American Fashions – Autumn 1888

Five women are standing in a parlor with drapes and potted plants behind them. The woman on the left is holding a drawing in her hand and faces away from the viewer. She is wearing a purple velvet dress with a ribbon encircling the neck with a bow at the back. The v neck is outlined by purple bands. The overskirt is draped up at the back, and the underskirt has purple bands trimming the hem. The long straight three quarter sleeves have fullness at the shoulder.

Purple dotted fabric forms the cuffs and yoke. The bodice has princess seaming. She wears a bangle bracelet and has her hair dressed very high, with combs and ornaments. The second woman from the left is wearing a gray striped dress accented with red, with a deep v neck with a collar. The stripes are pale blue or green and yellow. The blouse is red with a high neck and a standing collar. The dress has three quarter narrow sleeves with fullness at the shoulders, and red cuffs. She has a wide red sash tied around her waist with the ends draping almost to her hem. She wears tan gloves and holds a plate of sandwiches or cakes in her left hand. Her hair is dressed high. The woman in the center wears a white bridal gown with a train and a veil. Her hair is dressed high with white flowers and the veil hangs below her waist in front. The bodice has a deep v neck and ends in a v below her waist.

Her dress has a high standing collar and has gathered lace filling the front of the bodice. She has a long orange blossom garland corsage on her left shoulder that trails below her bust. Her sleeves are three quarter length with a slight fullness at the shoulders, and lace with orange blossoms on the cuffs. Her underskirt is white satin with narrow pleating at the sides and a train, and her overskirt is draped white lace, with scalloped edges, The overskirt is draped asymmetrically and has three trailing orange blossom garlands at the hip, the hem, and the knee. She wears pearl earrings and white gloves, and holds a small Bible or prayer book in her left hand.

The woman second from the right is in a blue dress with a matching bonnet and is holding a fan. Her dress is medium blue with a deep v neck and a draped scalloped lace collar and cuffs, over a brown high necked blouse or vest with center front buttons. The dress has narrow three quarter sleeves with a slight fullness at the shoulders. The skirt is only visible at the waist, which has a lot of fullness at the back, and a brown sash at the waist.

Her blue hat has flowers decorating the crown, and is tied with white. The woman on the right is wearing a light brown dress. The underskirt is brown, red, and black plaid with bias plaid on the cuffs and collar. The bodice is jacket style, ending in a v just below the waist. The plain standing collar has a gathered tan front that is draped at the center front, then tucked behind the two gold buttons at the waist. The sleeves are narrow and three quarter length.

The overskirt is full and draped asymmetrically to show the plaid underskirt. She holds a closed red parasol. Her tan hat is decorated with red flowers and red ribbons. She wears gloves and a gold bangle bracelet.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges