Victorian Dress

Black- Not Just For Mourning…

/ Adam Lid / 2 Comments

One of the biggest misconceptions about late Nineteenth Century fashion is that the color black was only used for mourning wear. Nothing could be farther from the truth and in fact, black was freely used in a variety of styles ranging from simple house dresses to elegant evening gowns. To get an idea of how black dresses were regarded, here’s a few random quotes from the fashion press. First, from the December 1874 edition of Demorest’s Family Magazine, we learn that:

…All black dresses are more in vogue than ever for dinner wear, because jet is so much the rage; many of them seem to be a mass of jet, or of blue steel, which in contrast with black, is still more striking…

And in the February 1881 issue of Peterson’s Magazine, in a commentary on current fashions:

Black dresses are very fashionable, even for quite full dress, but, strange to say, black silk is less worn than formerly. Not so long ago, and for years previously, a black silk was regarded as an essential item In a lady’s wardrobe; it was the one safe investment, about which there could be no mistake when the fear of being over-dressed, or not sufficiently “got up ” was the question of the moment.

The reason of Its temporary disappearance, we believe, is that silk lacks that lustre or sheen which Fashion now affects in satin, and neither does it possess the dull finish of the fine woolen materials, which are likewise in vogue. But it must not be supposed that, because black silk is suffering from a partial eclipse, black costumes are not in favor; on the contrary, black camel’s hair, black cashmere, and black cloth costumes are all worn, and black lustrous Bengaline, satin de Lyon, velvet (in all varieties) brightened by iridescent beads of gay-colored plush or shawl patterned silks, are regarded as stylish dresses.

While the specific idea of whether or not black should only be worn for mourning seems to not have a definite answer in the fashion literature we’ve reviewed, it’s interesting to note that in a discussion of current fashions in the August 1881 issue of Peterson’s, it’s noted that:

Black lace, as well as jet and steel, are profusely used, especially on black dresses, and these arc no longer considered as belonging to mourning costumes.

And later in the October 1886 of Peterson’s it’s stated that black dresses are a popular item and that if one’s wardrobe is limited, a black dress is the most useful dress to have:

Black dresses, especially black lace dresses for house-wear, retain all their well-deserved popularity. These black gowns are by no means intended for mourning, and are usually elaborately trimmed with jet, and are worn by old and young. Where the wardrobe is limited, a black dress is the most useful one that can be worn.

And from the October 1889 issue of Demorest’s, it would seem that black dresses are somewhat of a constant:

All-black dresses have renewed their lease of popular favor, and black dresses with colored trimmings, especially the Escurial passementeries and those with Oriental colorings, are very stylish. Black silks are handsomely trimmed with passementerie of gold, silver, or steel beads or cords, and even these have their outlining of jet beads.

While the above passages make up an admittedly narrow sampling, it does seem to point towards the idea that a black dress was a fashion staple, whether in pure black or trimmed in other colors and one could never go wrong wearing one- better to be restrained than showy, especially in new social situations.

So, with the above in mind, let’s take a look at some dresses… 🙂 First up is this afternoon dress that was designed in 1873 by a one A. Cobray of Paris:

A. Cobay, Afternoon Dress, 1873; Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.68.53.4a, b)

Side Profile

Rear View

While this dress is not pure black with it’s insets of gold, the black does dominate, especially with the pure black bodice. The dress and bodice are constructed from Bengaline which have a dull luster. However, the bodice is trimmed in lace and bead appliques. Here’s a close-up of the buttons and the bead appliques:

Detail of Button

Detail of Button

Trim Detail

Next is this late 1870s dinner dress by Pingat:

Pingat, Dinner Dress, c. 1877-1880; Metropolitan Museum of Art C.I.60.6.9)

And for a close up of the beading:

The dress has a late 1870s silhouette with a more restrained bustle effect- things haven’t moved to the Middle Bustle/Natural Form style yet but the demi-train suggests that things are headed in that direction. The beading patterns are in black but they provide contrast to the luster of the black silk fashion fabric.

Next up is this princess line day dress from 1880:

Day Dress, c. 1880; Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.54.64)

With this dress, we’ve arrived in the Mid-Bustle/Natural Form Era. There is less of a train and the excess yardage is mostly concentrated at the bottom in the form of an extensive demi-train. The dress is made of a flat black silk fabric and trimmed with black velvet. In the front there is some ribbon trim with pops of crimson (Crimson Peak, anyone?). One notable element is the use of black velvet trim running in two vertical stripes along the length of the dress emphasizing the princess line.

