Gallery of Fashion, April 1799.
“Morning Dress.”
This is a walking dress for the morning hours, not the afternoon promenade.
There are a couple of intriguing elements of this ensemble. First is the “plaited lappet” under the chin. Lappets were more typically two long strips of material that hung down the back from the top of the head, as seen with court dresses. An under-the-chin lappet is quite unusual. The second intriguing bit is the “elastic tippet with gold sliders.” In this instance, “elastic” does not refer to actual elastic, which wouldn’t be invented for another 20 years, but to the satin material’s ability to spontaneously resume its normal shape, apparently after the gold sliders were removed. It’s certainly an unusual tippet, especially in the way it is worn, which looks to be crossed in the front and tied in the back.
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“The front hair cut short, and combed into feather curls; bound with white riband, tied into a small bow in the front; the hind hair in ringlets. Bonnet of white satin, trimmed with lilac bands and bows, and a bell tassel on the left side. Broad lace plaited lappet under the chin. Round gown of Scotch cambric; long sleeves; the whole trimmed with two rows of Vandyke scolloped, lilac coloured satin; plaiting of broad lace round the neck, fastened upon the breast with a ruby stud. Lilac satin elastic tippet, with gold sliders, and the ends trimmed with gold tassels. Gold pierced ear-rings. Blue Morocco slippers. Fur muff.”
