February 1798
The Intimation
January 1798
HER majesty, as usual on her own birth-day, was plain, though tastefully attired, in a salmon-coloured satin petticoat, ornamented with a patent lace trimming, in perpendicular fold, and two draperies of the same drawn up on each side in festoons, with goats' beard, headed with wreaths of puce-coloured frivolity, and a deep flounce of the same round the bottom of the coat. Body and train of puce-coloured velvet, trimmed with goats' beaard and frivolity. --Her head-dress was of Brussels lace, and a small plume fastened at bottom with a diamond star; in front, a large bunch of lowers of diamonds, and at the botttom a large diamond and crescent. He majesty wore the king's picture hung round her neck with a diamond chain.
The Princess of Wales. --Her royal highness looked most beautiful and interesting; her dress was most magnificient. It was one universal display of elegance and taste; the colours lilac, black and silver, consisting of the richest embroidery in draperies, the petticoat striped and bordered, the robe of lilac velvet, bordered round to correspond with the petticoat, most superbly ornamented round the neck and on the shoulders with diamonds; the head-dress was quite new and most elegant. The whole of the dress was the most superb at court, and by far the most becoming of any we have ever seen her royal highness appear in.
Princess Augusta. --A white crape petticoat, richly embroiderred in green and gold spangles in perpendicular diamond stripes, with white velvet stripes across; a rich gold flounce, ornamented with gold tassels; body and train of green and gold satin, trimmed with gold fringe.
February 1798
The Intimation
March 1798
WAX BOSOMS.
Proclamation by his Majesty of Fashion. [from page 119]
WHEREAS it has been reprresented to us, that our trusty and well- beloved lady ****, and the hon. miss ****, did appear at the opera-house lately, with bosoms made of wax, these are therefore strictly to enjoin and prohibit all punsters, makers of puns, manufacurers of quibbles, and dealers in double-entendre, from meddling with or molesting the said bosoms of wax; either by pun, rebus, conundrum, epigram, or any other article of punning manufacture.
More particularly, it is hereby enjoined, that no person shall say or affirm, that the said ladies begin to wax wanton.
No allusions whatever are to be made to the business of the wax- chandler, nor any notice taken of those melting moments, which must now be more frequent than ever ...
June 1798
HER majesty was magnificently arrayed in a white crape petticoat, richly embroidered with silver spangles in stripes across, and perpendicular stripes of green foil, with [from page 271] a crape drapery over each corner, embroidered with silver-spangled net, rich cord and tassels, and beautifully ornamented with silver laurel tassel fringe, headed with green quilled or plaited blond net round the bottom and draperies, with a superb chain of diamonds running along the centre of the blond, and a number of large diamond stars, about the size of a half-crown, at equal distances on the chain. Pocket-holes cornamented with two large clusters of diamonds. A green and silver tissue body and train, richly ornamented with embroidered border, edged with silver fringe and green net. Her majesty was also decorated with a superb diamond stomacher and necklace, and diamond bouquet. Her head-dress was beyond all comparision superb; the most prominent ornament was a bandeau composed of magnificent brilliant drops of immense value, with a small crown of the same in the centre.
July 1798
FASHIONS for the MONTH of JULY.
Afternoon Dress.
The toupee and sides dressed in bushy curls; part of the hind hair turned up plain, and the rest in ringlets; the whole of the head-dress divided into three parts by a silver band, and ornamented in the front with a large rose, tied on the left side of the head-dress with a silver cord, formed into a knot with three loops and two tassels. Petticoat and robe of white muslin, trimmed round the neck with lace; short close sleeves, the upper part cut out, and looped upon the shoulder, and in the middle of the arm, with gold buttons.--String of garnets round the neck. Silver band round the waist. White gloves. Silver tissue shoes.
The hair dressed in short curls round the face; the hind hair in small ringlets. Dunstable hat, trimmed round with a narrow blue ribband, and across the crown with a fancy wreath of artificial flowers. Petticoat of striped muslin, trimmed at the bottom with a narrow blue silk ribband. Short robe of white muslin, trimmed round the neck with lace; short sleeves; the epaulettes and the bottom of the robe trimmed with blue silk ribband. --Gold ear-rings. Light-blue gloves and shoes.
The hair dressed into a variety of very large loops and bandeaux, intermixed with chains of diamonds; the front hair combed round the face; large yellow ostrich feather in the front. Diamond aigrette on the left side. Petticoat of white crape, embroidered with silver leaves, and the bottom trimmed with a rich Valenciennes lace, headed by a light yellow silk ribband. Body and train of light-yellow crape, embroidered like the petticoat, with silver leaves; the front of the body, and round the waist, set with diamonds. Lappets, tuckers, ruffles, and pocket- holes, of Valenciennes lace. Diamond ear-rings. Yellow shoes, spangled with silver.
I. ROBE of white muslin, with a triple broad ruff round the neck: the hair divided, part drawn up quite straight, and twisted in a tuft at the top, the other part cut short, and combed straight: the hair before also cut straight, and combed over the forehead.
2. Robe of white muslin, with full epaulettes, cut exceedingly low in the neck behind, and on the shoulders; bosoms quite plain: hair as in dress I. with a bandeau of white ribband passing through one plait of the hair before, and crossed double behind: flesh-coloured silk gloves.
3. Dress of clear white muslin, with a train of lilac, fastened between the shoulders, and tied loosely on the left side with a silk cord: bosom quite plain and low: the hair combed straight from the top, and slightly curled at the ends round the face, and in the neck: diamond bandeaux placed obliquely on the hair.
Chinese hats of Bamboo cane, and red or other coloured chenicle, [sic] with blue ribband round the crown, blue rosette in front, and tied down with the same coloured ribband: white or coloured muslin gown, full epaulettes.
The prevailing colours for the month are white and lilac. The hair is worn à la Grecque, after the Parisian mode. The waists are much longer. The chemise tied close round the neck, with a double ruff, and confined with a cord, is a morning dress of increasing fashion.
September 1798
[from page 420] SINCE the change of female head-dresses, hats have also assumed a new form. The fore and hind parts are not so large in the brim as the sides, and are absolutely turned down, while the sides are turned up, and as it were curled. Perhaps we own this variation to the hatters, who perceived all the deformity which the cropt head would present, if the hind part of the hat was turned up as heretofore. It is a sign of good taste to correct those defects with characterize the inventions of caprice.
Nobody takes off the hat as heretofore. The point of support is the nape of the neck; thence it is drawn up to the crown of the head, taking care not to disorder the hair. The manner of wearing them is also quite different. They are placed almost in the same way as leather caps, and the forehead is only shaded by the hair.
The gowns have also an equivocal shape, which makes it difficult to say whether thay are really gowns or riding-dresses. --Small collars, long waists, very short skirts, flaps on the sides. They resemble much those frocks which were worn twenty years ago.
The barbel-blue colour of men's coats is not now so generally adopted. We see much iron grey, and brown, beside the black, which is always in great vogue; a black coat is not now used for ceremony, as we see them worn with boots or pantaloons. The boots, very pointed at the toes, do not reach higher than the calf of the leg. They are highly polished, which is the way in which our young people shine. The pantaloons, generally of nankeen, reach within two inches of the ankle where it is tied with a ribband forming a small rose. The breeches, less tight, are more decent than before. The waistcoat is edged with black. Two small round flaps are formed into a kind of heart at the bottom.
October 1798
{From the French of M. Mercier, Member of the National Institute.}
[from page 467] THERE are journalists who seem to place themselves, like sentinels, in the walks of our public gardens, to observe each woman that passes, seize with a rapid trait the variations of the fashion, ridicule its caprices, or trace it to some extravagant analogy.
Their pens, it is true, have drawn some amusing caricatures, which will be to our posterity indesputable proofs of our extravagant changes. Let them describe the petticoat of mademoiselle Contat, its curious mechanism, its splendid decorations, its whalebone, its springs and its pulleys, which furl it up or make it hang perpendicular as occasion may require, its curious spreading hood, calculated to diminish either the waist that is too big, or that which is growing bigger; such descriptions will make every one smile. Let them also crack their jokes on all puppies who are or are not theatrical. But what does this all tend to? --will it cure folly, or lead back taste to those first principles which constitues what is really beautiful?
What does it signify that an epigrammatic satirist points out to me a Minerva bonnet on the head of a Messalina? It has the form of an ancient helmet: the helmet is ornamented with zebra trimmings and rose knots in the front. The little Astyanax, of Homer, was afraid of Hector's helmet when his father wanted to embrace him: the hero was obligied to lay his helmet on the ground, and then, when he took the child in his arms, it smiled. Our helmet ladies do not frighten their children--for they have none; they seem long since to have forgotten the powerful charms, the tender emotions, that belong to the mother of a family.
Let another record the tartan handkerchiefs, the drawn back, the drawn sleeves, the fetooned petticoats, the naked bosoms and shoulders, and the flesh-coloured pantaloons, of the present day--finally, the wigs à la Titus, or à l'empereur Commodus. If observations on these things be confined to unprofitable jest only, it were better to say nothing: but they may have an influence on our morals, and therefore censure may turn us aside from the bad, or the worse, and bring us back to the better.
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