"Dress in Season and In Reason" (Girl's Own Paper, October 27 1888)

"Our long and wintry summer has come to an end," writes "The Lady Dressmaker" in her October column for The Girl's Own Paper,

..."and we can only hope we may not be beginning a long and cold winter.  Very few people have had the courage to wear their summer dresses this season, and the things most generally seen have been thin woollens in their almost endless variety."

In spite of her wishes for a milder winter the author takes care to illustrate the "new" long cloaks,

.."as they are the latest idea, [but] I cannot be sure they will take the place of others; they are excellent wrap cloaks, most comfortable and warm.  Short jackets are being made in black and blue pilot cloth, and black and brown plush is being made into covert jackets, with large buttons covered in plush also."

(Covert jackets were originally designed for outdoor pursuits in the country: since the ones the "Lady Dressmaker" describes are made of plush, I suspect they weren't intended to be worn for field sports!)

For additional warmth she recommends gaiters, "already much worn... by women who are obliged to walk or prefer it to driving... I see," she continues

"that one of the most sensible of our writers, considers that in the gaiter lies the true solution of the "Dress Reform" question; for were these comfortable articles of dress once adopted, the need for divided skirts would be obviated, as both feet and legs could be protected to any extent..."

Well that's a relief!

The second illustration to this column is of what The Lady Dressmaker describes as "Empire dresses" (i.e. dresses of the Napoleonic era).  To modern eyes, there is no resemblance between these Victorian fashions and the original Empire styles:

As always in fashion columns of this era, some space is dedicated to the materials used to make up the styles described.  (After all, the readers would not be buying their clothes ready-made!)

"I must give a few words now to the new colours prepared for the winter season.  I think the generality of the cloths and materials seem to be either brown or green, but the tones are all rather mild, indeed, almost dull.  Stripes are again the ruling idea everywhere, the prettiest perhaps being those about two inches wide of two quiet contrasting colours.  Dark slate, black current, opium seed, as, stone colour, and lively drab are among the names I hear most frequently.  Virginia and Etruscan are the only two reds; the former is the dark shade of the Virginia creeper when turning in autumn; the latter is a kind of terra cotta."

Imagine a modern fashion writer describing the colours of the moment as "almost dull"!  As the article is illustrated only in black and white this detailed description is a boon to modern readers as well as its intended audience.  It not only enables us to visualise what these late 1880s costumes would have looked like, it also provides a useful guide for anyone wishing to date a garment from around this time.