Evening Star Newspaper, November 1, 1931, Page 85

Can Empress Fugenie’s Spirit Bring Prosperity? N | | Renaissance of the Formal Second Empire Fashions Will Revive Trade and Inject Sparkle Into Dull Life of doday, Says Ameri- can Novelist. AS TOLD TO CAROL BIRD. ROSPERITY floated in on the crest of a wave of crinolines, bustles and flounced petticoats in the reign of the gay and pleasure-loving Empress Eugenie, whose name is still 2 synonym for beauty, ex- travagance and caprice. A great revival of industry is certain to take place in America now as a result of the present renaissance of the elaborate and formal fashions of the Second Empire, 1eplicas of the same fashions which Eugenie launched for reasons of state. Saucy Empress Fugenie hats plumed and tiny, which sit cocked over the right eye of thousands of American women today, will be followed by looped skirtspuffed sleeves, fringes and scallops and ruchings, velvet neckbands, scarlet capes, voluminous draped skirts, modified forms of the bustle, polonaise and leg-o’-mutton sleeve, already hinted at in the new Fall and Winter fashions. And mitts and muffs and waterfalls will all help to make American girls resemble living pictures from Godey's Lady’s Book, thereby bringing prosperity right over the bome threshold. It is obvious that the wearing of these fancy and formal clothes, which calls for many yards of silk, laces, velvet, trimmings, ribbons, braids, satins and for feathers, fans, buttons, jewels, ornaments and various other gewgaws, will have a salutary effect upon the hundreds of !:ruled trades which have long been at a stande , or which have been weakly functioning. ND Second Empire finery will, in turn, start a prosperity cycle on its way, for formal clothes are bound to launch an era of gayety and exuberant living, and thus thousands of other industries will be called into action, those out of employment will obtain work and money will be spent freely and with abandon. This optimistic note on the trend of the times, revealing itcelf like an undercurrent through women's fashion tastes, is sounded by Mrs. Maud Hart Lovelace, novelist, who has been doing considerable research work on the life of the beautiful Empress, whose style crea- tions are now being c:pied enthusiastically by American and European couturiers and pounced upon so avidly by wemen all over the world. Mrs. Lovelace, a charming, dark-haired young woman, herself attired in a lacy and ultra-fem- tnine frock, left her typewriter in her home at New Rochelle, N. Y., long enough to explain why a revival of Empress Eugenie styles presages N sure era of prosperity. “France was at a low ebb when Napoleon III @Ame to the throne,” began Mrs. Lovelace. “He married a young Spanish girl of devastating beauty, but not of royal blood. She dressed ex- quisitely and had a flair for originality in dress. When she introduced a new gown, a new kind of fan or a jeweled hair ornament at a ball, the next day every woman in Paris was searching about for the same thing. So assiduously was shis beautiful Empress copied that at one time slimost every woman in Paris dyed her hair red, the color of Eugenie's. They even went 80 far as to gild their hair when this style prbiter set the fashion for that kind of hair. “Many people thought the Empress was frivolous and 2 spendthrift because of her all- absorbing attenticn to dress and the introduc- Mon of ever-changing style extremes and povelties in the way of dress accessories. But, %8 a matter of fact, she was nothing of the gort. Elaborate clothes were part of her political Gareer and political finesse. She called her more oostly costumes her ‘political toilettes.” It was Der aim to revive trade, which was then at a gtandstill, and so she launched a fashion era. She was particularly anxious to aid the Lyons silk manufacturers and lacemakers, who were baving a hard time of it, but she succeeded in belping all lines of industry to flourish. She fntroduced fashion trimming of every imagina- ble kind, new types of hats and a thousand other fancies. Dressmakers, milliners, fabric designers had to take on extra help and work Overtime to supply the women who aped Bugenie. Prosperity naturally followed, and it Pontinued for at least 10 years. “And during al! this gay and carefree time Bugenie reigned amid tulle and diamonds, Javish hunts, cotillons, carnivals, fancy cos- fume balls, charades, teas, dinners, the opera, fanguorous Strauss weltzes in a rich setting which her own diplomecy had created. Bt NE of the first things she did was to re- vive crinolines. ‘These required 50 yards of material, 350 yards of lace and hun- dreds of yards of ribbon. These crinolines or irts constituted a much-criticized style in that day, but they caught on. While I do not think we will ever have the exaggerated form of the crinoline, it is coming back into pop- ularity now in a modified form. An age in THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, NOVEMBER 1, 1931 Empress Eugenie and the ladies of her court wore yards and yards of silks and crinolines. She introduced many other dress ideas, many prevailing in fashion’s realm. which women ride in subways, the rumble seats of automobiles and the cockpits of airplanes, rush around tennis courts and golf courses is scarcely one o take up the hoopskirt. How- ever, modified forms of it will probably appear for formal evening dress, and so may bustles, waterfalle and little