Swiss Miss and Sailor Moon?

Well, well. Just when I think I’ve seen everything La Belle Assemblée has to offer, it surpasses itself yet gain. But I’m not sure it can get any better than this. May I present, from the August 1830 issue, some Fancy Ball Dresses...and hoo boy, are they fancy or what?

Here are the descriptions:

Costume of a Swiss Peasant

Over a short but extremely wide petticoat of dark grey silk, with a shaded silk border, is another petticoat somewhat shorter, composed of blue and white striped silk, and ornamented nearly half-way to the waist, with a double row of narrow trimming, of the lozenge form: they are a mixture of dark blue and brown. Low boddice [sic] of flowered silk, over which is a high one, made perfectly tight to the shape, but open on each side of the front, so as partially to display the upper part of the bust, and the under-boddice; a trimming disposed on each side of the bust partially shades it. The boddice is composed of tawny yellow, plain gros de Naples; the arm hole and upper part of the sleeve are ornamented with black silk braiding; a nœud [a knot or bow] of dark blue ribbon is attached on each shoulder; a band passes from it down each side of the boddice, and finishes with a nœud. The sleeve, which sits as close as possible to the arm, terminates below the elbow. The hair is combed back from each side of the face, and arranged in two plaits, mingled with ribbons; a long end of ribbon descends from each nearly as low as the bottom of the dress. The coiffeure is a cap of wrought whalebone, which is a perfect imitation of black lace. The caul is almost flat to the head; two ornaments resembling rings [I think this is a typo for wings] stand up round the face on each side, and a full nœud of ribbon is placed on the summit of the head between the wings; two bands of ribbon descend from the nœud on each side to the middle of each braid, where they are attached by bows. A black velvet collar is fastened in front by a silver buckle. A lappet of the same material as the cap, and very richly wrought, hangs pendant from the collar to the knee. Stockings of vermillion-coloured silk, with white clocks. Sabots of black gros de Naples.

The very short length of the skirt is...well, very short! I’m used to seeing ball dresses a bit above the ankle in length, which only makes sense: tripping over one’s own dress in the middle of a lively dance is the last thing any lady wants to happen. But this is quite a bit above that. And the large headdress would seem to discourage one’s dance partner from looking anywhere but at the dancer’s face, don’t you think? I suspect the “wrought whalebone” part is a carven headband, to which the wings attach.

And then we get to the truly surprising part...ladies wearing what look like culottes—to a ball!

A Lady in Sailor’s Costume

This is one of those travestissements which are not unusually adopted in French fancy balls. At those splendid ones given in the winter at the French Opera House, there were many ladies of rank and fashion in similar dresses. We have selected one of the prettiest of them as the subject of our print.

Striped silk trowsers, made en matelot [sailor-style], but extremely wide, and finished at the bottom by knots of ponçeau [“poppy-colored”, en Français] ribbon. A plain, tight corsage, cut rather high behind, and very low in front of the bust, is attached to the trowsers. Veste of ponçeau gros de Naples, forming the shape of a heart in front; it is cut out on each side in bands, which resemble braiding, while the open spaces shew the under corsage. A row of rich brandebourgs [the loopy, ribbon-y ornaments seen on military coats] finish it in the hussar style on each side of the front. The jacket, which is exactly in the form of a sailor’s, is of bright blue gros de Naples. Manchettes [frilled cuffs] of embroidered cambric. A cambric frill of the pelerine form, but disposed in full plaits, falls over round the bust; and the throat is encircled with a small black silk cravate à la coquette. Black silk hat, turned up on one side, and ornamented with a black esprit and a knot of ribbon. Ponçeau sash. Black shoes with small gold buckles.

Wowza! It’s amazing what carte blanche a costume ball could lend: ladies “of rank and fashion” appearing in public in silk trousers, no matter how wide?! I love the bright poppy-red military-inspired vest and the jacket “exactly in the form of a sailor’s”, feminized with embroidered cuffs and the wide, flouncing collar of the under-blouse. It’s as cute as anything...but still kind of mind-blowing. Think of how scandalized many people would be by Amelia Bloomer and her very baggy “bloomers” which were as unrevealing as any skirt. Can you just see some daring young woman, set on wearing her sailor costume to show off her shapely attributes, pooh-poohing her scandalized family by saying, “Oh, Mama, it’s French! And after all, it’s only a fancy dress ball! Nobody will care about that!”

So what do you think of this week’s Swiss Miss and Sailor Moon?

Fashion Forecast: 1833, Part 1

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?

Not Quite Trick or Treat, but Almost

I was in a large party supply store a week or so ago looking for napkins. I found them, eventually, after wading through the front two-thirds of the store that was entirely given over to Halloween-related goods, from 15-foot tall inflatable lawn ornaments to every conceiveable costume--for children, yes, but especially for adults. Am I the only one to notice that over the last several years, Halloween has morphed from a children’s holiday to one just as popular among grown-ups? I guess some things never change, because people in the 19th century loved dressing up in outlandish costumes just as much…only they didn’t do it at Halloween.

The 19th century was undoubtedly the century of the costume ball. Their popularity in England probably grew with our friend Prinny, the Prince Regent, who adored “dressing up”, first in military uniforms, then later in Scottish dress as he fell in love with the romanticized Scotland of Sir Walter Scott’s novels…and from there, it was a logical progression to adoring costume balls. A few years later, his niece Victoria was equally addicted to costume balls up until the death of the Prince Consort in 1861, and they remained popular at court (though she no longer participated) and in society at large right into the 20th century. Historical and cultural themes for costumes--dressing up as someone from the past or from a different land--were probably the most usual, especially earlier on, but as you'll see shortly, costumes weren't limited to Queen Elizabeth or romantic cavaliers.

Here are a few costumes from the first part of the century for your Halloween inspiration (a post on the costume balls of the later 19th century would require its own post, as another Prince of Wales, Victoria’s bad boy son Bertie, also loved to play dress-up). Enjoy!

This first one is a "Danish Fancy Dress Worn at the Prince Regent's Fete", from La Belle Assemblee, August 1819:

And a "Fancy Ball Dress" also from La Belle Assemblee, August 1820. Perhaps she was going for the milkmaid look?

The young lady on the left is dressed as one of the waiting women of Mary Queen of Scots in this March 1833 print from The Court Magazine:

I'm not sure what these costumes are supposed to represent, though the one on the right seems to have a somewhat Russian feel, with her vaguely slavic headdress and fur-edged boots (this from a French publication, Petit Courrier des Dames, March 1837):

Medieval themes were popular, as we see in this couple from 1838...interesting to see a male costume, and how a 14th century "gates of hell" surcoat could be adapted to a 19th century corseted silhouette (Journal des Modes):

Last are a pair of costumes from 1838...first, these from La Mode--perhaps a musketeer and a revolutionary?

And last, these "15th and 16th century" costumes, also from La Mode:

Are you dressing for Halloween? Would you want to borrow any of these costumes?