AMAZING new American Duchess shoes! These are accurate Regency Walking boots, with leather soles even! I've been begging her to makes these boots since she started, so I couldn't be more thrilled....

Nearly every time I turned on the Olympics this past weekend archery was on, which was fine with me as I am an Olympics Conservative. I like the traditional sports, played by amateurs: no beach volleyball for me (especially in London, where it looks very silly). Archery strikes me as very traditional, even though the …

The 1830s is such a trash fashion era. The dresses, the hair, the corsets...all terrible. Just plain ugly.

Thank you for posting those sources for Eleonora di Toledo's wedding dress. I had been looking everywhere for a photo of it before they partially reconstructed it and the Extant Italian Dresses link...

The 1830s is such a trash fashion era. The dresses, the hair, the corsets...all terrible. Just plain ugly.

The next 10 Dolls: 1791: Martial & Armand. "Martial & Armand, a long-standing and reliable, if minor part of Paris couture designed this dress after an engraving by Boilly. Léopold Boilly (1761-1845) was a French genre painter and engraver, known for his depictions of Parisian life and culture." 1797: Jeanne LaFaurie 1800: Raphael. "The doll by Raphaël represents the Merveilleuse style of the early 19th century. The Merveilleuse were the female counterpoint to the Incroyables, royalist sympathizers noted for their exaggerated style à la Grecque and anti-revolutionary ideals. Thérésa Tallien was at the forefront of this movement, becoming a fashion leader, along with Josephine de Beauharnais, of the French Directory. Tallien's personal style was the model for the age. She famously arrived at the Paris Opera once wearing a sleeveless silk dress with no underwear. Though the masses did not adopt the extremity of Madame Tallien's style, the paper-thin gowns with flesh-colored knitted undergarments were surely in imitation of her daring." 1808: Madame Gres. "The 1808 gown is an interpretation of the style à la Grecque as worn by Empress Josephine, the main fashion originator of the period along with Thérésa Tallien. The design is taken from one made by Leroy, couturier to the Empress. Hippolyte Leroy was the tailor to Empress Josephine responsible for creating the empire gowns she was famous for. This version of the gown was appropriately created by Madame Grès, famous for her love of the Grecian style and draping techniques." 1811: House of Paquin. 1816: Alex Maguy 1820: House of Patou 1828: Henriette Beaujeu 1830: Madeleine de Rauch 1832: Marcelle Dormoy. "Marcelle Dormoy's creation for the Gratitude Train was designed after a dress by Mlle. Palmyre, whose salon served the ruling class, including Queen Marie-Amélie and Empress Eugénie. The quality of construction is particularly fine and evident in the pantaloons of this doll"

