EVENING DRESS
Polish robe of lilac gros de Naples; the petticoat enriched at the border, with a full, and broad puckering of crape of the same colour, on which are laid flowers of lilac satin, representing the Iris, or purple fleur de lis. The tunique part, a la polonaise, trimmed with three rows of bias folds, each fold headed by a narrow rouleau. The sleeves short and full, and ornamented on the outside of the arm with one outspread Iris. The corsage made plain, with Bouffont drapery of lilac crape at the bust, confined in the centre by a white antique ornament, and near to the hollow of each arm by a white fleur de lis. A lilac belt with narrow white blond on each side, simply encircling the waist, in which belt is stuck a fan, with the outside sticks exquisitely wrought in filigree gold. A drapery of lilac gauze and silver lama, beautifully twisted, round the hair with a rosette on the left side, the ends lightly fringed with silver. Ear-rings and necklace of amethysts, or rubies, set in gold. Bracelets of gold filigree worn over the gloves, and fastened with one large ruby or amethyst, to suit the necklace and ear-rings. White satin sandal slippers.
BALL DRESS, OR GRAND FULL DRESS PARTY COSTUME
Dress of tulle over white satin, with double rouleaux stripes of satin in bias down the skirt. Border consisting of a broad puckering of tulle or gauze, on which are laid large leaves of satin edged by rouleaux, and in the centre of each a blue flower; two rouleaux of satin above this border, on which are full and spiral bouquets, richly clustered, of the convolvulus. Corsage of white satin, trimmed across with blond. The hair drest short at the ears, and arranged on each side of the face in clustered curls, and at the summit of the head, inclining towards the right side, in long bows; the same side ornamented with a diadem of pearls and precious gems, and the hair elegantly entwined with a drapery of celestial blue gauze, and a plumage of white feathers on the left side. Ear-rings and bracelets of diamonds. A necklace a l’Egyptienne, forming a serpent of gold, with the tail in its mouth; the eyes of the reptile of brilliants. Regal mantle cloak of celestial blue gros de Naples, finished beautifully, with cape and trimming of swan’s-down; the cloak fastened with silver chain, cordon, and tassels. White satin sandal slippers.
FASHIONS IN PREPARATION FOR JULY, 1824
Every artist employed in the various articles of decoration for female beauty, is now sedulously occupied in giving the most elegant versatility to the suggestions of taste, and imparting to them that splendour, so requisite to be observed amongst the titled, wealthy, and distinguished assemblage that now graces our metropolis.
The carriage bonnets are peculiarly beautiful and becoming; one, in particular, struck us by the ch … ciation of its colours, and the elegance of its fo … of lemon-coloured crape, lined and ornamented w … the crown is adorned in drapery, aux fers d … with pink fancy flowers of unrivalled delicacy … each interstice. A white satin hat is also well a … the morning exhibitions, or paying carriage … visits; it is a la Reine Marguerite, the whi … pearl colour kind, and is finished round the crown with gauze puffs edged with blond and white satin … a quilling of blond, so contrived as to lie on … gives the appearance of a cap under this tasteful … white crape bonnet, also, is expected to be much … this month, for the carriage: round the crown are … of gauze, interspersed with branches of lilac, … the edge of the brim are lighter puffings, between … which are little sprigs of lilac. Hats are in grea … they are in the shape of La Reine Marguerite …
The pelisses and spencers remain, at present, the same as last month; some slight innovations have been made in the latter, which we cannot regard as … ments; some of these lace behind, and thereby … the effect of an article so useful and appropriate …mer costume, especially for the young; the b… ill, and the bust is, by no means, improved; oth… kind of fichu, of the same material as the spencer, through which the arms are slipped, and the point before and behind fasten under the belt; we must mention the incongruities of fashion as well as her beauties; it … to shew the infatuation of many members in London who prefer the skill of French dress-makers to their own countrywomen: we speak this from … we are well assured these changes in the spen… …finitely for the worse, are fabrications of a foreig…
The summer pelisses for this month merit an … description. They are of the most tender and … colours; the one we saw, was not quite finished, but when completed, it will certainly be one of the most elegant out-door articles that ever came from the hands of an English Marchande de Modes. The colour was the beautiful blooming tint of the summer rose … down the sides in front, is an ornament that re… long ostrich plume; the feather prat is formed of narrow satin rouleaux, most exquisitely wrought, all done in a frame; the pipe part, up the centre of the feather, is formed of one well-wadded rouleau; … bust, and mancherons, are finished in a light, elegant, and truly correspondent style
Small dress hats are worn at the opera and at parties, with indented brims, and white plumage … over them; from the summit of the crown, hangs, on one side, a singular, but yet what forms a very beautiful ornament; it is a bunch of capsicums, made of white satin, tipped with silver; the brim of the hat is also edged with silver cordon; but this becoming head-dress looks best when finished with pearls. The toques a la neige, discovering the hair between in open work of intrinsic gems, are every way calculated for full dress; they are rather lofty and bind across the forehead, but not too low: their height is added to, by a fine plumage of white feathers; we saw two of these truly dignified head-dresses, finished for ladies who class amongst the highest order: one was composed of pearls and emeralds, which latter gem represented a row of green foliage on the summit of the edifice; the other was of Turquoise stones and pearls; but these, instead of being wrought into foliage, represented flowers. The Ceres turban is another unique and elegant head-dress; it is of white satin, entwined with pearls, and is ornamented with Marabout feathers, interspersed with ears of corn of a bright geranium colour, and others of gold. On the right side, just over the ear, are two broad leaves of white satin, one leaf standing up, the other depending; these are fastened by two gold ornaments, representing spears, which have each an oval head of coral and gold. The Cornette a la Nymph, is a charming head-dress for receiving friends at home; it is of tulle and blond, with a wreath of delicate blush roses: some of these home head-dresses, have a small ornament on the summit of the crown, like a little hat a l’Arcadie. Coloured gauze caps, with white blond next to the face, and lightly ornamented with flowers of suitable colours, are much in favour for home costume.
