iners manu

fac tured “cornet tes in black velvet

,edged with white tu l le ;

they even placed black hat s on whi te cornet tes.”

Many dresses were made of fine white merino,wi th wide stripes

of dead silver, cal led chefs . White merino boo ts, laced at the

s ide,comple ted the costume .

Du ring the firs t few years of the Restorat ion Our fair countrywomen indu lged in variou s su ccessive caprices . The “ Journal

des Modes ” from 1 8 1 4 to 1 8 1 5 holds up the most extraordinary

fashions to our admirat ion . Women,moreover, were se i zed wi th

Anglomania. A caricature of the t ime represent s Mme .

Grognard ”

trying to force her daughter to dress herself “a

l’

A nglaise.

The young girl replies,

Graciou s I how frightfu l What dreadfu l taste To th ink ofwearing Engl ish fashions ! ”

But,crit i cism notwithstanding

,ladies adopted the Engl ish

cu stom of s traw bonnet s and green gau ze ve ils . They worespencers

,a garment resembl ing a jacke t wi th the skirt s cu t off a

l it tlebelow the waist . These were generally made of velvet,reps

,

or sat in,and in every colour. They wrapped themse lves in green

kerseymere c loaks with double col lars, in merino coat s, and in si lk

dou illet tes,

”or wadded gowns .

Bu t impercep t ibly, and because good taste never altogethercedes its rights, puffings and heavy trimmings were discarded, andthe canezou

,

”

a sort of sleeveless bodice,superseded the spencer.

2 0 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

Mu sl in canez ou s were becom ing to most women, set t ing off the

figure of both young and old .

Unfortu nate ly Frenchwomen soon re turned to the ungracefu l

leg-of-mu t ton sleeves

,and sleeves “ a beret ,

” “ a la folle,

” “a

l’

imbécile,

and a l’

éléphant .” Every day brou ght forth some

new thing, of more or less wonderfu l shape.

Cambric chemises were beau t ifu lly embroidered and trimmed

wi th narrow Valenc iennes round the neck and sleeves. A n

embroidered jacone t gown cost as mu ch as 90 0 francs . A nd this

d id no t discourage,bu t

,indeed

,promoted prodigal ity in the

purchase of stockings and pocke t-handkerchiefs .

For fu l l - dress mourn ing,black “

toques ” were worn,

em

bro idered in bronzed steel w ith a plume of black feathers,and

black gowns were s im ilarly embro idered .

Stays were cost ly, and remainedin fash ion . Those of Lacroix,

a very good maker,cost one hundred francs ; they were made in

two p ieces, and a smal l cu sh ion covered wi th whi te s ilk wasfastened on behind to g ive e legance to the shape .

1

Jean Jacques Rou sseau was laughed at for writ ing,that The

l imbs shou ld be free beneath the garments covering them ; nothing

shou ld interfere with the ir act ion,nothing shou ld fit too closely to

the body ; there shou ld be no l igatures . ” Far from following hisadvice, women general ly wore stee l bu sks in their stays . A nd

yet the ce lebrated Dr. Pelletan, after making many experiments in

the interests of hyg iene and dress, had proved that the use of

bu sks was highly dangerou s . They at trac ted e lectric ity to the

chest,and migh t occasion internal irri tat ion in that region .

Charles X . placed himsel f among the opponent s of stays .Formerly, said he

,

“ it was no t uncommon to see D ianas,Venu ses

,or Niobes in France ; bu t now we see nothing bu t

wasps .”

In 1 824 , the Duchesse de Duras brought ou t her romance,Ourika, which was already known and admired at court

,at the

Royal Print ing Hou se,as i f it were a sc ient ific work . It was

rece ived w i th rap ture by the general pu bl ic, andwas spoken of1The famil iar “bustle, of course.

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2 0 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

crape,head-dresses

,and turbans were named after “ Ipsiboé,

”a

romance of passion by the Vicom te d’

Arlincourt ; there wereTrocadero ribbons

,in honour of the Duc d

’

A ngou léme’

s campaignin Spain ; Elodie blue

,and Scotch plaids ala Dame Blanche

,

”

after Boi e ld ieu ’

s fine opera ; and extraordinary whimsical i t ies,a

la wonderfu l lamp,

”a l

’

Emma,

”a la Marie Stuart ,

”and a la

Clochet te .

” Bonnet s with large hollow brims,feathers and

ribbons, Su ltana turbans,berets

,

”and caps of Chant il ly blond,

were s t i l l worn .

Numbers of fashionable women wore a“ sent iment round

the ir throats, or a carcan necklace ” of velvet

,or bows e i ther of

fur or curled feathers . Gowns bare ly reached to the ankles ; theywere trimmed wi th gauze, blond, bows of ribbon, bands of velvet,twis ts of sat in ; feather-fringe and ornament s were sewn on to

the material .The short sk irts of 1 82 8 cau sed the boots we had copied from the

Engl ish to be apprec iated ; they were both comfortable and sight ly .

V e lvet toques were in favour; l ikewise velvet witchouras,”

chinchil la muffs,bodices draped “ a la Sevigne;

” sat in bonnet strimmed w ith marabou t s

,sat in pel isses l ined wi th swans ’ -down ;

sat in gowns covered with crape,trimmed wi th pu flings of the

same,roses and pearl wheat—ears, invented by Mme . H ippolyte ;

merino gowns trimmed w i th sat in,Moab i t ish turbans in crape l isse

w ith gold stripes and a plume of feathers, and, last ly, scarfs in

barege- cashmere .

The hairwas arranged in plait s,or high, st iff curls, on the top of

the head, mixed with ribbons and flowers,or wi th curled feathers

“ invented by M . Plaisir,”or a s teel comb .

To these we may add sashes of China crape and gau ze, bel ts

of hair,morocco leather basket s

,diamond waist -buckles, morocco

bags shaped l ike pocket - books or shel ls, stamped leather bags,lace mant illas

,plaid and damask sat in parasols, and terry velvet

over- shoes l ined wi th fur.

”

In -

1 82 7 , France possessed for the first t ime a living giraffe.

The animal had been sent to Charles X . by the Pacha of Egyp t,andwas placed in the Jardin des Plantes .

REIGNS OF LOUIS XVI I I . AND CHARLES X . 2 0 3

The giraffe became extraordinarily popu lar. Never beforehad the Jardin des Plantes at trac ted so many visitors ; crowds of

s ight - seers ru shed to see it eat or walk abou t,and for several

mon ths it engrossed the whole at tent ion of the pu bl ic . Dramat ic

au thors constant ly alluded to the giraffe in the ir pieces,and the

street organs cont inually repeated the tunes that had been com

posed in its honour.

Then Fashion t ook it up, and created gowns a la giraffe,

sashes a la giraffe,” bonne ts a la giraffe, 85 C. and dress was so

contrived as to immortal ize the gift of the Pacha of Egypt .

On the arrival of a chimpanzee in Paris the same resu lt s occurred

and when poor Jocko had expired, the ladies honoured his memory

by wearing materials named “_Jocko ’s last sigh .

”

Our task wou ld be a long and tediou s one were we to at tempt

to describe the costume of the lemonade- sel ler during the Re

storat ion, that of the j ewe l ler’ s or goldsmith’ s assistant, of the

“ lingére,”the florist

,the confec t ioner, & c . ,

in a word,of all the

bourgeoises whose stat ion was behind a counter or at the book

keeper’ s desk .

Each of these adopted a costume appropriate to her business .The wonderfu l costume of the lemonade - sel ler of the Palais Royal

exc ited the admiring envy of the ladies of the court, and as for the

“cafet iere ” of the “ Mille-Colonnes

,

”a fashionable hair-dresser

expended all his art in her service, ju st as if he had been devot ing

his “geniu s to the head of an i l lu strious princess .

The Duchesse de Berry wou ld fain have been a leader of fashionduring the Res torat ion, bu t she never succeeded in the at tempt .

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CHAPTER XX I I I .

R E I G N O F L O U I S P H I L I P P E .

1 830 1 0 1 848.

The Revolut ion of Ju ly, 1 830—Fash ions in Lou is Phi lippe’s re ign—M icroscopical bonne ts,cal led “ b ibis,” “

cabriole ts”—Variety of caps—Fash ions of the M iddle Ages and of

the Renaissance—The stage— H istoric costumes—Influence of Rache l, the actress

Greek and Roman fash ions— Co lours—Various designat ions of materials—Bedou insleeves—Bonnets and head -dresses— Pamela bonne ts—Nove l eccentric it ies—Tagl ion igowns, gathered a la V ierge,” laced a la N iobé ,

”&c .

—The Sylvestrine - Cos

tumes to be worn on occasions of attempts on the k ing ’s l ife—Bouquets for balls.

TH E Revolu t ion of Ju ly 1 83 0 did no t produ ce nearly so mucheffect on dress as that of 1 7 89 .

In the re ign of Lou is Phil ippe, as in that of Charles X .,

femin ine costume changed bu t l i t t le . Fanc ifu l adjuncts of dresssucceeded one another wi thou t interrup t ion

,bu t the basis of dress

in general remained the same . Microscopical “ bibis ” took the

place of the enormou s bonnet s that under the name of cabriolet s

had been the de l ight of Paris ian ladies in 1 83 5 and dress-caps

were manufac tured in a variety of shapes, and under a variety of

names,viz . the Charlot te Corday, the peasant, the nun

,the

E l izabeth,the chatelaine, the Marie Antoinet te

,the polka

,Soc .

Bu t the only striking nove lt ies were the ne ts ala Napolitaine,

”

the “steeple- chase rose t tes p laced below the ears

,the Armenian

toqu es apentes (or sloping), the Catalan half- caps, the fringed

A lgerian head-dresses, and the white and gold Jewish turbans

with strings “ a la Rachel . These turbans were taken from

Mdlle . Falcon’

s stage dress in Halevy ’ s opera of La Ju ive .

The greatest nove lty consi sted in the colours chosen for dress .

The “ Snow ” head-dress was named after Auber’s work ; gowns“ a la Dame Blanche

,

”after that of Bo ieldieu ; and caps “ 25. la

2 0 6 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

Fiancee,

”also after Au ber. To these succeeded variou s colours

,

called “ Sol i taire,

” from Carafa, or the “ Pet ites Danai'

des,

”and

Robin des Bois. Dark and sober t in ts were worn in preferenceto brighter hu es, for no other reason than the romant ic ideas of a

period in wh ich both men and women del igh ted in appearing

melancholy,Byronic

,and s ickly .

The effec t of the Romant ic School on Fashion may be eas i ly

imagined. The early works of Vic tor Hugo and Lamart ine hadkindled the popu lar imaginat ion, while Scot t

’ s novel s and Byron ’ s

poems had everywhere fostered ideal sent iment s .Reveries

,su ffering, sacrifice, and boundless sel f-devot ion were

the themes of the day, and fair ladies voluntarily shed tears,

becau se to weep was fashionable .

. I,the writer of these l ines, have known many young girls qu ite

distressed by the ir heal thy appearance, the ir rosy cheeks,and fresh

complexions . “ It looked so common,”they said . As i f the

bril l iant colouring of nature were not the incomparable source of

all beau ty . More than one young girl who longed to look

consump t ive,ended by becoming so in real ity

,by dint of depriving

herse lf of proper nourishment, which she feared might make her

grow s tou t and mat erial .”

The re turn to the Middle Ages was l ikewise manifested by

numerou s costumes taken from the periods of which we treated at

the beginning of this h istory .

Who is that lady ? Is she the Chatelaine of Coucy ? She

wears a long train,an enormou s pearl necklace, and hanging

sleeves l ike those of Margu erite of Burgundy ; the aims -bagsu spended from her waist

,and her carved j ewe llery, make her

resemble a woman of the fourteenth century. No t so, however.

She is the wi fe of a rich shopkeeper, and has been present at the

performances of plays by Victor Hugo and A lexandre Dumas.

Does no t that other fair lady belong to the court of Charles

V I. ? No ; you m ake a mistake . She has only insisted on her

m i ll iner dressing her l ike Mdlle . Georges in her s tage dress of

Isabeau de Baviere, the principal character in the play of Perrinet

Leclerc .

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2 0 8 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

cameos,they too mu st possess cameos of the same kind . They

copied the great ac tress in the minu test detai l of her cos tume,and

even in her most charac terist ic head-dress .

The Romant ic School was su cceeded by that of good sense

according to the.

admirers of Ponsard and Em ile “ Au gier s

Cigu é produ ced a temporary revival of the taste for Greek and

Roman fash ions .

Bu t the react ion agains t the Middle Ages did no t reach the

bourgeois c lasses, who, when the ir “ romant ic ist” costumes were

worn ou t , replaced them w ith others of a less striking style, and

bet ter adapted to modern l ife .

With regard to the colou rs ~ most generally worn during the

re ign of Lou is Phil ippe,we mayment ion Ru ssian green, wine- lees,

Marengo black,and pure Eth iop ian

,as succeeding to the del ight

fu l hues of l ilac, pigeon-breast,and early dawn .

”

A nd by how many extraordinary des ignat ions were the new

materials known ! How charming was that ofpoa cie soie,orpoa

de la reine /1

Never had there been su ch a variety of nomenc lature ! The

most wonderfu l appe l lat ions were bestowed e ither by the manu

fac turers or the fvendors of the new materials, and the public

seriou sly accepted and made u se’of the pretent iou s newly- invented

words,at which sensib le people cou ld bu t smile

To diamant ines were added constell ées,

and to Venu s ’ s

hair ” su cceeded bu t terfl ies ’ w ings .” How poe t ical ! what

romant ic garments !

W e are om i t t ing to men t ion the tricolour material s, that made

a momentary appearance from t ime to t ime“, when patriot ism

happened to be awakened by some v ictory over the tribes of

Algeria .

Besides poet ical names, there were o thers less agreeable,bu t

accepted universal ly nevertheless . It sounded odd to compl iment

a lady on her Bedou in sleeves,

or her bu sked or loosely- laced

bodice !

Head coverings underwen t s ingu lar changes. The bibi was

1S i lk louse. Queen’

s louse.

REIGN OF LOUIS PHILIPPE .

suddenly transformed into the “cabas

,

” with a deep crown con

cealing the neck ; and the next season brough t in Pamela bonnets,with rounded brims

, that very pret t i ly revealed the ou t l ines ofthe cheeks . The hair was

,general ly speaking, arranged in curls

on each side,and in large rolls held by a comb at the back of

the head .

A lmost all family portraits of that date represent the hairarranged thu s

,and adorned e i ther wi th feathers or more frequently

w ith art ific ial flowers,such as are s t ill worn . Great perfect ion

had been at tained in the manu facture ofroses, geran iums, nympheas,Chrysanthemums

,camel ias

,and many other lovely flowers, to

enl iven the at t ire of women .

The most fashionable style of dress in 1 83 0 was as fol lows

Gowns e ither h igh or low,with or wi thou t capes ; long sleeves

with wristbands, or short sleeves and long gloves ; bodice with or

withou t a waistband, and general ly worn wi th an embroidered

collar ; scarf and parasol of some dark t int ; black prunella or

Turkish sat in shoes ; no trimmings to the gown, bu t red or

flame-coloured ribbon bows scat tered here and there ; and necklaces composed of two rows of pearls .Bu t we must not imagine that this was all, and that capric iousness

and the love of change can ever abdicate the ir throne . The leg

of—mu t ton,

”the “ beret

,

”

the “ imbec ile,

”and the “

elephant ”

sleeves were su cceeded by others no t qu ite so eccentric, bu t st ill,for the most part

,suffic ient ly extraordinary .

Su ch were the Venet ian, the Lou is XIII .,

the the

Turkish,”the Bedou in

,

”the Persian

,the gardener’ s

,

”

the

Sevigne,

”the “ Dubarry ” sleeves, & c . I omit some of the

strangest . Henry the Second ’s narrow-brimmed hats with curled

feathers came again into fashion,and the ladies adopted enthu

siast ically collars and gu impes a la M édicis, and mant les “ a

la vie il le 2or a la paysanne .

” 3

It wou ld be an endless task to enumerate the sl ight bu t very

variou s deve lopment s of fashion . Y et I mu st ment ion the

“Taglioni gowns,

”consis t ing of four skirts ; nor can I omit

3O ld woman. Peasant woman.

