Regency Fashion: Opera, Rural Ball, Walking, Morning, and Evening Dress (1831)

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Records of the Beau Monde FASHIONS FOR AUGUST 1831 EXPLANATION OF THE PRINTS OF THE FASHIONS English Fashions MORNING DRESS The A WHITE jaconot muslin dress the corsage square and gathered round the top into a band which is lightly embroi dered at each edge the fulness disposed in small plaits arranged en cœur sleeve is an improvement on the imbecille form very large at top and wide but not extravagantly so at the wrist Two deep flounces of rich embroidery placed one immediately above the other go round the border and reach rather above the knee The apron is of changeable gros de Naples lilac shot with white it is ar ranged in bands disposed en cœur before and behind and ornamented on each shoulder and at the back of the ceinture with nœuds of ribbon to correspond English lace cap the caul of moderate height the trimming of the front light short at the ears and partially drooping over the left side of the forehead it is trimmed with knots of cut ribbon to cor respond with the apron the brides fasten in bows and ends on the right side EVENING DRESS A DRESS of mousseline de soie white figured in gold colour the corsage cut plain and square behind and in crossed drapery and very low in front A guimpe that is a plain standing up tucker of blond lace is seen in the centre of the bosom only Béret sleeves of the usual form The hair is turned back in a low soft bow on each side of the forehead which is orna mented with a gold ferronière and dis posed in full bows on the summit of the head A blond lace scarf is arranged in the lappet style round the bows it is attached by a bouquet of roses placed in front and another behind Neck chain bracelets & c gold of rich but light workmanship French fashions OPERA DRESS A DRESS composed of a new material called gaze favorite figured in perpen dicular wreaths of small blue and yellow flowers alternately on a white ground Plain corsage cut bias very low and square The sleeve is of the usual size at the top but diminishes gradually so as to sit close to the arm at the wrist The jockeys are deep open on the shoul ders and edged with a fancy silk trim ming of a very light and novel kind Hat composed of white moire trimmed on the inside of the brim with coques of gris lilas gauze ribbon in the centre of which is a sprig of fancy flowers to correspond A full bouquet of flowers surrounded by light bows of ribbon ornaments the crown The jewellery worn with this dress should be pearls RURAL BALL DRESS A gaze de laine dress a white ground figured in columns of lilac flowers between bright green stripes Corsage very low and square draped in the Grecian style across the front the back is plain The chemisette is of embroidered tulle trimmed with the same material the trimming falls over the corsage A lappel narrow at the bottom but broad on the shoulders and back forms the bust en cœur and is arranged in the pelerine style behind it is edged with white fancy trimming The sleeve is quite tight to the fore part of the arm and very large at top Hat of cit ron coloured moire trimmed under the brim with coques of bright green gauze ribbon and a panache of cocks feathers the colour of the ribbon placed on the left side The front of the crown is trim med with a knot composed of long light bows of ribbon and a panache drooping to the right side Fancy jewellery must be worn with this dress WALKING DRESS A PRINTED muslin dress rose coloured and white stripes figured in a running pattern of green Plain high corsage and sleeves of the Medicis form Cambric canezou with a double trimming of the same material lightly scolloped at the edges it has a deep falling collar cut in points which are also scolloped at the edges Bonnet of rice straw trimmed on the inside of the brim with cut ends of figured rose colour and brown gauze rib bon two bouquets each consisting of a full blown rose with buds and foliage decorate the crown the one is placed on the left side near the top the other on the right at the bottom The shawl is print ed cachemire disposed en echarpe GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON FASHIONS AND DRESS OUT DOOR Costume has altered very lit tle since last month the materials con tinue the same with the exception of white jaconot muslin which begins to be in favour for high dresses The border is always embroidered nearly to the knee in that rich style of work that resembles point lace The plain high corsage which fastens behind is nearly covered by a pe lerine with short rounded ends passing under the ceinture and descending a little below it It has a small collar rounded in front The pelerine is composed en tirely of embroidery and has a very rich effect The sleeve is of the Medicis kind and the cuff rather deep and terminat ing in round scollops at the upper part corresponds Changeable gros de Naples is most in favour for dresses of the pelisse gown kind Dresses of the newest form have a flat back and the fronts in crossed dra pery three folds go from each shoulder to the waist and thence they descend on each side to the bottom of the skirt The cuff is also composed of folds which cross in the centre in front and form points on each side Fawn colour blue red lilac and green each shot with white are the favourite colours for these silks Within the last month a few hats have been seen in carriage costume and they No 80 Vol XIV seemingly bid fair to rival the capôtes An glaises though the latter are still the most generally adopted The brims of the most novel hats are all of the chapeau capôte kind and a little shallower than those worn about two months since Watered silk rice straw and tissu de paille are all in favour but the first is most fashion able