The bayleuse and petticoat give our dresses their structure and a sense of depth that contributes to the overall look. Who can resist the allure of the noise of luscious rustling taffeta? Never underestimate the power of petticoats to give a dress that needed structure- it’s our Lily Absinthe Secret. 🙂
During the late 19th Century, fashion trends moved more slowly than today but nevertheless, they were still on the move. Charles Frederick Worth was one of the major trend-setters of the day and he was closely watched by the fashion press. Below are some comments in regard to Paris fashion trends in the January 1887 edition of Peterson’s Magazine in regard to day wear:
For streetwear, Worth has just introduced a new and very effective material, in wide stripes of steel-gray chenille cloth alternating with stripes of the same width in dark green cashmere. This material is made up in a corsage [bodice] and long overskirt, the latter being caught up over an underskirt of green cashmere, the striped skirt being cut on the bias.
In plain material, as many as three different stuffs, all of the same color, are often employed In the same toilette, such as velvet, brocade, or stamped velvet, and satin, in a dressy costume, or cashmere, and faille, and velvet, in a less gorgeous one.
Worth’s latest costumes have the waist and skirt in the same material, the latter being slightly caught up at the sides and shortened in front, to show the underskirt of a richer material and contrasting color. Thus, peach-kernel Sicilienne is made up over dark-heliotrope stamped velvet, and silver -gray over dark mouse-gray or ruby velvet.
Below are some illustrations from 1887 that illustrate the trends noted above:
Godeys Lady’s Book, January 1887
While it is not easy to always discern the precise fabrics from fashion plates, based on what we know of the period we can make some educated guesses. The bodice and overskirt for the dress on the left could easily be a cashmere over a brocade waist and underskirt. For the dress on the left, the bodice and overskirt  appear to be a faille over a brocade underskirt; the brocade on the underskirt is also a plastron on the bodice.
From the above, it is evident that the underskirt on each dress is of a more elaborate material than the overskirts which are much more plain and especially the dress on the left. Here we also see that the dress on the left also follows Worth’s dictum that the waist matches the underskirt.
Here is another plate:
Magasin Des Demoiselles, 1887
Once again, we see the use of the same fabric for the bodice and the overskirt.and a contrasting fabric for the underskirt and waist (where applicable). One also sees some variation in fabric use for lapels and sleeve cuffs- The either match in their own color/fabric (often velvet) or take the color from the underskirt.
Magasin Des Demoiselles, 1887
Here once again, we see the same style in the dress on the right. However, on the left we see a dress that utilizes long stripes of pleated fabric against larger panels of a contrasting fabric. The stripe effect is carried over to the sleeves and the front of the bodice.
And now for one final example:
The Season, January 1887
For the woman on the right, we see a plain bodice and overskirt combined with a plaid. As with the other examples above, the overskirts are taken up on the sides so the more elaborate (i.e., rich) fabric of the underskirt is more visible.
The above is just a small sampling but we hope it gives an idea of what was trending for early 1887, as least as far as Paris goes. At the same time, we also see plenty of examples of dresses of all one color or with a contrast color restricted to just the cuffs or collar and cuffs. Also, a dress could be of a single color with varying fabric types found in the bodice, overskirt, and underskirt.
Dressing my friends in beautiful things today for our website… <3
It’s a new week and we are hard at work organizing the large collection of photographs of our work that has accumulated and then selecting the best ones for posting here on the fixed pages as well as on Facebook. Stay turned for further developments! 🙂
And now some pictures from the big day… 🙂
Waiting For The Groom…
I had an emergency waistcoat rebuild job for the Groom (I think the size was mislabeled…but never fear, I tailored it) a few hours before the wedding ceremony. Fortunately, I brought my trusty Singer 301 portable with me…and hauled it up to the third floor along with my own iron and ironing board. Â I wanted that gown to be perfect before she walked down the aisle! We really do travel with a sewing machine in the car at weddings and events, they get put to use nearly every time.)
The venue- The Edwards Mansion in Redlands, dressing and preparation area:
Preparation Area – Nice And Roomy
Our preparation area was on the third floor. We definitely walked some miles that day!
Long Way Down…
The Wedding Dress Laid Out, Everything Pressed And Ready
And Away We Go!
The Ceremony
The Families
In this post, we step back to October 1886 with this plate from the October issue of Peterson’s Magazine. Of special interest is the wedding dress in Figure I on the far left.
Peterson’s Magazine, October 1886
Below is a description of the above plate:
Fig. I.- WEDDING DRESS, OF BROCADED SILK AND WHITE ILLUSION. The skirt is made of three deep plaited [pleated] ruffles of illusion over white silk, the two upper ruffles falling in deep curves in front. The bodice, short tunic in front, and train are of the brocaded silk. The tunic is caught up with clusters of orange-blossoms. The bodice has a plaited vest of the illusion, with lace revers at the sides. The sleeves are open, on the outside of the arm, over an illusion sleeve, which is full at the elbow, and trimmed with sprays of orange-blossoms. Orange-blossoms at the throat and in the hair, from which a long veil of illusion falls.
