The British Lady’s Magazine, May 1818.
“Evening Dress.”
During these later years of the Regency period, we begin to see not only more evening hats, but also evening caps. Previously, caps were primarily worn with indoor morning wear or under a bonnet. Evening caps first appear with dinner dress and other half-dress styles, but now begin to be seen with full dress evening wear.
In the section titled General Observations on Fashionable Dress we learn that this dress was made for “a lady of high rank,” and that the peach-colored trimming (painted pink here) “will not injure with washing, being made of a new material.”
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“Dress of fine jaconet muslin, worked at the bottom in a French pattern, with is divided by a double Rolleaux of thin muslin, drawn with peach; the body made low with a small jacket finished with tabs, and a cape, which passes round the shoulders and meet in front; the sleeves are made full with epaulets, and a French cuff, the whole trimmed in a nouville manner with muslin rolleaux, drawn with peach, and edged with narrow Honiton lace; cap of fine bobbin lace, ornamented with white satin pipings, and a beauquet if pearl flowers. White kid gloves and shoes.”
“…For the above dresses [including this one] we beg to acknowledge our obligations to Miss Macdonald, inventress of the Ionian Cork Hats, 50, South Moulton Street, Bond Street, to whose taste and ingenuity we have frequently been indebted.”
