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French Evening Dress of embroidered tulle, shown with a muslin shaw, held by Metropolitan Museum of Art (CI 59.5) I love the elegance of this ensemble, with the mannequin shown casually holding fan and ridicule in one hand and catching at her muslin shawl with the other. The shawl looks from a distance to be of lace, but a close examination reveals it is a piece of soft white cotton covered completely with white work embroidery. The elegant dark dress suggests a married, wealthy, and sophisticated owner. The elaborate embroidery gives me a headache thinking of how long it must have taken! The bodice is also accented by embroidery. The dress is clearly much higher than English fashion of the same period, where trains were still common for evening dress. |
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