Le Beau Monde, July 1807.
The two fashion prints in this month’s issue have their titles switched. This print has the title “Carriage Dresses for July 1807,” which goes with the other print. That print’s title, “Full Dress and Walking Dress for July 1807,” goes with this print.
The description for these dresses, especially the full dress, are almost excessively detailed. Perhaps that is because the print shows very little of that detail. The full dress is covered in pearls and lace, with an “Egyptian train of lilac spider net showered with pearls,” all of which sounds much more spectacular than the rather dowdy rendering in the print. It is possible that this description, and most others for fashion prints in this magazine, were written by Mrs. Bell, later a famous modiste and what we would call a fashion editor for La Belle Assemblée. At this time, her husband was the publisher of this magazine, Le Beau Monde, and would likely have called upon her fashion expertise. Whoever wrote the description here would have to have seen the actual dress and not relied on the print to describe it.
With all that detail, the designer of the dresses is not mentioned.
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“Fig. No. 1.–AN EGYPTIAN COSTUME.–The head-dress is composed of a rich handkerchief of white lace, which crosses the back part of the head; each corner of the handkerchief, a small distance from the shoulder, falls on the front of the neck; the handkerchief is trimmed round with a magnificent border of pearls, and each corner is finished with a bunch of the same; the hair is curled on top of the forehead with small thick curls, separated with a band of diamonds, which crosses the forehead, and continues round the head; two small curls down the side of the face. A rich white figured sarsnet dress made with a short train, and scolloped back; sleeves very short, and covered with a broad flap of white lace; the under sleeve is trimmed round with small French pearls; also the lace, which is fastened to the back part of the sarsnet sleeve with a star of pearls; the front is made full each way, and covered with rich lace fastened in the center with a star to correspond with the sleeves. An Egyptian train of lilac spider net, showered with pearls, and worked in the center with a large star of the same, cut in the form of a half handkerchief, wider at one end than at the other; one end is cut square, and gathered up full at the left shoulder with a pearl star; a piece of sarsnet, from under the left arm, richly ornamented, crosses the front, and is fastened with the middle corner of the train to the right knee with a bunch of pearls; the other corner, which reaches to the bottom of the dress, is finished with a large pearl tassel; the dress and train are trimmed round with pearls to correspond. White kid gloves and shoes.
“Fig. No. 2.–A MORNING WALKING DRESS.–A short gown and coat of fine jaconet muslin, edged with a broad border of patent work, made high in the neck with deep standing collar, trimmed with a narrow band of patent work to correspond. The skirt of the gown is made very deep on the right side, and is sloped gradually off to about half a yard in length on the left side, and is also fastened under the left arm with six large flat worked buttons; a pea-green sarsnet mantle, made with full gathers in the center of the back, is brought straight round the back down the fronts, and cut to the form of the shoulders, with no collar; the edge is inlet with white net, and stamped with a small green ivy leaf, the same colour as the mantle; a handkerchief crossed over the bosom of the same colour, is considered elegant. A jockey bonnet, trimmed with a wreath of ivy leaves across the front, tied with a handkerchief to correspond. The bonnet is intended to be worn with this dress.”
