LOUIS XVI. TO THE EMPIRE.

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the old court. “ The ladies looked,” indignantly observed theMarechale de Luxembourg, “ in their muslin aprons and handker-chiefs, like cooks and convent porters.” 2 To signify her disapprovalof this new-fangled custom, the Marechale sent her granddaughter,the Duchesse de Lauzun, an apron of sailcloth, trimmed with finepoint, and six fichus of the same material similarly decorated.

The arrangement of the lace lappets was still prescribed byrule. “Lappets to be pinned up”—lappets to be let down ongrand occasions. 3 Later, Madame de Stael, like a true bas-bleu—without speaking of her curtsey to Marie-Antoinette, which wasall wrong—on her first visit of ceremony to Madame de Polignae,111 defiance of all etiquette, left her lace lappets in the carriage.

The democratic spirit of the age now first creeps out in thefashions. Among the rich parures of du Barry, 4 we find “ barbes ahi paysanne,”—everything now becomes “ti coquille,” “a papillon.”Lven the queen’s hairdresser, Leonard, “ qui

“ l’ortait jusques an ciel l’audace de sen coiffures,’’

did not venture to introduce much lace.

The affected phraseology of the day quite puts one out of alll'atience. We read of the toilette of Mademoiselle Duthe in whichshe appeared at the opera. She wore a robe “ soupirs etouffes,”trimmed with “ regrets superflusa point of “ candeur parfaite,garnie en plaintesindiscretesribbons “en attentions marquees;”shoes “ cheveux de la reine,” 5 embroidered with diamonds “ en

2 ‘‘ Cuisinieres et Touribres.” Thejoke formed the subject of some clever'erses from the Chevalier de Uoufflers.

The barbe or lappet, of whatever formit be, has always in all ages and all coun-tries been a subject of etiquette. At theinterment of Queen Mary Tudor, 1558,ttee. H, it j s told how the ladies in thetirst and second chariots were clad inniourning apparel, according to theirestates, their barbes above their cliynes.”

Urn 4 ladies on horseback in likeWanner had their barbes on their cliynes.”•In the third chariot, “ the ladies hadtheir barbes under their cliynes .”—Statea P e rs, Domestic, Kliz. vol. xxxii.

4 °nly in her last lace bill, 1773:

Une paire de barbes plattes longueslie 3/4 en blonde fine a flours fondd’Alen<;on, 36.

“ Une blonde grande hauteur h.bouquets detaches et h bordnre riche.

“6 au. de blonde de graude hauteurfa^on d’Alen^on a coquilles a mille poix,a 18.

“ Une paire de sabots de comtesse dedeux rnngsde tulle blonde a festons, fondd’Alen<;on.” — Comptes de la Comtessedu Barry. Bib. Xat. F. Fr. 8157.

Madame du Barry went to the greatestextravagance in lace ajustements, barbes,collerettes, volants, quilles, coeffes, &c.,of Argentan, Angleterre, and point li1’aiguille.

5 The great fashion. The slices wereembroidered in diamonds, which werescarcely worn on other parts of the dress.The back seam, trimmed with emeralds,was called “ vent z-y-voir.”