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Designers and fashion designers often give unusual names to colors and shades. One of the most memorable was the color “thigh of a frightened nymph,” which invariably attracted the attention of all schoolchildren who read “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. In this article we will look at the history of the origin of the “frightened nymph’s thigh” color, and also tell you what products can be sewn using fabrics of this unusual shade. At the end of this material you will find photographs of current looks that can be created from clothing items of this unusual color.
History of the color "frightened nymph's thighs"
The name of this color, according to one version (more probable), appeared in the 18th century in one of the Parisian ateliers. Soon the fashion for this shade with the unusual name cuisse de nymphe effraye appeared in the Russian Empire.Under Paul I, the nobility preferred to dress in more conservative colors and the fabric of the “thigh of a frightened nymph” shade was used exclusively for sewing the lining of a military uniform. But under the more liberal Alexander I, who returned the fashion for colored jackets and pantaloons, the fashionable shade began to be used for decoration outer part of the suit. Different fabrics reflected this shade differently, which led to confusion and constant jokes. It was believed that the lining of the officers was a shade of cuisse de nymphe effraye, but the inside of the soldiers’ uniform was more like “the color of the thigh of a frightened Masha.” According to another version, the name of the fashionable shade is due to the French florist Jean-Pierre Vibert, who in 1802 developed new varieties of roses, calling them “Thigh of a Frightened Nymph” and “Thigh of a Nymph” (with paler petals). These two different names also had a very piquant explanation: according to the logic of the creator, the skin of a nymph running away from a satyr acquired a brighter shade.
Milliners and seamstresses specifically used unusual names of colors and shades to attract dandies and coquettes who were fed up with all the new products. Therefore, the shade of soft pink with an orange undertone, reminiscent of body color, received such a playful name. For the sake of fairness, it must be said that the “nymph” was not the only one and there were many flowers with anecdotal names: a frightened mouse, a cheerful widow, a toad in love, the Dauphin’s surprise, Jaco’s last breath and many other shades. In fashion magazines of the early 19th century there are many shades and colors with unusual names. And if everything was more or less clear with the Parisian styles, then the choice of the names of the shades was a matter of taste.It's funny that different articles could have different names for the same colors and shades. And the author of articles about fashionable styles liked some names so much that they named several shades at once. This happened with the color “thigh of a frightened nymph”, since this name meant both soft pink, and pale pink with an orange undertone, and just a shade of dusty rose. The very writing of all the shades of names in fashion magazines was rather random: they were either written in French, then transliterated, or supplemented with their own adjectives.
Sometimes names could be associated with specific events or creatures. Thus, the giraffe brought to Paris in 1827 made such a strong impression that the shade of brown “camelopard” was named after it - the shade remained at the peak of fashion for three seasons. And the color magenta (similar to fuchsia) got its name in honor of... the battle of the village of Magenta in 1859.
The color of the "frightened nymph's thigh" in literature
Probably every schoolchild who read “War and Peace” (and looked at the translations in the footnotes) noticed the name of the unusual half-tone fabric - “the thighs of a frightened nymph.” This curious name appears at the very beginning of the first volume, when the author describes the trousers of Ippolit Kuragin, who came to meet Anna Pavlovna Scherer. With such an ironic characterization, the author emphasizes that the hero is a dandy and not distinguished by his intelligence. Later, this same shade was mentioned in one of Ilf and Petrov’s feuilletons when describing the satin blanket on the hero’s bed, and according to the authors, it was this color that turned “this harsh line of scarce metal into some kind of bed of pleasure.” The authors put the same name into the mouth of the witty Ostap Bender.
How the color “frightened nymph's thigh” looks on fabric and what can be sewn from it
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Today, the situation with color names looks less poetic, because each shade has its own digital codes with letters. For example, the hero of this article is listed in the general registry of flowers under the formal number #FEE7F0. If such names had existed in the 19th century, fashionistas would hardly have paid attention to this shade. Despite the unusual name, the color "frightened nymph's thighs" is a fairly universal shade. It looks like a muted pink-orange on satin fabrics and a dusty rose in the sun on matte and translucent fabrics such as chiffon, cambric, crepe and cape de chine. This pink-powdery shade with an orange undertone is mainly used to make summer and mid-season items. Designers especially love to sew flowing dresses or lingerie sets from fabrics of this shade. It must be said that the color of the frightened nymph’s thigh is quite universal and will suit almost any color type.
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