Dress 1832 Musée Galliera de la Mode de la Ville de Paris

What was the well-dressed young woman wearing in the first half of 1833? I'm dividing this year in half just because I have a lovely selection of prints to share, and don't want to leave anything out! In January, she might be wearing a Morning Dress or Walking Dress as shown in The Court Magazine. I have the original text for these: "Morning Dress—Dress of chaly [challis], printed à colonnes, high body, with crossed plaits, plain back, laced; large full sleeves, tight to the elbow. Apron of black gros de Naples, embroidered with a wreath of sweet peas; epaulettes on the shoulders embroidered also; cap of Brussels lace, trimmed with maïs gauze riband. Walking Dress—Dress of blue saphire satin, plain body; tippet of black velvet à godets, and long ends; blonde ruff, with a bow of maïs gauze riband; capote of maïs terry velvet, lined with black velvet, and plait of velver to mix in the curls; trimmed with a maïs and black cerbère feather and maïs gauze riband." "Maïs" here indicates a pale yellow, like maize or corn. Also in January’s Court Magazine, this elegant Evening Dress. The text reads, "Dress of white Cachemire [cashmere] à colonnes, alternately high corsage drapé, with borders to corespond with the pattern of the dress; short sleeves of white gros de Naples under long crapelisse sleeves; hat of grenat velvet, trimmed with torsades of velvet and a green bird of Paradise." This print from Court Magazine’s February edition does something that Ackermann’s prints didn’t: show a front and back view, but slightly varied (a different fabric, perhaps.) This is a charming Dinner or Evening Dress, with an elegant turban headdress: March’s Court Magazine has two wonderful Ball Dresses, one of them for a costume ball as it called "Catherine Seton", after one of Mary Queen of Scots ladies-in-waiting. Text reads: Catherine Seton--Dress of white satin, trimmed with blue velvet and pearls. Tunique of the same, and cordelière in pearls. Cherusse of blond; head dress of pearls, and a veil. Ball Dress—Dress of cerise gauze “à damier,” trimmed with gauze ribands and flowers. Plain body with bouffantes short sleeves “à côtes,” with sabots. Wreath of small flowers same as the dress." One thing I especially enjoy about these prints from Court Magazine are the attention lavished on backgrounds as well as on the dresses themselves, making them even more eye-candyish. April's Court Dress definitely qualifies as eye-candy, by the way--the description reads: "White satin dress embroidered à tablier, in gold lama [lamè]; train and body à l’antique, in violet velvet embroidered in gold; sleeves à pointes, in velvet fastened with brilliants, blonde mantilla and sabots. Plume of ostrich feathers, and blond lappets." Also in April's edition is a Carriage Dress—again, we have a front and back view, with slight variations: "Pelisse of green rayé watered silk, trimmed in front, cape of the same with epaulets; frill in plain blond net. Bonnet of mauve satin with one white ostrich feather." Another Court Dress features in May's Court Magazine, this time in cherry-pink and white, with a bow-decorated train and sleeves, an emerald parure, and the requisite ostrich feathers and lappets: And lastly, for June, a restrained yet still wildly romantic Evening Dress, all of the same fabric but with a scalloped overskirt, gathered bouffant sleeves, and a few outrageously large bows to finish things off. And again, the background art is as pretty as the dress: What do you think of 1833's fashions?

Today I have another set of photos to share. Much like the last photos I posted, these have an autumn theme and were taken in a pumpkin patch. I thought it would be make the perfect lighthearted ba…

Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte, 1916/17 200 Jahre Kleiderkunst. 1700-1900, von Max von Boehn in Berlin. (200 Years of Fashion History) Maskenkostüm. Modebild (Fancy costume. Fashion plate by Paul Gavarni. 1834.) Paul Gavani: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gavarni hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gavarni Max von Boehn: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Boehn_%28Kulturhistoriker%29 Velhagen & Klasings Monthly Journal, appeared from 1886 till 1953. I bought some volumes in an antique bookshop when I was 16. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Velhagen_%26_Klasings... The Velhagen & Klasings was a remarkable German publisher: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velhagen_%26_Klasing

Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte, 1916/17 200 Jahre Kleiderkunst. 1700-1900, von Max von Boehn in Berlin. (200 Years of Fashion History) Modebild von Paul Gavarni. 1834. (Fashion plate by Paul Gavarni) Paul Gavani: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gavarni hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gavarni Max von Boehn: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Boehn_%28Kulturhistoriker%29 Velhagen & Klasings Monthly Journal, appeared from 1886 till 1953. I bought some volumes in an antique bookshop when I was 16. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Velhagen_%26_Klasings... The Velhagen & Klasings was a remarkable German publisher: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velhagen_%26_Klasing

Even if you are not a fashion historian, you have likely seen images of the clothing people wore in the past. Whether you saw them online, or in your own family photos, the outer garments of indiv…

by Catherine Scholar, First published for the September/October 2008 issue of Finery The fashionable silhouette of the 1830s included a bell or dome shaped skirt, which was supported by multiple starched white cotton petticoats. This simple garment is difficult to research, as there isn’t much helpful information available, and few extant garments. In The History of Underclothes, authors Willet and […]

