Always With Us

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XXIV, Issue 4248, 19 February 1921, Page 3

Always With Us

HIGH COST OF CLOTHES IN

ANCIENT DAYS.

Aa far back as two thousand years ago the average husband had to wrestle with the high cost of clothing for his wife. The vagaries of modern, fashion insist on fur, summer as well as winter. The Roman lady did not care much, for fur. The cli mate in sunny Italy doesn't exactly inspire a longing for a sealskin scarf. What the Roman woman of fashion did want was colour, lots of it, preferably purple1. And when you consider that wool dyed the genuine Tyrian purple cost approximately £33 a pound it was rather an expensive luxury. ° Other colours, too, were popular—brown, yellow and red—-but white was, after all, the timehonoured favourite. No wardrobe was complete without several white dresses far street and house wear, In the matter of footwear, the inclinations of the individual had considerable scope. Suppose a lady was going out to dinner. Naturally, if she went in a carriage or was borne in state in a litter she wore regular out-oji-door shoes called "caalcei," and carried her slippers with her to put on when she got there, much as the modern young lady carries her pumps in a bag when she goes to a dance. The Roman matron is reported to have liked her slippers gilded or of bright colours to match her goWft. Records attest that white kid shoes were much worn. The belles of ancient Rome were fond of ■jewelleßy—rill:gs, „•• pins, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. They wore very few diamonds, howeveß Not because diamonds were expensive, but for a far more important reason—because they were not good style. No prejudice kept the fair charmer of Rome from the use of cosmetics and face powder to enhance her beauty. With oils and tonics rubbbed into her scalp she strove "to make her hair thick, and lustrous. If nature had been niggardly she supplemented the scant tresses with curls or swithches. If the colour of her locks was unbecoming she might, and often did, dye them. And red liair, be it said, golden red hair, was the popular shajde which made many a Roman matron seek the ancient equivalent of the henna shampoo.