The San Francisco call. [volume], August 17, 1902, Image 7

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
two weeks, giving us a splendid opportu
nity to study the fashions created by the
unfortunate Queen of France, Marie An
toinette, before the mob that was respon
sible for the Reign of Terror, executed her
on the guillotine. This same period cor
responds with the stately gowns of our
own revolutionary times.
And later if Miller's present programme
is carried out we will have still greater
contrasts in the evolution of fashion dur
ing the past century, when "Frocks and
Frills" and "Mrs. Dane's Defense," both
medishly modern, are staged to alternate
with "Darcy wof the Guards," which
shows both the English and the colonial
styles of -Martha Washington's days.
But whatever may be said of the fad
for "romantic" costumes, the fact re
mains that the ; dressmaker's* work of
those times , was not beyond - reproach.
Beautiful were the women no doubt:
queenly, gracious, superb and even regal
in appearance. Works of the old masters
Gay Lord Quex"was put on for the sec
ond attraction. ' The gowning 1 was dia-
tinctly modern, and the contrast between
the soft clinging robes and the unruly
hoopskirts of the first play was truly'
startling. -.-¦: .'•.; ¦ :--¦- ..- ,; .... , , ,., ,. :.,,..::...
Then came "The Adventure of. the Lady '
Ursula," in which the gownmaker had ' :
betaken himself . back over, a century and
a half • for the and appropriate
¦wardrobe, and after- that the very latest
examples . . of the I up-to-date Parisian
modiste's art were displayed In "The Wil
derness,"-which, by.- tlie' way, will be re
vived- a grain, to. alternate with "Camllle,"
for a weejc before the engagement closes.
Following "The "Wilderness," "The Only
.Way'^has. held -the- boards for the past
To contrast with "Trelawny," in theme
as well as in costumes and settings, "The
The story itself is simple to the point
of weakness, but the costuming was well
calculated to stimulate curiosity, and
women flocked to . the Columbia to see
how Margaret Anglin and her sister ar
tists would manage the swinging hoop-
Fpirts, the flat hats, the nalr nets and the
pegged-top boots of the "days befo' de
wah" without making themselves look
absolutely clownish. ..
modern costume play it is one of the
most interesting chapters in the evolution
of woman's apparel.
Of romantic plays there Is an unending
variety, but of plays that display the
fashions of a half-century ago "Trelaw
ney of the Wells," with which Miller
opened his engagement, is the only one
that has. made a lasting success. As a
This far-reaching influence of the drama
on modern fashions was never more
strikingly illustrated than in the costum
ing of the Miller company during the
present season at the Columbia Theater.
As shown In these three pictures of Miss
Dorothy Tennant the repertoire of plays
covered a range of over a century and a
half. Indeed, the dressy side of the re
pertoire has been a veritable kaleidoscope
of all the styles of the past hundred and
fifty years carried out with all that elab
oration of artistic detail which has given
Mr. Miller an international reputation as
an actor-manager. Every model was per
fect. '- . .
In paraphrase the hats, coats, facings,
sleeves and other details reappear. Only
at the skirts does the fashionable woman
of to-day draw the line. The skirts of
other days are. altogether too ungainly
for milady to make her own. . < -.
The costumes of the musketeer, the no
bleman, th,e marquise and the marechal
form the ground work on which the novel
styles for woman's dress in 1902 are built
up. .
1 he world is engrossed with regal do-
Ings on a regal scale- of magnificence:
with coronations, prince's visits. Kaiser's
messages. Then, too, the stage of France,
England and America is portraying the
hero and heroine of romantic times— those
gentlemen and ladles upon whose faults
time has kindly cast a misty veil, through
which their brilliance and their daring
alone shine out. Dramatists in their
search for novelty in costumes and stage
settings have ransacked every period
since civilization began to record its do
ings in history to find interesting mate
rial, but the heroes and heroines of the
sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries are the inspirations from which
Fashion draws her choicest Ideas.
