One of the more interesting late Bustle Era fashion styles was the walking dress and especially when it incorporated the jacket-bodice style. Below is just one interesting example of this style from the late 1880s (the museum lists it as being circa 1885-1890):

Silhouette-wise, this dress is definitely late 1880s with a somewhat moderate bustle (at least with the museum staging employed) and consists of a jacket-bodice and two skirts. The jacket-bodice is constructed of a black silk velvet which opens to reveal a faux waist that appears to be a light brown silk organza or similar. The front edges, collar, and hem of the outer jacket are trimmed with appliques made from gold bullion and brown and gold embroidery arranged in a floral pattern.  The outer “skirt” consists of panels of black velvet decorated in larger versions of the appliques found on the bodice and the inner skirt an embroidered silk brocade. Below is a close-up of the bodice:

The side profile picture below gives a good view of the velvet panels that have been decorated with the large floral appliques:

The picture below gives a good view of the train:

The jacket-bodice walking dress was an extremely versatile style that could be worked in a variety of fabrics , trims, and cuts and was available in paper patterns for the home sewer with these styles that were available through Demorest’s Family Magazine:

 

The walking dress is an interesting late 1880s style in that it provided a foundation for the more practical walking suit that later developed during the 1890s.