And from circa 1880-1882, there’s this example of a black dress that utilizes extensive beading:

Day Dress, c. 1880-1882; From the exhibition “A Century of Style: Costume & Colour 1800-1899” at the Kelvingrove Art Museum, Glasgow

And here’s a closer look at the exquisite beading:

What’s interesting about this dress is it’s not really a pure black but more of a dark shade of gray (or maybe it’s the lighting for the picture) that offsets the black underskirt and sleeves. With it’s irregular surfaces, the beading picks up the light and gives the dress a three-dimensional luster that brings the dress to life, especially when compared to the previous example. In terms of silhouette, while this is also Mid-Bustle/Natural Form, there’s no train and it’s obvious that this was meant for more formal daytime wear (although it wouldn’t have been out of place for an evening event).

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief excursion through the world of black dresses and it should be pretty obvious that black was not viewed as being something exclusively for mourning. 🙂

 

Some More Redingote Style…

/ Adam Lid / 2 Comments

Redingote style turns up over and over again in late Nineteenth Century fashion and this was especially true during the Mid-Bustle/Natural Form Era. From roughly 1877 through 1883, the fashion silhouette moved away from the earlier bustled style to a more slender, cylindrical silhouette. One interesting example of this redingote style can found in this dress:

Day Dress c. 1875-1880; Norsk Folkemuseum NF.1935-0014)

What especially makes this dress interesting is that the redingote incorporates the low demi-train characteristic this period. Also, from the photos, it appears that the redingote gives the appearance of having been cut from one piece of fabric thus giving it a princess-line appearance (albeit incomplete). At the same time, while the basque bodice and under-skirt appears to be separate pieces, this still give a very princess line effect. Without actually examining the dress in person, it’s difficult to say for sure but from what we can tell, it appears the redingote and the bodice are attached and most likely the bodice is a faux bodice, just nothing more than two front pieces. Here’s a closer view of the bodice:

Also the dress designer is unknown to us, it appears that they cleverly combined a number of style elements together in a well-blended manner. This period in fashion never fails to amaze us and is always a source of inspiration. 🙂

What’s On: Another 1894 Cape

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Here’s one our latest fit samples, in this case a cape based on an original 1894 pattern:

And for a colse-up of the collar:

And here’s a little of the construction process. Here we’re chalking out the lining:

And after cutting out the wool main cape:

And a burn test before starting- yes, it’s 100% wool. 🙂

This cloak is constructed from a patterned wool print fabric. The base fabric is a camel-colored brown and the pattern is black. The lining is a medium-weight cotton sateen. Stay tuned for more!

The Fashion Insight Of Maison Worth: An Interview With Jean-Philippe Worth

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During his lifetime, Charles Worth revealed very little of his design philosophy or how he approached the design process. From a business perspective, Worth was prudent given the rampant fashion piracy of the period. However, for posterity, it’s sheer frustration. In the case of Maison Worth, Charles Worth for the most part revealed little and granted few interviews with journalists. Moreover, he took great pains to ensure that journalists had no access to his atelier whatsoever for fear that they’d gather information that would ultimately be used to pirate his designs (a very real threat).

Fortunately for posterity, Charles Worth’s son Jean-Philippe Worth was more forthcoming. In an interview by a Marie A. Belloc for the 1896 edition of Lady’s Realm, Worth provided some insight into Maison Worth’s design process. When asked where he looked for inspiration, Worth replied:

I am always on the look-out for new and old ideas and new schemes of colouring. Colouring, as you are aware, plays an important part in modern dress. I even yet remember with what difficulties my father met when he tried to impose the slightest modifications in the hard, metallic tints which were for so long literally the only colours introduced into dress. An attempt at anything artistic was looked at with terror and suspicion…

To quote but one instance: every woman in Paris possesses some garment in which a combination of blue and green plays a
subtle part. For years my father tried to introduce this eminently becoming harmony of colour. Some of the most beautiful brocades ever made to our own order were tinted in this fashion. But it was not till an accident- in other words, the courage and audacity of one of our handsomest clients- brought the beautifying qualities of this combination before the public that we were ever able to make the experiment on a large scale; and the same may also be said of yellow and pink, pale blue and
violet, and many others of the symphonies of colour now universally adopted. Of course, it is only fair to add that nothing can be more horrible than these violent contrasts, unless combined and imagined by a really artistic eye. But that is more or less true with anything connected with colour and form; for what looks well on a red haired woman makes a brunette look sallow, and so on.

