Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - March 1821 Ladies' Monthly Museum

Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - March 1821 Ladies' Monthly Museum

General Monthly Statement of Fashion

With the approach of Spring, we find it always usual, though why, we know not, to adopt black velvet spensers: a new kind of this favorite article is made to button behind; and is pointed in front at the bottom of the waist, and has neither cape nor collar; a swansdown tippet, or falling frill of lace or embroidered muslin, being worn with it, according to the state of the weather. Lapland-ice moss is used as a trimming to light coloured cachemire pelisses for the carriage; we must say, we find this very incongruous; for the light colours now, whether in cachemire, gros de Naples, or satin, may be looked on as the harbingers of spring; and the above-mentioned moss has so chill an appearance, that we fancy oursleves almost in Lapland at the sight of it; nor do we admire it at all as a trimming; it is a beautiful material for winter-bonnets, but no further. A favorite colour for spensers is Egyptian brown, either in velvet, satin, or reps-silk; they are lined with jonquil satin, and trimmed with a net chenille fringe of the same colour, tassels, and Brandenburghs. Pelerines of fur are more worn than we could wish, for they are too large, and destroy all the grace of a good shape.

The bonnets are made low in the crown, and are not bent down on the forehead so much as they were last month: we think they are a degree smaller. The white satin carriage hats and bonnets are often ornamented with coloured ribands of the same colour as the flowers or feathers with which they are crowned. Highland caps are much worn in carriages.

Cambric gowns, trimmed with puckered muslin, in various ways, form the chief dress for the morning. For evening dresses, gowns of net, or crape, over satin, are much admired; for half-dress, figured poplins, or twilled sarsnet, seem most prevalent; but never was black so much worn as at this period; it is a dress that, in the winter, always looks well, and is particularly suited to the fair-haired beauty, or where embonpoint has destroyed the sylph-like form of earlier years.

The silk-handkerchief, long known by the title of the Madrass turban, has experienced some want of favor; yet the head-dress is so convenient and so truly appropriate to half-dress, that ladies who are really ladies of fashion, seem determined to let it yet maintain its ground; though French caps, with a profusion of half-opening roses placed in front, have certainly the pre-eminence for that style of costume, in which woman always appears to most advantage. Young ladies, in full dress, wear chiefly their own hair, interspersed with flowers among the briads and ringlets.

The favorite articles in jewellery, are rubies and pearls; and the most prevailing colours, are Egyptian brown, geranium, and grass-green.

The Parisian Toilet
All the treasures of this emporium are now displayed, for the fine weather in Paris fills the gardens of the Thuilleries with rival beauties, all habited in the utmost style of elegance and fashion; yet there are now in that tasteful metropolis many Gallic belles who are confined with severe colds. The reason is obvious; they had such beautiful mantles, such delightful marabout plumes, and such elegant thin kid shoes; and, according to a Frenchwoman's maxim, these things must be seen out of doors, or what are they worth?

A fashionable hat for this, and other public walks, is composed of black velvet, with a full trimming of gauze round the crown, quilled like a ruff; the plaits in front are divided by an ornamented pin of steel, diamond cut. These hats have no other ornament, nor have they any trimming at the edge. some of the Parisian elegantes have essayed to revive the hat which was in fashion in 1809 and in 1813, with a high crown and a small brim; these are of rose-coloured velvet, or satin, and resemble the Polish hat, only that the brims of these are quite spread out, and that they are crowned with either marabout of ostrich feathers.

Mantles of a wrap kind are more in favor now than pelisses; a very beautiful one for the carriage is of Nakara velvet, trimmed round with marten; and another for the promenade, of green kerseymere, lined and trimmed with ermine. English mantles of silk are much worn, and are likely to be very general through the month of March. Spensers are made to button behind, and have a collar slightly falling, with a satin riband, or mock velvet, that ties behind.

On many gowns, as well as spensers, that fasten behind, the buttons are merely ornamental; the dress itself is fastened with hooks and eyes underneath; some ladies have even false button-holes worked, to render the illusion more complete. A dress for visits of ceremony, or for English tea-parties, is of pink satin, or mock velvet, trimmed with Chinchilla fur; with a white bonnet of shag silk, lined with pink, and crowned with a ruch plume of down feathers. The hair arranged over the forehead, and slightly parted, in very full curls. This is an expensive dress, under the affectation of half-dress. Gowns of tulle, for evening dresses, are embroidered in flowers of a pale ponceau colour. The flowers that are used in the trimming of ball-dresses have pistils of pearls, which have a very brilliant effect.

Now is the season when Diversity, the favourite handmaid of Fashion, is busily emplyed in giving variety to the manner of arranging the tresses of beauty, and les coeffures aux cheveux are different at every different party. Sometimes a wreath of various flowers are twisted tight round the knot of hair brought together on the crown of the head, with a bandeau next the forehead of the same flowers. Another evening head-dress is seen, composed of three diadems; the first encircling the forehead, is of diamonds, the second of flowers, and the third, which is placed very backward, is of silver ears of corn, behind which the hair is fastened with a diamond comb. Another evening head-dress is formed from a mixture of ponceau and silver gauze, entwined amongst the hair with ornaments of gold wheat-ears. Turbans are made of gauze, velvet, or crape, and adorned with pearls and antique broaches. A very favorite head-dress for the ball-room is the hair arranged a la Madona, and discovering the ears; on the summit of the crown is a beautiful cluster of auriculas; puffings of white gauze and auriculas full up each side of the hair.

Coral ornaments are very general, particularly for young persons at balls.

The favorite colours are - rose-colour, makara, (i.e. the bright scarlet poppy) grass-green, and grey.