Amongst the new silk dresses, the greatest novelty in the manner of their trimming, is with a border of divided points, forming a kind of foliage, upright and reversed; the division in the middle of this ornament is fluted satin, put on en limacon: this dress was made low, and was of corn-flower blue; with it was worn a most elegant fichu of blond, with an indented ornament falling back, richly trimmed with white satin rouleaux and blond; each indenting confined by satin strap rings, of close and very narrow rouleaux. Another dress was of Pistachio colour, and was ornamented with antique rosaces; both these dresses were of gros de Naples. The morning dresses are of printed muslin, which is at present, more in favour that white; we speak merely of dejeune costume; silks are worn at all hours of the day, and India muslins, beautifully embroidered or trimmed with lace, are worn with spencers and pelisses, for white is indispensably requisite for those envelopes.
Ball dresses are superbly bordered with flowers, either in coloured beads, pearls, or polished steel, relieved by a splendid embroidery in coloured ribbon-work, the beautiful red lilac colour of the marshmallow blossom. When the tulle is embroidered with pearls, the corsage worn with it renders it a most chaste and beautiful attire. This corsage is of white satin, made in front a la Grecque. The part that represents the robings is open, and has tulle let in, edged round with pearls, which are relieved by the openings being edged with pink satin: on each side of these, next the front of the stomacher, is an embroidery in pearls, representing the Scotch thistle. The sleeves are of tulle, with straps to answer the part of the stomacher; the body is finished round the bosom with net, en tire bouchons, entwined with pearls.
The most approved colours are the rose of June, Pistachio, lemon colour, and lilac.
PARISIAN FASHIONS FROM A VARIETY OF ORIGINAL AND AUTHENTIC SOURCES
Several ladies who set the fashions, and young persons, wear fichus a la neige. The denomination of these fichus took its rise from Madame Pradher, in the third act of La Neige, where she wears a fichu-pelerine of muslin, cut all around in long and sharp points.
In the morning, in neglige, our fashionables were also pelisses a la Neige; these are of muslin, trimmed with lace down the sides in front, and round the border. The sleeves of these pelisses are made en blouse, and trimmed with lace at the wrist.
At the theatre Buffs, the first representation of Ricciard… …e Zoraide, several fashionables wore turbans, the cauls of which were silver brocade, and the rouleau or turban part of striped rose-coloured gauze; the plaits of the turban were laid very regularly. The hair elegantly arranged, was also seen, with a drapery of white or ponceau, for ornament, forming a diadem in front, and floating on each side of the head and shoulders, like the lappets flying loose, belonging to caps or bonnets.
Blouse dresses of India muslin have five rows of embroidery, representing the blossoms of the tree of Judea, and four bias folds; on the body are three rows of embroidery
Among the new materials for dresses, are moss muslins and Ourika muslin dresses, in open work; these light articles are particularly appropriate for blouses. All the Summer dresses except those of worked silk, are made in the blouse form; however, they begin to leave off the dull uniformity of large plaits, and the trimmings of these dresses vary like others. We have remarked several which were trimmed with three narrow flounces, set on upside down: the falling part of the flounce standing up, with the plaits tacked to prevent their falling. The bands that formed these flounces, were cut in bias, and doubled. The greater part of printed muslins are striped, as are the slight summer silks.
