FASHIONS FROM THE PAST

Evening Star, Issue 22893, 26 February 1938, Page 26

FASHIONS FROM THE PAST

A DAZZLING EXHIBITION The fantastic fashions of the seventeenth century as revealed by the Royal Academy winter exhibition of seventeenth century art in Europe have greatly intrigued the women visitors to Burlington House, and are already influencing the dress designers and the important fashion houses (writes the London correspondent of the ‘ Weekly Scotsman ’). The splendour of the costumes worn by these people of long ago, who stare so serenely from their frames, is almost dazzling to modern eyes. Rich brocades, shining satins, superb decorative embroidery, laces and lawns starched to snowy perfection, pearls, and towering hats decked with nodding plumes rouse the envious admiration of the more prosaicly clad women of today. Many of the loveliest costumes might be copied in a more modified' form. A suit and cloak of uncut white velvet set all over with diamonds and worn by a duke, a black velvet doublet embroidered with red l Tudor roses, a cape to match, splendid with fringed rosettes, gauntlet gloves embroidered with jewels, slit sleeves in contrasting colours, gorgeous satin scarves, and long tasselled earrings could all be adapted to modern styles. Already sashes em-

broidered gloves and enormously puffed sleeves are appearing in the new fashion collections, while the seventeenth century style of hairdressing—rows of stiff little curls across the forehead, and the long ringlets—has been mastered by many hairdressers. The busy woman of to-day is, fortunately, unlikely to follow the example of her seventeenth century counterpart in the matter of the length of time required for dressing. A MS. of the year 1607 tells us that “ a ship is sooner rigged by far than a gentlewoman made ready. Five hours ago I set a dozen maids to attire a nice gentlewoman, but there is such a doing with their looking glasses, pinning, unpinning, setting, unsetting, formings, and painting blue veins and cheeks, such stir with sticks and combs, cascanets, purles, buskes, bodies, fans, puffs, ruffs, cuffs, muffs, partlets, frislets, bandlets, and so many lets that she is scarce dressed to the girdle. And now there’s_ such a calling for farthingales, shoo ties, etc., that seven pedlars’ shops—nay, all Sturbridge fair —will scarce furnish her.” Probably the most attractive single fashion revealed by the exhibition is the shoes which put modern footwear to shame. Exquisite lacy pom-poms adorn the feet of gentlemen and ladies alike. Square jewelled buckles, red heels, and many other decorative and charming absurdities were lavished on shoes during the seventeenth century. Such fantastic footwear would not .survive the pavements of to-day, and no'fashion designer could adapt these pom-poms to modern use, but they add a fairylike fascination to the haughty and dignified grandees of the portraits.