2 1 0 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

speak ing of berthes of blond,

Céliménes,

” Pompadourbodices

,Niobe lac ings

,plai t ings “a la Vierge ,

” Grecian and

pointed bodices, SCC.

Numberless new materials were produ ced ; among them weredroguet catalan

,

” “ lampas bu rgrave,” Polar star

,

” “blossoming

chameleon,” “

casimirienne,

” “palmyrienne

”—a blu e ground

brocaded wi th gold,Benvenu to Cell in i blu e ve lvet, Medic i

and Lou is XV .

” sat ins,

“tu l le i llu sion,

” Rache l c rape,

“ camel ine ” silk,

a t issue cal led “ fi l de la Vierge,

” “ polka ”

gauze,and

,last ly, “ Duchess ” and “ Fleu r de Marie pocket

handkerchiefs .In 1 83 9 a manu facturer invented “ sylvestrine

,a material

composed of the thinnest possible layers of wood ; these formed

the surface of a l ight and flex ible sheet of pasteboard . Another

invented a mater ial of spun glass .Great ladies del igh ted in lace . The wedding gown of the

Princess Helene,Duchesse d’

Orléans, was of A lencon po int, and

cost thirty thou sand francs .How many different names have s ince then appeared in the

Calendar of Fashion Each recurring season has witnessed the birth

and death of someth ing new in head-dresses or dress materials,or

some fanc ifu l caprice or new shape in garment s .The beau t i fu l Mme. de Sampajo, the at tached friend of Lou is

Ph i l ippe and h is family,was enumerat ing, on one occasion

,all the

costumes she provided hersel f with at the beginn ing of each year.

“ I was forget t ing,”

she said, “to ment ion my dress for the

days on which the king or h is fam i ly are fired at

It is a fac t that regic ides abounded under the Monarchy of

Ju ly ; and as often as Lou is Phil ippe escaped unhurt from someat tempt on his l i fe, ladies wou ld hast i ly dress themselves in some

simply shaped,dark—colou red costume, and present themselves at

the Tu i leries,to offer him the ir congratu lat ions .

Su ch costumes were always kep t in read iness in a wardrobe,and

were known as“ costumes for days on wh ich the king’ s l ife i s

at temp ted .

”

In the annal s of fashion, the re ign of Lou i s Ph i l ippe i s re

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CHAPTER XX IV .

T H E S E C O N D R E P U B L I C .

1 848 To 1 85 1 .

Trico loured stu ffs of 1 848—G irond in mantles— Open gowns— Summer dresses—Kasawecksand the ir derivat ives— Beaver bonnets ; ve lvet bonnets, and sat in or crape drawnbonnets—C loches, Cornel ia, Moldav ian, and Joseph ine cloaks ; mant les —Isly greenOpera c loaks—Numerous styles of dressing the hair 1 1aMarie S tuart, ‘

a la Valo is,Leda,Proserp ine, and Ceres—Marqu ise parasols—Jewel lery—S traw bonne ts Orleans ”and “

armure”—Work re t icu le or bag Ch inés ”— Pagoda sleeves—Waistcoats

basque bod ices —New and economical canezous.

TH E Revolu t ion of 1 84 8 lasted too short a t ime to effect a change

in dress . There is l it t le to remark in that transient period, beyondthe adopt ion “ of tricolou red material s in remembrance of 1 83 0 .

Tricoloured ribbons were worn on caps,and on a few bonne t s .

For some months G irondin cloaks, with three rows of shaded lace,were in fash ion ; the cloaks were of mu sl in

,and trimmed wi th

frill s worked in bu tton-hole st itch . Bronze was the favouri tecolour for mant les .The year 1 84 8 was l ike its forerunner. The same materials

,

the same bodices,and the same sleeves cont inu ed to be worn .

Small mant les cal led “ grandmo ther,

”and others

,shawl—shaped

,

with l it t le sleeves and three flounces, and others again,rounded

behind,and trimmed wi th fringe or deep lace

,were fashionable .

Gowns were made open in front, with low square-cu t Raphae l

bodices,the front and back gathered ; and Marie Stuart head

dresses were worn . As the l ight material of summer costumes

was found trying to de l icate persons, kasawecks or casaques,imported from Ru ssia

,were worn over them in the evening .

The kasaweck was a sort of jacket coming be low the wai st,

wi th a t ight -fit ting back, and wide, braided sleeves . The front s

2 1 4 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

were made loose, or to fi t t igh t, according to taste . The Ru ssian

kasawecks were l ined wi th fur, bu t ours were s imply wadded .

They were somet imes made of velvet and sat in, bu t more

frequent ly of cashmere or merino, and were occasionally worn

u nder a shawl or mant le . They were known under several

names,viz

.

“co in-du -feu ,

” “casaque,

” “ pardessu s,”& c . ; and

there was qu ite a series of kasawecks, i . e . home kasawecks,

garden kasawecks, girls’kasawecks, grandmamma

’ s kasawecks, & c .

Women of fash ion, however, never wore them ou t of the ir own

hou se in the dayt ime .

For several years wide-brimmed beaver bonnets were general ly

worn. They were given up becau se they were very expensive,u nsu i table for fu ll dress

,and soon lost their colour. Ve lvet

bonnets succeeded t hem,trimmed wi th black lace or feathers, and

drawn bonnets of Sat in or silk,or crape bonnets, on which were

ve lvet heart sease,auricu las

,orprimroses.

Gowns,which remained abou t the same in shape

,were cu t more

or less low,accord ing as they were intended for morn ing or evening

wear: Some were shorter than others ; bu t fash ion no longer

allowed the ankle to be d isplayed as in 1 829 .

As regards material, the favourite woollens were cashmere,

flannel,Glasgow cloth, and Amazon sateen ; and in s ilks, plain or

glacé,sat in ala re ine

,

” pekin,” gros d’

Afrique,”& c .

A n enumerat ion of all the c loaks,mant les

,and pardessu s

wou ld be t ediou s . Bu t I mu st no t omit to ment ion the be ll

shaped, or Greek cloak, al so called the “ Cornel ia

,

” becau se its

fu lness and simpl ic ity somewhat resembled the form of the Roman

c loak . It had no sleeves and no seam on the shou lder,

and

cou ld be gathered up over the arms l ike a shawl,at the pleasure

of the wearer.

Another c loak,cal led the Moldavian

,fell bel ow the knee

,the

sleeves hung down wide at the back, and formed a square cape in

front . W e may also ment ion the dou ble-cape beige cashmere

mant le, edged with braid ; the Josephine mant le, with one cape,

and wi thou t shou lder- seam ; and the shawl-mant le,the elegance of

wh ich depended chiefly on the trimm ing .

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2 1 6 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

Bouquets of j ewel lery for the breast were worn by on ly a few,

on acco unt of the ir cost . One was exh ibi ted at the Indu strial

Exhib it ion of 1 849, which, although of only ordinary size, and

containing nei ther diamonds, nor other prec iou s stones, was

valued at seven thou sand francs . W e mu st add that this orna

ment cou ld be al tered at pleasu re so as to form a t iara, a brace let,or a necklace .

In order to defy the Pari s mud, ladies wore high-heeled kid

boot s,and gai ters of lamb—sk in, bu t toning on the ou ter s ide .

Shoes were hardly seen excep t at balls, and were worn with

beau t i fu l hand- embroidered stock ings, e i ther of s ilk or Scotch

thread .

Very pret ty trinket s we re manu factured in green enamel,or

enamel,gold

,and pearls

,or blue oxydized s ilver. Cap p ins and

brooches were made with pendant s, e ither of pearls or d iamonds .Arabesques were great ly apprec iated by women of art i s t ic taste .

How numerou s were the toilet s of one s ingle day ! F irst a

dressing-gown,then a costume for mass

,another for walking

,

another for the evening,others for the theatre or a ball ! A nd all

these withou t count ing wedding—gowns, or mourning at t ire, or the

dress of young g irls or children .

The great and typical novelty of 1 850 was the introdu ct ion,first

,of straw bonnets

,and then of drawn bonnets . An endl ess

variety were seen in places of fash ionable resort . W e need bu t

enumerate the names of some of these : “ pai llassons,

” “ sewn

straws,” Be lgian s traws ” wi th scalloped edges ; and fancy straws

in shel l patterns, lozenges, 85 C.

This revived fash ion of Ital ian straw bonnets lasted for several

years . Women who cou ld afford it,purchased expensive straws

called “ pail les de F lorence (Leghorns); the middle c lasses

contented themse lves, general ly speaking, wi th sewn s traws.A l l these more or less expensive bonnets were t rimmed w ith

wh ite ribbon,wheatears, cornflowers, and bows of r ibbon or straw.

Drawn bonnet s were espec ially becoming to young girl s ; they

were made of crepe l isse or tu l le,and trimmed with bands of

I tal ian straw. Many were made of Mechl in -net, of horsehair,

THE SECOND REPUBLIC . 2 1 7

and of rice s traw or chip . Black lace drawn bonnet s were wornin general by women of a certain age .

W e see that s traw was approved of by every c lass,and in every

stat ion of l ife .

A woollen material, st il l in use at the present day, was firstmanu factured in 1 850 . It was called Orleans

,

”or Orleance

it was m ixed and lu strou s, was somet imes made in grey and

black for hal f-mourn ing,and was princ ipally u sed for gowns .

Armure,

an au tumn stu ff,was a woollen m ixture

,grey, violet, or

green,wi th sat in stripes .

The bodices of walking—dresses were st il l made to open in a V

shape,with wide fri l led sleeves and t ight under- sleeves

,showing

black ve lvet brace le ts c leverly embroidered to represent coral .

Some magnificent dresses were made of “ sat in a la re ine,brocaded wi th lit t le chiné bouquets

,and trimmed wi th flounces

e i ther of equal dep th or graduated .

In 1 850 ,also

,a l i t t le hand—bag or workbox was Invented

,of

real u t i l ity, containing variou s l it t le art icles on the inside of the l id,

v iz . a needle—case,an instrument for the nails, a bodkin, sc issors, a

bu t ton-hook,and croche t -hooks. The box it self held a thimble

,a

l it t le pocke t - book, a penc il, a looking - glass,and a pincu sh ion . It

wou ld easi ly hold in addi t ion,a purse

,a handkerchief

,a strip of

embroidery or any other smal l p iece of needlework, and reels of

cot ton . It was made in brown,black

,or green leather

,or in

Ru ssian leather l ined with silk . Two leather straps made it very

convenient to carry : it has been improved every su cceeding year,and at the present day i s in constant request . 1 Bourgeoises and

working women have adopted it ; and it is of great service to

all hou sewives . This was the origin of our present admirably

conven ient travel l ing—bags .The follow ing was a pret ty costume of the period . A green

or blue s ilk gown shot wi th black, with two or three graduated

flounces,each flounce braided in the Greek key pat tern, wi th

narrow black velvet ribbon . The basque bodice (for all kinds of

basques were worn) was trimmed w ith ve lvet . A fine white

This was the we ll-known Ladies’ companion .

2 1 8 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE

pe t t i coat embroidered in open work was v isible, i f the dress wereever so l it t le he ld up .

S i lk was in such universal demand that fabu lou s prices were

asked for it ; and velvet was less esteemed than moire ant ique,or

brocades,or gros de Tours, or sat in- s triped chines

, or reps wi th

ve lvet bands, or watered popl ins, or Irish p laid popl ins .Nevertheless, shop- girl s and workwomen made every possible

sacrifice in order to procure a s i lk gown,in place of the Rouen

co t tons formerly worn .

A dec ided improvement in colours came into fash ion . Lad ies

perce ived, or were beginn ing to perce ive,that each shou ld wear

those shades most becoming to her,and that

,while following the

popu lar fash ions of Longchamps, she shou ld adap t her dress toher own face and figure .

The variou s styles of gowns,mant les

, and bonnets cont inu ed toincrease in number.

Chinés were very numerou s ; there were pastel chines,

”

bouquet ofroses chines, chines with pat terns arranged apron- fashion,

chinés with wreaths round the sk irt,Obel i sk chines

,81 C. Tal l and

sl ight persons wore as many as five flounces, the upper one being

gathered in wi th the skirt at the waist .

Pagoda sleeves brought back velvet and r ibbon bracelets ; they

might almost have been called armlets, for the wri st was ent irelyhidden by bows and ends. ’ Th is was very becoming to thin

persons those w ith round, plump arms wore a plain p iece of velve t

and a bu ckle .

Handkerchiefs were bordered in bu t ton- hole st itch,and for fu l l

dress were embroidered and trimmed w ith lace,or were made of

carré d’

A ngle terre .

”

Gloves of kid and lambskin were so great ly in request,that the

manu facturers raised the price on the pretext that the massacre

of the poor l it t le animals did not supply the demand.

A few dressmakers rev ived the shaped sleeves t erminated by a

narrow wristband,and the mousqu etaire or caval ier col lars.

Wais tcoat s came into fash ion in 1 85 1 , and were great ly wornunder basque bodices ; thu s the ladies once more gave the ir

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2 2 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

cat ions of certain enthusiast s . W e mu st no te,

’

however,that waist s

became shorter,and that reminiscences of the t ime of the Great

Napoleon were percept ible in some of the accessories of dress,

al though they took no real root among us. Frenchwomen showed

a re luctance to wear costumes that had been severe ly crit ic ized inthe ir hearing .

Many years were dest ined to pass by before any at tempt shou ld

be made to rev ive the shapes of the F irst Empire .

The marriage of Napoleon III .,however

,gave a new impetus to

feminine fashion,and every woman set herse l f to im i tate as far as

possible the style of dress worn by the Empress,now suddenly

become the arb iter of at t ire .

The dress worn by the Emperor’s bride at the marriage in

the Cathedral of Notre Dame,was of white terry ve lvet

,w ith a

long train . The basqu e bodice was h igh, and profu se ly adorned

with diamonds,sapphires

,and orange - blossoms . The skirt was

covered w i th point d’

Angleterre .

” This kind Of lace had been

selected on account of the ve il which it had been impossible to

procu re in “ point d’

A lencon . Fel ix Escal ier dressed the new

Empress ’ s hair. There were two bandeau s in front ; one was

raised and peaked in the Marie Stuart shape, the other was rolled

from the top of the head to the neck,where it fell in curls that,according to a poet

,looked l ike nes ts for Cupids .

This costume was long the subject of conversat ion in both

aristocrat ic and bourgeois salons, especial lyamong the adherent s of

the Imperial Régime .

W e mu st say a few words concern ing the court mant le, and the

court train,which soon took its place in offic ial at t ire .

The true court mant le fal l ing from the shou lders was reserved,it i s said, for the Empress

,the princesses

,and some few highly

honou red ladies exclu sively ; for the Imperial Court wished to

im itate exact ly the magnificence displayed by Lou is XIV . ,and the

first ranks of Soc iety became luxuriou s in the ex treme.

A court train cons isted of a skirt open ing in front, bu t

fall ing low at the s ides,and ending in a long train. The train

was at tached to the waist . Lad ies found it necessary to consu lt

REIGN OF NAPOLEON I I I . 2 2 3

a dancing-master in order to learn, not how to advance with a

train, which was easy enough, bu t how to turn round,andespecial ly

how to retreat,which was ex treme ly difficu lt .

Lappet s were necessary for court dress ; they fe ll to the wai st,and were generally made of lace

,and occasionally embroidered in

gold or silver.

A t fu ll - dress assembl ies,elegance and splendour of at t ire

increased day by day ; the most bril l iant invent ions in mill inery

su cceeded each other uninterruptedly .

The first dressmakers in Paris were employed in making forthe new Empress four series of gowns, if we may so describethem

,viz . evening gowns

,bal l-dresses, visit ing dresses, and

morn ing gowns . Among those for fu l l dress was one of p ink

moire ant ique ; it had a basque bodice trimmed wi th fringe,lace

,

and white feathers ; another was of green silk, the flounces

trimmed with cu rled feathers ; and a third of mauve s i lk,the

flounces bordered wi th Bru ssels lace . Al l were made wi th

basques,long-waisted

,and e ither w ith trains or dem i—trains

rounded off. The bod ices for the most part were draped .

However great the desire of many persons to see the fash ions

of the F irst Empire revived, those I have ju st described were

certainly far from resembling them . Although waists weresl ight ly shortened, the general aspect of dress re tained the you thfu l,elegant

,and s l im effect which has always been

,and will always

remain,so credi table to the French taste .