The Du Barry, the Pompadour and the
Queen Anne styles again- reign supreme.
jesty the money spender." And thejMffave*
succeeded admirably. . ,
Prosperity, indeed, means rare fabrics,
and this year the craze -has been for the
sheerest of sheer materials, in such amaz
ing variety that in the establishments of
the most noted Parisian couturleres an
entirely different collection of models is
shown in the afternoon from those on
view in the morning. These historic ex
hibits are literally panoramic.
In these displays, too, the most extrav
agant ideas imaginable have been work
ed out- This season Parisian . women
think nothing of spending from 3000 to
8000 francs for an Irish point lace dress,
providing it combines all the most beauti
ful ideas that can be gleaned * from a
rtudy of the evolution of women's gowsa
through : several centuries.
Indeed there are laces made by ma
chinery to-day equal to those worth a
King's ransom in the olden times and
these almost any woman can wear now.
A circumstance that has made these
fashions so remarkably popular is tha
fact that to the present generation they
are striking in their newness.
This endless story of style has had Its
varying chapters. The rising tide of pros
perity has brought out the best goods
from the plainest materials for popular
wear, to the magnificent silk-lined eta
mines of the rich. And while the famous
arbiters of New York and Parisian styles
can continue to draw upon the fashion
plates of the roseate past the scale of
extravagance and magnificence will con
tinue to ascend. .
In this adaptation of historic styles the
Bleeve plays the all-Important part, ex
cepting, of course, the vast difference- in
the skirts. In the elaborate cuffs and the
puffed effects especially la the most pop
ular revival to be noted. Still much of
the light, artistic wear that characterized
the French court In the days of its great
est magnificence were made applicable to
summer styles. The embroideries, garni
tures, light fabrics, dainty colors, lingerie
touches, drawn effects and appliqua
will be elaborated upon for winter wear,
in a manner which even the richest Prin
cesses of past history could not afford.
Htnce the romantic school is not fol
lowed to a nicety. We take what is de
sirable and leave the rest What we taka
we twist and turn until only the expert "
could recognize its source.
tell us that. But they tell us. too, that
the gowns were badly cut. and fitted
even worse. The corsets were worse than
the modern straitjacket.
Yet there never was such a widspread
Interest in the frills and furbelows of by
gone days as is shown in this season's
models. Woman desires magnificence—de
sires it more now than ever before. She
wants to be beautiful— to be fascinating.
And the meads that best understand how
woman is pleased, and who devise all
kinds of ingenious things to separate tfce
aforesaid woman from her money, -have
not been idle. They have .searched far.
and near for Just those beautiful ideas
which win titillate the vanity of "her, Ma-
This is the general outline as devised
by Fashion's practical side. These are
the lines that restrain the fancy of care
less and freakish designers. This is where
woman's influence on the style of the day
Is exerted. So whatever glamour there
may be about the reproduction of former
fashions these styles must be tempered
by the twentieth century restraint.
The skirt while not carried to uucn an
extreme must, whether clinging qr wide,
be of such simplicity as to be handled
easily. Never Is it of constrained form or
with superimposed draperies.
Where a hundred years ago, and even
more pronouncedly fifty years ago, the
wide, flaring, elaborately colored skirts
were so dearly beloved of the feminine
heart, to-day the smooth and simple
forms, the clinging, elastic, graceful ideas
are applied in skirt, blouse, bolero and,
other waist forms. Simplicity of outline
Is the rule. Heavy draperies are tabooed.
Distinct is the aversion to anything in the
line of coat-iails, panier or jupon.
The waist.may be blouse, bolero or pos
tillion back, or, as the txtreme length
Louis XIV, but It is never long enough
to fly back. There is no extra length to
detract from the graceful form. '
C"T*f HE evolution of fashion during tha
I past century was never better Illus-
I trated than in tar three photographs
1 shown on this page. At a glance
JL they convey more to the critical
feuiinlne eye than could reams on reams
of minute description- But what Is not so
apparent are the conditions that are re
sponsible for the popularity of the mod
ern, tightly clinging gowns; for while
.fashion on its practical side still adheres
/to forms acceptable to the up-to-date
woman, yet it is constant and persistent
In Its search for novelty and variety.
THE STTNDAY CAIJi
7
FASHION'S
EVOLUTION
IN ONE
CENTURY