Arguably Southern

There is one thing that I can no longer keep myself from writing about for it has bothered me since the first day I came to Mobile - the Azalea Trail Maids. Don't get me wrong; it is not the trail maids as a whole that bothers me. I commend the students selected for the honor; they are the brightest, most accomplished and lady-like young women that Mobile has to offer. What bothers me are the dresses, girls. They are in no way historically accurate, and I, for one, find it upsetting. While I admire these ensembles for the weeks of work and large amounts of talent that go into their construction, it is my belief that they could be so much better. Mostly, the stylish fashion plates that came to America from Paris inspired antebellum fashion. We'll start with the top of the Azalea Trail Maid and work our way down. First, bonnets were arguably the most popular hats of the era. Both house bonnets, a stylish piece of material that simply covered the hair, and poke bonnets, the more elaborate style with a large peak, were widely worn, particularly the French designs. Were a woman to wear a brimmed hat, it was typically made of straw. Hats rarely, if ever, perfectly matched a woman's dress, for the hat was a way of accessorizing. The parasol and shawl fall into the same category as the hat in that they would never have been constructed from the same material as a woman's dress; they were accessories. The dress of a woman, while often layered, would most likely not have been as heavily embellished as that of a trail maid. A few embellishments that were popular are bows and tucks. When a dress was ruffled, it was typically done by simply gathering the material at the bottom of a layer. The heavy additions of ribbony-lace found on the trail maids are somewhat reminiscent of antebellum wedding gowns, but even those didn't go quite as overboard. Antebellum women never wore pantaloons with ruffles from top to bottom; this style was popular only with small children. A lady's pantaloons were typically only embellished at the knee or the cuff. The small slippers of an Azalea Trail maid are closest to the shoes worn by women indoors for dancing; they were very delicate and fragile. A sturdier boot of leather, suede or kid would have been worn for walking outdoors. The final aspect of the Azalea Trail Maids that has always perturbed me is the look-a-like factor. The antebellum woman's seamstress was a close confidant; she had to keep her client both stylish and distinctive. It would be much more attractive to me if each trail maid worked with her dressmaker to produce a garment that flattered her in both cut and color - in short, to produce an original. Mobile's trail maids are not the only ones who are mistaken in their historical costume. Pilgrimages and reenactments across the South have been getting it wrong for years, and Hollywood is too over-the-top for words. It is this false image that the rest of the world has latched onto. Tourists soak up our cupcake belles for all the wrong reasons. It is the equivalent of traveling to Australia to have a picture taken with Crocodile Dundee. Believe me, ladies, no one understands the meaning of tradition like I do; yes, the trail maids are a long-standing tradition. However, while change may horrify you, it would be in the best interest for a true representation of your heritage.