The maj ority of ladies felt no temp tat ion to recall the t imes of

that Maréchale Lefebvre, who was as famou s for her finery and

feathers as for her singu lar choice of language and her extra

ordinary remarks . No thing of the past can be enduring, excep t

that which has su cceeded .

During the winter of 1 853-

4 , dresses were worn at the opera,

of which I wil l describe one as a typical example .

The gown was of grey pou lt de soie,”

the high bodice was

fastened by ru by bu t tons, and the basques, open on the hips, were

trimmed wi th a knot of cherry- coloured ribbon. The five flounces

of the skirt were trimmed with ribbon of the same hue, laid on

2 24 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

flat,and term inat ing in bows wi th long ends . This was very

unl ike the dresses of 1 8 1 0 .

Bodices a la Vierge,

” Pompadour and Wat teau bodices with

trimmings of lace,velvet

,flowers

,and ru ched

,qu il led

,or plain

ribbon,were extremely fash ionable . There was a certain grace

abou t them .

On the whole,women great ly preferred the stomachers of the

e ighteenth centu ry to the short waists of the first years of the

n ineteenth . They model led themselves rather on the anc ient

order of th ings,than on the commencement of the new order

,

becau se above all they sought for pure and del icate ou tl ine .

The fash ions of the reign of Lou is the E ighteenth were

resorted to for trimming the skirt s of bal l-dresses . Large puflings

of mu sl in or lace came almost up to the knees. Here and therel it t le bu tterfly bows of ribbon nes t led in the interst ices of the pu ffs

,

and produ ced a charm ing effect .

The number of new colours was considerable . Théba was

a brown ish-yellow t int, much favou red, it i s said, by the Empress,and consequ ent ly a good deal used by au thori t ies on dress . Bu t

it did no t remain in fash ion longer than was considered desirable

by persons always in quest of fresh nove lt ies .

Light colou rs were general ly preferred, and every imag inable

t int was tried in turn wi th inconce ivable rapidi ty .

A gl impse of the Empress Eugénie as she drove through the

Bois de Bou logne suffi ced to set the fair observers to work upon a

fai thfu l reproduct ion of her costume . The toilet te at a bal l at the

Tu i leries afforded food for thought during many days to those

who had been present .

A few of the court ladies seemed to legislate for Fash ion,and

somet imes they even competed with the ir sovere ign. Scores of

newspapers described the shape and colour of the ir dresses,t heir

jewe ls,and the flowers or feathers in the ir hair, and gave m inu te

de tails of the fetes wh ich they adorned as much by the ir at t ire as

by the ir beau ty, when they were no t t empted into eccentric ity .

On ly a few actresses of ce lebrity rival led the influence of theEmpress and her court

,especial ly in the mat ter of hair- dressing .

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CHAPTER XXV I .

REIGN OF NAPOLEON III. (CONTINUED).1 854 AND 1 855 .

Crino l ine inaugurates the second era o f Imperial fash ions—T he reign of crino l ine—S tarchedpet t icoats—Whaleboned petticoats - S tee l hoops—Two camps are formed

,one in favour

of, and one in imical to crino l ine—Large collarS A - Marie Anto inette fichus and mantlesExh ibi t ion of 1 855—Cashmere shawls— Pure cashmeres - I

_nd ian cashmere shawls

Ind ian woo l len Shawls Mouzaia ”shawls—Algerian burnouses— Pompadour paraso ls

— S traight paraso ls—Schoo l for fans—The fan dril l—The Queen of Oude ’s fans—TheCharlotte Corday fichu .

CR INOLIN E made its appearance, and revived’ the'

era of hoops . It

was an ungracefu l invent ion ; the crinoline swayed abou t under the

skirt in large graduated tubes made of horsehair.

“ Crinol ine i s only fi t,

” said a c lever woman,

“ for making

grape- bags or soldiers ’ s tocks .”

This fash ion was vigorou sly and constant ly at tacked . A lady,

for instance,taking her seat in a railway carriage, wasacompelled to

hold her flounces together within the space allot ted to !her ; bu t a

great wave of crinol ine overshadowed her ne ighbour during the

whole j ourney . The next ne ighbour grumbled natural ly, bu t in

suppressed tones,for fear of giving offence . When the j ourney

was over, very uncomplimentary remarks were passed on the

obnoxiou s garment .

There were several o ther modes of su staining the flounces of a

gown. Why not adopt starched pett icoats,or flounced or three

skirted pet t icoat s in coarse cal ico ?

Horsehair was surely no t the only resou rce for swe ll ing ou t one ’s

c lothes .

In spite of its Opponents, or perhaps becau se Of them, crinol ine

soon ru led with an absolu te sway .

Numbers of women, after holding forth against those horrid

Q 2

2 28 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

crinol ines,were ready to wear starched and flounced pett icoats

,

less ungracefu l indeed than horsehair, bu t extreme ly inconven ient .

The essent ial po int was to increase the size of the figure,to conceal

thinness, and, above all, to go with the s tream .

Some very fash ionable women inven ted a whaleboned sk irt,no t

unl ike a bee-h ive . The largest circumference was round the hips,whence the rest of the dress fe ll in perpendicu lar l ines . O thers

preferred hoops arranged like those on a barrel . The most

unassuming had the irflou nces l ined wi th st iff mu sl in, and the edges

of the ir gowns wi th horsehair, and loaded themselves wi th four or

five starched or caned pet t icoats . What a we ight of c lothes !

A S for the steel hoops that were soon universally worn,no t

only were they extreme ly ugly,bu t they swayed from side to side ,

and somet imes,i f no t made su ffi c ient ly long, the lower part of

the skirt wou ld fal l inwards . Men sm i led involuntari ly at such

exhibit ions as they passed them in the stree ts,bu t the fair wearers

were no t one whi t d is tu rbed .

The gravest pol i t ical quest ion of the daywas no t more exc it ing

to Frenchmen than that of crinol ine to Frenchwomen. Two

camps were formed, in one of which the adversaries of crinol inedeclaimed against it, while in the o ther its defenders took

t he i r s tand on Fash ion,whose decrees they contended mu s t be

bl indly obeyed . Moreover, crinol ine had now become generally

worn,and its enemies were acqu iring a repu tat ion for i l l-nature

,

prejudice,and obst inate grumbling .

Bu t though swel l ing skirt s retained their pre-eminence in fashion,

cages and hoops were gradually su cceeded by numerou s starched

pet t icoats,and th is was a sl ight improvement .

Crinoline therefore became less ridicu lou s, bu t no t w ithou t a

struggle ; and it took years to bring abou t a change that the

s implest good taste shou ld have effected after the appearance of

horsehair,whalebone, and stee ls .

During the prevalence of skirts resembling balloons, ladies worevery large collars

, to which they. gave h is toric names of the t ime of

Lou i s X III . and Lou is X IV.,evoking reminiscences of Anne of

Au stria, Cinq-Mars,Mdlle . de Mancini

,and the Mu sketeers .

A n immense crinol ine and an enormous col lar const i tu ted the

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23 0 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Algerian burnou ses wi th Thibe t tasse ls were great ly used for

wraps at theatres,concert s

,and balls . French ladies

,seen from

a distance,looked much l ike Arabs ; bu t at least their shou lders

were pro tected from the cold,and that was the essent ial point.

Burnou ses wi th sligh t ly pointed capes, cal led “Empress mant les,were made in plu sh

,S iberian fur

,and plaid velvet . These

mant les were un iversal ly popu lar ; they were worn in France, and

throughou t Europe,be ing most comfortable as wel l as e legant

,

when gracefu lly pu t on.

In the same year straigh t parasols were su cceeded by those wi th

folding handles,made princ ipal ly of bordered moire ant ique

,and

trimmed e ither w ith fri l ls of the same, or wi th fringe .

These Pompadour parasols became more andmore splendid ;they were covered in Chant il ly, Alencon, point lace, or blond

,

and some were embro idered in si lk and gold .

They were most ly made of moire ant ique,and always w ith a

dou ble fri ll,the edges of which were pinked . General ly speaking,

the handles were of ivory and cOral . The lace coverings fe l l

gradually in to disu se,owing to the ir l iab il ity to be torn .

The handles of parasols for morning wear were general ly of

cane or bamboo ; more expens ive ones had handles '

of rh inoceros

horn,green ivory

,or tortoise-shel l, w i th coral , cornel ian,

or agate

knobs . The bourgeoises were qu i te sat isfied to use such as these

when ou t on hou sehold bu siness or pay ing unce remon iou s v isi ts .Parasols wi th folding handles were soon laid as ide

,and straight

handled ones,worthy rival s of the marqu ises or du chesses,

”

resumed the ir old place . Women of fash ion possessed exqu is i te

white or coloured moire parasols,l ined wi th blue

,pink

,or wh i te

,

wi th handles of fore ign woods,tortoise- shel l inlaid w ith gold, or

rhinoceros horn . For country wear they were made in ecru

bat i ste, l ined w ith coloured sarsne t .

Parasols were now qu ite indispensable,for in the wide

,open

spaces of Pari s there was no protect ion from the sun,the trees

affording only a delu sive shade .

‘

A t the same t ime,fans were in su ch universal request, especial ly

with young ladies, that it was proposed in jest to found a school

of instruc t ion in the art of managing them .

REIGN OF NAPOLEON I I I . 2 3 1

Accord ing to the programme proposed for the imaginary pupils,the word of command wou ld be

,Prepare fans,

”on which thev

were to be taken in the hand,

‘

and held in readiness . A t the

word “ Unfurl fans,

”they were to be gradual ly opened, then

c losed,then opened again.

Frenchwomen u sed the ir fans as skilfu l ly as Spanish womenmanmuvred the irs . A fashionable Frenchwoman knew how to

manage very gracefu l ly all the accessories of'

her v isit ing or

walking costumes,viz . her fan

,parasol

,handkerchief

,sme ll ing

bot t le, card- case, and pu rse .

In 1 859 the pu bl ic was mu ch interested in the fan bequeathed

to the Princess C lo t ilde by the Qu een of Oude ; it was of white

s i lk,richly embroidered with emeralds and pearls ; the handle of

ivory and gold was set with rubies and with seventeen diamonds

of the finest water .Bu t

,withou t be ing equal ly splendid, many fans of the period

were worthy of be ing c lassed among works of art . They were

exqu is itely painted cop ies of the works of Wat teau,Lancre t

,and

Boucher. Since then young girls have learned to paint fans in our

art - schools .

One more variat ion mu st be noted in the fashions of 1 859 .

The Marie Antoinet te fichu was succeeded by the Charl ot teCorday

,which formed a sort of drapery, raised upon the shou lders

,

and loosely t ied in front . It was princ ipally worn by the

bourgeoises . In the great world,”to u se an old bu t conven

t ional expression, ladies preferred the Marie Antoinet te ; the

Empress Eu genie wearing it frequent ly, as did the most fash ion

able women o f the Second Empire, at vary ing intervals .

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2 3 4 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

walked by the sea sp lendidly at t ired in s ilk gowns,brocaded

,or

shot wi th gold or s i lver. One wou ld have imag ined one ’ s sel f

present at a bal l at the Tu ileries, or some minis terial recep t ion,

rather than at a seaside place of resort . On fine days ladies woresat in spring- s ide boot s

,with or wi thou t patent leather t ips

,bu t

invariably black ; blue and chestnu t -brown boot s be ing no longerin fashion. In the heat of summer

,however

,grey boo ts were

adm issible . H igh hee ls were worn,andhave s ince that t ime become

higher st il l,unt i l one wonders how women will at las t contrive to

keep the ir balance .

General ly speak ing, boot s were made ent irely of kid, bu t some

t imes they were of patent leather. The most styl ish were part ly

kid and part ly patent leather, ornamentally s t itched, and laced on

the instep .

To these we mu st add s l ippers, shoes wi th large bows or

buckles, and even modern sandals, which, al though very elegantly

arranged,were only worn by a smal l m inority .

A t the t ime of which we speak, a singu larnovel ty was produ ced,called the several

,

” from the Engl ish word meaning many .

A “ several ” contained wi thin itself seven different garment s,

and cou ld be worn e ither as a burnou s,a shawl

,a shawl -mant le

, a

scarf,a R istori

,

”or a hal f- leng th basqu ine . Although patented

and of moderate price, severals did no t long remain in fashion .

Ristoris,

in part icu lar, ceased to be worn so soon as the

ce lebrated I tal ian traged ian whose name they bore, and who hadbeen thoroughly apprec iated in France, had left ou r country .

Pocket-handkerch iefs were round, printed in colours,or with

chess-board borders,or hem—st i tched, or trimmed w ith Valenc iennes

insert ion and st i tched bias bands . The fashion of expensive hand

kerchiefs was by no means new, yet never before had they been

made wi th su ch exceeding care, trimmed w i th such valuable lace, or

so del icately embroidered. It was u sual for ladies to embroider

the ir own handkerch iefs, a task on wh ich they bestowed extremepains

,ach ieving perfec t marvel s of pat ience and art .

In 1 859, waists were almost on a sudden percept ibly shortened,and a cons iderable number of women seemed to fear that fash ion

REIGN OF NAPOLEON 1 11 . 2 3 5

was return ing to the ungracefu l waists of the First Emp ire— a

period which they looked upon as the Iron Age of dress . The

style of costume most general ly worn that yeaf cons isted of a

dark green gown wi th pagoda sleeve s, vei'y fu l l, mu ch trimmed,and a wide ribbon sash t ied in front . The bonnet wou ld be whi te

and green, wi th white curtain and strings edged wi th green, and

pre tty art ific ial flowers— part icu larly dais ies,that look l ike pearls

,

notwithstanding the ir golden centres .The apprehension of a return to short waists was no t real i zed .

Good tas te triumphed over the incomprehens ible whim of wishing

to resume former fashions, which had given rise to the adverse and

wel l founded crit ic ism underwhich they had previou sly su ccumbed .

During 1 859 and the following years there was a rage for

Z ouave, Turkish, and Greek jacket s, for Figaros and

Ristoris. Ladies considered them,and st i ll cons ider them

,

very comfortable and becoming. They were made in mu sl in for

summer wear,and for the au tumn in cashmere or cloth . Some

were black,and braided in variou s colours in the A lgerian style

,

o thers of different bright shades were braided in black, and somein gold . These jacket s were very much worn in the country .

Now it i s next to impossible that a jacket shou ld go wel l wi th

a very short wai st,and as jackets were part icu larly gracefu l

,they

certainly helped to main tain the re ign of long waists st i l l in fash ion

at the present day.

Among adjunct s of dress we mayment ion bonnet- caps,consist ing

of ru chings or twist s,as be ing very mu ch worn. Ne ts

,also

,were

extremely fashionable,as they wel l deserved to be ; some were

finished wi th bias bands of ve lvet,and others wi th gilt bu t tons

and buckles .

Short ly afterwards, gold began to be used in every possible way ;even bonnetswere spo t ted with gold or trimmed with gold buckles .Walking- dresses had gold pip ings

,bouque ts of auricu las were

worn, gilt pins wi th l it t le chains,

and frequent ly large goldbu ckles .

Whi te Arabian bu rnouses, shot wi th gold and si lver,were u sed

as opera and ball wraps .

2 3 6 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

Tarlatans were made with diamond- shaped spots of black ve lvet,

having a gold pip in the cent re, and tu l les with gold stars ;tarlatans, al so, with gold spot s or stripes .The ex tremely transparent mu sl in texture known as tarlatan

i s of unknown origin— it had an immense su ccess for balls and

part ies, and i s st i l l much patron ized by the most e legant women ;at the present t ime it i s constant ly seen in our salons.

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2 3 8 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Mill iners and dressmakers made certain improvement s in smal l

mat ters,and, as is always the case, in defau l t of new invent ions

,

they endeavou red to revive, i f only for a very brief period,some

of the fashions of the pas t .

There was a great variety of g irdles and be l ts in 1 860 , v iz .long and wide ones matching the gown trimmings ; long, plainsashes, the ends trimmed w ith bands of velvet

,and fringe ; also

waistbands in Ru ssian or German leather,hand embroidered

,or

braided in gold and beads.

