Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 6.djvu/506

Rh 474 COSTUME [ENGLISH. undergone many changes, indeed, but it never has fallen into disuse since that 15th day of October 1666. In 1680 both vest and doublet became considerably longer, the latter reaching quite to the knees, and the former being but little shorter. The doublet was worn open, a sash about the waist then confining the vest. The brims of the hats at the same time became narrower, and bows of ribbon often were worn in place of feathers. The baudrick, or diagonal sword-belt, worn over the doublet was very broad, and allowed the hilt of the rapier to hang considerably below the left hip. About this time also, when jack-boots resembling those that had formed a part of the military appointments of the troopers in the civil war came into fashion, the sleeves of doublets were lengthened, and made with very broad cuffs which doubled back from the wrists. In the short reign of James II. (1685-1688), when the moustache disappeared, doublets and vests still further increased in length, and the cuffs of the doublet-sleeves became extravagantly large ; more prominence was given to the lace cravats, which were worn loosely about the throat and with their ends hanging down over the upper part of the vest ; the breeches and stockings remained without any change of form or adjustment; half- boots were worn, and buckles began at times to supersede roses and bows upon shoes ; and at this time the sword was occasionally carried thrust through the lower part of the doublet, and almost in a horizontal position. The costume of the ladies of the Charles II. era, represented with such grace and effectiveness in Lely s pictures, Planche thus describes: &quot;A studied negligence, an elegant deshabille, is the prevailing character of the costume in which they are nearly all represented ; their glossy ringlets escap ing from a bandeau of pearls, unveiled by even the transparent lawn of the band or of the partlet ; and the fair round, arm reclines upon the voluptuous satin petticoat, while the gown of the same rich materials piles up its voluminous train in the background.&quot; During the early part of the reign, however, much of the Puritan formality of then recent times lingered in female dress, as it did also in the attire of the male portion of the commonalty. Tightly laced bodices at no time lost favour with females of all ranks and classes. Hoods were worn, but generally only for protection from the weather, the prevailing usage being for females to wear their own hair in natural ringlets flowing over their shoulders, and with small curls over their foreheads ; false hair, indeed, was sometimes, but only sometimes, worn, and worn in an extravagant fashion. The custom of painting and placing patches on the face became more common as the second half of the century advanced ; and the immodest practice of exposing the bosom then attained to the extreme of indelicacy. As might have been expected at that era, the seldom dormant aim of the one sex to imitate the costume of the other was in full activity; thus, Pepys says, &quot;Walking in the gallery at Whitehall (June 1, 1664), I find the ladies of honour dressed in their riding garbs, with coats and doublets with deep skirts, just for all the world like mine, and their doublets buttoned up the breast, with periwigs and with hats ; so that only for a long petticoat dragging under their men s coats, nobody would take them for women in any point whatever ; which was an odd sight, and a sight that did not please me.&quot; Somewhat later, a similar &quot;odd sight &quot; excited a corresponding feeling, the disapproval being blended with perplexed surprise, in the mind of Sir Roger do Coverley (Spectator, June 2, 1711). Whether worn by men or women, the ordinary dresses of the commonalty in their general character resembled those of the noble and wealthy, but Avere much simpler in both style and materials. Accompanied by no other decided or marked innovation than the introduction of tight knee-breeches, which during the following century were worn by all classes, and still form no unimportant part of English costume, the reign of William III. witnessed such modifications in the costume of the two preceding centuries as tended to make it more formal and appropriate, while at the same time leading the way to the tasteless frivolities and excesses of the next succeeding century. The doublets or coats of the gentlemen, their favourite colour some tint of claret when not scarlet or black, were longer, made to fit stiffly to the body, and laced and embroidered along the edges and seams and around the pocket-holes or the large flaps of the pockets in their skirts ; and their comparatively tight sleeves had enormous cuffs that were laced and adorned with buttons ; large shoulder-knots of ribbon were also worn. The vests, retaining their length, were left unbuttoned below the waist. Sashes occasionally were worn, and sometimes