Category: 1850-1859

Overview

1850-1859

1850-1859, 19th century, decade overview

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1856 – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Madame Moitessier

1850-1859, 19th century, artwork analysis

In Ingres’s 1856 portrait, Madame Moitessier wears a fashionable off-the-shoulder dress with a bertha collar trimmed with tassels. The evening dress reflects her elegant taste and features the essential elements of 1850s fashion–from its floral silk brocade fabric to its Renaissance-revival jewelry.

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1855 – Franz-Xaver Winterhalter, The Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Ladies-in-Waiting

1850-1859, 19th century, artwork analysis

Well-known in the 19th century for his skill at portraiture, Wintherhalter created iconic mannered poses and captured ravishingly elegant dresses, like those in this portrait of the Empress Eugénie and her ladies in waiting, who dress in the most fashionable styles of day.

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1856

1850-1859, 19th century, year overview

In 1856, women’s dresses were made mostly in silk, cotton, and velvet, and their silhouettes consisted of bodices fitted to the waist and full bell skirts that were accessorized with flounces, stripes, trims, and flowers.

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1855

1850-1859, 19th century, year overview

Women’s fashion was ornate above all else in 1855, with the hoop skirt reigning prominently in conjunction with brightly colored silks and satins accessorized with all varieties of tasteful trimmings.

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1859 – Gold silk day dress with floral brocade

1850-1859, 19th century, garment analysis

While the silhouette of this day dress, its floral brocade, and its use of fringe were fashionable for 1859, its choice of gold silk fabric and naturalistic coloring for the flowers was less so.

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The mantua, first worn in the 17th century, consis

The mantua, first worn in the 17th century, consisted of a jacket-like bodice with a pulled back overskirt that bustled in the back. The garment was worn during social or formal occasions from the mid-17th to 18th century and was often fabricated in elaborately patterned silks or broacades. The style eventually evolved into an overdress worn looped and draped on top of a contrasting petticoat and stomacher. The resulting neckline of the ensemble was high and square and contrasted the off-the-shoulder style that previously reigned. The mantua and corresponding styles were more modest than earlier styles and were decorated with various trims including bows, frills, and ribbons. Made from a single length of fabric that would be pleated to fit a long train within the back of the garment, the mantua allowed for designers to show their patterned silks that had replaced the vogue for solid-colored satins in the earlier part of the 17th century. The garment was compared to ‘an open robe’ that would be worn atop a petticoat. The bodice itself was long waisted and shaped by stays (a corset-like undergarment) worn underneath. Close-fitting three-quarter length sleeves would end with turned up cuffs that revealed the chemise sleeves decorated with ruffle edged lace. Read more at the link in the bio!

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Thierry Mugler’s famous Birth of Venus dress was

Thierry Mugler’s famous Birth of Venus dress was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the couture house at the Fall/Winter 1995 runway show. The event was an hour-long theatrical extravaganza that consisted of around 300 looks. The Birth of Venus dress, worn by Italian model Simonette Gianfelici, is an homage to Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli’s 15th-century painting of the same name. The dress is also referred to as the ‘Venus ensemble’ and consists of a blush-colored translucent body suit and a dark navy velvet column skirt that wraps around the hips and extends upwards in order to make a clam shape. The bodysuit itself is embroidered with paillettes and pearl beads in order to give a shimmering appearance. The skirt is lined with a pink duchess satin also used in order to create the long opera-length gloves and rose detailing at the hips. For the runway, Gianfelici wore layers of pearls at her neck, within her hair, and below her waist. Additionally, a single pearl is placed at the navel as a nod to a belly button ring. Mugler as a couture designer was known for his theatrical fashions and avant-garde techniques and materials. Such theatricality was linked to Mugler’s background in performance, having trained in dance before deciding to become a fashion designer. The 90s was considered ‘a decade of extremes’ and Mugler’s designs represented such extravagance on and off the runway. The ‘Birth of Venus’ dress represents the ‘underwear as outerwear’ trend that reigned in the last decade of the 20th century as well as an emphasis on body-conscious silhouettes. Central to Mugler’s designs was a desire to celebrate the female form, as represented in the slim cut of the Venus dress before it erupts into the clam shape. Although minimalism was similarly a popular trend, Mugler’s styles shared a lot of similarities with other ready-to-wear gowns including the use of rich fabrics, a columnar silhouette, and transparency. Mugler’s 1995 dress has been included in several exhibitions since its debut as well as on the red carpet at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Read more at the link in the bio!

