Journal des Dames et des Modes, Paris, September 17, 1805.
“Costume Paré.”
This is a relatively simple but elegant evening dress. As it is not described in the magazine, we don’t know the fabric. The skirt, with a demi-train, is embroidered at the hem with yellow flowers and green leaves. The fashion commentary accompanying the print mentions that colored embroidery of flowers is popular, even on taffeta. So perhaps this is a taffeta dress. The short puffed sleeves have vertical strips of yellow fabric, or perhaps ribbon. The tops of the sleeves are adorned with what look to be twists of the white and yellow fabric. The bottom of the sleeves are trimmed with white ruffles. The high waist is belted with yellow fabric or ribbon.
A long pink shawl is draped casually around her neck. She carries a small folded fan, white with green accents.
One of the really lovely details of this print is the hairdo. It is a very complicated arrangement of braids and curls, and held together at the back with a beaded net cap, similar to the snood that would become popular in the mid-19th century, and again in the 1940s.
A large green comb keeps it all in place. Long drop earrings, painted silver, and the comb are the only items of jewelry we can see.
Note the fold across the middle of the print. We often see these on Costume Parisien prints, as mailed subscriptions of the magazine were folded. If you are having trouble picturing a thick magazine folded in half, know that these were small magazines, only 8 pages per issue. But they were issued every five days!