over the doublet. The breeches were made to fit tolerably closely to the limbs, and were quite tight at the knees, where the tightly-fitting stockings, if not gartered, were drawn over them in a roll. The shoes, very high in the heel and fastened with buckles, had flaps which covered the instep and rose in front of the legs for 3 or 4 inches. The full shirt-sleeves with their lace ruflles were shown at the wrists ; the loose neckcloth, had long pendant ends terminating in lace, if it was not entirely made of that material. The periwig, if possible more voluminous than ever, was abundantly powdered. The hat, sometimes triangular in form and with a narrow turned-up brim, was low iu the crown, edged with gold-lace, and covered with feathers ; or, being wide-brimmed, its brim was slightly turned up at the sides, when it was adorned only with a laced band and a small tuft of ribbons or feathers. The cloak, when in use, was rather longer than the doublet. In winter, the men kept their hands warm in small muffs that were suspended from ribbons about their necks ; and for summer wear they had gloves edged with lace. When not attached to a broad and elaborately enriched belt crossing the right shoulder over the doublet, the rapier was carried thrust through the left pocket-hole of the doiiblet itself, the weapon being to form an acute angle at the back of the wearer. A costume such as this, as a matter of course, would be subjected to various modi fications, and would constantly be simplified in many particulars without any essential departure from the actual type. The- accompanying figure (fig. 48), drawn from a contemporary French engraving which repre sents an assemblage of the most illustrious personages in France in the year 1696, when com pared with the numerous effigies and other portraits of the same era in this country, shows the typical dress to have been iden tical in its essentials, and characteristic on both sides of the Channel at the close of the 17th century. Further com parison, extending its range over the greater number of the countries of Europe, would serve to demonstrate the comprehen sive prevalence of this same typical dress, and at the same time to assign its various sub ordinate local modifications to the varying influences of climate and of national character. In the. female dress of this period, as it is FlG - 48. -French Costume, 1696. exemplified in portraits of ladies of rank and fashion, stiffness and a formality of aspect were strangely blended with eccentricity and frivolous display. Bodices, very long in the waist and rather obtusely pointed both behind and before, were very tightly laced over rigid corsets ; rich petticoats or under-dresses, partly covered with equally rich small aprons, were displayed from under full and flowing dresses that were gathered up in masses at the back of the wearer, or were drawn back and made to trail along on the ground behind her. At first very short and wide and edged with lace, from within which the delicate sleeves of the undergarment issued forth, the sleeves of the gowns after a while became tight and were prolonged to the wrists where they terminated in deep and wide upturned cuffs whence drooped a profusion of lace lappets or ruffles. Furbelows were introduced and worn in profusion upon dresses of every kind, including scarves and cloaks ; and the fashion for adopting doublet ) and vests, with neckcloths, resembling those worn by men was prevalent in riding and walking costume. Heavy head-dresses also succeeded to the flowing ringlets and to the natural graceful ness of the coiffure of the era of Charles II. The hair, combed up and with an inclination backwards from the forehead, was sur mounted by strata of ribbon and lace, sometimes intermingled with feathers, and a kerchief or scarf of some very light material thrown over all was permitted to hang down to the waist over en below it. Structures so produced assumed various forms, some of them being made to project while others either rose vertically or expanded in a horizontal direction, height, however, being the special aim ; but in every case the result was the reverse of graceful or becoming. Hats, low in the crown and with wide brims, were worn over hoods when cold or when protection from wet required their adoption. MODERN COSTUME. Century XVIII. The 17th. century having been treated as a period of transition in the matter of costume between the Middle Ages and modern times, the era of modern costume may be defined to commence with the 18 tli century that is, fourteen years before the accession of the sovereigns of the House of Hanover to the crown of Great Britain. Until in the course of this century it fell into general disuse for regular military service, defensive armour must be considered to have maintained a claim to have been regarded, under certain conditions and to a certain extent, as identified with the dress of an important and influential section of the community ; that claim, how-