Early Victorian Era Fashion Chit Chat - June 1838 The World of Fashion

Early Victorian Era Fashion Chit Chat - June 1838 The World of Fashion

Newest London Fashions for June, 1838

The summer is now in all its eclat, and our prints will testify our assertion that the summer fashions are unusually brilliant. How, indeed, can they be otherwise? when we consider that it is the firt summer in which our young and lovely Queen assembles around her a brilliant and splendid Court. We say the first summer, for a great part of the latter was devoted to the Court mourning. The approach of the Coronation too, will render the season more brilliant than any that has preceded it, at least in the memory of any of our fair readers. But let us, without further digression, proceed to state what are the novelties that have appeared since our last number; and first,

Printed Muslins will be worn in morning neglige and half dress; the patterns are small and remarkable both for their novelty and elegance. Those for neglige are jaconot muslin, the others are clear muslin, and so beautifully fine and transparent, that they are well calculated for half-dress.

Shawls and Mantelets - Those of black silk are still the most in favour; the forms are those that have been so often described; the trimming is generally black lace, which we must observe is likely to continue in favour both for these envelopes, and for dresses during the summer. The first offer a good deal of variety; some are lined with rose or straw-coloured sarsenet, others worn without lining; many are ornamented with rich embroidery, others are quite plain. Some are trimmed with lace; others with bands of muslin that are either embroidered round the border, or scolloped at the edge. Some of these shawls form maltelets; others are square. We see them also descend in points, forming scarfs. So that it may be said with truth there are shawls for all tastes and all fortunes. We cannot say the same of the China crape shawls, for to be fashionable they must be of the rich kind described in our last number.

Rice Straw Hats - Some have just appeared remarkable for the smallness of their brims. One that has been generally admired is ornamented with a richly figured white and green ribbon, and a bunch of white grapes; others were ornamented with five roses, panachees, or a voilette, entirely covering the brim, with a bunch of ears of barley under the voilette; others are adorned with plumes a crete de marabouts, either poquille, azure blue, or rose. Dyed marabouts are also very generally employed for the trimming of these hats.

Italian Straw Hats - Although the majority have not the brims cut, there is yet a considerable minority that have, and we have seen some of the most expensive of these beautiful hats that have been submitted to the scissars. We cannot help feeling it a pity, for there is no form which can be given to these hats more graceful than their original one, with the brim partially turned up at the back. We may cite among the most elegant of these chapeaux, those ornamented with a head of asparagus en graine; the verdure is extremely delicate, and the little red seeds have a singularly pretty effect. The ribbon that trims these hats is twisted round the upper part of the crown and terminates in a knot on one side. The brides are attached under the brim; there is no ribbon round the lower part of the crown. Violets of Parma and flowers of the Alps are much in request for trimming the interior of the brims of Italian straw hats.

Half-Dress Bonnets - We may cite at the head of our list of these elegant novelties those that have recently appeared of coloured silk, covered with India muslin, embroidered in colannes, ambesques, or strewed with sprigs in feather-stitch. The interior of the brim and the bavolet are also covered with muslin. Some delicate flowers decorate the interior of the brim, and a triple knot of ribbons with long floating ends placed on one side of the crown completes the trimming. Another bonnet of white gros de Naples, lined with cherry colour, had an admirable effect; it was trimmed with a blond lace violette, and a bouquet of flowers, tied by a broad white ribbon shaded with cherry-colour. Some crape bonnets, covered with spotted tulle have just appeared; the effect is at once novel and pretty, they are trimmed with roses mignonne.

Cottage Bonnets - There seems little doubt that these bonnets, of a form very different, however, to their original shape, will be adopted by our elegantes during the summer; we mean, of course, in a certain degree, for we think they will be, as the French would say, une mode a part. We have seen some in very fine straw, lined with white satin; the crown and brim were in one, but the latter rounded at the corners, and moderately wide, is infinitely more becoming as well as more distingue than the original cottage bonnet. Some have no trimming in the interior of the brim, others are ornamented in a very light style with tulle. A round and very full knot of ribbon with floating ends is placed at the back of the crown. This is a remarkably elegant and lady-like style of bonnet. Another somewhat different in form, called a bibi cottage, has just appeared in rice straw; they are trimmed with dark coloured ribbons; chocolate brown and a new shade of blue are the prettiest colours. The edge of the brim was trimmed with a ruche. We must observe that this ornament is now very generally employed for morning bonnets; in effect nothing can be more generally becoming, from the softness it gives to the feature.