scarlet capes. “Besides the crinoline, Eugenie launched many other fashions. She was responsible for the little hats that are in vogue today and that bear her name. “They were worn in those days with ex- tremely elaborate headdress over a waterfall. While the tiny hats dipped down over the right eye, they left exposed a vast expanse of hair, puffed out over stuffing, marcelled, sometimes powdered or gilded and arranged with little coquettish curls tickling the neck. “As for fads and fancies, the Empress Eugenie had the most fertile inventive genius and imagination. However, she always foisted them on the public, having in mind the stimu- lation of varied trades which had been dormant. She introduced a furbelow and it caught on overnight. Everything about her was emu- lated, her crinolires, her ringleted coiffure, her supple walk, her violets, waterfalls, hairnets festooned skirts, red-heeled boots, her walking ‘sticks and Zouave jackets. “One night at a party she appeared with a Mexican blue band of velvet knotted about her white throat, with long streamers of velvet dangling below the bow. And the next day every woman in Paris was wearing a velvet neckband. This particular fad outlived her, as have many other fashions associated with her reign. Many of us can remember seeing our mothers and grandmothers wearing the neck- bands in black velvet; the bands died out, but now they are being worn again. She introduced the wide stocks and stiff muslin collars, muslin caps and smart muslin cravats. And she it was who launched the short jackets which we are now using for evening wraps. “This short jacket has been popular for several scasons now and was the real fore- runner of the Eugenie styles, although most people think that the Eugenie hat was the first second empire fad introduced in this country. One article which Eugenle gave to her public, and one of her most attractive innovations, has not yet reached us, but, doubtless, it soon will. I hope it will. This is the short scarlet cape she used to affect. She began wearing the flippant little thing at the seashore at Biarrits, and it caught on at once. Soon ladies were wearing them at the opera, too. No one ques- tioned their empress’ taste or warred against her originality. “She had the right to be original, they thought. Was she not born during an earthe guake out under the sky in a Spanish garden? And did not a gypsy foretell to Eugenie Gus- man, a humble schoolgirl, that she would one day be an empress? And was there not the story of the mother superior who had refused the young girl admission to her convent be- cause, she said, ‘Your face would woo the nuns from their prayers.’ " ANY of the Empress Eugenie’s original style conceptions long survived her day and were carried into future generations. She started the fad for wearing plaid dresses. I still recall that when I was a little girl I wore plaid skirts and little plaid caps, and today plaids are again the rage. Many fashionable young.women have been wearing them to the races and other sports events. “Lovely and delicate were some of the novele ties Eugenie bequeathed to the public simply by the process of wearing them first and have ing her classic and Andalusian beauty set them off to advantage. She started the craze for jeweled butterflies as a motif for decoration. “When the empress decided that butterfles had had their day, she appeared with humming birds on her dress. She followed humming birds with every imaginable kind of bird, in- sect and reptile. “She started the muff fad, which is catching on today. Muffs and capelets are now fashiona~ ble, and soon furriers will find themselves prose perous again because of this rage for fur ace ceasories. “And the bootmaker had Eugenie to thank for a revival of their trade, just as shoe manue facturers today will see a speeding up of their work because of today's formal styles, which call for many different kinds and colors of shoes. The extreme idea of establishing ‘the waistline was also originated by Eugenie, through the simple process of wearing a belt. Up to this time women qf her day had worm tight bodices or basques, which are now com- ing into vogue. Belts have endured through the years and are very popular at the present “Sashes in all the pastel shades followed belts, and today you will note that sashes and big butterfly bows decorate many of the new evening frocks being shown for Winter wear, Eugenie appeared one day with her own name spelled out on her belt, and soon every one was displaying this sort of novelty. “It was Eugenie who started the craze for lockets and bangles and silver ivy leaves for trimming. She wore not only one bangle, but several, one for each birthday or other an- niversary. For quite a little time now we have been following this same fancy, with whole arms full of narrow, clinking silver bracelets. She sponsored elaborate headdress, with rolls, puffs, curls and waterfall, erected upon s scaffolding, and decorated with birds, insects, reptiles, ornaments of spun giass, crystal and mother of pearl, bandeaux of black velvet stude ded with gold-and-diamond butterflies. “One of Eugenie’s favorite costumes was & black wool skirt with a red flannel blouse and & belt, and this color combination, with scarle$ belt to match, is now coming in as a new Fall and Winter novelty. So are mantles, which in Eugenie's day were made of piush with fringes and tassels. 3 (Copyright, 1931.)