WHEN MEN WORE MUFFS

Dunstan Times, 30 July 1934, Page 6

WHEN MEN WORE MUFFS

OLD FASHION DISPLAYS One of London’s largest and most elaborate fashion displays has been on view in the London Museum, formerly the home of Lady Londonderry, whose political receptions were a feature of the Edwardian regime, says the ‘ Christian Science Monitor.’ This display shows many of the most attractive costumes worn by men and women during some hundreds of years, and is enriched by numerous loans from the possessions of the King and Queen. It has- been steadily growing for a considerable time and now it has been thought desirable to prepare for it a complete catalogue, setting forth all its treasures. This has been done by Miss Thelassa Cruso, a young graduate of the London School of Economics. Among the costumes lent by King George is a child’s dress worn by him in 1867; he also contributes his coronation robes, while Queen Mary has loaned her wedding dress (1893). There are also to be seen a pair of boots belonging to Charles 1. as a child. Another interesting exhibit is the bonnet which Queen Alexandra bad on when she arrived in England in 1863, preparatory to her marriage to Edward VII. Perhaps the most magnificent costume of all is the full Garter dress of the Duke of Clarence. Not all the historic costumes belong to Royalty, however. There is Oliver Goldsmith’s suit which was mentioned by Boswell in October, 1769. There is the Duke of Wellington’s christening robe. There are the clown’s clothes of the celebrated Grimaldi, whose memoirs were edited by Dickens, and the ballet shoes, dress, and headdress of Anna Pavlova. Mary current fashions have a long history, according to Miss Cruso’s catalogue.' The dominance of French fashions, so prominent a feature of the current dress modes, goes back as far as the days of Edward the Confessor, before the Norman Conquest. In 1604 the playwright Middleton writes: “At last enters our young landlord, so metamorphosed into the shape of a French puppet that at first we started, and thought one of the baboons had marched in in men’s apparel.” A few years earlier than this Queen Elizabeth had been trying to get hints as to how the French Court was dressed, but she did not want anyone to know of her curiosity. It was also Elizabeth who wore what were probably the first silk stockings seen in England. They were made of black knit silk, and “ pleased her so well that she would never wear any cloth hose afterwards.” Cosmetics were used at a very early date, inspiring Shakespeare’s line in ‘ Love’s Labour Lost ’ ; “ Your mistresses never come in rain for fear their colours should be washed away.” The first tendency of women’s costumes to imitate men’s seems to have appeared for a brief period about 1570, but it never spread beyond the Court. Later, however, men’s dress to a considerable degree followed the fashion of women’s, and on November 30, 1662, the diarist, Samuel Pepys, records: “ This day I first did wear a mnffe, being my wife’s hist year’s mu Ho.” This sort of thing was not altogether approved, and in ‘ The Female Taller ’ for December 12, 1709, appears the following notice: “The young gentleman that for fear of the rain borrowed the umbrella at Will’s coffee house in Cornhill . . . thereby advertised that to he dry from head to foot on like occasion lie shall he welcome to the maid’s pattens.” Half a century later it was said that “ dress employs the mornings of every ■gentleman of rank.” The museum is very rich in specimens of clothing of this period, but in modern times it has difficulty in getting typical examples, chiefly because the exiguous space of contemporary Hats does not encourage the keeping of cast-off wearing apparel.