Well, you know the drill by now. These posts just get longer and longer and more self-indulgent, but I figure it’s better to have an exhaustive approach, right? Last time we talked about hair in this period, and if there’s one detail I need to recall to your attention, it’s that hair ca. 1830 is generally tall. This is important, because hats of any given period are always designed around the hairstyles common in that period. This holds true for men and for women. Nobody like to have their fancy hairdo squashed and ruined by his/her hat. A 1920s cloche would no more work sitting on top of an 1830s apollo knot than would an Edwardian merry widow hat work on a Regency updo. So since the shape of the hair determines the shape of the hat, ca. 1830 ladies’ hats and caps must have a tall crown in order to accommodate the tall hair they’ve got going on in the back. Likewise, many hats of this period are designed to work with, show off, and (most importantly) not crush the little sausage curls sitting on the ladies’ foreheads. Thus the hats have wide open brims, the caps and coifs have soft ruffles that are meant to sit in a position pushed away from the face, and the turbans allow for the curls to stick out the front. In this post, I’m going to limit myself to hats only, as in, things you wear on your head when you go outdoors. Next time I’ll talk about everything else that a self-respecting 1820s/1830s lady sticks on her head, i.e., caps, turbans, veils, and weird stuff that defies description/categorization. Hats ca. 1830 are composed of three parts, in their simplest form: 1.) a tall crown, cylindrical but narrower at the top than at the bottom, and angled a bit forward; 2.) a brim, usually large, wide, and not sitting too near the face; and 3.) something that is ostensibly meant to keep the thing on, usually ribbons. I say “ostensibly,” because the ribbons for an 1830s hat are often not used to tie the hat on, but merely for decoration. (I imagine these hats, like other huge historical hat styles, are kept on by hatpins stuck through the hair.) These are typical front and back views for a ca. 1830 hat: Here is a typical side view: As you can see, in addition to the three main structural components, an 1830s hat is usually overloaded and pimped out with all manner of ridiculous decorative gee-gaws, lace and ribbons, flowers, veils, jewels/pearls, ostrich plumes, tassels and whatever else. (Sorry, that last sentence came out sounding awfully like Claude Enjolras…! Hard to break the habit.) At a millinery shop, a lady could select the materials for her hat, and it could be made to order by the milliner herself, or else the customer could buy an undecorated hat and the trimmings separately, and decorate it herself. The hats themselves were usually made either of straw (Leghorn straw imported from Italy was the most high-end choice), or else from a fabric (generally silk). The straw ones could be lined with silk, or left unlined. The way the straw braid is stitched together is what gives the straw hat its shape and durability. Fabric hats can’t hold a shape using just fabric, since the silk fabric used is thin, so they must have been designed with a base of some kind (buckram?) and milliner’s wire: basically, the milliner makes the hat out of buckram first to give it its stiff shape, adds wire around the brim edge so that the brim can be adjusted to the shape the wearer desires, and then lines the whole thing inside and out with silk fabric. (I’m assuming all this, because this is usually how fabric-lined hats are made.) Hats as seen in fashion plates have crazy, crazy decorations, which are amazing, but, as with all fashion plates, most women probably wore a more scaled-down imitation of these styles. They make for great fantasy hats, though: Portraits show a few more cute hats: And, just for fun, some riding hats for ladies: Riding/hunting outfits, both the frocks and the hats, are designed to mimic menswear. And this goes for pretty much any given decade–1770s ladies’ riding outfits mimic 1770s mens’ suits, just as 1880s ladies’ riding outfits mimic 1880s’ men’ suits–but they take the menswear and form it according to the fashionable ladies’ silhouette of the period. Brilliant! Thus, ca. 1830 riding hats are modeled after ca. 1830 mens’ top hats, except with a veil. For some reason, white veils with a black hat seem to have been favored, with black veils being less common for riding hats in this period. I would’ve thought they’d have wanted to match…? Unfortunately, actual examples of historical hats do not survive as often or as well as dresses, so I won’t be able to provide as many photos of extant examples as I would of dresses. When they do survive, they are often special-occasion examples (wedding bonnets, for instance), and are distorted or squished from being at the bottom of somebody’s closet for a century or two. (Hatboxes, people! That’s what they’re there for!) They’re delicate pieces, shaped with wire and lined with very fine silk, sometimes with wax or paper flowers for decoration, and these elements can easily decay or be bent out of shape. In spite of all these dangers to hats, sometimes you still see a surviving example that just makes you go, “wow!” I want to share some of those. Fabric hats: ^^^That side silhouette–so incredibly striking! I just think it’s so sexy, the way these hats bare the neck but hide the face. Must have made it fun to flirt. ^^^You can see that besides black and cream/white colors (used for funerals and weddings, respectively), green seems to have been a popular color for fabric hats. ???? Not sure why, but they are certainly eye-catching. Straw hats:

Collections: If you have the opportunity to visit Florence, you must make a point of setting aside some time for the Gallery of Costume at the Pitti Palace. This collection of clothing is an often overlooked gem in a city of notable collections. My best advice to you, is to visit the palace ticket office at your earliest opportunity to check on the opening times for this gallery. Access to the collection is sporadic at best. I have been able to visit numerous times and the one thing you can count on, is that you can't always count on seeing this collection. If you are lucky enough to gain access, you will probably have the collection all to yourself! Unlike the Victoria and Albert museum in London, you won't have to fight for a good view. I particularly like their arrangement of floating display cases. It allows for the exploration of the garments from all sides and if you happen to be sharing the space with others, it disperses the crowds nicely. Unfortunately, catalogues on the collection are no longer available. Galleria displays The collection is located on the 3rd floor of the Pitti Palace, in a series of salons which enhance and contextual the costumes. Usually the rotating exhibits are displayed in a chronological order reflecting the evolution of dress, along with anterooms of specially themed exhibits on accessories or particular periods. The costumes represent a wide range of manufacturing centers. Naples seems to have been a preferred shopping source for many in the second quarter of the 20th century and what surprised me most was the large collection of 19th century dresses labelled "C. Donovan" New York. Interestingly, I have yet to see one Worth on display in their collection but Fortuny and Ferragamo are well represented. Black Chantilly lace over yellow silk satin, circa 1865 Yellow and cream striped silk over pale blue underskirt, circa 1878 Roller printed cotton in pale grey, circa 1837 Black silk, circa 1915 Silk Tulle embroidered in gold thread, circa 1823 Recollections: Of special note, on my last visit, was an exhibition on the exhumed costumes of Eleanora of Toledo, Cosimo I de'Medici and their son Don Garzia. These dated circa 1562. Mounted on large flat sheets of foam core, they were angled within their cases for easy viewing by the public. Heavily stained with the remains of body fluids and with large areas of the silk missing due to disintegration, the display relied on the drawings of costume historian Janet Arnold to "flesh" out what the viewer was studying. Portraits of the three added to our understanding of how these garments were worn and the importance of dress at the time. Notice the bodice and details in the portrait of Eleanora of Toledo below and compare them to the remaining fragment removed from her tomb in the 1850's. They are so strikingly similar it poses the question, "Is this the actual dress she wore when she was buried?" It would not be unusual for many women to be buried in their best clothing or even wedding apparel. Eleanora of Toledo Satin & Velvet bodice Fragment, 1562 Janet Arnold, Patterns of Fashion, 1560-1620 Ambitions: To re-visit this collection in May of 2012.

Printed Muslin Dress | c. 1837 (fabric: 1790-1818) | Bowes Museum Following the example from the beginning of this decade, here we see the trends I mentioned evolving even more. The clearest change is...

Размещаю в этом посте фотографии очаровательных платьев конца 1830-х годов. Такие наряды носили героини моего романа Ведьмины цветы, действие которого происходит в 1838 году. Во второй половине 1830-х силуэт женского платья заметно изменился по сравнению с предшествующим десятилетием.…

{Outfits Emilia would wear: Victorian fashion 1880s-1890s. It’s the time of the bustle!}

Apologies for the late Rate the Dress. But, the late post means I found an dress I’d entirely forgotten about in my inspiration file, and it’s so fabulously fascinating I’m hoping it makes up for a late post! Last Week: an Empire era spencer & petticoat I’m not usually a brown fan, but I’m obsessed with the particular ochre shade of last week’s spencer, but alas, many of you do not share my love. And even those who loved the spencer weren’t sure about it paired with the frilly petticoat – though you liked each garment on its own merits. However, I’m afraid I may have cheated the score every so slightly by showing that interior view, because I suspect some of the costume nerds among you were so charmed by the details you gave the outfit a higher score for it! The Total: 7.9 out of 10 An improvement on the week before, but hardly brilliant. This week: an 1840 dress in harlequin pattern This week’s Rate the Dress carries on my love for …

It's difficult for the untrained eye to discern the subtle changes in the pantheon of Victorian era fashion. Periodically, we'll look at eras that

The 1830s was a bridge between the gigot-sleeved confections of the 1820s and the tight-sleeved, form-fitting bodices of the 1840s.

Summer dress ca. 1842-43 From Tessier & Sarrou