Worth’s comments is revealing in that while it’s possible to come up with new fashion ideas, it’s far more difficult to get people to adopt them. In the example he gives, basically it wasn’t until one of Worth’s more influential clients adopted the idea of a harmonizing color scheme of blue and green that it was adopted by others. In short, it took a “fashion influencer.”

Illustration from the article.

Worth further discusses fashion inspiration, noting:

As to where I get my ideas: sometimes from a piece of old Church embroidery or a scrap of Louis Quinze brocade, picked up in an old curiosity shop. Often I have reconstituted a whole piece of material from a small breadth taken out of a Court costume or vestment. When I am satisfied, or as satisfied as I am ever likely to be, with a design, it is reproduced to my order in different schemes of colouring, and even of material. I very much enjoy designing picture-costumes. Often an artist will come with his future sitter, and together we will discuss what kind of material and what genre of colouring will suit the lady in question…

I am as ready to take an idea from a primitif [primitive] of a martyred saint as from a Lely or a Gainsborough. There is no greater mistake than to decide too long beforehand on the models of the coming winter or summer, for it is really impossible to tell at any given moment what the coming season will bring forth…for instance, a very bitter winter will to a certainty mean the prevalence of fur on every kind of gown, while an exceptionally mild season brings out light cloths, and even lace.

In this somewhat rambling statement, Worth indicates that inspiration can come from just about anywhere- pretty much something that just about any designer will say. What’s interesting is his observation that one can’t wait for too long in selecting the fashions for the next season and that the weather of a particular season affects the succeeding season- that pretty much sums up the fashion cycle today.

As for changing fashion, Worth notes that :

As for me, I naturally do not concern myself with the popular modes. The moment a fashion becomes exaggerated- in other words, universal—we have to begin to think of something to replace it. I am often asked by English clients whether the big sleeve has come to stay. All I can say is, that exaggeration will kill any model, however becoming. Not only does it make the fashion common, but a woman rarely looks well or artistic in an outré garment.

In the above, Worth gives an abbreviated version of the fashion cycle: fashions are introduced, become exaggerated, and then are replaced by new fashions. The fashion cycle is a constant that’s been present throughout history in one form or another.

Ultimately, while Jean-Philippe Worth’s comments really don’t offer any unique insights in regard to Maison Worth, they do demonstrate that many of fundamental ideas underlying modern fashion design were also present back in the 1890s. In future posts, we hope to unearth more about fashion theory as it applied to the couture of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries.


Trending For February 1887- A Snapshot

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The late 1880s saw the penultimate development of the bustle silhouette along with a variety of dress styles that incorporated this silhouette. The 1880s are especially well documented with the rise of the fashion press and while the styles portrayed often depicted idealized forms, they were rooted in reality. Moreover, the fashion press is useful for tracking shifts in trends and even while the late 1880s bustle style was in full flower, there were signs that this was not to remain the case for long as illustrated by the following comment from the February 1887 “Our Paris Letter,” a monthly column in Peterson’s Magazine describing the fashion trends in Paris, notes:

The diminution of the tournure, the falsely- so-called “dress-improver” appears to be definitely decided upon. Worth is using all his powerful influence in that direction, as he dislikes very much the ungraceful stiffness imparted to the upper portion of the toilette by its undue dimensions. The newest articles of this description are composed of ruffles of hair-cloth- the genuine “crinoline”- and the sides are simply laced together underneath, neither steel springs nor whalebone being used in the rubric. The most stylish toilettes have simply a silk cushion, stuffed with horse-hair, set just in the back of the skirt-band, and three rows of steel springs are set in the lower part of the skirt to hold it out. This is merely a return to the combination which was in vogue before the present- or, rather, the recent- exaggeration of his detail in feminine dress.

