Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - March 1821 Ackerman's Repository

Romantic Era Fashion Chit Chat - March 1821 Ackerman's Repository

General Observations on Fashion and Dress

Velvet spencers, which are worn with poplin or gros de Naples dresses, are now as much, or in fact rather more, in favour for walking dress than pelisses, though the latter are still fashionable. Spencers are trimmed in general with satin of the same colour; the epaulettes are small but full; the sleeves rather straight, and the collars not so high as they have been worn: tabs have disappeared, but the waist is always ornamented either with a small jacket or with Brandenbourgs at the hips.

The mildness of the weather has induced our elegantes to adopt rather a lighter style of out-door dress than last month: thus the Angola shawl and the large fur tippet are at present seldom seen; but silk or China crape scarfs are generally worn with spencers, and India shawls are much in favour with high dresses.

Promenade bonnets have suffered no diminution of size: we refer to our print, Mos. 1 and 2 for the most fashionable, both in form and materials. Black velvet and black satin are also a great deal worn. Beaver, though not very fashionable, is nevertheless in favour with some elegantes: bonnets composed of it are always ornamented with a large plume of marabout or ostrich feathers, and a full feather trimming at the edge of the brim; when the hat is decorated with flowers, the brim is edged with moss silk, or with a mixture of satin and gauze.

We have noticed in carriage dress a pelisse remarkable only for its having a hood attached to it: the hood, like the trimming, was composed of ermine, and had certainly a rich but a very heavy effect; it was also, as our fair readers will readily conceive, extremely disadvantageous to the shape. We have seen only one pelisse of this kind, and that was on a lady of very high rank.

Another, and a very elegant novelty, is a carriage pelisse composed of purple velvet, and lined with white sarsnet: the body is tight to the shape; the waist is the usual length; the shape of the back is marked by a slight embroidery in braiding to correspond in colour with the pelisse, and small silk acorns finish it at the hips. The trimming consists of a wreath of oak-leaves, formed of chenille and purple satin intermixed; it is laid on in a wave, and goes all round. A large pelerine, pointed like a fichu behind, and with two long ends in front, is trimmed in a similar manner. This trimming has an uncommonly beautiful effect.

Rose colour and black are, more than any other colours, in request for carriage bonnets: we appear in fact to carry our fondness for the former hue to as great an extreme as our French neighbors, for all the various shades of it may be seen in our fashionable bonnets. We observe is a good many instances the lining also is rose colour, of a shade corresponding to that of the bonnet. The present month does not furnish much novelty (with the exception of the head-dresses given in our print) in carriage hats or bonnets; but we have observed some trimmings for the edges of the brims of bonnets which we think novel and pretty. ONe of these is composed of puffs of transparent gauze, between each of which is a satin shell; another is a fall of blond set on full, and festooned at the very edge of the brim, each festoon being fastened by a small rose; a third trimming is composed of satin, disposed in the form of crescents, with bouillonne of gauze between.

We have noticed a pretty dishabille composed of cahemire: the body is loose, and made up to the throat with a falling collar, which is rounded, is very deep, and is cut in points so as to form a small pelerine; the body is confined to the waist by a girdle pointed in the middle of the back and under the breasts: the sleeve is very long and loose; it is terminted by a cuff, which turns up in a single deep point; these points, and also the girdle, are edged with a very narrow binding of gros de Naples, to correspond in colour. The bottom of the skirt is finished with a broad bouillonne of cachemire, adorned at each edge by a chain trimming composed of plaited gros de Naples. This dress is the only novelty which we have remarked in morning costume, the materials for which continue the same as in our last Number.

Crape continues to be getting still more into estimation in full dress. Coloured gauzes over satin slips of the same colour are also a good deal worn. Waists are a little longer, and we think the bust is rather more exposed than it was last month. Long sashes are not now considered very fashionable, though they are still worn; but girdles, of the same material as the dress, or of satin, if the gown be gauze, crape, or lace, are more in estimation: they are always fastened by a clasp composed of diamonds, pearls, or coloured gems.

Dress gowns are not, upon the whole, trimmed so high in general as they have been; although there seems no certain criterion of fashion in that respect, as a good many elegantes of distinguished taste still have their dresses trimmed very high; while other ladies, and those we think the greater number, adopt the moderate style of trimming given in our print.

A toque of a novel description has made its appearance, which looks at a distance like a crown of feathers: it is a low ovel crown, composed of white satin, and is entirely surrounded by low plumes of marabouts placed close to each other; a very narrow band of wrought silk, which conceals the ends of the feathers, goes next to the face: this is a styleof head-dress singularly becoming to a pretty woman, but by no means calculated for those ladies to whom nature has not been bountiful.

Fashionable colours are the same as last month.