In 1 86 1 , w ide velve t bel ts cal led“Med ic i were worn

, and

s ince that t ime sashes have become an important art i cle of att ire,

on account of the ir form ing part of the nat ional dress of A l saceand Lorraine .

Bands and bel ts of all sorts seemed to ind icate,even at that

period, the metal bel t s that were afterwards fash ionable in 1 87 5 .

In 1 86 1 , bands of gold, e i ther straight or diadem shaped,were

worn on the head,and were extremely becom ing to dark- haired

women . Large gold combs,wi th a heavy ring to hold the hair

,

velvet coronets wi th gold heads or bu t tons,velvet twists and

aigre t tes, feather head-dresses, bunches of flowers, velvet bows,and Ceres ” wreaths were very fash ionable .

The favouri te style of dressing the hair was in very large rolls,

wi th a bunch of berries and ash prive t on ‘

the top of the head or

a wreath of hops and foliage ; or one of oak leaves wi th gold

acorns,and a gold aigrette in the cen tre . Wreaths of cornflower

,

wi th wheat -ears meet ing over the forehead, were “Ceres wreaths .

These seem to u s to have been among the last s tyles arranged

wi th order,and in wh ich the talent of the hairdresser might

manifest i tself or produce any art i st ic resu lt .

The fash ion of wearing false and dyed hair was abou t to

reappear,and French lad ies were to pu t in pract ice the axiom

,

that beau t i fu l disorder is an effect of art . ”

A curiou s fac t at tracted the at tent ion of Pari s ian soc iety in

1 86 1 and the ladies promp t ly discarded all green materials . In

a professional j ournal , the UnionMea’icale

,the fol lowing paragraph

appeared“A young married lady who had gone to a party, wearing a

REIGN OF NAPOLEON I I I . 2 3 9

pale green sat in gown, was at tacked, after danc ing several quadril les,wi th sensat ions of numbness and want of power in the lower

l imbs,t ightness in the chest

,vert i go

,and headache, and was

obliged to return home . The symptoms gradually abated,bu t the

feel ing of weakness in the abdominal region lasted u nt i l the thirdday. No Spec ial cau se

,such as t ight lac ing, & c . ,

cou ld be dis

covered,and suspic ion having been directed to the colour of the

lady ’s gown,a chemical analysis was made, and the presence of a

quant i ty of arseni te of copper detected . It i s the opin ion of

Professor Blas iu s,that the movement produced by danc ing might

,

espec ially wi th dresses of the ample width requ ired by the presentfashion

,su ffi ce to de tach a quant i ty of the arsen ical dye, wh ich on

being absorbed by the lungs wou ld give ri se to symptoms ofarsenical poisoning .

The 7onrnal a’e la Nievre wrote as follows

Some dressmakers l iv ing at Nevers ‘

had rece ived an order to

make a green tarlatan gown . Several strips of the material hadbeen torn off for ru ch ings

,thereby produc ing a fine du st, which,

se t tl ing on the face andpene trat ing the body through the resp iratoryand nasal organs

,had occasioned col ic in some cases

,and in others

an erup t ion on the face.

Green wall-papers and green dress materials were declared to

be equal ly pern ic iou s to heal th .

An interdic t was accordingly laid on green,unt i l some chemical

process had been discovered to obviate the dangers described by

the Union M e’

ciicale and the 7onrnal de la Nie‘vre.

Women were qu i te ready to su ffer for the sake of the ir beau ty,

to t ighten the ir waists, to imprison their feet in shoes too narrow

for them,to run the risk of inflammation of the chest by wearing

low- cu t gowns ; bu t they were not will ing to be poisoned by greendyes

,especial ly as green is no t a very becoming colour to most

women,and by no means sets off the complexion .

In order to withstand the cold of winter, our Paris ian ladies

made up the ir minds to wear mant les of soft c lo th, or heavy gros

grain S ilk,al though the we igh t of su ch garment s fat igued them .

These mant les were generally trimmed with broad braid ; bu tsome of them were l iterally covered wi th embroidery

, and were

240 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

consequent ly very expens ive . Real or imi tat ion Astrakan was

u sed for every kind of pale to t ; the curly coat s of the st i l l-bornlambs be ing great ly admired .

Braiding and Astrakan had a long re ign ; both were constant ly

u sed to trim variou s new shapes in mant les or coats,which they

great ly improve withou t adding to the cost . The town ofA strakan,

in Ru ssia,benefi ted largely by the French fashions in that part icu lar

Instance .

The fol lowing are types of the most fashionable bonne ts,w i th

which feathers,

or ve lvet flowers,

and roset tes,tuft s (called

chou s), or bows of black lace and whi te blond,were worn ( I )

a bonne t in royal b lue velvet,wi th a scarf of whi te tu lle laid on

the brim ; ( 2) a black velvet bonne t,wi th wh i te tu lle scarf pu t

round the crown,and fal l ing over the cu rtain ; (3 ) a red sat in

(grose il le des A lpes) drawn bonnet , covered wi th tu l le, and wi th

bows at the side ; (4) an orange velve t bonne t,with soft crown

and whi te tu l le brim,a wreath of flowers on the edge .

For morning dress,horsehair

,Belg ian straw

,and chip bonnets

were worn .

Very l i t t le change was observable in boots, wh ich were general ly

made of leather or Turkish sat in (sat in turc) ; shoes, e i ther

t rimmed or plain,and pumps were no longer in fashion .

Ball -dresses in 1 86 1 -2 were generally rose-coloured,wi th an

over- skirt of lace,and adorned wi th flowers . On the head was

worn a bri l l iant bunch of roses,giving '

a charm ing fin i sh to the

whole costume .

The manu fac ture of art ific ial flowers rece ived a great impe tu s at

the Exhib it ion of 1 855 ; and it is no exaggerat ion to say that

flowers which rival led Nature i tself were produced .

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24 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

never ou t of fash ion ; it i s too valuable to the dressmakers,as a

means of increasing the amount of the ir bil ls .

S imu l taneously w i th the introdu c t ion of the fancy garments I

have ju st ment ioned,gowns were very pre t t i ly made

,wi th bodices

e i ther sl igh t ly pointed, or wi th waistbands or long sashes,or else

princess shape o r demi—princess . Swiss bodices were also worn,

and corsle t and pos t il l ion bel ts .

The above designat ions need no commentary ; the elegant

appearance of su ch costumes can be easi ly imagined ; they were

characteri s t ic,”and no t always of French origin. On that very

account,perhaps, they were the more successfu l .

Very many fashions are the resu lt of caprice ; bu t they are also

modes of commemorat ing some great l i terary,mu sical, or dramat i c

su ccess,or of celebrat ing some important event .

In 1 863 , the Fash ion journals were loud in prai se of the

Lydia paletot,the “Lal la Rookh

”

jacke t, and the Vespert ina”

opera c l oak . Senorita jackets,in velvet

,silk

,l igh t shades of

cashmere,and clo th, were in great favou r,

The ready recep t ion nowadays given to new fash ions wi thou twai t ing

,as formerly

,for certain seasons is easily explained . In

1 863 a cry was heard, Longchamps is no more !”

and it is true

that Longchamps has ceased to exist . The tradi t ional drive has

lost its importance . On ly a few tai lors and dressmakers,seated

in hired carriages, parade the ir new designs in the broad avenue of

the Champs Elysees ; poor lay figures,want ing in any kind of

ease or e legance . The days are gone when fashionable Pari s u sed

to display the newly invented modes on the road leading from the

Abbey of Longchamps to the Tu i leries ; when the Wednesday,

Thu rsday, and Friday in Holy Week were red- let ter days in the

annals of extravagance and splendour. A t the present t ime,the

Bois de Bou logne i s a constant scene of fashionable rivalry,and is

equally crowded in winter and summer, spring and au tumn .

Daily drives have thu s taken the place of the annual solemni t ies

of Longchamps . The garments that are most not iceable set the

fash ion,which i s great ly determined by the rank of the wearer.

True,Longchamps is dead ; bu t it has been resu scitated in a

REIGN OF NAPOLEON I I I . 243

brill iant and permanent form among the leafy avenues of the

Bois de Bou logne .

For visi t ing dress,in 1 863 , Frenchwomen gave the preference

to white bodices of some thin material ; a pink skirt,striped wi th

a darker shade of the same colour ; a straw bonnet,trimmed wi th

black ribbon and a few wild flowers ; a knot of lace at the throat,and some black lace round the wrist s.

The most strik ing of the sl ight innovat ions of 1 864 were the

Ru ssian or Garibaldi ” bodices of fou lard, or of white, red, blue,

or Havana silk,e i ther braided or embroidered in Ru ssian st i tch ;

and the Lou i s XV. coats and waistcoats,of an English clo th

of black and grey mix ture . The wai stcoats,when no t of the

same material,were of velve t

,smoo th clo th

,or gros -grain ” s ilk .

The R ussian bodices,however

,and the coat -wais tcoats

,were

considered too mu ch in undress ” style,and were soon su cceeded

by further novelt ies .

Ladies who st il l wore them,prov ided themselves wi th silken

aumoniéres,

”or bags embroidered in je t and su spended by bows

of ribbon and lace ; and w ith the Empress or hygienic bel t,a

small corset made o f e las tic material, which, when warm , adapted

i tself to every movement of the body . It was,in fact

,the s tays

perfec ted .

The quant i ty of toile t art icles manufac tured in a single year is

real ly remarkable .

In 1 864 , the Bullet in a’es Lois pu blished an edict

,by which

e igh teen hundred and e igh ty-five invent ions patented in that one

year were registered. On every page is some thing Concerning

dress,viz . : an instrument for waving the hair ; s teel skeleton

skirts,called Victoria cages,

" “corse t 2 j our

,

”or Indian stays ;

pet t icoats for support ing trains, called “ porte- trains ; bonne t s

wi th faded American creeper, feather parasols, a “transformable

and mu l t iple system of clo thing,” iron shoes, wicker head - dresses

,

pet t icoats with movable flounces, bij ou garters, & c .

W e mu st no t forget that the year 1 864 was famou s-

for the

adop t ion of the Ti t ian ”tresses . Red hair oryel low hair was

an ideal eagerly Sough t after by many ladies, who e ither concealed

R 2

244 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRAN CE .

their own beau t i fu l dark hair, or dyed it to the desired shade. In

a certain sec t ion of soc ie ty there was qu i te a . rage for Ti t ian

colou red hair.

There were some qu i te impossible hu es, intended to harmonizewi th the thickly laid-on paint of the face, —for faces were painted,—ju st as in the e igh teenth century .

Laughter frequ ent ly gree ted the appearance of these painted

idols in places of publi c resort,bu t it was qu i te ineffec tual .

A n e legant costume, worn in 1 865 , consisted of a pearl grey

dress,with braidings of the same colou r, a black belt and s ilver

buckle, and a black bonnet w i th red ribbons .

The peplum of 1 866 was formed of a small corsle t,”to

which a basque was at tached , square in front and at the back,

and very long at the sides . This was cal led the Empress peplum .

Wi th th is new garment,crinol ine was dec idedly an anomaly, and

its fall commenced . The peplum,

’regarded from that po int of

V iew,marks an epoch in histo‘ry, and deserves our grat i tude .

Unfortunately all gowns of heavy material were shaped “ a

The skirts were cu t straight at the back,and worn

wi th melon-shaped dress- improvers in horsehair. S t iff musl in or a

l’

Empire .

’

smal l down cush ion was some t imes u sed instead of horsehair.

One manu fac turer invented a pet t icoat wi th springs,of wh ich

part cou ld be detached at pleasure another, a transparent parasol ;a third advert ised h is sys tem of aerat ion for the hair ; and a fourth

sold notched s teels for pet t icoats, called “ epicyclo'

ides. Therewere “

aquarium earrings, consist ing of smal l globes in rock

crystal su spended to l it t le branches o f water-grasses in ename l ;the globes contained fishes . Chains called BenOiton

,

”after

Sardou’

s famou s p lay, were worn below the chin and underneath

the bonnet strings, l ike a curb chain.

The princ ipal Pari s newspapers described the dress of Mme .

R . K

nate bands of tu l le and sat in ; above this a skirt of si lver tu lle, with

wreaths of roses, and Spangled wi th l it t le s tars or dots of black

ve lvet a very long black ve lvet train edged w i th sat in ; a bel t of

emeralds anddiamonds hair dressed al’

Empire,’

and powdered

at a court bal l as follows : A wh i te gown with alter

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CHAPTER XXX .

REIGN OF

1 867 To 1 870 .

F ive different styles of dressing the hair in 1 868 and 1 869 Pe t it catogan ; three triplebandeaus—The hair is worn loose—Dress of the Duchess de Mou'

chy Refinements of

fashion—Various journals—New shades—Crinol ine is a ttacked it res ists ; it succumbs—Ch inese fash ions.

A T th is t ime women indu lged more than ever in ex travagance

in dress, and in the s trangest whims of fashion. The minor

newspapers publ ished paragraphs describing the costumes of this

or that great lady, designat ing each by her name; by no means

to the displeasure of the fair ones thu s dist ingu ished . Tailors and

dressmakers grew rich .

A very favouri te costum e consis ted.of a pink gown

,a s traw

bonnet and white feather, yellow gloves, and pale grey boot s .

In 1 868 -

9 the following s tyle s of dressing the hair were

fashionable

1 . The hair drawn up from the forehead in a small catogan

or c lub,and a large “

coque or bow of hair above ; short cu rl s

over the catogan,

”and the same on each s ide .

2 . The hair drawn up from the forehead w i thou t a part ing ; a

large “coque in the middle, surrounded by six smal ler ones ; s ix

long ringlet s fall ing from the back of the head, a l it t le higher

than the “coqu e

,

” low on the shou lders .

3 . The hair fixed on the forehead, three immense coques on

the top of the head, and ringlets forming a ch ignon behind .

4 . The hair drawn straigh t up from the roots,and form ing

three roll s fall ing backwards ; a catogan ”and three “

coques

248 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

underneath ; one long “ repent ir ” or ringle t,waved

,bu t no t

curled.

5 . Three trip le bandeau s in front a smal l “catogan surrounded

by three rows of plaits three large curl s behind.

The hair was generally worn high,and dressed in a compl icated

style, bu t it was, above all,dishevelled . It was frequent ly worn

qu ite loose and in disorder ; less so, however, than in 1 87 5 .

The ornamental port ions of dress were ex treme ly handsome

and expensive . A great deal of jewe l lery was worn . In 1 869,

at the Beauvais ball, the Duchess de Mou chy wore d iamonds to

the value of francs . Her dress cons isted of a gown

and train of whi te gau ze spot ted w i th si lver ; a rather short over

skirt of red currant—coloured silk,form ing a ruched “

tabl ier ;a low

,square - cu t bodice

,and shou lder~straps of prec iou s s tones a

sort of scarf of flowers,with silver fol iage

,fe ll from one shou lder

slant ing across the skirt .

A t Compiegne, Biarri tz, and the Tu i leries,by turns

,bri l l iant

costumes su ch as these were seen and admired, and the day

after a fete the fash ionable newspapers gave minu te descrip t ions

of the mos t e legant dresses,and a guess at the i r approximate

cost .

For many years, and al though there was l it t le nove lty in the

fashions,they never ceased to be the order of the day. More

than ever did women make them thei r occupat ion,and men also

were deeply interested in the subjec t .

There was,so to speak, a tournament of coquetry in Eu rope

,

in which the French ladies always bore away the palm .

New periodical s special ly devo ted to Fashion were publ ished inFrance and abroad

,and suppl ied a real want in c irc les where many

art ic les of dress were made at home .

A taste for handsome dress pervaded every c lass of socie ty,a

good cu t” became every day of more importance, and the

smallest variat ions were adop ted,since radical changes were no t

taking place .

During the Second Emp ire new colours called “Magenta,

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250 THE HISTORY O F FASH ION IN FRANCE .

were made as much like Chinese fash ions as possible . Up to a

certain point French ladies approved of the new s tyle,which has

since that t ime u ndergone several transformat ions, the first be ing

the introduc t ion of the pou fs and “tou rnures that were s t il l

worn as recent ly as fou r years ago .

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2 5 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

and in all sorts of contrivances for al leviat ing the privat ions of

innumerable hou seholds . There was no room for o ther pursu its .

