American Gown – 1901

A woman is standing in a long sleeved, high-collared rose red dress. A wide horizontal black band sets off the dress. In the bottom right hand corner is a black and white sketch of the back of the dress. The decorative elements on the dress consist of two bands, set off by plain rose edging. One band consists of horizontal stripes of deep pink and black.

The other band is of pink floral brocade. The collar is of these two bands, and across the bodice the two bands form a very deep v at the center front, with zigzags reaching to the sides, and a shallower v at the center back. The sleeves have the upper sections of these two bands. Midway up the sleeves from wrist to elbow are puffed sections of rose.

The skirt is gathered or softly pleated to the waist. The skirt flares out with more fullness at the back with a slight train. The decorative bands form a series of three deep slightly curved v’s just a few inches above the hem, creating a petal effect.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges