The Fashions (from the 1843 “Illustrated London News”)

The Fashions

Illustrated London News (22 July 1843): 59.

See commentary below.

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Commentary and captions from the Illustrated London News

Paris, Hue Chaussée d’Antin, July 15, 1843.
Mon cher Monsieur,

A writer upin the subject of French fashions commences his description of them, and of the weather which influences them, by saying that the memory of a woman of fashion, by which is meant five or six years at least, has never witnessed anything so fantastic, so disagreeably capricious as the weather, which for the last three months has deceived all our hope, and disconcerted all our projects. How often, says our author, has a ray of sunshine since Longchamps, accompanied by several sudden outbursts of heat, called back to us our spring illusions, which have, however, been aa suddenly succeeded by a change of temperature in twenty-four hours! It is this reason, I suppose, that I also must plead as an excuse for the barrenness of my present communication; In fact, so little change, and that so utterly insignificant, has taken place within the last few days, that I am almost at loss to point it out; and, indeed, I should be quite at fault had I not been favoured with a sight of two or three toilettes now ordered for one of our fashionables, which, while they deserve mention for their extreme prettiness may serve to show what is now actually worn in our best circles. The first of these is a redingote, in royal cashmere, the front of the skirt trimmed with a range of ribbons disposed in bows intermixed with small gold buckles; the corsage is plain; the sleeves, also, with jockeys, wherein we again find the same description of bows and buckles. The pelerine is crossed at the waist, and forms a double told on each aide in front. The second is a town dress in camelion silk. The skirt of which is trimmed with a deep flounce, surmounted with a row of rûches à la vielle; the sleeves, which are light, are trimmed in the same manner. The corsage is in one piece, pelerine pointed, and made with sleeves forming a jockey, and surrounded with a double row of rûches à la vielle. The bonnets which still continue to be most in favour are those in application, or those trimmed with a scarf; bonnets of white bouilloné, tulle, in paille de riz, or in crêpe, trimmed with rouleaux, also continue to be worn, so much so, that I am at a loss to indicate any chance in these fashions. You will, I am sure, excuse the shortness of my present epistle, as I feel that, were I to tresspass at greater length on your columns, I should, in the present dearth of intelligence, become actually tedious. Adieu.

Henriette de B.

Last modified 25 November 2015