Hats are of striped gauze, rose-colour, lilac and white: round the crown is a puffing of satin ribbon; which being at some distance from the brim, and bending towards the border, appears like open basket work. We have seen a pretty hat of white striped gauze, surrounded with thin puffing in lilac. On one side was placed a branch of lilac, on the other a bow of lilac satin ribbon, the ends of which hung three inches over the brim of the hat. This fashion is very general. The strings fasten on one side and form a bow.
Some hats of rice straw are in the shape of a jockey cap; about the crown, which is entirely round, are placed rouleaus of satin, at equal distances.
At a performance given at the theatre de la Porta St. Martin, for the relief of the indigent, there were a great many hats of white chip. Some of these hats were crowned with a plume of white curled feathers. Others were bound with ribbon of a very conspicuous colour; either yellow, blue, or poncceau, with rows of the same coloured ribbon round the crown, and feathers of the same colour. Several hats of white Gros de Naples. camel’s hair brown, or tree of Judea, had the crowns made lower on one side than the other; they were ornamented with a very large cockade of pinked silk, placed in front. Leghorn hats were ornamented with white and red roses. Ladies who wore the pilgrim’s hat, in straw, very large, wore their hair arranged a l’Enfant: round the crown was only a simple white satin ribbon.
Spencers of silk are much worn for walking; they are many of them made in the blouse style, both in front and at the back.
Though blue is the favourite colour for riding-habits, yet there are several ladies who choose to distinguish themselves by more conspicuous colours. At the beginning of the month, a habit was remarked in the Bois de Boulofne, the petticoat of which was black, and the body was white; another lady had a nankeen petticoat, with a red body.
The prevailing fashion is a white gauze veil, fastened round the crown of the hat, and thrown back. White cotton and chip hats, or those of rice straw, have besides flowers and ribbons, rouleaux, formed by what they call levees (a technical term) made of the same material as the hat. The pilgrim’s hat, of Leghorn, is so immensely large, that the brim entirely covers the back and shoulders: a rosette of very broad ribbon, the colour a mahogany brown, walnut colour, or tree of Judea, is placed on the left side of these hats; and the puffs of the rosette are, at least, eighteen inches long. On some hats, instead of a rosette, is an aigrette, composed of seven or eight stalks or sprays, that resemble the quills of a porcupine. These stalks are striped, small as they are, with black and red, or rose colour and black, ethereal blue and white, or white and rose colour, emerald green and white, mahogany brown and white, blue and white, and jonquil and white. The small early cinnamon rose, yellow roses, and very large Provence roses are much in fashion. The dresses, at least ninety-nine out of a hundred, have all corsages a la Blouse; the sleeves very full, the upper part enormously so, two or three pelerine capes, and trimmed with four or five rows of bias folds, or flat tucks.
Dresses for the evening are made of Chinese crape, with flowers like those on the Cachemire shawls; they are trimmed with flutings bound with narrow ribbon, called a la Bayadere, which name is given to all colours in crape.
The most famous Marchandes de Modes have made some white hats of Gros de Naples, which have round the crown, three bias folds of tulle gauze, or crepe lisse, (called stuff by the French). These folds are fastened by three buckles. There are also hats of watered silk, with … brims, trimmed with puckerings and bouillons … kind of hats are ornamented with marabouts or curled ostrich feathers. The new hats of split … the form of a man’s hat, but they are entirely … the brim is bent down over the forehead and beh … cockade of white ribbon, cut in coxcombs, … ornament.
The fashionists place on their fine leghorn hats ,,, which they entwine with a band of straw, about … in breadth: this band is turned round and round, and sometimes is carried even to the summit. … hats of white chip, have, round the crown and … puffs of Gros de Naples or of ribbon, edged … Beneath one side of the brim, a band, the same … forms three buckles, which are also edged … These hats are surmounted by a plume of feather … together.
Walnut-tree brown, is a colour just come in. We have seen some hats of this colour, in Gros de Naples: they were trimmed with bows and puffings … brown. Bonnets of white crape, and others of … coloured crape, or lilac, have such large brims, … and lower part of the face are entirely concealed … the binding that borders them, is a curtain … these bonnets are ornamented with the flowers … balls, or with yellow roses.
Several dress-makers make use of coloured … blouses, on which are printed bouquets of flowers … ing to the light in which they are placed, to appear either pink, lilac, or blue: they are named … dupeuses (decievers).
Amongst the embroidery in colours, may be … the American berry. These berries, which are red, have, at one end, a black spot; the berries are embroidered on a line, but separate from each other … lines are divided by bias folds.
