American Fashions – 1894

Two women are standing at the top of the stairs in an elegant hallway with striped wall paper. On the left is part of a long window with diamond patterned glass and a curved top, with a white column setting it off. On the right is an elegant drape, and behind the women is a potted plant. The woman on the left is wearing a light blue dress with leg o’ mutton sleeves.

The bodice has a v neck, is buttoned with three silver buttons, and is draped asymmetrically. There are very wide pointed lapels of gray brocade that reach to her shoulders. She wears a blouse or underdress of very dark blue velvet, with a high standing collar, and a matching waist band. The same deep blue forms te underskirt which has a ruffle at the hem.

The overskirt is also draped asymmetrically, high on the right hip, and the hem of the overskirt, and the wrists of the bodice, are edged with three rows of narrow blue braid. She wears tan gloves, pearl earrings, and a flat brimmed black hat trimmed with many brown plumes. The woman on the right is wearing a dark purple waist-length jacket with leg o’ mutton sleeves. The jacket is open to the waist and shows a yellow, high-collared blouse, and a black cummerbund.

She wears a round brooch on her collar. The jacket has a wide pleated collar trimmed with black braiding all over in a lacy pattern which is wide enough to reach over the top of her sleeves. The opening of the jacket has two rows of eight purple buttons. The narrow fitted part of the sleeves is trimmed with rows of black scalloped edged lace, and the same lace falls in two sections from the waist at the front over the lavender skirt. These end with dark purple puffs at the hem.

She holds a furled black parasol, and she wears a purple shallow brimmed hat decorated with purple bows and yellow plumes. She wears small pearl earrings.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges