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tbarbin
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 240 Location: Holloman AFB,NM	Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:58 pm    Post subject: Young ladies in white.   I read a lot of Regency books and usually a young unmarried female is depicted in white- especially at Almack's. Were only their ballgowns white? Everyone seems to have a green riding habit in every book I read. What about morning, afternoon or walking dresses? I have seen fashion plates of many different colors but not sure if those dresses were for married women or widows(?) I am really not trying to be obtuse. Angel _________________ "I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:29 am    Post subject:   White was a very popular colour, and was considered especially appropriate for young women/girls. The real heyday of white was c. 1790-1810 (so just a little pre-Regency). By the teens, colour was back in a big way (mostly muted soft colours, but still . . . ). Habits tended to be in darker/brighter colours (hello, horses + dirt = a need for dark fabric), but I have seen a cream-coloured habit (made of a summer-weight cotton/linen blend). _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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tbarbin
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 240 Location: Holloman AFB,NM	Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:46 am    Post subject: Thank you, Kalen.   Just trying to make sure I've got it straight. Angel _________________ "I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:28 am    Post subject:   There was no RULE that young ladies couldn't wear colours, it was just fashionable to wear white (white gowns, because of the expense of laundering them or replacing them when they became too soiled to launder, also proclaimed that such an expense wasn't a concern, so it was a sign of wealth as well). Fashion plates, portraits, descriptions in diaries and journals, and extant gowns all demonstrate that gowns were by no means exclusively white. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KeiraSoleore
Moderator Princess Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 5898 Location: Seattle	Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:06 am    Post subject:   The younger the girl, the lighter the color.
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Chocolatepot
Upstart Joined: 31 Aug 2008 Posts: 8	Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:44 am    Post subject: Re: Young ladies in white.   tbarbin wrote: Were only their ballgowns white? (Assuming you were emphasizing "their" and not "ballgowns".) Aside from the conspicuous consumption issue described so well by KalenHughes, white was very popular with a range of ages because of the Classical aesthetic that was all the rage. Obsession with the Greeks and Romans began as a backlash to the bawdy Restoration, and the beginnings of archaeological excavations in the 18th century caused the removal of marble statues to England, which made dresses which were a) columnar and b) white excessively stylish. (The statues, architecture, &c. were originally painted very brightly, but they weren't to know.)
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:54 pm    Post subject:   All types of gowns were made of white fabric, day dresses, carraige gowns, ballgowns, opera gowns, etc. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:33 pm    Post subject:   The rest of you pretty much have this covered, so I haven't jumped in. But I will say that the vast majority of the 500+ fashion prints of the period in my collection show white dresses. Outer garments -- mantles, shawls, spencers, pelisses, etc -- are shown in a wide range of colors, almost always over a white dress. _________________
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tbarbin
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 240 Location: Holloman AFB,NM	Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:14 pm    Post subject: chocolatepot   I was emphasizing 'ballgowns.' Thank you to everyone for your assistance. Angel _________________ "I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:33 am    Post subject:   Candice wrote: But I will say that the vast majority of the 500+ fashion prints of the period in my collection show white dresses. But many (if not most) extant gowns are coloured. I'm not sure if this is because the white ones didn't survive as frequently or if coloured gowns were simply more popular than the fashionplates would make it appear. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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VanessaK
Lady of the Order of Bluestocking Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Ottawa, Canada	Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 9:56 am    Post subject:   Thanks Kalen and Candice. I still bang my head against the wall when it comes to dreaming up clothing for my characters.
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