Late Victorian fashions tended to be cumbersome and over-ornamented, but by Heaven! they looked warm.
From which the astute reader can deduce that I'm writing this on a cold winter's day.
Above is a fashion plate depicting the newest fashions of 1877. Both models wear dresses with long trains but no bustles. "The back breadths of dresses," The Ladies Treasury informs us, are made as flat as possible, the loopings, if any to be at the sides". The figure on the left is dressed in French merino or cashmere:
"The bodice is in Princess form. The wide and full train is trimmed from the waist downwards, and caught together with a broad ruching of black satin. Cuirass paletot of double cashmere lined with flannel and silk, and in the form of three square capes, the two lowest fitting to the figure. The trimming is of clair-de-lune or moonlight beads and fringe."
Paper patterns for the dress and jacket were available from the magazine.
The figure on the right is wearing a "Home Costume":
"of light gray Royal Wellington serge (Egerton Burnett's). Robe of Princess form, split up the back, where a full breadth to form the train is inserted, the to split sides being drawn together with grenat cords and tassels. The cuirass bodice is simulated [my emphasis] by narrow velvet trimming and fringe."
Patterns were not advertised for this dress.
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