Many hats are trimmed with fea thers those that are ornamented with in the style of an esprit on one side near flowers have either a light sprig placed the top of the crown and attached by a brim or else a sun flower also placed in rosette the ends of which fall upon the front of the crown and composed of ends of satin gauze ribbon The crowns of bonnets are higher and we see some that have the brims wider than last month but they are very few in number Many are trimmed with fea thers which instead of being very short and disposed in a bouquet are of different lengths and arranged so as to droop over the brim The materials for bonnets re main the same as last month We have noticed in addition a few but only a few of Leghorn straw on very elegant women The material is not generally fashionable but the bonnets that we speak of were remarkable for their beauty and extreme costliness The brims were not so short at the ears as they are in general and were a little turned up round the front Some were ornamented on the in side with rosettes of ribbon and others were decorated with blond lace disposed in the form of a crescent Bouquets of lily of the valley or of house leek in flower adorned the crown or else two sprigs placed stalk to stalk of myrtle in flower were displayed on one side Jaconot muslin printed muslins and silks are all fashionable in dishabille Some dresses of the first material are made with three tucks put to touch each other round the border the last sur mounted by a light embroidery A plain corsage with sleeves of the imbecille kind the corsage covered with a canezou of French cambric made à schall and trim med round the bust and arm holes with a deep frill small plaited If the dress be of printed muslin it is worn with a pelerine fichu of jaconot mus lin or cambric with very large jockeys K this delicate critic ever happen to hear embroidered and edged with narrow lace The ends of these fichus pass under the ceinture before and behind and the folds are thus formed either en gerbe or in the fan style Morning caps have recently been made with the trimming of the front much nar rower Some of those composed of tulle are very lightly embroidered and orna mented with a single knot formed of three bows of gauze ribbon The bows are of the coque kind and have two long ends depending from them the knot is placed a little on one side and the ends fall over the back of the caul The materials of dinner dress remain the same as last month Corsages are mostly made half high Some are dis posed in drapery folds which cross so as to form an X displaying only the centre of the chemisette others are plain and either finished with a rûche round the bust or else have a cape cut so as to form epaulettes This last mentioned is the most generally becoming style of corsage that we have seen for some time pro vided the wearer be not more than mo derately en bon point Transparent sleeves continue to be worn over béret ones there is no alteration in the size of either but the former have the lower part more or namented Some have the fulness con fined to the lower part of the arm by bands to correspond with the dress dis posed in lozenges each fastening in the centre of the arm with a small gold clasp others have the fulness arranged in bias folds laid partially over each other Rûches or blond lace manchettes turning up in the cuff style usually ornament the wrist Trimmings are not more gene rally adopted than they were last month those that are worn consist of rûches ar ranged round the border to resemble a feather trimming Evening dresses are cut still lower round the bust than they were last month In fact the bosom is now very indeli cately exposed in full dress We say that we have borrowed this style from the French and they protest that they have imported it from us One of their fashionable journals gravely declares it is a disgrace to French modesty to have adopted it FRENCH MODESTY Did of the modest appearance of Mesdames Tallien and Recamier when all Paris flocked to the public promenades to see them attired in the pure Grecian style which by the way was the most impure apology for clothing that ever was worn Mais revenons à nos modes this fashion is certainly as unbecoming as it is indeli cate for the shoulders being stripped so excessively gives a flatness to the bosom and is altogether disadvantageous to the shape Crossed draperies and plain cor sages are equally in favour the latter are frequently made with à revers open on the shoulders and edged with narrow blond lace Short sleeves are not uni versally adopted in evening dress but they are upon the whole more in favour than long ones The materials of evening dress con tinue the same as last month but moire is not so much worn Trimmings are of gauze and tulle intermixed with flowers they do not afford much novelty or va riety but they are very light and tasteful Blond lace caps of the béret kind con tinue to be very much worn in half dress Bérets composed of silver gauze adorned with feathers sometimes mixed with small bouquets of silver wheat are much in fa vour in full dress though not so fashion able as head dresses of hair The Chinese style is coming much into fashion One of the prettiest costumes of this kind for social parties is formed by the hair ar ranged in the Chinese mode in front and disposed in two bows behind the end of one of which falls in a tuft of curls on one side A single flower placed over the left temple with its buds and foliage com pletes this pretty and original coiffure Fashionable colours are fawn colour of a new shade blue red lilac green evening primrose and different shades of lemon colour and rose colour Plates and descriptions appeared in the August 1831 edition of La Belle Assemblée. 

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