Possessed of exquisite taste in theatrical matters, Justine laboured strenuously for a reform in stage costume, and was "not afraid to sacrifice the charms of her countenance to truthfulness of representation." Before her time, actresses who played the parts of _soubrettes_ and peasant-girls wore immense _paniers_, with diamonds in their hair and long gloves reaching to the elbow. But when, in August 1753, she created the rôle of Bastienne in _Les Amours de Bastien et Bastienne_, a parody of Jean Jacques Rousseau's _Devin du village_, which she had composed herself in collaboration with Harny, she appeared on the stage wearing a simple woollen gown, with her hair flat on her head, a cross of gold on her neck, bare arms, and wooden shoes. The _sabots_ offended some critics in the pit, and murmurs of disapprobation were heard. The Abbé de Voisenon, however, saved the situation by a happy _mot_. "_Messieurs_," he cried, "_ces sabots-là donneront des souliers aux comédiens_." The pit, appreciating the abbé's wit, broke into laughter and applause; the malcontents were silenced, and the piece had so great a vogue that the players grew tired of acting it long before the attendances showed any signs of diminishing.[148] Justine, indeed, neglected nothing to arrive at theatrical truth. In _Les Trois Sultanes_, the plot of which was derived, like several other of Favart's vaudevilles, from the _Contes moraux_ of Marmontel, she played the part of Roxelane in a dress "made at Constantinople with the materials of the country." This was the first occasion on which the costume of Turkish ladies had been seen upon the French stage, and though Favart himself declares that it was "at once decent and voluptuous," it was objected to; and when soon afterwards another play in which the action passed in the Orient was represented before the Court, Justine's reforming zeal received an abrupt check by an order from the Gentlemen of the Chamber to confine herself to the ridiculous and fantastic costume established by custom. _Les Trois Sultanes_, it may be mentioned, in spite of the unfavourable comments passed upon Roxelane's attire, was extraordinarily successful; and the audience, we are assured, were transported with enthusiasm. A peasant in the pit, "_rendu fou d'admiration_," demanded of his neighbour the name of the author, and on being told that it was Favart, exclaimed: "_Morbleu_! I would that I had that man here; I would embrace him until I had kissed the skin off his cheeks!" Justine's passion for local colour was again in evidence when the interlude called _Les Chinois_ was represented. "She appeared, as did also the other actors, dressed exactly in the Chinese fashion. The dresses which she had procured had been made in China, while the designs for the scenery and properties had in like manner been made on the spot."