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Show HI I Paid Two Hundred Thousand 9 : 1 : Dollars For Her Coronation Robe : Special to The- Tribune. ST. LOUIS, April 28. The Palais do Costume at the World Fair Illustrates the evolution of costumo from early ages down to tho present day. From the Gaul to the period of tho Paris ! i J' . gown the history of civilization Is In timately allied with the history of dross, certain radical changes In tho fashion if apparel emphasizing certain Important events. "Writers and thinkers think-ers have not considered It beneath them to study the romance of costum- inp, so eloquently recounted at th Pal- I als de Costume by a series of artistic pictures demonstrating the evolution of dress throughout the ages This enterprise was projected and carried to a triumphant termination by the celebrated Felix, once king of Paf-B; Paf-B; lslan dressmnkerH. H sent learned an tiquarian to India. Egypt and Persia to buy manuscripts and relics of bygone days, with which to ciucldate the history his-tory of costume The most trifling details de-tails which go to muke up a harmonious whole were not neglected; even the lln-i lln-i gerle of these dead and gone deftee of la Mode being of tho shape used In their day. Never before In the history of expol- IMIlin II, ir 0- IUUt.II .1.1.'. !!;'.;' auu time been expended on a drees exhibit. It Is not only that the gowns, hats, coiffures, footwear, etc., are portrayed realistically and with absolute fidelity, but the architecture, the Interior decoration deco-ration and the furniture, in fact all that tends to accentuate life In some particular century, has ben studied i out with painstaking elaboration. Historical Events Delineated. In order to flx the picture In the mind's eye some striking event in the world's history Is delineated by living figures gowned in the picturesque costumes cos-tumes of that da.y These figures have been grouped by a renowned French artist and are In every way worthy of his genius, i n entering the portals the eye is dazzled by the shimmer of silk and satin, the sparkle of Jewels and the superb setting of boudoir and enlon. I The visitor Is transported from the prosaic pro-saic realism of every-day life Into a realm of enchantment Inhabited by the people of bygone ages The years tool by with majestic tread, monarchies are overturned and rulers crumble Into dust Through the rack and ruin of ages dress still rolgiia supreme. The cut of a gown, the set of n sleeve, the tying of a bow each tells It's own tale. I i The looker on realizes the potency of i fashion when she reflects that It is not by their great deeds or their foibles or virtues that the gre.Tt personages of centuries paet live In our memories, but rather from something which appeals J more Intimately to womankind The Torld remembers la Pompadour because she Invented a particular fash-Ion fash-Ion of wearing her hair. Du Barry loved a vivid hue of rose pink. Marie An-H An-H tolnetle, revolting against the stiff court costume, was wont to wear a va- H porous muslin fichu, while the unfortu- H nate Charlotte Corday assumed the pretty little cap forever after dubbed the "Corday." Thus the fact that certain eventful eras are Impressed upon our minds by some fashion, demonstrates the value of a costume exhibit as a factor In education. f Stylo and Textiles Reproduced. In the marvelous Palais de Costume, nt the World's Fair, the history of costuming cos-tuming for all time is told. The erudite eru-dite student notes the correlation of costuming and hlstor The manufacturer manufac-turer looks at It from another point of view, examining tho textiles so realistically real-istically reproduced The lapidary reveals re-veals in the quaint setting of scintll- Ilant gems, and the dressmaker learns an object lesson In the styles of an almost al-most forgotten past. The styles of olden days are Illustrated Illus-trated by the drees of Gaulish women Of primitive times; a Roman Interior shows the Ideas of costuming of tho ladles of the empire. Palnlere and sculptors have Immortalized their classic attire on canvas and In enduring endur-ing marble, while the graceful draperies and rich embroidery have been an Inspiration In-spiration to the oostumer and the manufacturer. man-ufacturer. The old adage that "There is nothing new under the sun." la abundantly abun-dantly verified, lor on toilette tables lie mirrors of polished steel and silver, Alabaster and lacquered boxes containing contain-ing cosmetics and aromatic pungents With which the coquette of ancient Rome enhanced her beauty or endeavored endea-vored to restori her faded charms. One of the .n"St sumptuous pictures of medieval i turning at the World's fair, Palais d 1 "tume emphasizes one of the most striking ev ents described in Frolssart's (Throniclea. It Is a vivid picture of "The Field of the Cloth of Gold." The scene filled with life and movement. Ladles in attire of quaint fashion bordered with minever, and studded with precious stones gaze down upon knights in armor. Endless processions pro-cessions of men-at-arms and retainers clad In gorgeous raiment, for this was a period when nilk velvet, fur and feathers feath-ers were not the sole prerogative of the female sex, end Is often worn b- men. RECEIVED IN LED. The etiquette of court ceremonial Is revealed n a tableau where the Duchesse de Maine, daughter-in-law of Louis XIV.. Is receiving her visitors in bed. which was a common thing in the reign of the gay monarch. Perhaps the most wonderful spectacle of modern times was the revival of medieval magnificence at the coronation corona-tion ceremonies of the Emperor Napoleon, Napo-leon, who desired to dazzle the world on the occasion of his assumption of the purple and ermine of royalty. Napoleon, Napo-leon, who was not above petty things, allowed not even the most trilling etali to escape his Igllnnt eye. Josephine's coronation robe was subjected to hl9 censorship, although the coat wa: the occasion of a violent quarrel It was the most gorg35us creation ever worn by a woman. Two hundrel thousand dollars was the price paid for it. While the newspapers teem with strictures upon the extravagance of American women, not even the wife of a Napoleon of finance has ever possessed a gown costing anything approaching this sum. REGAL ROUE STAGGERED HER. The duplicate of this regal rob? in the Palais de Costume is a great attra tlon to visitors, and cost $0,0u0 This gorgeous gor-geous creation was so heavy that the Empress almost staggered under its weight. It was fashioned from the richest velvet, woven especially for tre purpose, the deep ple sown with goldea bees, the Napoleonic' mblem. Th court train was bordered with ermine, and above it w;us wrought empire wreaths rstuX other roj al insignia Is pearls tuid Imitation gems from one of I he best house In Paris. Thin splendid ;tin n Is of ruprcrr.c interest in-terest as illustrating tlv skill of U.e costumer and also because it marks an epoch In the world's h'story. The woman wo-man who was crowned in this sumptuous sump-tuous gown was crumbled Into durt, but the Inanimate creation Is still Intact, and emphasises the fact that the history his-tory of dress and the history of nations is Intimately Int. rwoven. Far from being a frivolous and meretricious mere-tricious dress show, tho Palais de Costume Cos-tume has its educational side, its spei tacular features appeal to the Imagination, Im-agination, while to the student the author au-thor and the artist, the esthetic Hide Is r pealed. lake a leauttful painting it recalls to memory many ftriklng events iii the history of nations, points a . toral and adorns a tale. |