Robes for Carriage or Public Promenade Dress - The most elegant robes are those of embroidered muslin, trimmed with flounces embroidered expressly for that kind of trimming; the sleeves, tight at the top, are all trimmed at the upper part with flounces, and are demi-large to the wrist; the backs of the corsages are full, and a good many have the fronts plain; if they are trimmed, they are trimmed in a very simple style, and particularly in such a manner as to leave the bottom of the corsage quite disengaged. We shall cite a corsage of a half high robe, the waist very long, disengaged from all kind of ornament near the ceinture, but on the breast was an oval trimming formed by a band which terminated its point at each end, flat plaits issued from the trimming on each side and met the shoulder-strap. The upper part of corsages continue to be cut always rather open en coeur. If the robe is composed of silk or muslin; this opening is generally trimmed with one or two rows of lace set on full. We have great reason to believe that pelisse robes of muslin or organdy lined with silk will not enjoy the same vogue that they have done for some seasons past; they will, however, enjoy a certain degree of favour, for they are too pretty to be all at once laid aside. A few robes of plain muslin have appeared without any other ornament than a deep hem round the bottom, through which a coloured ribbon was run; this simplicity was, however, redeemed by the corsage and sleeves being trimmed with lace, or else a pelerine mantelet of lace crossed on the bosom, and the ends descending to the ceinture, being worn with the robe.

Morning Concert Dresses - We cannot do better than present our fair readers with a few ensembles of elegant half-dress toilettes that have recently appeared at some of these reunions; a plain muslin robe trimmed with two volans, embroidered in a light pattern, each surmounted by a riviere nearly half-a-quarter deep; the flounce is finished at the edge by a narrow scolloped lace. The dress was worn over a gros de Naples slip of the palest blue. A large shawl of blue pou de soie, with a narrow lappet; the shawl embroidered all round a climbing wreath, and finished with a deep full trimming, cut out in dents at the edge. Rice straw hat, trimmed with follettes panachees de blue, and the interior of the brim ornamented with light blue velvet. Organdy robe, trimmed with a deep flounce, surmounted by a bouillon with a rose-coloured ribbon run through it; the bottom of the flounce finished with two narrow tucks each with a ribbon run through. Corsage vierge full all round; the fullness gathered at top into two embroidered bands. Wide sleeves, surmounted by two jockeys; they are drawn with ribbons in the hem, and drawn in at the bottom by three bands of ribbon at equal distances, with small knots in the centre of the arm. White crape cottage bonnet, trimmed with a ruche of rose ribbon, and a sprig of moss roses drooping on one side. Robe of changeable silk, lilac and straw colour; the skirt is trimmed with a flounce embroidered in lilac silk. Wide sleeves ornamented en suite. Corsage tight and half high. Pelerine mantelet of embroidered muslin trimmed with lace, and lined with white taffetas. Italian straw hat trimmed with a bird of Paradise, and straw-coloured ribbons.

Pelisse Robes - continue to be adopted in half-dress; some few are of muslin embroidered and trimmed with lace; but the majority are composed of pou de soie or gros de Naples; the back may be either plain or full, but the front is always cut en coeur. We may cite as the most elegant of these dresses, those of grey pou de soie, closed entirely down the centre with a ruche chievree of the material of the robe; a second ruche forms a tunic, and reaches en tablier to the ceinture. Corsage en schall, with a lappel trimmed en suite. Wide sleeves, the shoulders and wrists trimmed with ruches.

Victoria Sleeve - Such is the form almost universally adopted for long sleeves; the only difference that exists is in the variety of ornaments at the top, and the greater or less wider at the bottom. When they are not close at the top they are confined by bands, either two or three in number, nearly to the elbow; the lower part of the sleeve is full.

Coiffures in Evening Dress - are principally distinguished for their simplicity. We may cite as among the prettiest, a cap, or rather a half caul of a cap placed very far back upon the head; it is composed of blond lace, and the front formed of two half wreaths of light flowers, which, descending on each side of the cheeks, droop upon the neck. Small hats of rice straw with aureoli brims, the interior decorated with flowers; the crowns with shaded marabouts are also in favour; and white crape hats still more so. But, perhaps, the prettiest coiffure is one that we hardly know how to desigante, it is neither a hat nor a cap, but may be said to partake in some degree of the forms of both; it is composed of blond lace, and trimmed with gerbes of small roses, partly veiled under the folds of lace.

Evening Head-Dresses of Hair - They are uniformly dressed very low behind, the knot of hair being placed almost upon the nape of the neck. We may cite as the most elegant style of ornament for these coiffures, knots of ribbon attached on each side with the ends floating upon the neck and shoulders; a few flowers are tastefully placed. We frequently see a pink camelia placed on one side in a tuft of hair, and a corresponding one opposite; roses are often arranged in the same manner. Another favourite ornament is a sprig of heath blossoms, placed very far back, or two boquets of violets of Parma, disposed like pompons on each side of the cheeks.

Fashionable Colours - still continue to be of the kind that we have enumerated last month, but a variety of new and beautiful shades of these colours have appeared. White is still more predominant.