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A FEW WORDS ON DRESS.

(From the Queen.) A visit to the Eoyal Academy or to the Grosvenor Gallery, or a walk in the Park at the hour when fashionable persons “ most do congregate,” is productive of much wonderment in the minds of those persons who are addicted to observing the mode's and dresses of their neighbors. It. used to be a complaint against English women that with one accord, like sheep over a fence, they followed each other in the matter of clothing. It flounces were in fashion, everyone, whether thin and tall, or short and stout, appeared in flounces. If barred or checked dresses were the mode, everyone went barred or checked. Doubtless, some of our readers remember the illustration in Punch where a lady clothed all in striped garments was expressing her opinion of the absurdity of the stripes of the zebra I The present fashion seems, however, to be showing us more or less of a “ new thing under the sun,” which is, that ladies who devote much thought to their dress—and some fair creatures do spend a very largo amount of their time in the pleasing occupation—seem to be decorating themselves each, after an idea of her own. True, the leading notion appears to bo to get as near as possible to the resemblance of a hoppole—long, straight, shapeless, with masses of clinging and hanging drapery. But, given this primary groundwork, the variations upon it seem to be unlimited. Bonnets, hats, trimmings, capes, mixtures of materials and colors —these can be seen in marvellous and astonishing variety. A recent observation, made in one of the great picture galleries, brought several things forcibly to our mind, and with the remarks then made we are about (as the old Spectator used to say) to favor our readers. First, then, while originality in dress seems to bo aimed at by many women of the present day, y'ery few appear to be able to attain it.

The bonnets may be a little uglier, the capes a little squarer, tho mixture oi colors a iiit'.o more daring, when tho wearers have ventured to originate something for themselves, but innovations of the kind strike the ordinary observer as not being, as a rule, improvements. Again, very few latlios seem to consider that the groundwork of their adornments consists of thttir own figures. .From a considerable amount of observation, wo conclude that a large number of the fair sex have naturally figures and proportions that are far from faultless, and a carriage of body in which grace and dignity can hardly, without flattery, be said to be prevailing characteristics. TTnder the circumstances# it is with much pain that auimpartial observer notices how few women understand that one main object of modern dress is to conceal and soften departures from the ideal. It is sad enough to know that high shoulders, round shoulders, curved spines, thin neck and arm?, and other faults of figure, exist, but very much worse to have them paraded before the world. Why should a woman whose arms are deplorably thin wear sleeves which are so tight that the unhappy arms look still thinner ? Why should women who are not quite straight wear tight jackets, which show what they ought to hide, or why perch themselves on high heels, which increase the deformity I Why should women already too broad-shouldered, and not too upright in carriage, call attention to both facta by a little cape, the line of which is carried from shoulder to shoulder, cutting the body in two, and increasing the effect of the roundness of the back? Why, again, do women from whom the slenderness of girlhood has passed away, or who perhaps have never possessed it, persist in wearing garments fastened tightly round thoir bodies ? and why - do women who are neither young nor pretty make themselves objects of remark by imitating the Duchess of Devonshire in her hat, seeing that they can rival her in nothing else ? Why do woman, old and young, disfigure themselvesby wearing a little scrap of net across the upper half of their faces, which neither softens nor protects the face, but only makes it look patchy ? To all these questions we “ pause for a reply.” * Again, in a large miscellaneous gathering, such as that seen in any of tbe places indicated, we see reoson to wonder whether many, and if so, how many of the costumes are the products of “home manufacture.” The number of illfitting bodices and jackets, even of expensive dresses, is something to marvel at. Not once in twenty cases do the seams of the back fall into their proper places, and nob once in thirty times are the sleeves properly put in. If ladies are clever enough to make their own dresses, why cannot they get some friend to tell them how the garments fit and look ; and, if their dresses are made by professional persons, why do they not insist on having them made properly ? As for the way iii which a skirt hangs, it is a matter impossible to.be judged of now-a-days, when graceful folds no longer exist, and skirts are tucked up and dragged to one side, making the whole figure awry, and disturbing the continuity of every line. What an improvement it would be if walking dresses were always made of walking length, and trailing garments were reserved for indoors, where alone they are suitable. The fashion of making tho same skirt do duty both inside and out produces a result which is both incommodious and inelegant. We have all heard of the lady whose maxim in dress was “ always to have one good thing.” Now this would be a good maxim if the attention of everybody could always be directed to that “one good thing.” But as that is not possible a much better plan is to consider how tho items of dress can * be made to correspond. In two particulars great effects are ohserveablo in the dress of a large number of English women. Need wo say that we allude to boots and gloves? With handsome dresses, how otten are to be seen boots that are far from being trim and neat; gloves whose best days are long past ! It is in the attention to* boots, gloves, collars, cuffs, and such points of finishing that one of’the charms of a French woman’s dressing consists. Much remains to be done by English women in these matters.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18780831.2.23.11

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5438, 31 August 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,076

A FEW WORDS ON DRESS. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5438, 31 August 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

A FEW WORDS ON DRESS. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5438, 31 August 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

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