From the above, it would appear that the the sharp, angular “shelf bustle” was on its way out, at least in Paris, and bustle pads with steel springs were going to be the new thing. As for other trends, let’s take a look at this fashion plate from the February 1887 issue of Peterson’s Magazine:

Petersons_Feb 1887

Peterson’s Magazine, February 1887

The above plate is described as follows:

FIG. I. – VISITING-DRESS, OF YELLOWISH GREEN CASHMERE. The back of the skirt (which falls in straight folds) is made of plain cashmere. The front drapery is of India silk of the same color, figured with red palms. A wide ribbon sash, of the color of the cashmere, and striped crosswise with emerald-green velvet, is tied in long loops, and forms panels at the sides. The full bodice is of the figured silk. The extremely stylish jacket is of emerald green velvet, faced with silk the color of the back of the skirt, and is ornamented with large buttons. Hat of yellowish – green felt, trimmed with ribbon of the same color and a red bird, and faced with emerald-green velvet.

The Directoire style jacket with its wide lapels definitely sets this out apart from more conventional day dresses.

FIG. II. – WALKING-DRESS, OF DAHLIA-COVERED SPOTTED CLOTH. The underskirt is of velveteen. The upper skirt laid to fall in wide plaits, and is shorter in front than at the back. The drapery at the back is short at the top, but falls in jabot-plaits almost to the bottom of the skirt. The close-fitting jacket is braided, and trimmed with gray fox-fur The muff is of the material of the dress, decorated with a bow of ribbon. Hat of purple velvet, trimmed with a yellow bird.

This one interesting in that it takes the jacket style to an outdoor style with the fur trimming. It’s unknown if there was a waist or under-bodice for wear indoors.

FIG. III. – WALKING-DRESS. The long cloak is made of fawn-colored striped cloth. The sleeves are very long at the back, wide, and trimmed with velvet. A band of velvet passes over the shoulders, and narrows at the waist. High collar of the velvet. Bonnet of red plush, with white plumes.

This one appears to be a cloak with extremely wide sleeves.

FIG. IV. – VISITING -DRESS, OF OLIVER-GREEN-COLORED SILK AND STRIPED VELVET. The under part of the skirt and side panels is made of the striped silk and velvet. The full front and back drapery is of plain olive-green silk. The bodice is also of the plain silk, laced, and the little close-fitting jacket is of green velvet, with elbow-sleeves, and trimmed with green jet-bead passementerie. Hat of olive-green velvet, trimmed with green feathers and a white bird.

This seems to be a fairly standard style but it’s really hard to tell from the fashion plate what exactly is going on. The description is very interesting and the fashion plate doesn’t do it justice which is very unfortunate.

FIG. V. – HOUSE-DRESS, OF POPPY-COLORED SILK. The underskirt is made of cream -colored silk, striped with red velvet. The overskirt opens on the right ride, and is faced with cream-colored silk, brocaded in red velvet. The plain red silk is arranged diagonally, in full plaits, oil the skirt, It is draped far back on the left side, and in loose folds at the back. The bodice opens over a cream-colored diagonal-plaited vest, and is trimmed on the right side with a velvet revers. Velvet collar.

While this is termed a “house dress,” this is a pretty loose definition and would easily work as a afternoon/visiting dress suitable for wear at social occasions. The bodice is executed in the a jacket-bodice style with wide lapels/revers running down the length of the bodice. Overall, in terms of style, one still sees the late 1880s bustled silhouette but it looks somewhat more restrained in this particular fashion plate. Of course, this being a fashion plate, some license is to be expected so perhaps one should not read too much into it; one must also consider other evidence such as original photographs and extant original garments. Nevertheless, it is still interesting and gives a hint of what is coming in the 1890s.

Turning to fabrics, one sees the velvet and velveteen being used and combined with silk and cashmere for winter day wear. This is to be expected, considering the time of year. The only exception to this is the house dress in Figure V. Finally, based on the above descriptions, computer color-matching, and some subjective guess-work, below are some of the more dominant colors:

While the above is by no means an exhaustive overview of fashion in 1886- 1887, it is helpful as a means of determining what sort of fabrics, color, and silhouette should be employed in designing a late 1880s day dress that is suitable for fall or winter. The key points to keep in mind are that the fabrics used were of heavier weights (although nowhere near upholstery or curtain weight) and colors tend towards the darker tones. We hope that you have enjoyed this little window into the styles of early 1887 and while fashions moved slowly during the 1880s (as compared to today), they were still moving, let by fashion leaders such as Worth.