DEVELOPMENT OF GOTHIC COSTUME

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Mrs. Condé Nast in Evening Dress

CHAPTER XVI

DEVELOPMENT OF GOTHIC COSTUME

O the Romans, all who were not of Rome and her Empire, were

foreigners,--outsiders, people with a strange viewpoint, so they were

given a name to indicate this; they were called "barbarians."

Conspicuous among those tribes of barbarians, moved by human lust for gain to

descend upon the Roman Empire and eventually bring about its fall, was the tribe

of Goths, and in the course of centuries "Gothic" has become a generic term,

implying that which is not Roman. We speak of Gothic architecture, Gothic art,

Gothic costumes, when we mean, strictly speaking, the characteristic architecture,

art and costuming of the late Middle Ages (twelfth to fifteenth centuries).

But we find the so-called Gothic outline in costume as early as the fourth century.

Over the undraped, one-piece robe of classic type, a second garment is now worn,

cut with straight lines. It usually fastens behind, and the uncorseted figure is

outlined. The neck is still collarless and cut round, the space filled in with a

necklace. The sleeves of the tunic appear to be the logical evolution of the folds of

the toga, which fall over the arms when bent. They cling to the outline of the

shoulder, broadening at the hand into what is called "angel" sleeves; in art, the

traditional angel wears them.

Roman-Christian women wore their hair parted, no Psyche knot, and interesting,

large earrings. The gowns were not draped, but were in one piece and with no

fulness. A tunic, following lines of the form, reached below the knees and was

belted. This garment was trimmed with bands from shoulders to hem of tunic and

kept the same width throughout, if narrow; but if wide, the bands broadened to the

hem. The neck continued to be cut round, and filled in with a necklace.

The cape, fastening on shoulders or chest, remnant of the Greek toga, was worn,

and veils of various materials were the usual head coverings.

Between the fifth and tenth centuries there are examples of the overgarment or

tunic having a broad stomacher of some contrasting material, held in place with a

cord, which is tied behind, brought around to the front, knotted and allowed to hang

to bottom of skirt.

Byzantine art between 800 and 1000 A. D. still shows women wearing tunics, but

hanging straight from neck to hem of skirt, fastened on shoulders and opened at

sides to show gown beneath; close sleeves with trimming at the wrists, often large,

roughly cut jewels forming a border on tunic, and the hair worn in long braids on

each side of the face; the coil of hair, which was wrapped with pearls or other

beads, was parted and used to frame the face.

This fashion was carried to excess by the Franks. We see some of their women

between 400 and 600 A. D. wearing these heavy, rope-like braids to the hem of the

skirt in front.

In the fourteenth century the Gothic costume was perhaps at its most beautiful

stage. The long robe, the upper part following the lines of the figure, with long

close sleeves half covering hands, or flowing sleeves, that touched the floor. About

the waist was worn a silk cord or jewelled girdle, finely wrought and swung low on

hips; from the end of which was suspended the money bag, fan and keys.

The girdle begins now to play an important part as decoration. This theme, the

evolution of the girdle, may be indefinitely enlarged upon but we must not dwell

upon it here.

In some cases we see that the tunic opened in the front and that the large, square,

shawl-like outer garment of Greece now became the long circular cape, clasped on

the chest (one or two clasps), made so familiar by the art of the Gothic and

Renaissance periods. Turn to the illuminated manuscripts of those periods, to

paintings, on wood, frescoes, stained glass, stucco, carved wood, and stone, and

you will find the Mother of God invariably costumed in the simple one-piece robe

and circular clasped cape.

In most of the sacred art of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and

fifteenth centuries, the Virgin and other saints are depicted in the current costume

of woman. The Virgin was the most frequent subject of artists in every medium,

during the ages when the Church dominated the State in Europe.

The refurnishing of the Virgin's wardrobe has long been and still is, a pious task

and one clamoured for by adherents to the churches in which the Virgin's image is

displayed to worshippers. We regret to say, for æsthetic reasons, that there is no

effort made on the part of modern devotees to perpetuate the beautiful mediæval

type of costume.

In some old paintings which come under the head of Folk Art, the Holy Family

appears in national costume. The writer recalls a bit of eighteenth century painting,

showing St. Anne holding the Virgin as child. St. Anne wears the bizarre fête attire

of a Spanish peasant; a gigantic head-dress and veil, large earrings, wide stiff skirts,

showing gay flowers on a background of gold. The skirt is rather short, to display

wide trousers below it. Her sleeves have filmy frills of deep white lace executed

with skill.

PLATE XXI

Mrs. Condé Nast in a garden costume. She

wears a sun-hat and carries a flower-basket,

which are decorative as well as useful.

We have chosen this photograph as an

example of a costume made exquisitely

artistic by being kept simple in line and free

from an excess of trimming.

This costume is so decorative that it gives

distinction and interest to the least pretentious

of gardens.

Mrs. Condé Nast in Garden

Costume

To return to the girdle, as we have said, it slipped from its position at the waist line,

where it confined the classic folds, and was allowed to hang loosely about the hips,

clasped low in front. From this clasp a chain extended, to which were attached the

housewife's keys or purse and the dame of fashion's fan. In fact one can tell, to a

certain extent, the woman's class and period by carefully inspecting her chatelaine.

The absence of waist line, and the long, straight effect produced in the body of

gown by wearing the girdle swung about the hips, gives it the so-called Moyen Age

silhouette, revived by the fashion of to-day.

In the thirteenth century the round collarless neck, low enough to admit a necklace

of links or beads, persists. A new note is the outer sleeve laced across an inner

sleeve of white.