Paris was encompassed by her enemies, and became l ike an ext inct

sun to the rest of France . The j ournal s of Fash ion that hadformerly tau gh t the whole world the latest Parisian invent ions in

at t ire or hair—dress ing were now silent ! The love of dress,of

j ewe ls,of bri ll iant finery

,had vani shed !

Chari table collec t ions were se t on foo t, to which the wealthy

contribu ted some of the ir diamonds and lace .

How great was the change in a few months ! From riches topoverty, from thought less gaiety to un iversal mourn ing ! The

few heart less women who ventured to parade the stree ts in gayat t ire were scathed by the contempt of those who passed them by,and p i t ied by all generou s minds.

Such theatres as remained open,gave performances only on

behal f of the wounded soldiers, all fetes were for charitable

purposes,and Fash ion, entering into the spiri t of the t imes

,ru led

wi th both simpl ic i ty and economy . The audiences on these

occasions had no desire to shock pu bl ic opinion by bright ly

coloured dresses, by exaggerated “ poufs,

”or by the display of

valuable j ewel s . They bore in mind that boundless luxury hadcontribu ted to the downfall of France, and they se t the example

of reform both in dress and manners . They selec ted appropriate

costumes, ladyl ike and gracefu l it is true, bu t free from affec tat ion,

and with due regard to the melancholy circumstances of that

t errible t ime .

A t the Trouv ille Races, in 1 87 1 , there was no thing new in the

cos tumes worn, in the t rue sign ificat ion of the word,bu t they

were ne ither l ike those of the preceding year,nor

,as regards

bri ll iancy, l ike those of the lat ter years of the Second Empire, and

on that accou nt alone they deserve ment ion . Gowns,wi thou t

crinolines or trains,no longer swep t the beach as formerly

,nor

did they display the wealth of the ir wearers ; the V is itors to the

seaside were simply and modest ly at t ired,and resorted thither for

bathing mere ly .

“ Parisian ve lvet was the new w inter material . This was a

THE THIRD REPUBLIC . 2 5 3

sort of black sat in,wi th velve t lozenges or d iamonds. Ano ther

kind of velve t—sat in,cal led Pekin

,was very fashionable . D ifferent

varie t ies of these two materials made them su i table to every figure .

The costume was comple ted by a black ve lvet bonnet w i th curled

lack’

feathers fall ing over the crown,and velve t s trings .

Sat in was m ixed with “ Irish cashmere for'

gowns, and trimmed

wi th fringe,gimp

,and lace . The above styles were, I repeat ,

dignified,and appropriate to the then posi t ion of France . There

were some rare excep t ions that contras ted w i th the general ru le .

A t a private concert for the benefit of the su fferers by the war,the princ ipal s inger an amateur— wore a gown of whi te double

crape,wi th demi - t rain and puflings at the bot tom ; three large

pat tes of black ve lvet fe l l over the skirt, and on each of these

was an anchor inRhine crystal ; the bodice was low, and trimmed

wi th two ruchings of black velve t, divided by one of white crape .

The head-dress was black velvet and pale Bengal roses .Under the melancholy c ircumstances

,black was universal ly

worn,bu t it was no t l ike ordinary mourning

,be ing richly trimmed

and by degrees, as months passed on,and the remembrance of

recen t disasters became fainter, l ighter shades were permit ted to

modi fy the exclus ive ly black garments . The so—called “c loth

costume was also much worn ; this consisted of a tunic,jacket,

and skirt . The t un ic was polonai se shape,plain in front

,and

wi th two Wat teau plai ts behind ; the skirt was of s ilk, e i therflounced or kilted

,or e lse in orleans or cashmere

,for morning

wear. A wide - sleeved j acket,cu t ou t all round in bat t lements

,

”

was worn over this costume.

A lsat ian bows for the hair,in remembrance of our beloved and

lost Alsace,were mu ch worn by young girls . Marie Antoinet te

fichus and Charlot te Corday caps were st il l in fash ion,

and

becom ingly adorned w i th Alsat ian bows .

During the Carnival of 1 87 2— hardly a bril l iant one

,as may

be imagined— the Alsat ian costume was qu i te a success. The

same may be said of the costume of Lorraine . B ut,to our mind

,

there was something childish in thu s exhibi t ing our regre t at

having ceded two of our finest provinces to Germany it was no

2 54 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

affair of fash ion . Visi t ing costumes were trimmed with ribbonroset tes at the side

,in im i tat ion of the A lsat ian cu stom

,and this

style remained in fash ion for more than a year.

When summer came, alpaca, mohair, and grey poi l-de-chevreor goat s ’ - hair dresses were seen at all the publ ic promenades .Black and dark shades were worn less and less every day. It was

evident to all that the worldly spirit was rev iving to a certainextent . Moreover

,trade and manu facture requ ired support ;

manu factu rers, traders, and workmen had all of them suffered,and

cu stom was needed to repair their losses .

Towards au tumn the managers of theatres began to bring ou tnew pieces ; and short ly afterwards, recep t ions at the Pres idencygave some impetu s to the manufac ture of dress - stu ffs

,which had

been seriou sly affec ted by the siege of Paris.

Among other dresses, I recollect having seen one made with a

dem i- train, a deep ki l t ing a la v ie i lle ” round the bot tom of the

skirt,at the head of the kil t ing five rows of thick cording

,and

two bias flounces gathered together. The bod ice was in one

piece , and cu t l ike a long square wais tcoat . The basques and

sleeves were in wool len material, and the wai s tcoat in s i lk . Wi th

this was worn a Marie S tuart bonne t in Ch ina crape and fai l le

si lk, edged wi th jet beads, and trimmed wi th a tu ft of black

feathers wi th one long hanging plume . The “Michael Ange lo

bonne t,l ined with some l igh t colou r

,and the sailor ” hat

, in fe l t

o r dark velve t, were also favouri tes . Se ts of collars and cu ffs

were made in l inen, trimmed with Valenc iennes or gu ipure ; and

dresses were trimmed wi th China crape,cashmere

,and black or

whi te lace .

W e may ment ion, as novel t ies,doeskin, kid, and cashmere

gloves,w i th as many as five, six, and even ten bu t tons ; and

c locked stockings in all colours, called hunt ing s tockings,and

v ery much liked by the public .

Ladies ’ cos tumes were comple ted by smal l mu fl’s,braided and

fur- t rimmed dolmans,c ircu lar l ined c loaks of s ilk or cachemire ;

the comfortable “ Duchess mant les, that migh t wel l have been

cal led Oriental ; sat in- l ined hoods ; and Rabi gas bonnets,which

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2 56 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

beg inning to dress independent ly, each one according to her own

taste, and with reference to age, posi t ion, and means, wi thou t

servi le imitat ion of any part icu lar fashion. The ground-work of

dress varied l i t t le,bu t the de tai ls were almost infinite in number

,

and were,in fac t

,characteris t ic of each individual wearer. Th is

was regarded as anarchical by persons accu stomed to the stric t

disc ipl ine of Fashion .

In a space of less than two months appeared the Montenegrin,

a sort of dolman wh ich defined the figure becom ingly, and was

covered w i th braid and s i lk embro idery ; jet ornament s in great

profusion (aigret tes, bu ckles, sprigs, and wheat - ears) ;“Michae l

Angelo bonnets,t rimmed wi th moss -roses and l i lies of the val ley ;

Tu ssore gowns (an Indian silk), trimmed wi th black velvet ;“ Abbe” col lars of the Lou is XV . fashion, in plai ted mu sl in, with

embroidered bands in front ; and deep cu ffs worn over t igh t

s leeves .A great variety of materials was u sed

,bu t plain or figu red

s ilks in medium qu al i t ies were always more popu lar than fancy

s tuffs. Fri lls, and ru ch ings of net or

“crepe l isse,

” were worn

round the throat .

Locket s and “ saint espri ts ” in brill iants,s trass, or Alencon

diamonds,andNormandy crosses de l icate ly carved in l igh t fol iated

pat terns,were favouri te ornaments at this period .

Many Parisian ladies wore t ight - fi t t ing tunics or polonai ses in

the stree t . Some very fash ionable bonne ts were made wi thou t

crowns ; these were merely a thick wreath of v ine leaves or flowers,rising rather h igh in front . Clus ters of curls fe ll over the back

of the neck,d isp laying the colour and beau ty of the hair in a

mos t charm ing way.

Cos tumes were of two kinds,the “

extraordinary and the

moderate — the lat ter were rather less worn than the former.

Wai stcoat s and corslet s remained in favour during the summer ;also long sleeve less cashmere and velvet jackets

, and Lou is XV .

“casaques in w inter.

O n Tuesday evening, Oc tober 2 8, 1 873 , an unforeseen calam i tybefel l the world of fashion. The Paris Opera Hou se, in wh ich so

THE THIRD REPUBLIC . 2 5 7

many masterp ieces had been performed, and which was so admirably adapted for mu s ic

, was bu rned to the ground.

One of the temples of Fash ion had perished in a n igh t ; and for

a t ime the splendid at t ire that had been wont to display i tse l f at

the Opera,had also to vanish and be seen no more . No more

was the dazzl ing light of the great chandel ier to be shed upon the

“ pou fs ” in Engl ish point,blond

, jet, or tu l le ; the t iaras and

rivieres of diamonds,the state costumes

,the magnificen t Cir

cassian belts !The des truct ion of the Opera Hou se deal t a terrible blow to

aristocrat ic finery,and forced it to take refuge in bal l s and

promenades .The toilet te d’Opera, wh ich was to rival that des I tal iens,

had to wai t unt il its t emple shou ld be rebu il t . The probat ion,however

, was short .

W e are bound to admit that th ings were no t so bad as m igh t

have been expected . A t that very moment luxu ry and fashion

were assuming gigant ic proport ions, and under the Th ird Republ ic

women cont inu ed to wear clo thes of excess ive cost l iness . It was

fortunate that persons of slender means were perm i t ted to copy in

s imple materials the shape and trimming of high-priced costumes .

The cu t became the princ ipal point in dress, other things being

left to the cho ice and discret ion of the wearer.

On the occasion of a chari ty sale on behal f of the orphans of

the war, at the new Opera Hou se, Paris ians perce ived that the

love of striking costumes had not passed away . The lady s tall

holders—Mme . Thiers, Mdlle . Dosne, the Marechale de Mac

Mahon,and the Princesses Troubetsko i and De Beauvau— v ied

with each o ther in elegance of att ire, and the lady purchasers were

not left behind ; the ir dresses were of variou s colours,more or less

harmoniou s, and composed of mazes of material and floods of

r ibbon,heaps of lace, kilt ings, flounces, and bows ; in a word

,all

that can be conceived of richness and elegance .

Under the peristyle of the Opera Garnier, parasols in ecru

silk spot ted w ith blue or pink, trimmed with bows and two

rows of lace ; and also cane parasols w i th large handles, were

3

258 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

seen. Accord ing to the strict laws or costume,the parasol shou ld

be su i ted to the costume, and even the fan shou ld match .

A bal l was g iven afterwards at the same theatre for the benefitof the Lyons weavers

,and the dresses were more magnificent than

ever. Bu t no one found fau l t . Mme . Mu sard made a greatsensat ion in a dress of l ime- t ree colour, richly brocaded wi th

bouqu ets of roses . .The material had been manu factured at Lyons

at a cost of 1 0 0 francs per yard . Wh i te predominated in the

dresses of the queens of the ball— Mmes . de Mou chy, Aymery de

la Rochefou cau ld, De Behag'

ue,De Pene

,De Beau fort

,A lphonse

andGu stave de Rothschild . The lat ter wore a wonderfu l “apron

of pearls worth several fortunes .A lady no t qu ite in the first c ircle

,wou ld pract ise economy

by wearing a cashmere tunic . Th is was s imply her venerable

bu rnou s,that had been ly ing for years in her wardrobe, re-made

and trimmed w ith lace and je t braid . Or she wou ld resort to

the art of the dyer, and her old green gown wou ld emerge from

his hands a new handsome black one,with a few yards of velvet

added . The art of dyeing performs m iracles, and at small

cost .A strange rumou r was current in the h ighest c ircles in 1 873 .

What was that ?

Noth ing less than the abol i t ion of gloves ! Th is was assu redly

no qu est ion of economy, for the ir place was to be taken by a

fash ion worthy of the days of the D irectory . Women of fash ion

proposed to wear c lu sters of rings between every finger j o int ;each hand to bear a fortune .

Th is was the fantast ic dream of some “ blasée fine lady,long ing for novel ty at any price . It was not real ized

,as may be

imagined ; and gloves kept their place—an important one—among

art icles of fem inine att ire .

A desirable change in taste was manifested in the almost total

suppression of the t r imm ings w i th wh ich gowns had been overloaded . Dress remained as pretty as before, and cost much less .

A Frenchwoman can easi ly at tain the beau t ifu l, w ithou t over

stepp ing the bounds of moderat ion. Much of the grace and

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260 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

compos i te order,if I may borrow an arch itectural term

,were

introdu ced .

The hair cont inued to be dressed high,and frizzed or waved

over the forehead . R inglet s at the back of the head went ou t

of fash ion ; only a couple of curl s were al l owed to stray on

the neck . W e may ment ion the “ Swiss ” style of head-dress

as something new . It consisted of two long plaits hanging

behind,and ending in a curl, above which was t ied a narrow

ribbon .

False hair was worn more general ly than ever . W e learn from

some interest ing and curiou s stat ist ics that 1 6 k i logrammes of

false hair were sold in France in 1 87 1 ; in 1 87 2 ; and

in 1 87 3 . These figures were probably sIIrpassed in 1 874

and the succeeding years .

The hair i s chiefly procured from Normandy, Auvergne, and

Bri t tany . Haircu t ters whose spec ial bu s iness i s the collec t ing of

it,procure it in Apri l andMay. They give in exchange coloured

prints,mu sl in

,and cal ico

,or they pay for it in money at five

francs the kilogramme .

Who cou ld have thought,at an earl ier per iod

,that the trade in

hair cou ld have become so great ly developed in France ?

During the W inter, ladies principal ly aimed at warmth,and

replaced the c lass ic waterproof by a c ircu lar cloak of silk,l ined

with flanne l or wi th fur, and sl ightly wadded . The furs mos t

commonly u sed, bes ides squ irre l and Ru ssian wi ld cat,were ot ter

and Ru ssian fox .

The Chamber of Commerce in Paris gave a ball in honou r

of Marshal MacMahon,the second President of the Republ ic,

at wh ich thou sands of fairy- l ike cos tumes were all the more

adm ired becau se they had been so long unseen at offic ial recept ions.

Few dresses came unhu rt ou t of the palace on that occas ion ; the

du st was st ifl ing, the crowd overwhelm ing, and the push ing most

unpleasant .

In the spring of 1 874, tunics were succeeded by a sort of

pep lum, cu t in one p iece with the bod ice, and forming basques at

the back .

THE TH IRD REPUBLIC. 26 1

Ladies wore “merve i l leuse hats in jet lace, one side turnedup, with a bunch of flowers .

Green was the favouri te colourforgowns— verdegris,mignonet te,frog-green

,bot t le-green

,canary- green

,sage-green

,& c ., & c.

This rem inds us of an h is torical inc ident in the reign of Henri

I II .,on the occasion of a banqu et given by that king to some

gent lemen who had accompanied him to the siege of La

Charite.

“The ladies, says P ierre l’

Estoile,

“ were all dressed

in green ; and all the guests were l ikewise in green,for which

cause, francs worth of green silk had been obtained from

Paris .Bu t to return to 1 874 . Green did not in that year create any

great exci tement in trade ; bu t jet was so extensively u sed, that theeffect was s imilar to that produ ced by the rage for green s i lk

under Henri III . In the course of a few months, several bead

manu factu rers at Venice made immense sums of money . The

foreign manu facturers who suppl ied our French ladies wi th jetbeads are at the present day m ill ionnaires .

Together wi th the “merve i l leu se ”hat

, the “ incroyablebodice came into fashion . The lat ter opened over a waistcoatfastened by handsome fancy bu t tons . The top was trimmed wi th

a ruch ing l ined with l ilac ; the sleeves were in three pieces,with

embroidered bands between.

Generally speaking, costumes were made in shades of one colour,rather than in contrast ing colours .

Pe lted boot s for ladies were introdu ced . This fashion probably

originated on the turf, bu t the boots were pract ically u seless,

except for travel l ing .