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Heavily decorated stomachers saw much popularity f

Heavily decorated stomachers saw much popularity from the late 17th century through to the late 18th century. One of the most fashionable styles was the échelle, a series of bows descending down the front of the stomacher, decreasing in size from the neck to the waist. This style was favored by Madame de Pompadour, pictured in the first painting wearing a cream-colored échelle. Madame de Pompadour was a French fashion icon and the mistress of Louis XV. Once she introduced this stomacher style, it was quickly copied throughout Europe as part of the robe à la française. The second image is a late 18th-century gown that features a traditional échelle on the stomacher in the same fabric from the rest of the gown. Image 3 is a 1768 portrait that features a woman wearing a rose pink échelle that pops against her ivory gown. Click the link at the bio to learn more!

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John Singer Sargent’s 1890 portrait of Elsie Pal

John Singer Sargent’s 1890 portrait of Elsie Palmer proves to be an intriguing artwork that tells the story of a girl who finds herself between childhood and womanhood. Elsie is depicted wearing a semi-formal white satin tea gown with a high-necked bodice. The bodice itself is adorned with double sleeves that open just below the elbow, revealing silk chiffon under sleeves. A white satin sash cinches the waist, creating gathering on the two-layer skirt. At seventeen years old, Elsie’s fashionability falls into a gray area. She is not quite a woman, but no longer a child. Her dress rejects mainstream fashion of the time. Fashionable womenswear was characterized by volume and adornments such as bows, sashes, and pleats. Elsie’s dress incorporates some of these details, but doesn’t match the fullness and grandeur of popular styles of the time. However, her ensemble doesn’t completely match with fashionable childrenswear either since it has much more length and maturity than the outfit of a little girl. Her ensemble closely mimics elements of the dress reform movement, which opted for looser silhouettes and sashes instead of corsets. Click the link at the bio to learn more!

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In the 1770s, menswear began to shift towards simp

In the 1770s, menswear began to shift towards simplicity and understatement in both color palette and fabrication. Darker colors and little to no trimmings were preferred, and became the norm for men’s fashion during the time. However, the macaronis were a subgroup of young British men during this time who went against the simplistic fashion norms, and instead dressed in lavish, eye-catching attire. Specifically, the macaronis were aristocratic Englishmen who adopted and exaggerated the more colorful styles worn by the Continental elite. They seem to have gotten their name from an Italian dish they had tasted while on their Grand Tour. The Grand Tour became a rite of passage for young men, and consisted of a couple years traveling Europe, with Italy as a key destination. Macaronis typically wore high collars and more tight-fitting ensembles than that of typical menswear of the time. A perfect example of classic macaroni style can be seen with this 1770 bright-green, 3-piece suit. Among the macaronis, it was very stylish for elements of the suit to be mismatched, color-wise. This set themselves apart from typical menswear of the time because all parts of men’s suits were dyed to match. A macaroni’s suit was also frequently embellished with heavy decoration. This specific example features metallic passementerie and sequins. Another defining characteristic of this subgroup was their hair. The macaronis preferred to wear extravagant powdered wigs, which were constantly made fun of by mainstream fashion. As a whole, the macaronis preferred bright, exuberant fashion and decorations such as flowers, embroidery, and lace collar ruffles; however, during this time they were heavily ridiculed for not following typical menswear styles. Read more about the macaronis and 1770s fashion in the link at the bio!

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Artist Raimundo de Madrazo y Garetta was a Spanish

Artist Raimundo de Madrazo y Garetta was a Spanish realist and impressionist painter famous for his portraits of women painted in a traditional style while placing the subjects in risqué situations. The artist created several paintings of women either wearing or holding a mask as they are attending a costume ball therefore, their clothing doesn’t reflect 1870s high fashion. Masquerade clothing for the late 19th century was famous for representing animals, objects, and nature themes including plants and astronomical phenomena. Similarly, fancy dress took inspiration from fairy tales or previous eras. The ball the guests attend in the painting would’ve been held for the upper echelon of the society and were elaborate celebrations; while male guests were likely aristocratic, women of different classes could be in attendance given the pretext of masquerade. The dress of the woman on the right is inspired by the Commedia dell’arte Pierrot character from the 16th-18th century, a popular choice for costume. She wears a fitted evening bodice with a wide neckline and off-the-shoulder sleeves decorated with pale pink, round pom-poms. Still, her dress is made in the fashionable silhouette of the 1870s although much shorter. Both the cape and shoes of the woman represent the artist's interest in Rococo style. The use of a blue lining for the cape is representative of Victorian trends as well as the toe and heel shape of the shoes she wears. Madrazo’s representation of the ‘Pierrette’ character is repeated again in an 1878 and an 1893 work. The man’s dress is a combination of 15th and 16th century German clothing with the styles of the late 19th century. His costume consists of a doublet, hat, breeches, striped hose, shoes, a belt and gloves; all done in the ‘particolored’ style in which garments are made of panels of contrasting colors. Other elements of his dress imply the artist's mixing of historical styles including the use of a belt at his waist, the use of the duckbill shoe made in the style of Victorian dress shoes, and his 15th-century inspired hanging sleeves. Read more at the link in the bio!
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This late 19th century silk and lace evening dress

