Early 1850 Vintage Summer Fashions for Women

FROM HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.No. III.—AUGUST, 1850.—VOL. I.

SUMMER FASHIONS.

Fig. 1. Promenade Dress.—For walking in public gardens, barège dresses, plain or figured, are generally adopted; but glacé, or damask bareges are the most recherchés. Dresses of shot silk form also charming toilets. The skirts are less full than those of last year—but, to compensate for it, they are trimmed with graduated flounces up to the waist—as many as five are worn, and they are pinked and stamped at the
edges. The bodies are tight, and open in front; a cord connects the two sides of the corsage, and buttons, either of silk, colored stones, or steel, are placed on the centre of this cord. The sleeves are wider at the bottom than at the top, and are trimmed with two small flounces; from beneath them a large lace sleeve falls over the hand, leaving the lower part of the arm uncovered. This form of sleeve is very becoming to
the hand.

Mantelets are very slightly altered; they are, however, rather more closely fitted to the figure than last year; they are all made of taffetas glacé, and trimmed with pinked ruches of the same material for young persons, and with wide black lace for married ladies.

Fig. 1.—Promenade Dress.

Fig. 2, is a Pelerine of a pattern quite new; made of embroidered net, trimmed with three rows of point d'Alençon, and ornamented with a large knot of ribbons Bayadère. Another pattern is of Indian muslin Canezcu, embroidered and trimmed with malines, open and buttoned up in the back.

Fig. 2.—Pelerine.

Fig. 3 is a neat costume for a little girl.


Dress of glacé silk, shaded in light green and lilac. The skirt trimmed with four rows of fringe of green and lilac silk intermingled. The corsage low and plain, with a pelerine which passes along the back and shoulders, and is brought down to the front of the waist in a point. This pelerine is edged with two rows of fringe. The sleeves of the dress, which are short, are edged simply with one row of fringe. Attached to these short sleeves are long sleeves of white muslin made so as to set nearly close to the upper part of the arms, but finished between the elbow and the wrist with three drawings separated by bands of needlework insertion. Above these drawings there is a frill which falls back on the arm. The neck is covered by a chemisette of muslin,
finished at the throat with a trimming of needlework, turned over.

Fig. 3.—Little Girl's Costume.

Fig. 4. Home Dress.—Morning cap trimmed with Valenciennes and gauze ribbons, cut out in the shape of leaves, muslin guimpe bouillonné, with embroidered entre-deux; the gown en gros d'Ecosse, with facing and trimmings cut out; pagode sleeves, with a white muslin puffing ornamented with a very large bouillonné.

Fig. 4.—Home Dress.

In the engraving (Fig. 5) is represented a Ball Costume, with a graceful head-dress, composed of a vine garland with grapes; on each side hangs a bunch of grapes (several little hunches are preferred). The novelty of this year is to be observed in the length of the branches, which come down on the shoulders, mixing with long curls. This head-dress is worn also with bandeaux, but then the garland must be thicker in the lower part. The leaves are of different colors, from the various shades of green to the autumnal red tint. This kind of garland is made also of ivy, with small red balls. The gowns are of taffetas d'Italie—white, rose, or blue (their shades are to be glacés de blanc): the body is trimmed with a berthe, made of two rows of blonde; the front ornamented with a puffing of white net laced with satin ribbons the color of the gown.

Fig. 5.—Ball Dress.