COSTUME

(medieval Lat. costwma, from Lat. consuetudo, ‘custom’), term which meant at first any fashion, but in modern use is only applied to personal clothing and adornment. The motives of wearing clothes for ornament and as a protection for the vital parts seem to be coeval, although, as ornament requires le apparatus of civilization than clothes, even skins, tattooing, etc., probably preceded the primitive loincloth; the idea of decency seems only to be evolved by age-long covering of the body. The loin-cloth, tied in front, was worn by the ancient Egvptians. It was succeeded by a close-fitting, frock-like garment reaching below the knees, leayving both arms free, and the right shoulder uncovered. The Babylonians wore a short skirt suspended from the waist, leaving the upper portion of the body exposed, a style of dre also adopted by some of the Egyptians. A later development amongst these Eastern peoples was a close-fitting, embroidered garment reaching down to the ankles, often with sleeves, but sometimes without. The foot-wear consisted of sandals. The hair was generally full and long, and often confined with a fillet. The earliest kind of headgear was a close-fitting circular cap; this was succeeded by a high conical bonnet, sometimes with ear-flaps. Greek.—The Gr. men of the Mycensan age wore the loin-cloth, but the women developed a complete dre with fiounced lower part. The most characteristic garment of the succeeding Greeks was the peplos, or ‘Doric dre ,’ a large square of cloth, folded, and fastened on the right shoulder with a brooch; the waist was generally encircled by a girdle through which the long folds might be drawn up to prevent trailing, giving a characteristic overlap. Another garment of importance was the Ionian chiton, a Close-fitting linen shift or tunic, which in some cases reached only to the knees, but generally to the feet. The pallium, a loose mantle, is also found. Peasants’ and herdsmen’s garments were of sheepskin or leather. Sandals were the usual footwear; high boots were favored for traveling and the chase. Much use was made of rings, rings of precious metals, enamel, or bronze, and jeweled. Roman dre differed little from the Greek. The Etruscan sarcophagus in the Brit. Museum shows the Ionian dre ; the subligaculum, or loin-cloth, was early superseded by the tunica, similar to the Gr. chiton, which became the everyday wear of both sexes, but later only of men. The éoga, full-dre garment for special occasions, was in early times the habit both of men and women. It was a large, almost circular, piece of woolen cloth, draped round the form similarly to the peplos, with one end thrown over the left shoulder and fastened by brooch or girdle. Both the tunica and toga were, as a rule, plain white, but stripes of purple and scarlet marked the rank of senators and others. An embroidered tunica and purple toga were adopted by Julius Cesar as the permanent imperial costume. \Women abandoned both tunica and toga for the stola, a long tunic with ornamental border and neck; at first sleevele . Cloaks were worn in bad weather, sometimes with hoods. Sandals and shoes and high boots of red or black leather, according to rank, are found as in Greece. Hats were not used; hair was dre ed in the Gr. fashion; jewelry was worn by both sexes. Ancient British—When Cesar landed on the shores of Britain he found the more uncivilized tribes clad in skins; they are said to have smeared their bodies with woad. But the inhabitants of Kent wore striped or checkered frocks, or kilts, so that their dre was very similar to the Highland costume, which is still called ‘the garb of Old Gaul.’ Their winter garments consisted of dyed tunics, close-fitting bracoe, or trousers, which now make almost their first appearance, and short cloak (sagum). The female dre may be judged from Dio Ca ius’s description of Boadicea, who wore her light hair flowing about her shoulders; was clad in a dyed tunic, over which was draped a coarse robe, fastened with a fibula. The Druids wore full robes of white; the Bards, blue; the Ovates (medicine-men and astronomers), green. Later the Brit. chiefs adopted the Roman habit; and the women a umed a long under-tunic reaching to the feet, and a short outer one, with loose half-sleeves. dre of the Anglo-Saxon kings and leaders was a plain tunic, short cloak, fastened with a fibula, long hose, drawn up over short trousers, and cro art ered. Better-cla women wore a ong gown with loose sleeves, which a super-tunic was worn. ordinary dre was a linen shift and plain gown for women; tunic and belt for men. Cloaks and caps were for bad weather; all wore shoes, except slaves, who went barefoot. As regards eccles. dre , the costume of an archbishop of this period consisted of chasuble, pall, dalmatic, stole, and alb. With the coming of the Danes little change took place. Their favorite color was black; their national emblem, the raven. Later they adopted tunics of white linen or colored cloth, and sometimes furred mantles. Norman and Plantage net.—There was practically no change in the habits of the people under the rule of William the Conqueror. Under William II., however, extremes of fashion set in; men began to wear long cloaks, trailing gowns with loose sleeves, and fantastically pointed shoes. The women effected a tightly-laced bodice, and a gown with hanging sleeves. The laboring cla still kept the loose tunic, cloak pinned at the shoulder, caps, brimmed hats, and flat bonnets. The dalmatic, a wide-sleeved, lengthy gown, became the regal costume under Henry I., and remained so through several reigns. Henry II. introduced the short Angevin mantle; rich furs began to be popular with the wealthy cla es, and the long gowns, though of simple design, were made of cloth of gold and rich damasks. Under Edward III. (1327-77) great changes took place. Amongst the nobles the long _ robes and tunics gave place to the long hose and cote-hardie, a