Le Beau Monde, or Literary and Fashionable Magazine, 1806-1810


Volume I, No. 8 June, 1807

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This number contained three embellishments: (1) "Portrait of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland"; (2) "Beautifully coloured Costumes for Ladies and Gentlemen"; and (3) "An Original Piece of French music." The contents include as headings: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN; HISTORY, STATE OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS; ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS; REVIEW OF LITERATURE; ORIGINAL POETRY; FINE ARTS; PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS FOR MAY; RETROSPECT OF POLITICS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL, 1807 [sic]; MONTHLY MISCELLANIES; AND LE BEAU MONDE. Under each heading is listed the various articles or subheadings.

Le Beau Monde for June 1807
Volume I, Number 8, page 464
Fashions for June, 1807
Evening Dress, June 1807. Note how the sleeves and hat of the lady's outfit echo ancient armor. Original description follows. Fig. No. 1.--An Evening Full Dress. A short train of fine India muslin, enriched with a magnificent border of white satin round the bottom, crosses the front and continues to the end of the train; a loose body of the same, with short full sleeves, made the cross way, carelessly caught in the center with pearl clasps; a rich Italian jacket of soft white satin, made rather high in the back, cut in small squares round the waist, in imitation of vandyke, and trimmed all round with a full quilling of French net; the front of the jacket is sloped off from the throat, and remains square at the bottom.

Original description of Male figure follows. Evening Dress for Gentlemen.--Blue coats, lappeled, with a flat gilt button of rather a large size, continue to be very prevalent, and very frequently with black velvet collars; next to them are dark greens and dark olive browns; the green coats have, occasionally, a gilt or plaited button; but the browns are constantly worn with a button covered with cloth, and a collar of the same.

Fig. No. 2.--A Walking Dress.
Fig. No. 3.--A Barouche Dress.-- A compleat shell of thin white muslin, worn over a white sarsnet slip, made quite short, open behind, and tied with small cords and tassels down the back; the muslin dress is made to the size of the throat, and the sarsnet slip with a high standing collar, trimmed round the edge with a French lace; long sleeves of white sarsnet, and short full muslin sleeves worn over the sarsnet. Lond square mantelet of primrose silk, embroidered with a dark rich border of embossed ribband; the two ends are tied with a knot on the front of the bosom; a rich lace cap lined with the same colour as the mantelet, made with a point, and worn very deep on the left side of the face, and exposes the whole of the right. A small bunch of primroses is fixed on the center of the cap; long streamers of primrose satin ribband at the top of the crown. The front of the cap is trimmed with puffings of lace. Primrose gloves and shoes.

(The above dresses [Fig. 1, 2, and 3] were invented by Miss Heffey, of Pall Mall.)

From page 465

Fig. No. 4.--Morning Dresses for Gentlemen. A mixed coat, single breasted, cut off in the front, and made of light greenish mixture, or pepper and salt kind, with covered or plated buttons, and collars of the same cloth; the skirts rather shorter than the dress coats, and the pockets in plaits behind.


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