Fou lard was the favouri te material for gowns, and the del ightfu l

Hungarian or Croat ian paletot was un iversal ly adopted. Th is was

trimmed wi th glass beads and frogs, and the shape was exqu is itel y

becoming to the figure,while the long flowing sleeves lent grace

to the least gracefu l .

Some women of the h ighest rank favoured an extraord inarycos tume called the sheath or cloche.

” They enveloped

themse lves in a garment wh ich fitted closely to the whole body,

26 2 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

Th is wh im was adopted only by a few,becau se it was . not

becom ing .

A great deal of t rimm ing was worn on beige,mohair

,tussore

,

alpaca,and ecru fou lard gowns .

False hair went ou t of fash ion, and was su cceeded by the

knocker ” or Catogan ” s tyle . Instead of being frizzed and

tw isted in every d irec t ion, the hair was gathered together at theback of the head in a loose w ide plai t, and l ooped on the nape of

the neck with a ribbon bow.

Several new bonnet shapes were introduced du ring the summer,v iz . the “ Trianon

,

”the “ E l izabeth

,

”the “ Charlot te Corday,

”

the sai lor hat,

”the shepherdess, the Bersagl iere,

”the

“ Bandoulier, the Fra D iavolo,”

the Orpheu s,

”and o thers .

A t the seas ide the “Mercury hat was popu lar ; it was a sort of

toquet,” wi th two wings in the front

,spring ing from an A lsat ian

bow,and the crown tu rned up at the back under a Catogan bow

,

in wh ich was fastened a poppy, or a large Reine Margueri te orox-eyed daisy .

In the autumn, the polonaise was su cceeded by,

the tunic .

Beaded, sh ining t rimm ings became more fash ionable than ever .

Open or flat col lars took the place of fril ls . A small gold penc i lcase was worn hang ing from the watch chain.

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CHAPTER XXX I I .

FASH IONS OF THE PRESENT DAY .

1 875 TO 1 878.

Dinner, casino, and bal l dresses in 1 875—Importat ion of false hair—Manufacture in France—Modification of waterproofs—“ Estel le ” bonnets—Tunic aprons—Cu irass bod icesMontespan ” sleeves Saut -du -lit

”—Shoes ofpast t imes Bonnes-femmes pockets—Henri I I I . plumes—“ Inez ve ils—R ibbons and flowers— Heavy style of dressPouf” pett icoats—Composite fash ions o f 1 876

—Armen ian toques ; Ophelia”bon

nets Danichef bonnets—Mdlle . Be tt ina Rothschi ld ’s wedd ing trousseau—A splend idparasol- Gondol ier hair-nets—“Baby ” sashes and “ baby ” bonnets— “ Fontangesfichus—P lat itudes— Red, as a colour— Pockets of various k inds—A majest ic appendage—Princess dresses—Bouquets on the bod ices—Ha ir dressed in the Greek style -A

thousand curls—Breton style- Organ -p ipe fri lls—Coat bod ices—Trinkets in black andsi lver.

W E have now reached the fashions of the present day, that is, thefash ions that have prevai led from 1 87 5 to 1 88 1 .

It wil l be we ll to divide th is period in to two parts, the firs textending from 1 87 5 to 1 87 8, the

'second from 1 87 8 to 1 88 1 .

What were the costumes worn at a d inner, casino, or ball

in 1 87 5

W e w il l describe a lady ’ s gown made of sky blue Ital ian s i lk .

The front of the skirt was trimmed with five flounces of ant iquelace

,above wh ich were ful l ruch ings in two shades of blue

,one

shade be ing the same as that of the skirt, and the o ther rather

darker. The upper skirt, widely open in front in order to display

the splendid pet t icoat, formed an ample train at the back . A

lace scarf fel l gracefu l ly over the folds of the costume. The edgeof the tunic was trimmed w i th ant iqu e lace and ruch ings . The

bod ice was cu t low and square ; the sleeves consis ted ent irely of

ruchings and narrow lace,and reached to the elbow

,where they

were tr immed with two deep falls of lace— a most becom ing finish .

2 64 THE HISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

The hair was dressed h igh w ith a Spanish comb, r ibbons, andflowers .

W e may ment ion here a curiou s fac t that appears in the

publ ished accounts of the trade of Marse illes during the year 1 87 5 .

k ilogrammes of hair, from the several count r ies of AsiaMinor

,Egypt, Hindostan, China, Italy, and Spain, entered France

through that port . Formerly, as we have already stated,Brit tany

and Normandy suppl ied u s with this art icle of commerce .

The manu factu re of false hair in France amounted in 1 87 5 to

kilogrammes, and was insufli cient to supply the demands

of fash ion . The street - sweep ings of hair,collected by the

scavengers,were u sed 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 total ly new design,and were even

preferred to lace .

In woollen fabrics,andwi th the except ion of serge and l imou s ine

,

women preferred chine fancy m ixtures, or striped materials of

two shades .

Steel was again fash ionable . Stomachers, berthes, and Lou is

XV . casaques were mu ch worn and the waterproof,so long the

very tomb of e legance and grace, bu t the most convenient of

garments,underwent su ch improved “

treatment,”

that no woman,

old or young,need any longer obj ect to she l ter hersel f beneath it .

Wh i te bonnets,that had been absolu tely proscribed for many

years, came into fashion again for v is i t ing dress . The Estelle

bonnet was in cream felt, or in st iff whi te tul le,edged wi th

wh ite jet .

An expens ive checked material, wh ich cos t fifteen to e ighteenfrancs the yard

,was u sed for gowns ; and wi th these were worn

apron tunics in Sco tch plaid, and small “ Lou is XII I . waistcoats

w i th pocket s . “ F lora bonnets in beige chip of two shades ;Cheval ier bonnets made of jet ; Trianon bonnets in black

chip,w ith a double bordering of I tal ian straw ; and, last ly, maroon

straw bonnets trimmed w ith showy “ Franco is I . r ibbon, wereamong the favou r ite shapes . Some of these bonnets looked l ike

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2 66 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

and black velvet sem i- t ight paletdts edged with skunk, were muchworn.

A small bunch of yellow and wh i te carnat ions,or of real

rose-buds,was at tached on one s ide of the bodice. Our French

ladies wore necklaces of pearls and sapph ires, and s ix- bu ttoned

gloves .

A long, black, Henr i III . plume was somet imes seen on

bonnets ; and bod ices were made more and more in the style of

the M iddle Ages,

unt i l they strongly resembled the “ corps

p iques ” of the t ime of Charles IX .

“ Inez ” ve ils of Spanish

blond, or of tu lle t r immed w ith lace, and worn mant il la- fashion,

afforded protec t ion against the variat ions of cl imate . Some of

the bonnet s, made in the style of the Direc tory,were charm ing in

shape ; o thers were t rimmed w i th figured s i lk of two shades,or

of two colours m ixed.

Fash ions were borrowed from every per iod of French h istory.

There were few orig inal invent ions, bu t many reproduct ions,

”to

borrow a theatrical term .

Ribbon was profusely u sed to ornament dresses Renaissance

r ibbons, “armure” r ibbons

,su rah ” r ibbons and braid, 85 C. Some

of these were both plain and brocaded in jewel des igns,

and

were so beau t ifu l, that for a t ime they held supreme sway . The

flowers,

also, w i th wh ich bonnets were loaded, were perfect

im i tat ions of nature ; so mu ch so, that the bonnet s of 1 87 5 may

be regarded as masterp ieces of art, and not only as rem iniscences

of the past .

Full-dress gowns had t rains made w ith Bu lgar ian plaits, and

bodices laced or but toned at the back, so as to d isplay the shape

of the bust as defined by the cu i rass. These dresses were trimmed

w i th open-work embro idery, wh ite gu ipure lace, and Ru ss ian lace .

M ikado,

”a very soft pale grey woollen m ixtu re, s light ly touched

with black,ob tained an extraordinary su ccess.

Smal l Lou is XIV . shoes, with two roset tes or pu ffs of r ibbon,

matched the costume . They rem inded us of Mme . de Sevigne’ s

le tter to her daughter on send ing her a pair of shoes of th is kind .

“ I mu st inform you,”

she wrote, that you are no t to walk in

FASHIONS OF THE PRESENT DAY. 267

you r new shoes . What an illustrat ion of the saying : “ I ! fautsou ffrir pou r et re bel le .

”

Gold and si lver braid was extens ively manufactured . Mant les

were trimmed wi th several rows of narrow si lver braid the bu t tons

were very large,and of the same material as the garment ; in the

centre of each was a l it t le design in filagree represent ing a l ily or a

smal l bell-flower. Buckles were also u sed in all fu l l- dress costumes.

A heavy, rich, and handsome style of dress in damask, brocaded

s ilk,or stamped velvet, was adopted in Paris and other great

cent res ; yet more moderate costumes in neu tral t ints kept the irplace

,the most fashionable of all dark materials be ing a reddish

violet,b istre, m ixed w i th black, and, above all

,dark blue .

Pouf ” pet t icoats, or narrow dress- improvers, were made longenough to support the heavy folds of the gown.

In conclus ion, it may be said that the long trains, the ornamented

sleeves, and the t ight bodices that combined rem iniscences of theM iddle Ages w ith the requ irement s of modern fashion

,were

principal ly remarkable for the ir details of all sorts— twis ts,fancifu l

arrangements, knots, bows, fringes, gold and s i lver braid, art ist ically

carved but tons,and beaut ifu l fur.

From the commencement of the year 1 87 6, fash ion becamemore and more of the composite order. Styles of every period

were su ccessfu lly blended . That of the reign of Henri II . was

resorted to first . Gowns were made of sump tuou s materials

trimmed wi th Venice po int, and wi th long trains . F igured silks,

sat in brocades in Arabesque designs,or flowers and fol iage,were u sed

for fem inine att ire, and looked to the ful l as sp lendid as the dresses

of former t imes . Among head- dresses, the Armenian toque ”

was very fash ionable ; then came the Ophel ia bonnet in black

lace,w ith two wreaths of rosebuds ; 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 Odeon for more

than a hundred successive nights.

The fash ionable world was at that t ime great ly interested in

the splendid wedd ing of Mdlle . Bet t ina Ro thsch ild, wh ich wasdescribed at length in all the newspapers . The trousseau included

268 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE.

under-garments worth francs . The pocket-handkerchiefswere perfect marve l s of needlework and A lencon andMechl inlace . There were several magnificent cashmere shawls . Among

the dozen and a half parasols, there was one deserving of part icu larment ion . It was made of rose—coloured s i lk

,shaded with wh ite

gau ze,and again covered w i th point lace ; the point was a cluste r

of emeralds and bri ll iants, and the handle was of jade,thickly

encru sted w ith sim i lar prec iou s stones . A gold ring set wi th

emeralds and bri ll iants was u sed to close this tru ly Oriental toy.

The numerou s fans comprised in the t rou sseau had been painted

by our bes t art ists .

I shou ld need several pages for the bare enumerat ion of thecontents of this young lady ’ s j ewel- case . I Shal l therefore content

mysel f wi th naming a m icroscopic watch set in a sol id p iece of

coral, wi th a Chate laine hook, and a triple gold chain,the hook

bearing a baron’ s coronet, marvellously carved, surmount ing the

combined ini t ials of the weal th - laden young couple.

I have digressed,I adm it ; bu t the digress ion is not ou t of place

in a H istory of Fash ion, for it proves that magnificen t dress is asmuch appreciated under a Republic as under a Monarchy .

Moreover,at the period of Mdlle . Bet t ina Ro thsch ild ’s marriage

,

luxury had reached the highest possible development . Never hadmore sp lendid textures been seen, and never had dressmaking been

more ru inou sly expens ive . A few young matrons be longing to the

aristocracy announced their intent ion of opposing such excess in

dress,bu t the ir project of return ing to s impler fash ions failed of

real i zat ion,and they soon found themselves obl iged

,wi ll ingly or

unwi l l ingly,to float w ith the s tream that was bearing them away.

A t the Grand PriX de Paris, the leaders of fash ion carried large

carob -coloured sunshades, e ither plain or trimmed with cream lace,

and shortly afterwards caroub ier was qu ite the favourite colou r .Th is deep red was worn in neckt ies

,bonnets

,and costumes

,and

comb ined wi th black, wh ite, grey, or blue. But-

this fancy,l ike so

many others,soon passed away .

Even in summer lad ies wore large quant it ies of hair,stuffed into

a wide-meshed net called a“ Gondol ier,

” wh ich hung over their

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2 70 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

bonnet str ings . A few bonnets were not unl ike the leaning towerof Pisa.

Cashmere shawls regained their place . They were draped inthe old class ic way the bu st being enveloped in soft folds

,wh i le

the ampl itude of the rest of the figure was,as i s always the case

,

increased.

It i s my dutv as a scrupu lou s h istorian to no te the predom inanceof “ cardinal ” or “ carob ”

red in the costumes of 1 87 6. Red

sunshades, red feathers,and red frocks abounded everywhere .

Th is caprice cou ld not be enduring, and we mu st acknowledge

that it soon passed away, to the great advantage of real e legancein dress. Ligh t shades took the place of red

,and al so of dark

blue . The mos t fash ionable summer materials were jaconets w i th

pink,pale blue

,grey, and l ime- tree coloured s tripes, trimmed w i th

Irish lace,thread fringe match ing the gown, or k ilt ings and bias

pieces of the stuff i tsel f.Walking dresses were made with simpl ic ity and good taste .

Mant les were large and long, and on the approach of au tumn

were made wi th w ide “Mandarin sleeves . Polonaises in l ightwoollen material s

,with velvet sleeves, were also fash ionable and

all woollen tex tures were in high favour. There was incredible

variety in the shape of pockets ; bes ides those of wh ich I have

already spoken, there were“ cornets,

” “ hot tes,”

and “ corniers,

”

all e legant art icles of at t ire,beau t ifu l ly made and embro idered,

and fixed in variou s ways on the sk irt .

Fail le and brocades of d ifferent shades were u sed for fu l l dress.

Gowns were so t igh t,and so mu ch t ied back

,

”

that they almost

impeded movement ; the knees were enc ircled w ith garlands of

flowers or buds. These flowers were su cceeded by fol iage, and

there were more “ V elledas”than “ Floras ” among our women

of fash ion,as was remarked by a clever j ou rnal ist of the day.

Metal bu t tons,at first enormou s ly large, and afterwards reduced

in s ize,and somet imes shaped l ike grelots (sledge bel ls), were

u sed to ornament the costume . Skunk and Siberian fox took the

place of Swed ish and Canadian fu rs,temporarily ou t of fash ion,

wh i le cost ly sab le was worn by lad ies of extreme elegance . A

FASH IONS OF THE PRESENT DAY. 2 7 1

pel isse l ined w ith sable is l ike a cost ly p iece of furniture, or a

precious jewe l ; its value is no t affected by any caprice of the day.

Breton lace was u sed in morning dress,and th is charming

novelty looked extremely wel l w ith the cascades of coloured ribbonthat were so generally worn .

To bring this short review of the year I 876 to a conclu s ion, I

must s tate that the type of costume was l it t le altered ; the only

change was in trimm ings, or in the greater or less length of trains .Costumes cons isted principal ly of a scaffold ing of flounces, fringes,and k il t ings

,w i thou t the great trail ing mass that had long been a

resu lt of wide skirts . Trains became pos it ive tai ls ; bu t they no

longer interfered wi th the free act ion of the l imbs,and developed

into what might be termed a majest ic appendage .

Morning caps were made of white or coloured fou lard hand

kerch iefs twisted l ike aMamamouch i tu rban, and ornamented with

a l it t le bunch of mignonet te,with a pale rose in the centre .

There was someth ing both sent imental andart is t ic abou t these caps.

Bu t even when the same style of dress lasts from one year to

another, or for several years,there is an absolu te necessi ty for

many variat ions of type ; otherwise we shou ld cease to be ru led by

caprice,wh ich

, as we know, wi l l never abdicate its power.

In January,1 877, princess gowns were st il l in fash ion, the

princess shape be ing preferred to all o thers, both for morning and

evening wear. In the lat ter case,they were made h igh behind,

and e ither cu t low and square,or in a V shape in front, and wi th

sleeves to the elbow only. The bodice and skirt of princess

gowns were cut from one p iece,bu t

’

the skirt was ornamented w ith

fringes,sashes, and bows, or it was worn over another and longer

sk irt .Many mant les were made of the same material as the dress,

and many were black .

