"Sylvia's Home Journal" (October 1878)

 To round off October, the fashion plate which appeared with the October 1878 issue of Sylvia's Home Journal.

Sylvia's was a British women's magazine which ran from 1878 to 1891.  At sixpence an issue it wasn't the cheapest magazine on sale—but neither was it the most expensive!  It mainly contained fashion, fiction and household advice for its middle-class readers, and interestingly, it was one of the few magazines for women actually edited by a woman.

The garments depicted are described as "Elegant Travelling Costumes" in the magazine.  The lady on the left is wearing a dress made of faille (a lightly woven silk with a ribbed texture) with a "short" train.  The woman on the right is wearing a "short costume" (that is, one without a train) made of cashmere.  The back of the costume, which we can't see, is draped in falling loops.  Finally, on the right, is a costume for a little girl aged six or seven.  Her dress has two flounces, and is worn with a matching jacket ornamented with silk cord.