A Most Beguiling Accomplishment

Costume for Idamé, in the Orphan of China. (1779) Costume of the Sultana used in the Comédie Française in the Plays where there is a role for this Costume . (1779)

Medea: from the Opera of Jason and Medea. (1779) Apollon: from the Opera of Phaeton. (1779) 24th, 25th, and 26th CAHIER. Theatrical Dress, for Balls and for Characters.  These Outfits, numbering eighteen, have been sufficiently described in the caption which accompanies them.  They are nearly all the invention of Jean-Baptiste Martin, who has been the Designer for the Opera for twenty-five years, and who has engraved the greater part of them; they are all of a richness and magnificence without equal; but this same richness, often embarrassing and always expensive, has been found, for some times, in less important Dress, and that one may be able to renew more often, without multiplying the expense. Recourse has been made to light materials, gauzes of cloth of artificial gold and silver, lamés, fringes, links and sequins, imitating the most precious stones; and the Dress is constructed with an éclat which makes the illusion, and procures even more of an effect o...

Deshabillé of white taffeta, bordered with pink chiné silk; pink shoe edged with green anglais i n rosettes; white taffeta mantelet trimmed with fantasy gauze; négligé cap, pink tigré ribbon on a chien couchant with two large curls.   (1779) Waiting is cruel, especially when, in order not to miss the rendez-vous, the expectant one has only made a half-toilette.  Vainly she checks a pretty watch over and over; the hand has already crossed the intended hour, and the only being who should be ahead of it seems to have forgotten. Let us allow this amiable Mortal to abandon herself to her somber reflections, and let us say a word or two on the mantelet in which she is enveloped.  Nothing is more gallant for Négligé than the mantelets with flared points, called "rise of Dawn" Mantelets.  Their trimming must be large, and of fantasy gauze. The first mantelets appeared around 1745; they only became generally fashionable in 1750: they were short and without hoods, ...

Elegant Cauchoise in the costume of her country; she wears a peasant juste trimmed with a flounce, in pink taffeta; petticoat of the same material, apron of clear muslin. (1779) DESHABILLÉ A LA CAUCHOISE .  The Pays de Caux , in Haute-Normandy, which contains the kingdom of Yvetot, is renowned for being inhabited by beautiful Women.  The fact, is it true?  The Women of this country, should they not have this reputation for dress, which is particular to them, and which passes to be very- galant ?  That is not the question examined here.  We observe only that these Women are known as Cauchoises , and their dress as Cauchois or Cauchoise Dress. We could, later, engrave this dress.  About that which the figure represents, it is a fantasy Deshabillé ; the two hanging lappets of the Coiffure are the only object which has some rapport with the dress of the real Cauchoises .

Robe à la Lévite with bodice en fourreau, petticoat coupé with flat trim in the color of the gown; * demi-négligée coiffure called à la Picarde, with Italian gauze lappets scalloped with lace. (1779) ROBE A LA LÉVITE , degraded of its honors.  A young girl, supervised by her mama, never has what she desires.  The one shown in the Print, and who, until best, amuses herself in giving pastilles to her dog, can provide proof.  She has obtained from her mother a Robe à la Lévite ; simple, plain, truthful; but it is still a Lévite .  It only lacks a bagatelle to complete the outfit: a belt and a hat.  The inexorable mama has pretended that it was her duty to mitigate a Dress which seemed too galant .**  It was necessary to obey and to be contented with a very bourgeois medium cap, capable only of making the rest of the dress ridiculous, if it were not given to the Youth to embellish all that is around her. * I believe this means that the body of th...

Yes!   I figured out how to do it, and now you can get my updates directly from your Facebook feed (should you have one).  I'll hopefully be remembering to share every morning's post after I make it, but I also plan to use it for sharing relevant things I come across, and status updates on sewing that I wouldn't make a whole post on here.  Might be fun? Also, while I'm on the subject, I have a Tumblr where I mostly try to be pretentious and write museum labels (but sometimes I'm more conversational) or repost historic fashion plates with their descriptions when available, Mimic of Modes .  And a little while ago, a friend remarked that there should be a Tumblr on the costuming of Downton Abbey and the clothes of that era, so I started Dress at Downton .  I'm pretty decent at keeping a queue for those two, so they update twice daily.

Robe à l'Anglaise, trained, of taffeta trimmed with gauze in poufs; hat of Italian gauze edged with plumes; below the ribbon is an aigrette and an héron of black plumes. (1779) ROBE A L'ANGLAISE.   Amiable Youth with slender waist, see here what makes her shine.  Women who mutter against the Polonaises because they leave the train-bearers idle, do not complain any more; the Robe à l'Anglaise satisfies all.  It unites graces, majesty, magnificence, and simplicity at the same time: such that it is, it never ceased to be beautiful. The elegance of the waist being the principle charm of these Gowns, they have declared war on mantelets with large hoods, flared points, and are only in agreement with round mantelets, such as that in the Print, with contis , or simply with bouillonné or trimmed fichus .

Robe à la Polonaise of white linen with a border of painted linen, a gauze Apron ; the coiffure is a Hat trimmed fashionably. (1779) ROBE A LA POLONAISE , of white linen, with borders or a frame.  This Gowns have seemed so comfortable, especially in the country, that Women were eager to give them the most favorable reception.  It is true that these Gown give service only momentarily: soon it is necessary to restore them to their first whiteness.  But it seems that nothing can resist the desire to satisfy the fair sex; the Calenderers have found the means of rendering these Gowns to their original luster, without being obligated to take them apart, nor remove their trim, and this discovery must certainly make an epoch in the History of Fashion.

Young Wife, as she is led to the altar; she is dressed in a gown of Pekin* trimmed with gauze ribbon and flowers.  Her gown is full dress over a medium hoop: the man conducting her is wearing a suit and a vest with a gold ground embroidered around with colored gold threads. (1779)    WEDDING DRESS.   This is a full sacque of rich stuff, trimmed with taste. Formerly, not only Dress but also the manner of being conducted to the Church and the place of Marriage varied according to the rank and quali ty of the person.  Th is is the result of a report from the first of December 1446, in the reign of Charles VII, which is here analyzed, which could give an idea of the fashions and customs of the time. "The Dean of Gaye maintained, that Jean Bureau was a Human body, and was provided to serve his Church, because of his mother, wife of Jean Bureau of Tas, his father; and to prove the contrary, and that their people were not only frank ish, but also noble,...