Page:Repository of Arts, Series 1, Volume 01, 1809, January-June.djvu/314

250  with which, at this season, all nature is beginning to be clothed, though some may doubt whether a notion of harmony ever entered the inventive brain of a fashionable dress-maker. However this may be, we must enter our decided protest against it; and we entreat our fair readers not to adopt a colour so directly in opposition to good taste, and in which no face or form, be it majestic as Juno, or beautiful as Hebe, can ever appear with advantage and effect. Lilac, purple, all the varieties of blue, with the still greater varieties of grey, are open to their choice. If green must be selected, let it be the deep and rich hue of the Spanish fly, rather than that worst and vilest of all colours, pea-green.

Mr. Adair’s treaty with the Sublime Porte will doubtless introduce amongst our spring fashions a profusion of Turkish turbans, Janizary jackets, mosque slippers, and a thousand similar whimsicalities; all of which (provided a northern coalition be accomplished) must speedily give way to Russian cloaks, hussar caps, Cossack mantles, Danish robes, &c. &c. so that by the setting in of the dog-days, our ladies will stand a chance of being arrayed in the complete costume of all the shivering nations of the north. Such is the capricious system introduced and acted upon in the empire of the despotic goddess of fashion! When shall the dress of the British fair be established upon the simple and unerring principles of nature? and when shall those principles be adopted as the barometer of good taste? We have not the vanity to promise ourselves the complete accomplishment of these objects, but to that end all our endeavours shall be directed. Nothing shall appear in our pages but what is strictly compatible with good taste, so that while we discover and expose errors, we will not be wanting in our endeavours to point out the remedy.

 

The prevailing colours for both dress and morning coats, are dark blue, olive, and bottle green, with silver and gilt basket buttons; long waist and short skirt: but upon the whole, the fashionable coat is very short, and must not come lower than within four inches of the knee. The lappels are rather long, and come even with the hip buttons. The collar is made high, thinly padded, and to fall back two inches.

The dress coat has round cuffs without buttons, with pockets under flaps: the morning coat, sleeves with slits, and three large buttons. The sleeves are worn very long.

The waistcoat is single-breasted; flaps, with small regimental skirts; the collar within that of the coat: it is made of striped marcella, of various shades, but buff colours are the most fashionable. Breeches, of a light drab colour, made rather long and tight. For pantaloons, the stuffs generally worn are double-milled stocking and Prince of Wales’s striped kerseymere. 