La Belle Assemblée, July 1811.
“Opera Dress”
There is so much I love about this dress. First, the combination of light blue and brown is very striking. The net work at the bosom and especially the sleeves is quite pretty. Plus, it’s a very flattering look for a woman with a full bosom!
She is holding a monocular which would have been used, like opera glasses, to get a closer view of the stage. More likely, however, it was used to watch people in the other boxes.
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“A blue satin robe, worn over a slip of white satin, let in at the bosom and sleeves (which are short) with silver Moravian net work. A tunic of Egyptian brown sarsnet or crape, confined on the shoulder with diamond studs, and trimmed round the bottom with silver net, separated in small divisions by spangled open work balls. A chaplet wreath of green foil, placed twice round the hair, which is disposed in irregular ringlets. Earrings of silver open work, studded with brilliants, resembling in form the bell of a child’s coral. Shoes of brown satin, bound and sandalled with silver braiding. Long gloves of white kid.”
Too bad we don’t have a full view of the shoes. They sound fabulous!