There are collars a la Chevaliere, which have … very decidedly marked out. Some collars are of … muslin, with a letting-in of lace; these are … six points. At the public spectacles, some very … ladies have been seen, with two broad ribb … striking colours, sewn together, and crossed … necks, at the chest from whence they spread … left, like straps, the ends being concealed under…
Ipsiboe muslins prevail for blouses, Gros … a dark shade for dress gowns; the figure … striped crosswise, shaded or Scotch plaids: … much esteemed in half dress, Almazi half … are worn as a sautoir, over the gown; but … shawls. or sometimes black, of Cyprus or … are beautifully soft: they are embroidered … patterns of large flowers, with a medallion in the … shawl, surrounded with a border.
The skirts of blouses are laid in small plai … on the frills of men’s shirts.
Gauze ribbons, figured in a pattern of large … have succeeded to the plaid ribbons, lately … vogue.
Hats of split staw are yet worn in the round … Bolivar; there are some of this shape in Spa… vary the sameness of this fashion, which last year had become general, many of these straw hats are of the most whimsical form; we have seen some, the brims of which were formed of large flutings, made of Sparterie.
White chip hats are the reigning mode; the crowns are generally ornamented with a wreath of moss-rosses; and a but of the moss-rose is placed in front, on the brim. Some white chip hats have marabouts placed on them, in a spiral manner, and under the brim, on one side, which is slightly lifted up, is placed a little tuft of marabouts; instead of these kind of feathers, it is sometimes those of the ostrich, well curled, and of three different colours. Hats of white Gros de Naples, generally white, striped with mahogany brown, and this striped silk also lines the hat.
A ribbon, which is now very fashionable, either for hats, bracers, strings, sashes, &c., is of a colour called the flame of Mount Vesuvius. A kind of sautoir is made of this ribbon, when very broad; it is pointed behind, the ends crossed over the breast, and brought under the sash.
Almost all the hats are bouillones with crape lisse, gaufree. Upon the crown is a star, a cross, or a rosette of satin edged with blonde: this ornament is repeated, in miniature, under each side of the brim.
White bonnets of sarsanet, or of Gros de Naples, are ornamented with a kind of honey-comb trimming of myrtle-green, lilac, or other fashionable colours.
The trimming on Barege dresses, that are shot, and that of striped lawn, the stripes coloured and shaded, have five bias folds, put on archwise, and forming draperies, sustained by buttons of the same material as the dress; three bias folds are sometimes repeated three times, and separated by a narrow flounce, caught up under the third bias.
With a pelisse of Gros de Naples, with a Pelerine cape, a scarf is never worn, but a collar falling over, is adopted, of embroidered tulle, and a scarf of Cashemire is hung over the arm. The favourite colour in Gros de Naples is a dark walnut-tree brown.
GENTLEMEN’S FASHIONS
Last year, it was the reigning mode to go in the same dress to a marriage as to a funeral; so much was black the order of the day. It is not so now; a man newly married should wear a blue coat, with gilt buttons, a quilted under waistcoat, or one of white velvet; small-clothes of black kersey-mere; silk stockings, with open clocks; shoes and buckles; his shirt friled and ruffled, with lace laid in plaits like those of cambric; a muslin cravat, tied in the English manner, with the ends floating, fastened by a large diamond pin.
The tailors now make the great coats very full next to the top of the arm, and tapering off scantier to the waist; (this is the kind of sleeve that is called en gigot), but the gentlemens’ sleeves are not so full as those worn by the ladies. The collar is hollowed out in the English fashion, and falls forming a kind of shawl.
There are now to be seen many boots and shoes of black deer’s leather.
Violet is now the prevailing colour; coats, great coats, pantaloons, under waistcoats. In the mean time componium colour, or auricular brown, is fashionable for great coats among men of ton; white satin under waistcoats, quilted … diamonds; they are also worn entolinette, in light grey, with very narrow stripes of pale pink. The form of gilets, or under waistcoats, is that of a shawl, and both sides alike.
The pantaloons form a gaiter, and are hollowed out at the ankle, but almost imperceptibly. Linen, with satin stripes, is the newest article for pantaloons. White beaver hats begin to be worn.
The riding-dress of a gentleman is green, with gilt buttons, velvet collar, and the coat cut like a hunting-dress. The hats are round, and have low growns and narrow brims: those who are addicted to anglomania, wear the crown rather pointed, and the brims of a moderate size.
Venetian pantaloons are much admired, they are of woollen manufacture, and are striped with the same colour.
Grey beaver hats, silk beaver, or straw, are worn in the morning.
Boots, with white pantaloons, loose, and not fastened under the foot; with these, shoes are often preferred.
Very few pantaloons of nankeen, but ticking and striped cotton, the ground white, and the satin stripes very narrow, generally blue or yellow, with a little cloud of lilac.
From: The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons
Onward to August 1824
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