close-fitting garment reaching to the mid-thigh, and buttoned down the front, with half sleeves, to display the long sleeves of an under-vest. This was worn by both sexes. The use of furs and the more expensive cloths was regulated by rank and wealth. Ermine was the royal fur, while few of the nobility were permitted other than miniver. The Order of the Garter was instituted in this reign. In place of the cote-hardie, women sometimes wore a _ short spencer-jacket, edged with fur, according to rank. Sartorial luxury _made many steps forward under Richard II., the greatest fop of his day. Parti-colored costumes were introduced as early as the reign of Edward II., but under Richard II. they became the prevailing fashion. It was during this reign, too, that the long, point shoes, called crack owes, - reached ridiculous length, and were fastened about the knees with chains, | Tudor.—With the acce ion of Henry VII. a much simpler style of costume became the vogue. Henry himself wore a simple, short furred gown, long hose, and flat, wide cap. Shoes were very — became popular, and to display these the slashing of doublets and hose be- — came fashionable. Women wore gowns — cut square at the neck, with stomachers — and rich girdles, from the front of which hung long pendants. The waistcoat is first mentioned during Henry’s reign, and was then a sleeved garment, like that worn by the railway porter of the present day. Under the Stewarts and Georges the waistcoat reached to the knees. In Elizabeth’s time the upper stocks developed into ‘trunk hose’; the doublet was deprived of its skirts, and took the shape of a peascod; the shirt, with embroidered neck, gave place to the ruff, the flat cap to the conical hat. The characteristic feminine garments were the enormous starched tiers of ruff and frill (imitated by men) round the neck, the stomacher, and the Span. farthingale introduced by Mary and now become immense. These fashions were pretty constant under the Stewarts, Puritan influence was directly small, but indirectly may have helped to refine fashionable taste. The grotesque ruff gave place to deep ‘Vandyke’ collars of lace, and many Elizabeth an distortions were succeeded by really becoming modes. The plumed Cavalier, however, loved to emphasize the difference between himself and the Round head in his simple apparel of sober color. In the reign of Charles II. ‘petticoat breeches,’ worn for some time in France, were a common mode; they were wide, puffed, be-ribboned garments, tapering down to just above the calf, where they were fastened; high-heeled shoes and steeplechase hat with coronal of feathers are characteristic of the courtier of this period. Women’s bare shoulders sloped down beneath ringlets to a short, tight bodice, which expanded at the high waist into the amplitude of a slightly hooped skirt. Collars over _ the shoulders had become usual by the close of the century, when the long waist and even the stomacher had reappeared, Georgian dre for men shows knee breeches appearing slightly below ‘three quarters’ coat, buttoned with many buttons, without collar, and with deep, wide cuffs; under the coat is the waistcoat on which much fancy was expended, surmounted by the long, soft cravat; shoes, usually square-toed, were adorned by buckles which were an important feature. The hoop of women’s dre had attained immense size by the middle of the century. The cla ical influence of the French Revolution brought in, on the contrary, clinging robes, sometimes damped in order to show the limbs, the high ‘Empire’ waist, sandals, etc., and had an important permanent effect in an ideal of simplicity of fashion. Men’s. dark-colored clothes, which became usual in the 19th cent., are perhaps ascribable to the continued mourning worn in Europe through the slaughters of the Napoleonic wars, but black was a favorite color of Beau-Brummell. The frock-coat, waistcoat, and top-hat from’ which the present articles are derived, are first to be seen in the arbiter of taste. Count d’Orsay, although his lightly starched linen neckcloth, rising to the ears and almost engulfing the chin, has given way to the narrow, Linen shirts were worn by both sexes from a time preceding the Conquest, poor folks wearing coarse canvas, or dowlas. In the days when silk stock'ngs were the fashion, three pairs were often worn in cold weather; and false calves were by no means uncommon. Folding fans have been in use since the days of Elizabeth. The woman’s modern blouse was copied from the famous Garibaldi Red Shirt (c. 1846). The crinoline was first worn in 1856. The petticoat was originally a man’s outside coat, later an under-tunic, and a ‘petticoat of red damask’ was worn by Henry V. ‘An apron’ is a corruption of ‘a napron.’ A ‘bodice’ is a corruption of ‘bodies,’ stays being originally called a ‘pair of bodies.’ Men’s loose collars were introduced about half a century ago. The evening, or ‘swallow-tail,’ coat is merely a ‘cut-away’ garment developed from the frock-coat. The ‘trews,' or tartan trousers, are an e ential part of the Highland dre , and were worn by ‘Prince Charlie.’ Baggy ‘Co ack’ trousers were first worn in England about 1816, but tight-fitting trousers’ continued in favor for long afterwards. In the earlier years of the 19th cent. the wig became rare: and the soldiers abandoned their pigtails in 1808. The first umbrella used in England was in 1750, but it was not generally adopted until about a quarter of a century later. The first silk ‘top-hat,’ as the succe or of the ‘beaver-hat,’ was seen in London in 1797. In matters of costume fashion revolves in cycles, and tends to change with more and more rapidity. For many centuries Paris, on account of dainty and artistic inventivene and imagination, set the fashion in women’s clothes to Europe, and Vienna, London, and New York were also leaders of opinion in this matter. For men’s clothes the fashion is largely set in London.;