This late 19th century silk and lace evening dress was designed by Jean-Philippe Worth for the House of Worth. The bodice of the dress is made with a lace-edged box-shaped neckline with a silk waistband at the waist. The dress features an under layer with lacing at the front of the garment in order to give the look the tight fit that was popular at the time. Additionally, the outer layer of the dress features additional boning in order to provide more structure to the bodice. The dress features three-quarter length sleeves with folded and gathered fabric as well as a lace trim at the bottom. The 1887 dress features a bustle with large amounts of fabric gathered at the back in order to create more width. A bow is used at the center back of the dress by which the gatherers of the fabric fall gracefully down into a small train. The beige lace used in the front neckline of the garment ends in a v-shape at the center back. A beige-pink silk is used to fabricate the dress and is printed with a leaf-like design. The lace featured on the details of the dress is a lighter shade of beige, as is the silk used to adorn the shoulders and to tie the waist. The use of both silk and lace is typical for the period, as both fabrics were considered to be usual for women’s dress. The ‘suede coloring’ of the dress was considered one of the most popular color schemes for the year of 1887 according to the fashion press. Draped lace across the skirt of the dress was another popular technique for dresses at the time. In terms of the silhouette, the dress appropriately features a small corseted waist with the wide bustle of the 1880s. Jean-Phillipe Worth, as the son of Charles-Frederick Worth, follows his father’s techniques and styles in order to craft the dress for the house. Read more at the link in the bio!

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Lurex is a decorative metallic fiber and yarn made

Lurex is a decorative metallic fiber and yarn made out of an aluminium-coated plastic. When woven into fabrics, lurex provides a metallic effect that helps to imitate more expensive materials woven with gold or silver thread. As such Lurex provided an economical option for women who still wanted the sheen and glimmer of such opulent fabrics. Unsurprisingly, lurex was well known for its use in both eveningwear and disco-wear. Lurex is most commonly associated with a silver or gold look but in reality, the material can be made in any color. The name ‘lurex’ was trademarked by the American Dow Badische Company used from the 1940s onward. Lurex could be woven or knitted with other fibers including cotton, nylon, rayon, and silk or wool. Despite the material’s creation in the 1940s, lurex experienced its heyday in the 70s and is still used today. ‘Lurex’ refers to both the fiber and the fabric that it eventually made. Despite the fact that the title given to the fiber is trademarked, ‘lurex’ is often used to describe similar treatments of fiber not made just by the company of origin. Due to the material’s shimmery nature, it was also particularly popular during the 1960s for space-age designers who wanted to emulate the looks of the future, often using new and experimental techniques and technologies. The film ‘Saturday Night Fever’ from 1977 increased the popular demand for sparkly Lurex disco dresses and bell bottoms made of the material. By the 80s, lurex was used in more than just disco and evening dresses, having been incorporated into sportswear in order to add a touch of elegance to everyday wear. 1970s revivalism in the middle of the 1990s led to an additional resurgence in the use of lurex on the catwalk, also being used to add a glimmer to swimwear for some of the biggest names in the industry including Gucci, Armani, and Hermès. Read more at the link in the bio!
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This 1863 French silk day dress has a fairly simpl

This 1863 French silk day dress has a fairly simple and standard silhouette for the period; however the embroidery and cornflower blue color make it extremely fashionable. The bodice is a high-neck, double-pointed jacket with pagoda sleeves, and intricate, beaded black buttons. Jackets with skirts became widespread in the late 19th century because of their versatility and affordability. A popular silhouette called the “Postillion” shares many of the same features as this bodice, including the double-pointed waistline. The wide sleeves feature two rows of black floral cording along the dropped shoulder and sleeve hem. The skirt is full, and adorned with black and white floral embroidery motifs, and a black ribbon trim peeking out from under the hem. Two sash tails decorated with cording and beaded flowers emerge from the back waistline of the dress, which was a very popular adornment during this period. Sashes during this time came in many variations; most were tied into knots or bows, or simply attached straight down the back like this ensemble. Underneath, the skirt has a full crinoline, giving a perfect bell shape. There is a slight emphasis in volume towards the rear, hinting at the bustled silhouettes of the following period. This day dress proves to have been very fashionable because during the 1860s, simple silhouettes mixed with embellishments and vivid colors were quite popular. Read more at the link in the bio!

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