Fig. II.- WALKING-DRESS, OF VERY DARK GRAY CASHMERE. It is made in plaits all around the skirt, with side-panels of plaid velvet. The close-fitting bodice is made with two revers of the velvet, both placed on the right side, and coming to a sharp point in front of the waist. Collar and cuffs also of the velvet. Gray felt hat, with ribbon and wings of the colors in the plaid velvet.
Fig. lll.- EVENING-DRESS, OF LIGHT CANARY-COLORED SURAH. The skirt is trimmed with many narrow flounces, with a pointed apron-front of white lace, nearly to the bottom of the ruffled skirt. The train is plain, and trimmed with white lace. The bodice is cut with a sharp point, both front and back, and is ornamented with folds of the surah and white lace on the left side. Puffs of canary-colored ostrich-tips and ribbon trimming. Yellow bird in the hair.
Fig. lV- EVENING DRESS, OF POPPY-RED SILK. The skirt has a narrow knife-plaiting at the bottom. The back fails in large plaits, with a short full tunic over them. The front is trimmed with drooping rows or black lace, natural habitat of the cyclamen is in the woods, and this with long loops of poppy-colored ribbon. Panniers of black lace at the sides. The high bodice has a jabot of black lace down the front. Bow of red ribbon on the left side of the neck. Red poppies in the hair.
Fig. V.- WALKING DRESS, OF DARK-BLUE WOOLEN MATERIAL. The skirt falls in straight plaits at the back, with a short tunic over it. The front of the skirt at the bottom is trimmed with a broad band of striped blue-and-red bouclé material, and it is plaited at the waist. The bodice is made with a sharp point, with a reddish-blue velvet waistband, revers, and collar of the same material. The vest is of the striped bouclé. Dark-blue felt hat, trimmed with a red bird and wings.
Starting with the wedding dress in Figure I, it is styled with the skirt arranged in the front with three rows of vertical ruffles with the top two rows swagged to the rear. The base fashion fabric is a white silk covered by a layer of white illusion. Illusion is a  lightweight netting fabric with diamond-shaped holes and constructed from silk (today, it is more likely to be made of nylon and it primarily used for bridal veils). It is a form of tulle fabric, characterized by its soft hand and excellent drapability.
Illusion
White Silk Brocade – There was an endless variation in brocade patterns.
The bodice and overskirt/train is a silk brocade with the sleeves constructed from same illusion as the skirt. Covering the upper sleeves is lace that has been formed as revers. Also, interestingly enough, the front of the bodice is pleated in a fan pattern, giving the appearance of a vest. Finally, the dress is trimmed in orange blossoms in the front and in the headpiece. Overall, it’s a fairly “traditional” look that embodies the white wedding trend that was beginning to take hold during the late 19th Century.
Figure II is a fairly conventional day dress combined with plaid velvet to create a “highland” effect of sorts. The skirt and bodice are of a gray cashmere (although it appears to be more of a blue) combined with plaid velvet side-plates on the skirt. The plaid velvet is also used for the cuffs as well as on the front of the bodice (although the illustration distorts this somewhat, making it look more like a sash). Below are some modern-day examples of cashmere that easily could be used to make this dress:
Medium Gray Cashmere With A Blue Undertone
Dark Blue-Gray Cashmere
Medium Gray Cashmere With More Of A Charcoal Undertone
Figure III is an evening dress made of canary (sort of a light yellow) surah combined with white lace. The front of the skirt is trimmed in rows of narrow flounces and is covered in the front with a lace apron. Style-wise, this is a conventional med-1880s look with an emphasis on pleating running all the way up the front of the skirt.
Canary is essentially a yellow but it can vary in intensity from bright, as on the left, to a more subdued as on the right:
As indicated in a previous post, surah is a twilled silk fabric and would have looked something like this:
Surah
For Figure IV, we see another variation on the pleating/flounce theme only this time it is limited to the front apron which is done in black lace. To complement the black lace apron is a jabot of matching back lace running down the front of the bodice. The bodice and skirt are constructed from a poppy-red silk and the skirt hem has a row of knife pleating. Overall, this a relatively simple style for an evening dress and if we did not have the description from Peterson’s to go on, it would be easy to mistake for a day dress.
Here is a sample of the color:
Poppy Red
Unfortunately, the color depicted in the late is more of a wine color but as we know, colors can change dramatically in 100 plus year-old documents and especially those involving color printing processes so take this all with a grain of salt. 🙂
Finally, Figure V depicts is a fairly conventional day dress with the basic skirt and bodice constructed of a dark blue wool. However, the front of the skirt and skirt hem are trimmed in a blue-red bouclé, a fabric woven from loosely spun yarns giving a looped pile effect. Although not stated, it is assumed that this was composed of wool fibers. Below is an example (unfortunately, we were unable to find a red-blue color):
All of the above dresses are fairly conventional in terms of style but they do exhibit some interesting uses of fabrics and trims and especially with the velvet trim in Figure III and the bouclé in Figure V. While perhaps not spectacular when compared to the creations being produced by Worth, Doucet, and Pingat (to name a few), it does demonstrate that the limits of particular styles were constantly being pushed in both big and small ways.