Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - Mourning Fashions - July 1830 Ladies' Pocket Magazine

Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - Mourning Fashions - July 1830 Ladies' Pocket Magazine

Mourning Fashions

Walking Dress - A pelisse gown composed of black gros de Naples, the corsage is made to set close to the shape; the back is rather more than the usual breadth; square collar very deep and falling over in the pelerine style; the corsage is open in front and the lappels, which are very broad, turn back from the bottom of the waist, so as to display the white crape chemisette made in a very novel style, with a square collar surmounted by a crape ruche, disposed in double dents de loup. The sleeves are of the usual width; they are ornamented with white crape cuffs, finished at the upper edge with a crape trimming in the form of a shell. The trimming of the skirt arranged in the tunic style, consists of a twisted rouleau of black crape. The bonnet, composed of black crape, is worn over a white crape morning cap; it is trimmed on the inside of the brim with French grey love ribbon, and finished round the edge with a rouleau of white crape, slightly intermixed with grey: a full noeud of grey ribbon adorns the front of the crown, and a smaller one is placed behind. Black kid half boots. Grey kid gloves.

Evening Dress - A black crape dress over a black sarsnet slip: corsage, a la Sevigne; the upper part of the bust is adorned with white crape folds let in; they are finished round the top with a light trimming of lavender colored crape: short full sleeves trimmed at the bottom to correspond with the bust: the skirt is finished with folds of crape disposed in waves, adorned at each extremity with crape moeuds. A scarf of lavender colored crape, richly finished at the ends in black, is thrown carelessly over the shoulders. The hair is dressed on the temples is soft full curls; the hind hair is arranged in plaited bands, wound round the summit of the head and surmounted by a lavender colored ribbon is placed on the right side of the comb, and a smaller bow on the left. Jet earrings, necklace and bracelets. Black gros de Naples slippers, and grey silk stockings. White kid gloves.

Cursory Remarks on the General Mourning Fashions

Anxious to meet the wishes of our fair readers upon a subject so interesting to them, as the general mounring for our late most beloved and lamented Sovereign, we have spared neither time nor trouble to ascertain the modes and materials adopted on this melancholy occasion, by ladies most distinguished for their taste in dress; and we now lay before them the result of our enquiries.

Black gros de Naples is, without contradiction, the most fashionable material for walking dress: pelisse gowns, made in the same style as our print, are much in favour. Plain high dresses, with round tippets, either composed of crape, or edged with it, are also worn by many ladies. We have seen several gowns composed of grey fros de Naples, trimmed with black, but they are comparatively few in number to the dresses made and trimmed with black only.

Bonnets are of black gros de Naples, trimmed with crape, or with French grey ribbon; or of grey silk, trimmed with black love ribbon. we have seen also several Leghorn and straw bonnets, trimmed with black, or black and grey gauze ribbon.

Plain black batiste, or mourning ginghams, are very much adopted in morning dress. Many of these dresses are made in the pelisse gown style. The corsages of others turn over round the top shawl fashion. In morning dress the corsage comes high, or if made with lappels, the front of the bust is but little exposed. A crape fichu, or a cambric frill, made with a broad hem, is always worn in morning dress.

Black silk dresses made low round the bosom, and with long crape sleeves, over short full silk ones, are very generally adopted in dinner and evening dress. Many of these gowns have the corsage trimmed with folds of black crape, either disposed in the lappel style, or let in in drapery across the bosom; the upper part of the hem is either marked by a crape rouleau, or finished by a double or triple fold of crape, which may be either broad or narrow according to the fancy of the wearer.

Black crape is considered most elegant in evening dress, but it is by no means exclusively worn. Black gauze, tulle, and a material which we have imitated from the French, which resembles Italian net, but is thinner, are all in favour; they are worn over under-dresses, composed of either black gros de Naples, or sarsnet. We observe that the latter material is most frequently employed.

With the exception of the trimming we have given in our prints, there is nothing absolutely novel in evening dress. Many gowns are made without trimming, others are finished round the border, as we have already described, with a rouleau, or two or three folds, which are of the same material as the dress. The corsage always cut very low, is almost invariably ornamented with white crape, either let in in folds, or disposed in lappels, or a falling tucker. A light trimming of either lavender colour, grey, or black, usually edges the upper part of the bust. The beret sleeve which is as short, but not quite so full as usual, is frequently finished at the bottom to correspond.

We perceive as yet by far less change in millinery than we had expected. Undress caps are made of white crape, and trimmed with black love ribbon. They are of the beret form, and of the usual size. Black crape and gauze turbans, either with or without crape flowers, are worn in dinner and evening dress by matronly ladies. Juvenile belles appear in head-dresses of hair. A jet comb, the head of which is of the diadem form, usually confines the large bow or cluster of bows behind, and knots of grey lavender or black ribbon, are either mingled with the bows, or placed at the sides of the head.