Le Beau Monde, June 1807.
“Carriage & Full Dresses.”
This print is somewhat unusual for this magazine as it is not as detailed or as crisply engraved as other prints. It seems as if a new artist was used for the designs of this month and the next. Then it goes back to the very elegant prints readers would have become accustomed to from this magazine.
The descriptions, however, are very detailed, providing even more detail than can be seen, giving the dressmaker a good idea of the complete creation.
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“Fig. No. 1 — A short train of fine India muslin, enriched with a magnificent border of white satin round the bottom, crosses the front and continues to the end of the train; a loose body of the same, with short full sleeves, made the cross way carelessly caught in the center with pearl clasps; a rich Italian jacket of soft white satin, made rather high in the back, cut in small squares round the waist, in imitation of vandyke, and trimmed all round with a full quilling of French net; the front of the jacket is sloped off from the throat, and remains square at the bottom. The arm holes are also trimmed with a quilling of net; the bosom of the dress is formed square with a satin border to correspond with the remainder of the dress. Waist is fastened with a rich girdle; an Italian head-dress composed of pale pink crape, intermixed with silver Albany gauze; a fox-tail feather fastened on the left side of the turban, falls over the left side of the face. Ear-rings and bracelets of real pearls, white kid gloves and shoes.
“Fig. No. 2 — A short white dress of cambric muslin, made walking length, high in front to the form of the neck, high standing collar, trimmed full with a narrow lace, loose long sleeves. A rich blue sarsnet mantle, made with a broad full cape fixed on the center of the back, drawn up on the right shoulder, from whence proceeds a long narrow slip, which descends down the front, and fulled at the end with a large silk tassel. White chip hat, turned far up over the right ear, trimmed with white sarsnet ribband; a mignionette flower placed on the back part of the turn up.”
