Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - October 1830 Ladies' Pocket Magazine

Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - October 1830 Ladies' Pocket Magazine

Cursory Remarks on the Last New Fashions

Very little change has taken place since our last number in promenade dress: white gowns are not so generally adopted, but those of plain gingham and colored muslin still keep their ground. Silk dresses, of dark colors, begin to be in favor, and notwithstanding the lateness of the season, canezons are nearly as much worn as ever; they are composed either of muslin or cambric; if of the first, the back is pointed, and the fronts are square; there are no sleeves, but a trimming round the back and armholes form epaulettes; this trimming is always embroidered, as are also the fronts and the collar, or collars, for these are sometimes tied. Of the canezon, those composed of cambric are more frequently made in the tippet style, that is to say, with long ends which wrap over in front; they are frilled round, and are finished at the throat with a triple frill; these frills are either small plaited, or else disposed in large round plaits.

A few cachemire shawls which are principally worn over muslin dresses, have been already seen in carriage dress. White and light colored silk bonnets decrease in favor. Some new autumnal ones have already appeared composed of Mazarine blue, brun d' Espagne, and other sober colors; they are generally lines with white, and have a good deal of blond lace intermixed with the trimming: one which we considered as remarkably elegant, had a drapery of blond lace which extended across the crown nearly to the edge of the brim, where it terminated in an ornament composed of cut ribbon, of the form of an artichoke: a similar ornament was placed on the opposite side under the brim, and a bouquet of white and red roses, corresponding with the colors of the ribbon, placed near the crown of the hat, was partially shaded by the lace drapery.

Light materials, as batistes, colored muslins, &c. are as much adopted as ever in home dress. The bodies of gowns continue to be made quite the natural length in the waist, and the skirts disposed in plaits all round: corsages partially high, and of the shawl form are most in favor in half dress, but they are made closer than they have lately been worn, and many have the fronts disposed in full folds which wrap across. The sleeves of muslin dresses have not altered in width at the upper part, but they are either narrower from the wrist to the elbow, or else the sleeve is confined in three or four places by bands. We see many gowns, the skirts of which are trimmed with a bias band, which goes as high as the knee, and is finished at the upper edge by a trimming of dents de scie, which are so placed as partially to conceal each other.

Clear muslin embroidered round the border, either in white or colors is much worn in evening dress: some have the corsage drape, others a mille plis; these last are ornamented with a fold round the bosom slightly pointed before and behind; it is open on the shoulders, and very deep: the sleeves are generally short, but if they are long, they are ornamented with embroidery, which corresponds as well as that on the corsage with the border of the skirt.

The hair still continues to be dressed high: we see a good many Chinese coiffures; it would, perhaps, be scarcely possible to find a style of hair-dressing more universally unbecoming than this: uncommon beauty and extreme youth are privileged to wear what they please; but we have seen ladies who have neither to boast of, really spoil very agreeable faces by this kind of coiffure.

Flowers are very much used to decorate head-dresses of hair, as are also knots of ribbon; these last are sometimes placed so as to surmount the bows of hair on the summit of the head-dress, which gives an extraordinary, and in our opinion, an ungraceful height to the coiffure.

The colors most in request are ponceau, lavender, gris Suedois, green, and canary color of various shades.