Let us remember that the costume of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries was

distinguished by a quality of beautiful, sweeping line, massed colour, detail with

raison d'être, which produced dignity with graceful movement, found nowhere to-

day, unless it be on the Wagnerian stage or in the boudoir of a woman who still

takes time, in our age of hurry, to wear her negligée beautifully.

In the fourteenth century the round neck continued, but one sees low necks too,

which left the shoulders exposed (our 1830 style).

Another new note is the tunic grown into a garment reaching to the feet, a one-

piece "princess" gown, with belt or girdle. Sometimes a Juliet cap was worn to

merely cover the crown of head, with hair parted and flowing, while on matrons we

see head coverings with sides turned up, like ecclesiastical caps, and floating veils

falling to the waist.

Notice that through all the periods that we have named, which means until the

fourteenth century, the line of shoulder remains normal and beautiful, sloping and

melting into folds of robe or line of sleeve. We see now for the first time an

inclination to tamper with the shoulder line. An inoffensive scallop appears,--or

some other decoration, as cap to sleeve. No harm done yet!

The fifteenth century shows another style, a long sleeveless overgarment, reaching

to the floor, fastened on shoulders and swinging loose, to show at sides the

undergown. It suggests a priest's robe. Here we discover one more of the Moyen

Age styles revived to-day.

The fourteenth century gowns, with necks cut out round, to admit a necklace with

pendants, are still popular. The gowns are long on the ground, and the most

beautiful of the characteristic head-dresses--the long, pointed one, with veil

covering it, and floating down from point of cap to hem of flowing skirt behind,

continues the movement of costume--the long lines which follow one another.

When correctly posed, this pointed head-dress is a delight to the eye. We recently

saw a photograph of some fair young women in this type of Mediæval or Gothic

costume worn by them at a costume ball. Failing to realise that the pose of any head

-dress (this means hats as well) is all-important, they had placed the quaint, long,

pointed caps on the very tops of their heads, like fools' caps!

The angle at which this head-dress is worn is half the battle.

The importance of every woman's cultivating an eye for line cannot be overstated.

In the fifteenth century we first see puffs at the elbow, otherwise the outlines of

gown are the same. The garment in one piece, the body of it outlining the form, its

skirts sweeping the ground; a girdle about the hips, and long, close or flowing

sleeves, wide at the hem.

Despite the fourteenth century innovation of necks cut low and off the shoulders

(berated by the Church), most necks in the fifteenth century are still cut round at the

throat, and the necklace worn instead of collar. Some of the gowns cut low off the

shoulders are filled in with a puffed tucker of muslin. The pointed cap with a

floating veil is still seen.

Notice that the restraint in line, colour and detail, gradually disappears, with the

abnormal circulation of wealth, in those departments of Church and State to which

the current of material things was diverted. We now see humanity tricked out in

rich attire and staggering to its doom through general debaucheries.

Rich brocades, once from Damascus, are now made in Venice; and so are

wonderful satins, velvets and silks, with jewels many and massive.

Sometimes a broad jewelled band crossed the breast from shoulder diagonally to

under arm, at waist.

The development of the petticoat begins now. At first we get only a glimpse of it,

when our lady of the pointed cap lifts her long skirts, lined with another shade. It is

of a rich contrasting colour and is gradually elaborated.

The waist-line, when indicated, is high.

A new note is the hair, with throat and neck completely concealed by a white veil, a

style we associate with nuns and certain folk costumes. As fashion it had a passing

vogue.

Originally, the habit of covering woman's hair indicated modesty (an idea held

among the Folk), and the gradual shrinking of the dimensions of her coif, records

the progress of the peasant woman's emancipation, in certain countries. This is

especially conspicuous in Brittany, as M. Anatol Le Braz, the eminent Breton

scholar, remarked recently to the writer.

Note the silk bag, quite modern, on the arm; also the jewelled line of chain hanging

from girdle down the middle of front, to hem of skirt,--both for use and ornament.

To us of a practical era, a mysterious charm attaches to the long-pointed shoes

worn at this period.

In the fifteenth century, the marked division of costume into waist and skirt begins,

the waist line more and more pinched in, the skirt more and more full, the sleeves

and neck more elaborately trimmed, the head-dresses multiplied in size,

elaborateness and variety. Textiles developed with wealth and ostentation.

In the sixteenth century the neck was usually cut out and worn low on the

shoulders, sometimes filled in, but we see also high necks; necks with small ruffs

and necks with large ruffs; ruffs turned down, forming stiff linen-cape collars,

trimmed with lace, close to the throat or flaring from neck to show the throat.

The hair is parted and worn low in a snood, or by young women, flowing. The ears

are covered with the hair.

PLATE XXII

Mrs. Condé Nast wearing one of the famous

Fortuny tea gowns.

This one has no tunic but is finely pleated, in

the Fortuny manner, and falls in long lines,

closely following the figure, to the floor.

Observe the decorative value of the long

string of beads.

Mrs. Condé Nast in a Fortuny Tea Gown

The Virgin in Art

When writing of the Gothic period in The Art of Interior Decoration, we have said

"... Gothic art proceeds from the Christian Church and stretches like a canopy over

western Europe during the late Middle Ages. It was in the churches and

monasteries that Christian Art, driven from pillar to post by wars, was obliged to

take refuge, and there produced that marvellous development known as the Gothic

style, of the Church, for the Church and by the Church, perfected in countless

Gothic cathedrals, crystallised glorias, lifting their manifold spires to heaven;

ethereal monuments of an intrepid Faith which gave material form to its adoration,

its fasting and prayer, in an unrivalled art..."

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