Bouquets of smal l de licate roses were worn on the bodice, one at

the breast, and the o ther ju st below the shou lder . 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 lit t le fringe of loose curls on the forehead .

2 7 2 THE H ISTORY OF FASH ION IN FRANCE .

Towards March a dec ided change took place in the shape of

costumes, and women looked l ike walk ing statues,'

clad in draperythat adhered as closely to the front and s ides of the figure as a

wet bathing—gown, wh i le it was gathered into a bunch at the back .

The port ion of the skirt that formed the apron hung flat, bu tthe rest was gathered in soft folds towards the back of the

train . The bodice, whether cu irassed or no t, assumed reasonable

proport ions .The ungracefu l costumes cop ied from those of the First Emp irewere at length abou t to disappear !

Mu sl in ki l t ings were once more restored to favou r . The hair

was dressed in the thou sand curl s of which Mme . de Sev igne

speaks,giving the head a round shape

,wh ich adm it ted of no orna

ment save a flower on one s ide . This was a becoming style in

many instances .

For ord inary wear, costumes s in the Breton style were largely

adopted ; and also a costume in fawn - colou red Scotch cashmere,w i th a plain

,short sk irt, a tun ic fl at in front, bu t no t drawn t ight ;

the plastron,or stomacher

,consisted of a wide embro idered band .

W i th this costume two square pockets, one on e i ther s ide,trimmed

at two- thirds of the ir dep th wi th three rows of narrow braid,were

worn . The at tire was completed by embro idered or open-worked

l inen col lars and cuffs, and a cravat -bow of foulard,embro idered

mu sl in,or plu sh r ibbon

,placed at the opening of the collar .

Some of ou r elegantes seemed determ ined to rival Henri

Regnau lt ’s Salome,

”on the pretext that yellow was a fash ionable

colour.

Large tu rn- down col lars were rev ived ; some were plainly

st i tched, and were w ide and rounded in the back ; o thers, for

instance,the “Artagnan and Richel ieu

,

” were made of ant ique

gu ipure ; and others, again, of Renaissance lace— bu t all of them

were very w ide in the back .

Cuffs were worn on the sleeve i tsel f,instead of on the arm .

The “ blou se ” gown, with fu l l bodice and be l t and buckle,

was revived,w ith the add it ion of a second sk irt . Th is costume

was made in Oxford cloth, or l igh t woollen textures, in fou lard,

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2 74 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE.

the back,knocker-wise

,or in graduated waves ; the hat was

placed on the top, and this fashion was both coquet t i sh and

extremely convenient .

The bonnet - strings,or jugu lars

,in fu r

,cheni l le

,or plai ted

ribbon,that had been so fash ionable in the winter of 1 87 6

-

7 , were

su cceeded by strings of flowers.On the whole, womens

’ garment s were less~

narrow ; and the

excessive ly c l inging “ sheath ” dresses disappeared . This was a

great gain to freedom of movement and grace, for femin ine att ire

shou ld no t sharply reveal the female form,bu t only indicate it .

The charm of mystery ou ght to be retained,and the too mu ch or

too l it t le of substance should be carefu l ly concealed .

There was an obv ious tendency towards greater simplic i ty in

dressing the hair,enormou s quant it ies of false hair be ing no longer

worn,as they wou ld have been ou t of harmony with the rest of

the dress . The hairwas somet imes divided in a s lant ing direct ion ;or on the forehead wi th a second part ing from ear to ear ; or it

was drawn back,Chinese fashion

,and then divided into two loose

twis ts crossed one over the o ther,

and arranged some thing

l ike a he lmet above the forehead ; or in rings on the'

forehead .

Every style was adm iss ible— plai ts, curls, and straigh t or waved

bandeaux .

In l ike manner,bonne ts were worn of very different shapes

in colou red straw,or chip, and trimmed wi th roses, azaleas

,

eglant ine , and rose- buds . The plate ” -b onnet was rather popu lar,

as were also smal l bonnets in Be lg ian straw. I am now speaking

of summer bonnets .

Feather aigre t tes came once more into fash ion .

The favouri te tex tures were Milan moss and “ swan’ s down .

The favourite ribbon was that in the new colou r called “ p ink

coral .” Light -coloured bel ts w ith gil t and inlaid buckles, and

harmon izing wi th the colour of the dress,were very much worn .

Jewel lery was restricted to a simple bracelet,a“porte—bonheu r,

”

a locke t,studs in the ears

,and a whi te fan suspended to the wrist

by a pink ribbon . A few ladies took to wearing Japanese trinke ts .Long Swedish gloves wi th at least four or six bu t tons

,and

FASHIONS OF THE PRESENT DAY. 2 7 5

Charle s “Moliere,

” “ Victoria, and “ R ichel ieu shoeswere adopted .

A t the approach of winter,gowns and mant les were trimmed

with fur : blue fox,marten

,and sable were preferred chinchilla

and Astrakan came next in order. Coat—bodices part iallyrevived the fashions of Lou i s XIII . and Lou is X IV they were

worn wi th long wai stcoats,embroidery, cascades of lace

,and

gold braid . Plai ted chem iset tes fastening behind, were generally

worn wi th square- cu t bodices ; also pocke t -handkerchiefs in clearcambric and Fri tz ” fichus .

The La Vall iere cravat was succeeded by a longer one wi th

square ends, and by the “Malesherbe

”in si lk gu ipure

,or in

gu ipu re and grenadine . Nicke l and Strassb u ck les were ex treme ly

fash ionable,and looked remarkably well wit h corded silk be l ts .

Dress stu ffs had curiou s designat ions in the year 1 87 7 . For

ins tance,

“ ventre—saint -gris, a woollen textu re wi th long rough

hairy surface,in two shades of grey and green mousse -des- bois

,

(wood moss); frise (curled) Malabar ;” frimas

,

”a speckled

material ; “chenil le velvet ,

”

and “myosot is,

a m ixture of wool

and si lk, speckled in two shades of blue,and in gold -colour.

English velveteen now seemed to have reached its zeni th of

fashion .

I mu st note the very handsome muffs that made the ir appear

ance abou t the end of November. They were of small size, and

made of c loth,velve t

,or sat in

,l ined and bordered wi th fur

,and

ornamented wi th a large ribbon bow. They were transformed

into scent - sachets,perfumed wi th essences of he l iotrope

,rose

,and

gardenia.

A‘

manu facturer of fans invented a fan composed of real flowersand leaves ; bu t it was not a success, on account of the extreme

fragil i ty of su ch an art ic le . Fans were then made of art ificial

flowers ; bu t these too were a fai lure, for they sinned against good

taste . A nd both were far inferior to mo ther- o f-pearl, tortoise

shel l,and ivory fans

,e i ther beau t ifu lly painted or trimmed with

lace .

Costumes,bonnets, and mant les, were designated by Ru ssian

T 2

2 76 THE HISTORY OF FASHION .IN FRANCE.

names,doub t less on account of the war that had ju st broken ou t

between Ru ssia and Turkey . O t ter- skin,fur, and plush hat s

were much worn . Flowers were ou t,

”bu t feathers were “ in

,

”

and the plumage of the “ impeyan,

”

the owl, the golden ou zel,and the gorgeou s breast of the pheasant, were profu se ly employed .

Jewe l led ornament s were worn on bonne ts, and double-headed pins

in jet, gold, or pearl . “ S ita ” ve il s,and ve i ls of mohair lace,

wi th whi te and black shawls, mant les, Marie -Antoinet tes, and

elegant ly contrived headkerchiefs,served to shie ld the fair wearers

from the cold winds of w inter.

In December,a novel ty made its appearance in the shape of

ornaments,in black silver . These did no t de trac t

,however

,from

the value of coral,which became more and more fashionable

every day, from!

that of old si lver, filagree, or, especially, the

old j ewels, whether s imple or rich, of pas t eras .

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CHAPTER XXX I I I .

FASHIONS OF THE PRESENT DAY (CONTINUED).1 878 To 1 88 1 .

The In ternat ional Exhibit ion of 1 878— Fore ign countries— Japanese fans—The l ittle lacemakers of Pen iche— Re trospec t ive Exh ib i t ion of costume in France Considerations su r

le vetement des femmes,” by M . Charles B lane—H istorical Exh ib it ion at the TrocaderoComprehensive glance a t the curiosit ies of that Exh ib it ion The movement in 1 879Merve i l leuse,” N iniche,

”and o ther bonnets— P lush— Gown-stuff at 1 0 0 francs the

yard— Scarfs, casaques, andvariousbod ices—Madras costumes— Under c loth ing chem isecorsets

,morn ing-gowns Housew i fe fans fan-ho lders —Trinkets —New materials

V isites ; jackets ; bows ; neck t ies —The year 1 880 Cabriole t ” bonnets ; passemontagnes —The p ilgr im costume— Sat ins— Favourite colours—Vests—A rt bu ttonsBulgarian costumes— Jerseys— S cented gloves— F lowers in profusion a bridal bouquet— M idsh ipman bonne ts—Nordensk iold—Dust-c loaks— Revolu t ion in bonnets—A rt and

fash ion Porte -ve ines.

WE canno t doubt that the year 1 87 8 will be famou s in the

long annals of Fashion,on account of the Internat ional and spec ial

Exhibit ions that fi lled Paris wi th visi tors from all part s of the

world . In l ike manner,every c ivil i zed country deluged us wi th

fanc ifu l invent ions, and with ex traordinary ideas, that have for themost part vanished.

The gal leries devoted to c lo thing were no t less remarkable than

those set aside for other industrial produ c ts, and ye t the publ icsoon wearied of them . They were so spac ious

,no t to say

encumbered ; and then the at trac t ions of the shop windows were

as great as those of the gal leries .

Some few however were popu lar. The cases of Lyons silks,

St . E t ienne ribbons,Tarara musl ins

,stu ffs of Roubaix

,Rouen

,

and Paris manu fac ture ; and the charm ing Swiss pavil ion,wi th its

eq IS i tely arranged curtains, lace, tulle, embroidery, and trimmings,are not yet forgot ten . The nat ional costumes brought to Paris

from the u t termost ends of the earth— fromLapland to the Cape

2 78 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

of Good Hope , from Ocean ia to the western ex tremity of

Europe— exc ited a good deal of interest .

Every accessory of dress was at hand for the purposes of

comparison by lady connoisseurs . The East se t before u s its

perfumes, coffers,shawls, t issues, and knick- knacks of all sorts

,

includ ing the hinged fans, a Japanese invent ion, said to have beensuggested by the wings of the bat . America displayed her

produc ts,remarkable rather for comfort than elegance ; Africa,

her garments dat ing from the most distant ages,and Europe

showed us her undeniable superiority,her marve l lou s progress

,

and her new invent ions,which, whether pract ical or no t

,are

generally at least ingen iou s. I mu st excep t,as regards c lothes

,

bo th I taly and Hol land,while Ru ss ia was hardly remarkable

excep t for her furs .

The manufacturers of lace in Portugal are tread ing in the steps

of the English past—masters in that l ine, and are at taining the

highes t degree of exce llence . The lace-workers lead a curiou s

l i fe . A t Peniche,in Estramadura

,there are e ight schools of

lace work . Li t t le girl s somet imes begin to learn at the age of

four,and soon acqu ire su ch skill that they can handle fifty dozen

spindle s at a t ime,and ye t pay at tent ion to things qu i te apart

from the ir habi tual work .

Span ish gloves are even superior to those of Paris ; bu t Spanish

fans,al though art ic le s of such cons tant use on the far s ide of the

Pyrenees,fai l both in design and execut ion.

W e m u s t do ju s t ice to Greece,wh ich now possesses numerous

fac tories . The Greek hand -made coloured Oriental lace,is very

pretty,and the nat ional costumes charmed the eyes of all vis itors

to the Palace in the Champs de Mars . Unfortunate ly those

splendid gold-embroidered garment s are fast disappearing .

Ne ither the k ing nor queen of Greece wear them at the present

day .European fash ions have u surped the ir place .

The subj ec t of the Internat ional Exhib it ion of 1 87 8, has already

been exhau sted ; I cou ld only add a few insignificant pages to the

voluminouswrit ings of other au thors, who have described it ; and

I shou ld bes ides be exceed ing the l im its of my su bj ect . Hardly

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2 80 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

A nt ique garment s of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance,and of the seventeenth and e ighteenth cent uries

,were exhib ited,

no t as curiosi t ies only, bu t as subj ects for s tudy .

The show - cases of MM . Tass inari and Chatel,Of Lyons,

con tained fine tapes tries, chasu bles, copes, women’ s hoods

,and

,a

large assortment of Eas tern fab’rics . Five or s ix amateurs

exh ibited collect ions of dress ornaments,

- brace le ts,rings

,pins,

broaches,earrings, & c . There was a pret t ily-dressed doll, in the

comple te costume of a young girl in the t ime of the Medic is ;several ant iqu e bag and purse c lasps ; carved, gilded, and chased

betro thal rings'

and perfume boxes ; marriage caskets ; women’ s

hawking—gaunt le ts in chased steel ; exqu is i te fans ; d iamonds in

se t t ings of Old S i lver ; curiou s Norman trinke ts ; patch—boxes

ornamen ted wi th miniatures ; bon-bon boxes ; and needle- cases .

Several p ieces of stu ffs from Equatorial Egyp t, and quant i t ies of

anc ient Egyp t ian j ewel lery, wi th a few valuable ornaments dat ing

from the t ime of the Caliphs, were worthy of carefu l exam inat ion,and might have rou sed the emu lat ion of our modern workmen .

The Scand inav ian E thnological Mu seum of Stockholm,for

warded a series of costumes remarkable for accuracy ; almost all

of these had been composed in the year 1 820 , or thereabou ts

these”

curiou s spec imens ob tained a great and deserved su ccess.

When the t ime arrived for c los ing all these exhib i t ions,and

the French and foreign exh ibi tors had removed their goods,there remained an enduring recollect ion of the marvels of the

Trocadero and the Champs de Mars .

After that t ime,

exclu s ively nat ional Fashion resumed its

cu stomary course . A great incent ive had been given by the

numerou s anddist ingu ished awards conferred on ou rmanu facturers .

Novel t ies of all sorts were produced,and spread throughou t Paris

,

France,Europe, and beyond the seas . O ur m il l iners sent the ir

goods to the Internat ional Exhib it ions at Sydney andMelbou rne .

The ir superiori ty and orig inal ity were admit ted on all hands .

Meanwhile,savings had been almost or ent irely expended

,and

in 1 87 9 a diminu t ion of ou t lay on dress resul ted from the ex tra

expenditu re of the preced ing year.

FASHIONS OF THE PRESENT DAY .

Merve i lleu se bonnets,wh ich

,be ing indicated by the ir name

need no descrip t ion from me ;“Madri lene ” bonne ts

,made of

o tter,or plush, trimmed wi th jet ; and Swedish bonne ts in black

kid,wi th an amber-headed pin, part ly concealed in a tu ft of

feathers,or s tu ck through a velve t bow, were equally fashionable .

Many bonnets were ent irely composed of leaves,

flowers,or

fru i ts . There were infin i te variet ies of bonnets and hats, some

c lose,o thers wi th wide brims

, some very small, and some very

large . Frondeu se hats,were of black straw

,with long black

and ruby plumes, the brim turned up, and l ined wi th pu ckered

ruby sat in, trimmed with gold lace . Niniche and D irectory

bonnet s were las t ing favourites, and more general ly popu lar than

the ir merits wou ld appear to warrant .

During the summer,round bel l-shaped hatswere at first preferred .

Then c lose bonnets withou t s trings, cot tage bonne ts in smooth

s traw,com ing down very mu ch on the forehead ; Nerine hats

of coarse whi te straw, and with wide brims l ined with red sat in

and many o thers,differing l i t t le from those I have just named.

Plu sh was worn as trimming on gowns and mant les . Short

dresses were much worn ; they were invariably trimmed wi th

cascades of lace . Silk s tockings were indispensable . Bows and

cravat s of mu sl in, or Bre ton lace, or valenc iennes, or point, weregreat ly u sed. Gloves w i th four bu t tons

,and “ dowager ”

sun

shades— so called becau se they were rather large and made with

long s t icks—were qu i te a rage for several months . Bonhomme,

“ Jardinier Galant,” “ Lou is and “ Lou is XV .

