Servia and the Servians 1862 William Denton

102 SERYI.d .AND f'HB SBRYI.J.NS.
model of gentlemanly attire, Servia is the country
from which the milliners and dressmakers of 0th.er
nations might learn lessons of grace, and acquire the
art of adding picturesqueneu to the garments of their
customers. Until a journey to Servi& becomes part
of the stated summer or, better still, the spring boll ..
day of Englishwomen, they must be eontent to learn
from a pen unpractised to describe ladies' dresses,
how their sisters of Servi& 8l'e accustomed to dress.
Over a chemisette of lawn, muslin, or some other
very fine material, the usual habit is a body or skirt
of some rich silk-Magenta is a very favourite colour,
though occasionally white muslin is used ; this is put
over a crinoline of as ample dimensiou as are to be
met with in Vienna or Paris. This garment is trimmed
at the wrists with a deep edging of embroidery, most
commonly of silver. Over this is wom a jooket, generally
of very fine velvet ; for this a very favourite colour is
green. This jacket, also, is edged with a deep embroidery
round the neck ; at the bottom and the wrists,
of gold lace. If the embroidery of the dress be of gold,
then that of the jacket will be of silver. Round the
waist is wom a large sash, with the ends hanging down
in front, o~n as low as the bottom of the dress. The
head-dress is a small cap, generally of red cloth, fitting
close to the head. Sometimes, however, this cap is
made of leather, silvered, or gilded to represent gold
ducats. Round this cap the hair, real or false, is braided
in a deep band, so that every part of the cap is concealed,
except the flat round top, from which a ,small gold coin,.
Digitized by Google