Fashion Descriptions from 1832

Images from 1832 are few and far between. Below are some description excerpts from "The Maids, Wives, and Widows' Penny Magazine and Gazette of Fashion ©1832

FROM THE WORLD OF FASHION.
Hats and Bonnets.—There is not yet any decided change in their form, but we perceive that the brims have rather increased in size within the last month. We may cite among the prettiest of the new half dress bonnets, one composed of moire of a perfectly new shade of green, trimmed with a bouquet of short ostrich feathers to correspond, placed very high on one side, and the curtain at the back of the crown partially raised by a knot of ribbon also to correspond. Another and still more elegant half-dress bonnet is composed of straw-coloured velours epingle; it is a iiAi of small size, trimmed with three mergucrites, to correspond, but lightly spotted with cherry-colour. Several black satin and velours tpingli hats have already appeared; they are lined with straw-colour, or pale rose colour, and trimmed either with short ostrich feathers to correspond, or with bouquets of geraniums, or chrysanthemums. In some instances one dahlia only is employed, which must correspond in colour with the hat. If feathers are used, they must form a compact bouquet, instead of falling in different directions.

Out-Door Costume, New Materials for Mantle Dresses.— The first is the Cameleon, which well deserves its name: one side flowered in large bouquets, and striking colours; the oilier is striped. These mantles are not lined, and are so made that either side can be worn. The Macabre, a light material composed ef silk and wool, and of small patterns, with rich Gothic or flowered borders. Buridan, a silk of a new and uncommonly rich kind; it is striped horizontally in very broad stripes, in two shades of the same colour, a's emerald upon dark green, &c. &c.; the stripes are figured in satin, which also corresponds. Thibet of a new Tund, called Persian,—the patterns of these mantles offer the best imitation we have ever seen of Indian shawls. Satin & colonna, the columns formed of deeper shades of the same colour; these are equally elegant and novel. We close our list with a material of a very economical kind: it is a washing silk, in a very striking pattern of Arabesques. Among the new materials for dresses we cite the tissue of Sumatra; it is extremely soft and brilliant, and has the advantage of never creasing. Chalyt of new patterns, and shawl dresses. Satin and moire are also much in favour, both for pelisses and robes ;^ the former are most likely to be very geherally adopted. Some of the new ones are made without pelerines, with a corsage up to the throat, and full before and behind, the fulness is retained by bands upon the shoulders and by the ceinture. A trimming consisting either of dents or rouleaux, descends from the waist on each side of the skirt. It nearly meets at the ceinture, but descends in a sloping direction. Sleeves are still of thesame form, and it is generally believed that they will remain so during the winter.

Robes for out-door dresses are generally made high. We think that the skirts both of robes and pelisses have increased in width; they are worn something longer than last season. Muffs begin to appear, and will probably by the end of the month be generally adopted. Thos'e of sable are most fashionable; Isabella bear is also a fur in high estimation. Russian fox, French martin, and grey squirrel are genteel, though not expensive furs. Several palatine tippets have appeared, but they are by no means so generally adopted as boas.
Make and Materials of Evening Dress.—Some rich gauzes and figured gros dc Naples have already appeared; but the prettiest of the new materials is the Satin SylpliUe; it is exceedingly soft and brilliant; those of ribbon patterns will be most in favour. Plain Chaly and Cashmere moire, and moire Satinte, are all Ukely to be in request. The corsages of dress gowns are almost all of crossed draperies in front, with the backs plain at the top and full at the bottom of the waist. We see, it is true, a few in cross drapery behind, but they are very disadvantageous to the shape. One of the prettiest evening dress corsages that has appeared for some lime, is composed of ribbons and blonde lace: it forms the shape in a most advantageous manner, and can be worn with dresses of different materials. Short sleeves are invariably of the single bouffant shape, and generally trimmed with full knots of ribbons. Long sleeves are of blonde lace, or sometimes of white gauze embroidered in colours to correspond with the dress. Trimmings are expected to be very much worn, particularly embroidery in coloured silks, 'and in chenille. Ribbon trimmings will also be very generally adopted. The most fashionable ccinturcs are of satin figured in velvet; the pattern is usually a wreath; the velvet is of the eame colour a.< the satin, but always of a darker shade. Head-dresses in Evening Dress.—Crape hats trimmed with a bouquet of anemonies, or of chrysanthemums, or a single moss rose, or a bouquet of marabous, will be very generally adopted. Blonde lace, arranged somewhat in the cap style, but so as to partially display the hair, will also be in favor; there is something at once original and very graceful in this style of coiffure. It is supposed, however, that head-dresses of hair will be most prominent, and we have reason to believe that they will exhibit more variety than they have done for many years past; but nothing" can be certainly known upon the subject until next month. The colours that will be most in favour are sea-green, apple-green, dahlia, bleu Hatty, Esterhazy, darel-colour, and various shades ot brown and rose-colour.

Evening Dress.—It is of chaly, printed in stripes of alternate gold-colour, violet, and white; they are thickly covered with a delicate pattern of fancy foliage. The corsage is low, and ornamented with drapery folds crossed upon the hreast in front; it is plain and square behind. The sleeves are of the gigot shape, and of the usual size. White satin hat with a round brim, and very low crown. The inside of the brim is decorated with an ornament of the heart shape, composed of folds of rose-coloured gauze ribbon, and edged with blond lace. A quilling of blond net descends in the stile of a mob cap under the chin. A bouquet of roses, intermingled with knots of white gauze ribbon adonis the crown. The scarf is of white gauze.

