Early Victorian Era Fashion Plate - April 1852 Le Moniteur de la Mode

Early Victorian Era Fashion Plate - April 1852 Le Moniteur de la Mode

Description of the Engraving

Bride's Toilet - Coiffure: hair in bands very much puffed: the back hair is tied rather low; the wreath is composed of white iris flowers with foliage. Behind this and rather on one side, is the crown of orange-flowers that holds the veil, which is placed very backward, and is of plain tulle with a single hem. Dress: it is of taffeta, with bayaderes, or mroe correctly speaking velvet with rows of velvet flowers, appearing like terry velvet. This dress, a disposition (or having a special pattern for each part), known at Delisle's as the Csarina robe, is a masterpiece of manufacture, of which it is impossible to form an accurate idea without seeing it in several colours, and also with effects of coloured velvet on a white ground. We give this model, because nothing can be easier, if the dress itself cannot be procured, than to replace the effects of velvet by lace sewed on flat, or by galloons; muslin also may be embroidered in this style. The body, almost high behind, is open very low in front, and trimmed with a double plain bertha that follows its cut. The waist is lengthened in front but not pointed. The bouquet decorates the bottom of the body and spreads in the form of a fan. The sleeve, in the pagoda shape and half wide is plain at top and terminated by two trimmings worked like the edge of the berthas. A wide lace under-sleeve covers the arm. The habit skirt is square at top, and is composed of lace; the upper row is raised at the edge, and below are four or five other rows of lace.

Communicant - Hair in bands a la Vierge; a little tulle cap trimmed all round with a ruche and tied under the chin with a ribbon in a cross bow. The top of the cap inclines to the Mary Stuart form. The veil, of this muclin, is fastened flat on the head and confined on each side, whence it hangs down almost as long as the frock. It is edged with a hem of about four inches. The under-frock, high behind, square in front, and rather open, is made of white taffeta. The body is plain, and the sleeves are long, rather wide, and tight at the wrist. The outer frock is muslin, and has a body high behind and open in front, gathered on the shoulder and at the waist. The edge is trimmed with a taffeta ruche. The under body is ornamented, in front, with three rows of bows, diminishing in size towards the bottom. The outer sleeve is wide, and edged with a taffeta ruche. The under-sleeve reaches below it. The hem of the skirt is at least 8 inches deep. The sash is tied in front and has long ends reaching almost to the ground.

Walking Dress - Bonnet of taffeta and blond. The brim, which is high, narrow, and sits close to the chin, is of taffeta, gathered from the bottom of the crown to the edge; on the sides of the crown an ornament is placed, cut rather round at the ends, and consisting of three rows of taffeta bouillonnes fastened together by a cross-piece of taffeta. The crown is not deep, falls back and has a soft top. The curtain, of taffeta cut cross-wise, is not gathered in the seam. The blond that covers the lower part is gathered, and ends in vandykes that hang below the curtain. A like blond is sewed full on the cross-piece that borders the ornament, and the points also reaching beyond the edge are fastened to those of the other blond, so that the edge of the brim is seen through them. Towards the bottom the blond above separates from that below, and sits full near the edge of the ornament. A blond forming a fanchon on the calotte is laid also under the other edge of the ornament. Lastly the curtain itself is covered with blond. Inside there are some fine white roses mixed with bows of ribbon.

Dress from Delisle's, what he calls the "Rainbow", it is taffeta, with shaded flounces. The body is high, and buttons straight up in front. The collar and frill are lace. Two revers, or more correctly speaking, two trimmings, are put up the side of the body. These trimmings, made of bands resembling the narrow flounces, get narrower towards the bottom. They are pinked at the edges, and shaded. The sleeve is plain, and terminated by two trimmings, pinked and shaded. The skirt has five flounces five inches wide, pinked and shaded, then a sixth of 8 or 9 inches pinked and shaded also.