Fashions of London and Paris, April 1806.
“Two Full Dresses”
The cover of this monthly magazine always includes a note that the figures in the prints are “faithfully drawn from the real Life, in the most fashionable Circles.” These two ladies certainly look as if they are among the fashionable set!
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“Fig. 1–A loose robe of undressed crape over a dress of white satin, or sarsnet, embroidered all round with silver; the sleeves quite plain and embroidered to correspond with the dress. A tiara of silver or steel, adorned with gems or cornelians. White gloves and shoes.
“Fig. 2–A round dress of fine muslin over white sarsnet. Broad lace let in down the front and round the bottom. The bosom quite plain, trimmed with a quilling of lace, and ornamented with a medallion or brooch. A long silk shawl, the ends embroidered in colours. The hair dressed with a bandeau of velvet and diamonds. White gloves and shoes.”
The suggestion of a tiara of steel refers to faceted and polished steel, which was very popular in both jewelry and the decorative arts of the period, and was polished to gleam like diamonds.
Like all ladies’ magazines of the Regency period, Fashions of London and Paris often used prints that were copied from the French magazine Journal de Dames et des Modes. In this case, the reverse is true. The print shown here is from the Frankfurt edition of Journal des Dames et des Modes. Instead of the more typical heading “Costume Parisien,” this print is headed “Costume de Londres,” ie London Fashion. It is an almost exact copy of the British print. Click on the print to see a larger version.