Walking Drees For December.—A Spanish brown .in-] i mere pelisse. The corsage is high and plain; the sleeves are of the usual form. The pelerine is double: it is very large, and presents, both in back and front, the exact shape of a heart; it is embroidered an a broad rich i'ancy border, with silk to correspond. A similar embroidery, but in a larger pattern, goes down each side of the front, and round the border of the skirt. The bonnet is of white watered ffros de Naples, with a round and rather deep brim, lined with crimson velvet; small round crown, trimmed in ft very novel style, with a full band
of the same material, knots of ribbon, and a single ostrich feather. The morning cap worn under it is of• blond net, as is also the ml!' round the throat. The sitting figure gives a back view of the dress just described, but without the embroidery.

Mantles are still more generally adopted in Walking Dress than they were last month. We have seen a few fancy ones composed of Merinos, with shewy borders, printed rouml the bottom and up the fronts of the Mantles, and round the Cape. They ore not very generally worn, olid
certainly they are by no means adapted to promenidc dres*. Those of groi de Ifapta, with a plush border of the same colour as the dress, but shaded in a diamond pattern, a little darker, are much more lady like.
Sat in and velvet of dark colours are fashionable for Bonnets; the latter material is particularly so. We 3ee also some of a verv rich plain Silk; it is known here by the name of Rrps; in France it is called pros tic /mini. The shape of Walking Bonnets is a little altered, the brims are not so close, aim are all made round. The crowns are still made low; they begin to be more trimmed. A pretty and novel style of trimming consists of a full cluster of bows placed in front of the crown; those in the centre are larger than those at the sides; they are attached near the top; a twisted band of ribbon descends from this knot, traverses the crown in a slanting direction, and meets at the back under a small bow, with a cluster of short ends in the centre. We should observe- that a short full curtain, cut bias, is always attached to the back of the crown. We also see a good many bonnets trimmed with two or three short ostrich feathers, the colour of the bonnet; where this is the case they are inserted in a band of ribbon, which forms a point in the front of the crown, and descending obliquely, ends in a bow at the bottom, a little on one side; a knot, consisting of two short bows, with ends, which fall upon the brim, is attached to the bottom of the feathers. The only ornament for the inside uf the brims of Walking Bonnets is a quilling of blond net, which, instead of descending from the sides of the face only, as has been latterly the case, now encircles it. and either descends like a mob cap under the chin, or ties like a round one with a ribbon. Black 1 .ace Veils are very fashionable, more so indeed than they have been for some seasons past.
A great variety of shewy Mantl.-s I ave been introduced for carriage dress and evening panic's. The most elegant are those of grot de Naples, with plain grounds, as green, lavender, &c. &c., and broad rich painted borders. These are very fashionable for evening parties and for the Opera. Those of fine cachmere, striped and figured in a great variety of patterns, are now worn in morning drees. Some of these last have a second pelerine of the heart form, composed of velvet, which has a very rich effect.
Hats and Bonnets in carriage dress are composed of velvet, of satin lined, and partly trimmed with velvet—teny velvet, called by the French velourt ipingli, and of fancy silks and satins. Hata are most in request; they are betveen the bat and bonnet shape, neither so close as the one, nor so wide as the other. Some are trimmed inside the brim with gauze ribbons to correspond, folded across the front, and puffed at the sides; others with ribbon, edged with narrow blond lace: the crowns are decorated with flowers or feathers. The former are most fashionable. Those of spring or the early part of summer are preferred.
Shawl dresses are verv fashionable for evening parties, particularly those with , 1.11 "k green or crimson grounds, and a rich palm or flowered border round the skirt. The wearer is a lady of certain age, or the party is in genteel, but not high life. The dress is made half high, with a velvet lappel of the pelerine kind falling over, aud long sleeves, with velvet cuHs, or else long sleeves of white crlpe Hue (we give the French name, because it is known by no other), and a small velvet half sleeve. For grand parties the bodv of the dress should be cut very low, and draped across the front so as to display a white satin under body, trimmed with blond lace; the sleeves should be short, of white satin, and nearly covered with two or three falls of blond lace. Satin dresses are also very much worn by Matronly Indies. They are made in the same style, except that there is no trimming to the bottom. A variety of figured silks, which aie all known here under the name of figured grot de Naples, are fashionable both for young and Matronly Ladies; fur the former the body should be made low. A good many have a falling tucker of blond lace. Others are trimmed with it 'round the back and shoulders only. Short sleeves are beginning to be more generally worn by young Ladies, but long ones of white gauze are equally fashionable.
Head-dresses of hair are the only ones adopted by young ladies in evening dress. They are of different sorts. Some ladies have the hair parted on the forehead, and twisted up in a bow knot behind. This is called the Grecian style; it can only become a face with regularly beautiful features. Tin- half Grecian style is that in which the hair is curled on the forehead, but arranged as ubove described behind. The most generally becoming, and also most generally style is, the hair in curls or ringlets on the forehead, and in one or two bows on the crown of the head. Knots of ribbon or sprigs of flowers are employed to ornament these head dresses.
Velvet or white satin h:its with very open brims trimmed with blond lace, ribbons, and flowers are fashionable for married ladies; some hats are trimmed with feathers, but these last are not so numerous. Blond lace caps are still more fashionable, particularly those trimmed in the manner we are about to describe. The lace is turned back in the usual way, and a single rose is placed oil one side; a light wreath of foliage issues from the rose, encircles the forehead and turns partially back upon the summit of the bead round the caul, in the style of a crown. There is no ribbon employed for these caps' as the lappets are of blond lace; they are rounded at the corners and hang loose.
To the list of fashionable colours which we announced in our Number of the I7lh November, we must add dahlia, violet, and different shades of fawn colour, aud grey.