Costume: Fanciful, Historical and TheatricalAria, Mrs. (Eliza Davis)
History
Costume: Fanciful, Historical and Theatrical
Aria, Mrs. (Eliza Davis)
Costume -- History
In warm weather the thick cloaks were discarded for the short cloaks and
mantles shaped as the Zouave, or in the short sacque style extending
only to the waist. A spencer in a contrasting shade of silk achieved
popularity and was considered the fitting complement to the muslin gown;
and about the year 1814 this was made with full sleeves and upstanding
collar and worn over the morning dress, which was either cut high to
the neck, or filled in with a ruff and kerchief of lace or muslin. A
fold of muslin also did service, crossed in front of the popular evening
bodice, whose _décolletage_ was more remarkable for its breach than its
observance of the best ideals of modesty.
A favourite ornament was a gold chain and heart, which would open to
reveal the eye of a lover, relative, or friend executed on ivory and
bordered with enamel; and this limned eye is a love token which seems to
be coming once more into fashion.
French fashions again became the mode at the beginning of the century,
when white chemisettes were worn with the Swiss petticoat, and powder
fell into disuse, and the hair was long or short in curls falling over
the face, a style of coiffure which was followed by the crop, in favour
of which even the most tolerant can find little to put forward. With
the crop a narrow fillet was placed round the head, holding a rose in
front, or over it an immense panache of feathers would nod with foolish
monotony. The cropped head had for its successor the style known as _la
chinoise_ for which the hair was tightly dragged back from the forehead,
with a long ringlet falling at the side, a plait set in a cluster of
roses crowning the top, which was further decorated with gold pins,
tasselled with small gold balls.
Many garments had foreign names. A robe known as the Mameluke had a
Delta trimming; a coiffure adorned with jewels and a double row of beads
on the forehead was dedicated to Egypt; and Austerlitz expressed a
nankeen-coloured gown with blue trimmings. And there were caps recognised
as Patmos and Tyrolean; and there were Spanish dresses, and Etruscan
borders to Pyrenean robes. The Patmos cap had charms which easily pushed
it to the height of success, when it was made of satin and lace cut into
points at the front, was covered with diamonds, and had tassels falling
at either side.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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