” vests,

formed a part of nearly every costume . Charles Marion

Delorme,

and “ R ichel ieu ” shoes were made wi th high heels

l ike boo ts .

In order to give some idea of the cost of certain materials,it

will suffice to state that an actress at the Vaudeville theatre wore

a gown at a hundred francs the yard, and the rest in proport ion.

Gowns were made of gold t issu e and trimmed wi th lace,em

broidered in colours .

Scarfs or drapery were fashionable for trimming dresses, and

skirt s were plaited a la rel ig ieu se .

’.The scarfs were somet imes

28 2 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

crossed so as to form a t unic . Many casaques were madewi th waistcoats . Bodices were made fu ll

,something l ike the old

fashioned bodices “ a la Vierge .

” There was qu i te a rage forknotted fringes wi th beads

,and natural flowers for bal l-dresses ;

bu t double tunics were gradual ly abandoned,though square-cu t

bod ices and Lou is XV . sleeves were s t i l l worn .

Handkerchief-dresses, cons ist ing ent ire ly of Madras handkerch iefs, were very art i st ical ly composed . I saw one in which

seventy- two handkerch iefs had been employed ; another,in a

simpler style, consi sted of forty-e ight only . The plainest gown

requ ired four dozen. Th is was a wh ims ical fash ion, and was

followed only by the mos t elegant women of soc ie ty .

Fri ll s and plai t ings of lawn or mu sl in were much worn . Luxury

was carried to a great he ight in “ l ingerie ”

(undercloth ing). The

“Mire ille was a high chemiset te of mu sl in and valenc iennes,

wi th a dou ble fri l l ; the Yvonne ”was of crape and Bre ton lace ;

the Medic is, a st i l l more e legant chem ise t te ; the Lamballe,

”

a fichu of surah trimmed wi th plai ts of black or white Bre ton lace,and the Marie Therese of po int d ’espri t tu l le wi th frills of

Bre ton lace .

Corse t- chemises made wi th gu ssets were most favourably

received,and were included in every wedding trousseau

,as were

also white mu sl in morn ing-gowns,which were found very

conven ient for home wear.

The hou sewife ’ s fan,wh ich came ou t in 1 87 9, held thread

,

sc issors,and needles . Fan- holders were made of si lver or of

n ickel s ilver,wi th a long or short chain

,according to the taste of

the wearer.

Those fashionable trinke ts,the l i zard

,the fly

,and the bee, were

laid aside,and were su cceeded by an owl . This was u sed as a

brooch to fasten the bonnet strings . Tags, girdles,“ Diane de

Po i t iers necklaces of very smal l pearl s , je t in every shape, crosses

of the M iddle Ages and the Renaissance, and lockets of ant ique

design,were very fash ionable ; as were also Brit tany, Normandy,

and Vendee crosses,w ith re l ig iou s emblems of the Sacred Heart

or St . M ichael .

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.2 84 THE H ISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

old-fash ioned “ cabriolet, or drawn-hoods,were revived ; they

cou ld be worn e ither over a bonnet or without one . They weregenerally made of o t ter-plu sh . Mazarin capes came into

fash ion at the same t ime, and even passe-montagnes enj oyed a

momentary favour.

Pilgrim ”costumes were worn : the ir name suffi c ient ly

describes them .

Brigh ter weather at last su cceeded to the intense frosts and fogs,

and grac iou s Fash ion resumed its sway, first with the “ j upon

int ime,

”a very narrow pet t icoat c l inging closely to the figure,

and then with gowns of ve lvet and o t ter sat in . Nex t came bal l

dresses,—late in the season certainly

,bu t appreciated all the more

eagerly becau se danc ing part ies had for two long months been

unu sually rare . The world began to take its revenge on winter

Black sat in was extremely fashionable ; and the Danae

costume in wh ite sat in was s imply exqu i s i te . Costumes in l igh t

clo th or dou ble cashmere were very popu lar. The l i st of new

materials is completed by Renaissance,

” su bl ime,”

and down

sat in ”

(duvet),“whi te Astrakan down

,

”voile ~de- veuve

,

”

and

brill iant ine .

” Madras costumes were universal ly worn in

summer.

The favouri te colours were, lotu s - blu e, V an Dyck red,the shade

cal led chaudron,” ot ter, mandragora, a sort of undec ided blue

green cal led Venet ian hel iotrope, and others . General ly speaking,

costumes were no longer made in one material and one shade only .

Plum -colour,ot ter

,Ru ssian green, and moss- colour were mingled

t oge ther ; and gowns were made of fail le and sat in, or sat in and

velve t,of si lk and wool, and all kinds of materials with designs .

Cu t and damasked materials, and, above all, the fash ion of ki l t ing

wi thstood variou s efforts to abol ish them .

J et capes were much worn ; also open Medic i collars,part ly

turn ing over, and, general ly speaking, very gracefu l .

Large collars Dauphin,” K ing of Rome,

” Cole t te, and

Incroyable —were fashionable ; al so cravats,consis t ing of cas

cades of lace and very w ide ribbon and l ight and del icate scarfs .

Ves ts were much worn, bo th by married women and young

FASHIONS OF THE PRESENT DAY. 285

ladies. The “ Oriental ” vest was of red-gold or ol ive -colou red

t issu e . They were pointed at the sides, coat- shaped at the back ,trimmed all round wi th a thick cord

,and fastened from top

to bot tom by art i st ic or shawl -pat terned bu t tons ; lace fri ll s were

worn at the throat and sleeves . The “ Breton -vest needs no

descrip t ion ; this was as popu lar as the “ Oriental ; whereas theBu lgarian costume, with its c losely-fi tting bodice, its skirtqu ite plain in front, open at the sides, and pu t into very narrow

plaits at the back , was considered by most women too remarkable .

The e last ic,or

“ Jersey,

” bodice must also be ment ioned .

Gloves were scented w ith cedar of Lebanon, or Ru ssia leather,or violets. This was no new invent ion . Perfumed gloves wereworn in the sixteenth century. In the “Winter's Tale

,

”Shake

speare te ll s u s of gloves as swee t as damask roses .Fans were pain ted by excel lent art ist s . Sunshades were large

,

and,generally speaking

,l ined ; w i th long s t icks and handles of

Dresden,Sevres

,o r Longwy china. They were closed by means

of a ring .

Flowers were u sed in profu si on bo th to decorate rooms,and for

personal wear. Every one was endeavouring to make amends

for the bit ter winter. A newspaper reporter described the bride ’sbouqu et at a wedding

,which took place at the Trini te. It consisted

ent ire ly of rare and beau t i fu l flowers and was nearly two yards in

c ircumference . A page of honour bearing this poet icburden,

preceded the bride .

The following bonnets were produ ced in su ccession ; bonnet s

wi th wide strings in piece—surah ; N iniche” bonnets

,already des

cribed, and somewhat resembl ing a he lmet in the front, Amazon,

”

“Devonshire,” Recamier

,

” “D uchesse d’

A ngou leme,

” Ol ivia,

and Princess of Wales ” hats ; Croize t te hats and last ly themidshipman — a trave l l ing -hat in s traw

,the same colou r as that

of the costume , and simply trimmed with a double or treble

A lsat ian bow .

Al l bonnet s were profu sely trimmed with feathers and flowers,

wi th dead-gold poppies,laburnum

,tu l ips

,garden ias

,magnol ias

,

and bache lor’s bu ttons, and especially wi th roses of every shade .

286 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

Du ring the summer, “ sets for the neck of surah and fou lard

were very fashionable . Here I may special ly ment ion the “ JeanBart

,

” consi s t ing of a widely-opened sailor collar,deep cu ffs

,and

a simply—knot ted neck- t ie ;‘

the “ Chant i l ly,

”in ivory su rah

,

trimmed with Alencon point ; the Pomponne, in plain

,spot ted

,

or sprigged fou lard ; the naval officer ” bow,in spot ted fou lard ;

and the miller’ s wife fichu ,in Indian musl in.

Nordenskiold, the Swedish Navigator, and the discoverer of the

north-east passage,came to Paris

,where he was rece ived wi th

all the honours due to him . Gauze trave l l ing ve ils,

called

Nordensk io lds, two yards long,and trimmed with fringe

,were

worn in honou r of the il lu striou s fore igner, and all bu t supplanted

the “mervei lleux tu l le vei l s spangled wi th gold, and the

“ odal isques,

” of red tu lle . The lat ter were very s triking, bu t

were only becoming to dark women .

For mou ntain -cl imbing expedit ions,very fine

,smal l-meshed

hair- ne t s cal led “arachnéens ” or cobweb nets

,wh ich kep t the

hair perfec t ly neat,were very u sefu l Du st—cloaks in grey

cashmere,or alpaca

,cal led “

capu c ins,were l ined wi th red or

striped surah,and were made wi th peaked hoods l ined in the

same way.

The A rt Exhib i t ion in 1 880 led to a complete revolu t ion in

bu t tons ; they were manu factured according to all the ant ique

mode ls . Those cal led “ Bu ffon,” were remarkable for elegance .

O thers consisted of real flowers,or insects enc losed in glass ; and

last ly the “Wedgwood” bu t tons Offered the most exqu is i te miniature

paint ings to our del ighted gaze,i.e . copies of paint ings on china

by

’

that celebrated English art ist andmanu fac turer of the e igh teenth

century.

D uring 1 880,Fashion frequent ly borrowed her inspirat ion

from A rt,and sought to imitate the works of the old masters.

Ant ique designs,s tu ffs

,and lace of every kind, were constant ly

reprodixced. More than one duchess was the image of some

figu re of the Middle Ages,more than one bourgeoise dressed

hersel f l ike Margaret,in Faust , or draped her shou lders in the

camai l Regence .

”In we t weather women of all ranks pu t on

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CHAPTER XXX IV

CONCLUSION.

I HAVE now reached the conclu sion of my H istory of Fashion .

The present be longs to my readers, and to the Magasin des

Demoisel les appertains the task of cont inu ing my work,by keeping

its subscribers informed of the innovat ions in every department offemin ine at t ire in France .

H ave I fu lfi lled the task which I undertook Have I succeededin impart ing some interest to the subject of my researches ?I venture to hope so ; for I have ever borne in mind that the

triv ial ity of my su bject was no bar to seriou s reflect ions on spec ial

points, nor to the moral value of the whole work .

The H istory of Fash ion offers to view one aspect of our ownc ivil izat ion, andI shal l esteem mysel f fortunate i f, wi thou t exceeding

the l imit s of my work, I have been able to res tore the curiou s

details, the extraordinary garments,in a word

, the varied at t ire of

Frenchwomen from the most distant t imes to the present day,from the women of Gau l to our own contemporaries.

This be ing said, let me now say a few words on the general

conclu sions to be drawn from the details I have given ; let me

glance back at the path by which we have travelled .

It is qu ite certain that the mode of dress, espec ially from the

seventeenth century, reflects pret ty accurately the ideas of the

period during wh ich each part icu lar style has been in favour.

During the Renaissance,we have seen Ital ian elegance introduced

into the court of Francis I. , while that ofHenri II . gave an art ist icfin ish to society, and removed from Frenchwomen—and con

sequent ly from Frenchmen— the last traces of that ru st ic ity wh ich

U

2 90 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

had prevailed throughou t the Middle Ages,

and wh ich had

found its only except ions in the noble ladies res iding in the ir

cast les,who sough t by boundless luxury to mark the difference

between themselves and women of inferior degree .

Under Lou is X IV . , Fashion ru led as a tru e despot,accord ing

to the code of e t iquet te . There are no regu lat ions in convents,writes Mme . de Maintenon

,so stric t as those wh ich are imposed

upon the great by court et iqu et te .

”

The Sun-King (Lou is XIV. ) regu lated,wi th few excep t ions,

every variat ion in dress. Costumes of ceremony were made to

harmonize w ith the drawing-rooms of Versail les .

Bu t when the reign of Lou is XIV . was over, more freedom was

al lowed to individual taste, and the grandiose gave place to a l ighter

style . Nothing was worn bu t gauze,gold and brocade, mytho

logical negl iges,whi te sat in skirts, and refined ornaments .

A comparat ive simpl ic i ty became fash ionable, and ladies laid

aside the ir grandest at t ire .

The new style of dress su ited the roueries of the Regent,and

the fetes given by Mme . de Tenc in and other fine ladies who

threw open the ir draw ing—rooms to the devotees of Fashion,and

it was appropriate to the perfumed boudoirs of the t ime .

Towards the m iddle of the e ighteenth century we remark the

prevalence of the loose gowns depicted by Wat teau in his exqu is ite

pictures . They are free, flowing, _ and open, someth ing l ike

dom inoes . His lovely marqu ises wear flower-e mbr-

oidered

sl ippers wi thou t heels, and with the points turned up. Gowns

were worn so low on the shou lders, and bosom, as to be indec ent .

Next come the excesse s of a “ loud ” style of dress, hoops that

are st i ll more extravagant than the vertu gadins of old t ime, and

the falbala. Great lad ies mu st dazzle, they must show the

common folk that they possess quarterings of nob il i ty. They

mu st prove that they made m i l l ions in the Rue Q i incampoix .

Du st mu st be thrown in the eyes of the world, a k ind of

considerat ion mu st be ob tained by display, i f not merited by

worth,talent

,and ab il ity . One sort of du s t was hair-powder,

which may serve as a type of the pretences of its t ime .

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2 92 THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FRANCE .

There were no original ideas ; nothing bu t recol lec t ions, and

im i tat ions,

and the poorest cop ies . When we borrow from

ant iqu i ty,we seldom do so successfu l ly

,there are general ly

d iscrepancies which destroy all the meaning of the original .

After the fall of the F irst Emp ire at Waterloo, the fifteen

years of the Restorat ion and the e ighteen years of the Ju ly

Monarchy witnessed a re turn to monarchical cu stoms,and to

anc ient habits . Fash ion “restored ” the M iddle Ages

,and the

at t ire of the chatelaines,”and

,as we have shown

,Romant ic ism in

Li terature and Art was exemplified in dress.

A t th is period, the middle classes, after struggl ing against

au thori ty,assumed in their turn the re ins of government, and

dress was great ly influenced by bourgeois ” tas tes. Romant ic ism

gradual ly disappeared, and the prevai l ing fash ions were ent ire ly

dist inct from the art and l iterature of the period .

Nobody can now recal l the gowns w ith leg-of-mu t ton sleeves,wi thou t laughing, and the bonnets of the per iod closely resembled

the hoods of cabriolets .

The revolu t ion of 1 84 8, left no trace on the history of dress .

Bu t after the establ ishment of the second Empire, the splendour

of the new court recal led the days of the Regency and those of

the D irectory comb ined . A craving for d isplay turned the heads

of all,

and Frenchwomen became consp icuou s in the eyes of

Eu rope,by a success ion of lavish

,and unbridled wh ims . In vain

did certain ph ilosophers once again protest against su ch immoderate

luxury .

A t length, after the d isasters of 1 87 0 , a more chastened Spiri t

appeared to prevail, and former fol l ies to have passed away ;s implic i ty was aimed at

,as it had been in 1 7 80 . Bu t th is calm

was of short durat ion, and in a very short t ime new fashions and

passing fanc ies were as prevalent as ever .In proport ion as France became once more sel f-rel iant , her

government stable,and

-

her finances prosperou s,the love for fine

clo thes spread among women of every rank, and the Internat ional

Exhibi t ion of'

1 87 8, hav ing produ ced the immense effect we have

already noted,an era of cosmopol it ism was inaugurated, and certain

CONCLUSION . 293

pecu l iarit ies of fash ion were borrowed from the most distantnat ions .This is the point we have reached

,as I pen these l ines .

As the logical sequ ence of the above short recapitu lat ion,let me

again repeat that good taste must be the arbiter of dress,and that

good taste exacts harmony in every part of the costume, secondary

or princ ipal . The original type of dress has not changed, and

probably will change bu t l itt le ; bu t its subordinate part s will

undergo cont inual alterat ion, and will afford to future historians a

subjec t of study, if at a later period they too desire to give

Fashion its rightfu l place, in a picture of the manners and customs

of France .

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