INGENUITY AND LUXURY 



FASHION VERSUS COMFORT 



Possibly the most remarkable and grotesque fashion 

 in female attire, if the subject admits of superlatives in 

 contrasting different periods, was that of the great hoop- 

 skirt of the eighteenth century. The size of some of 

 these skirts surpasses belief, frequently being so wide 

 that damsels found it difficult to pass through some of 

 the narrow streets of London and Paris. What must 

 have happened when two determined hoop- wearers met 

 in a narrow alley can only be conjectured. There may 

 have been some unwritten " rules of the road" to cover 

 such emergencies. 



By way of contrast to the wide, bell-shaped lower 

 garment, a close-fitting bodice was worn, frequently 

 sleeveless, and the hair was dressed low. The general 

 appearance presented by the tiny body protruding 

 above the dome-like structure of the hoop-skirt must 

 have been "like the knob on a bell-jar." 



But the mere bodily discomfort of wearers and of 

 others were not the only evil effects of these great 

 hoop-skirts. At times they threatened the social 

 equilibrium of nations, as happened in the case of 

 France in 1728, "when hoop-skirts were the subject of 

 serious consideration with the minister, Cardinal Fleury. 

 When the queen attended the opera she was accus- 

 tomed to sit between the two princesses, and the result 

 was that her Majesty was completely hidden by the 

 hoops of her companions. In French eyes this 

 amounted to a positive scandal, but it was impossible 

 that the queen should go to the opera unattended, 



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