Mourning

The Mourning Ring is from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Pendant is courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum

FASHIONS FOR DECEMBER 1810, reprinted from November 1810 La Belle assemblee at 268-270

EXPLANATION OF THE PRINTS OF FASHION.

A SECOND MOURNING EVENING FULL DRESS.

A white satin slip, ornamented round the bottom with gold, over which is worn a black patent net dress, with short sleeves. The dress entirely edged round with a rich joining lace, and ornamented with gold buttons; sloped up at the bottom in the front, and trimmed with a broad scallop lace. The hat is composed of black velvet and lace, ornamented with gold, and gold spray in front. Hair in curls divided on the forehead; necklace and earrings of gold; white kid gloves; shoes of white satin, with gold rosettes. A shawl of French grey silk, which is thrown across the shoulders in any way that occasion or fancy may decide.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON FASHION AND DRESS.

Every rank of life are at this moment so perfectly agreed in testifying, by outward form, the respect due to the late Princess Amelia, that our task for the present month being confined to this exclusive form of dress will be necessarily somewhat curtailed. A respect not so much due to the illustrious rank of this lamented Princess as to the many amiable qualities she possessed, and the example she has left us of patience, resignation, and even cheerfulness under sufferings painful and protracted almost without parallel, a patience which could only have its foundation in a piety the most solid and rational, which evinced itself also in her tender and dutiful conduct to her parents, her generous and faithful behavior to her friends, and gentle and affable deportment to all the world. Notwithstanding her elevated station, she always appeared humble and modest. Her figure was graceful as the imagination can paint; her air and features noble and dignified; but the mildness of her look, the harmony of her voice, and the gentleness and gaiety of her manners, were all so happily blended that they commanded the love and admiration of every heart. Such was the Princess Amelia whom all the world so justly and so generally mourn.

At this season of the year the style of walking dresses is always uncertain and various. Fur tippets are the most prevailing, but though the greater number are round in the pelisse form, yet a degree of preference appears to be due to the long tippets of swansdown. Scarlet mantles bound with the same, formed of a large square of fine cloth, the corner fastened down over the left shoulder so as to admit the neck and allow of its folding over the bosom, and fastened with a large jet cameo; the cloak must be cut round at the bottom. Large gipsy cloaks of French grey cloth, bound with the same colour, cut the cross-way, the corner only supplied by a hood made large to hang plain but not to draw, fastened in front by along black jet slide. Black velvet pelisses made entirely plain, or bound with a plain broad crape, cut with a stomacher front, just meeting before and confined by a band and buckle or clasp of cameos. We have noticed a few black cloth pelisses and mantles. Both mantles and pelisses, as also tippets, are now invariably worn with the Elizabeth ruff, which is made of either crape, or crape muslin in two rows, fluted, and worn to stand up close to the head; the front of the ruff is not so wide as the hind part and is confined by a large cameo; it is almost unnecessary to remark that the ruff has broad hems. The most novel and attractive hat is of velvet with yeoman crown, indented over the face and slightly projecting in the style of the Mary Queen of Scots’ hat, the rim is, however, narrow and worn with two small flat craped or crimped ostrich feathers placed in the centre so as to fall back and fasten in by a rich jet triangle. The style of this hat is an improvement on the Spanish shape, and infinitely more becoming than when turned up before. It should be worn with the scarlet cloak and ruff before described. We have observed some beavers in the same form.

Black chip hats are likewise in much request either in the Scottish, Spanish, cottage, gipsy, or woodland form, trimmed either with crape or feathers; the feathers now worn are for the most part flat, and those best adapted to mourning are craped; they are disposed so as to fall back from the face. The beaver hats, turned up broad in front and crossed with a military plume, are no longer seen upon elegant women; we are happy to find that the discovery is at length made that they give even to a delicate countenance a confident challenging air, wholly inconsistent with modesty, and disgusting to propriety. A regiment of such hats might perform wonders against an enemy, but let our fair country women remember, that a modest retreating conduct and manner are their greatest ornament and best defence; and let those who disregard them from principle adopt them through policy, and whatever contributes even to the outward appearance of it.

Morning dresses in mourning admit of but little variety. We have observed several short pelisses in black bombazeen, worn over a petticoat of the same, made to fit tight to the shape with a stomacher front, and just to meet, buttoned or confined with jet clasps before, and worn with the Elizabeth ruff and cuffs; the cuffs are of muslin or crape, fluted with broad hems, and worn to fall back from the hand, like a fan, but sloped nearly to a point towards the wrist, where it is clasped or buttoned with jet. The ruff in the same manner stands high round the neck, but is sloped off to the throat, and confined in the centre by a cameo brooch. This is called the Lady Jane Grey’s dress, it being a near resemblance of the manner in which she is habited in several old paintings; nothing certainly can be more becoming; there is something interesting and attractive even in the dress itself.

For dinner and afternoon dresses, the colour only has been changed; they are made high in the neck, with stomacher fronts to lace before, and ornamented round the throat with a falling collar of deep antique scollops or vandykes, broached or tied with black silk cord, finished with bead or jet tassels. Bombazeen, lustres, cloth velvets, and Spanish bombazeen chiefly compose them; the sleeves are worn long, the trains moderately short; the cuffs and ruffs described above are worn in every degree of dress when the gowns are made sufficiently high to admit of them.

For full or evening dress, the gowns are made just above the rise of the bosom, and formed as to sit perfectly square, and give as great a breadth to the bosom as possible; the sleeves are neither positively short nor long, but left to the direction of fancy; the backs of the dresses are worn high, laced or in the frock style. Black crape, white or black bombazeen, with striped or figured gauzes, over slips of black sarsnet, are the most prevailing articles. Velvet may be worn in the fullest dress, but it has a better effect when made up to the throat, and worn with a crape falling collar, or collerette a-la-cardinale Woolsey, and Scottish hat; the monastic necklace and cross.

No mixture of grey whatever is admitted into the present order of mourning; the under dresses are likewise invariably of black silk. Black kid shoes, with jet roses, and plain black or white silk stockings.

In regard to jewellery, every species of jet ornaments are worn; plain rows of large beads seem to have the preference above fancy necklaces; large Maltese crosses are innumerable; the long monastic necklaces and crosses are also much worn; and cameos in rings, brooches, combs, and crescents, are in the highest estimation; they are much used also in necklaces large in the centre, but of a diminished size towards the ends.

Black is not only the entire colour, but such also is the colour of the times, that though the metropolis is thronged, there is neither gaiety or bustle in our streets, and so general is the mourning that fashion is no where to be found.