English Fashions – 1875

Two women are depicted at a harbor, looking at the ships in the distance. The woman on the left wears a flat brimmed straw hat decorated with with white veiling, a standing plume, and green leaves. Her dress has a black skirt with pleats and ruffles at the hem. Over her dress, she wears a yellow coat with long sleeves with wide buttoned cuffs, buttons at the center front, and a decorative pattern along the scalloped edges of the hem, and along the lapels and front.

Her white blouse has a v neck edged with a ruffle and wide lace ruffles at the wrists. Her accessories include pale blue gloves, earrings and a matching scalloped edged parasol in her left hand. She rests her left hand on a rope wrapped bollard. The woman on the right wears a white bowler hat with purple flowers, a plume, black edging, and light gray veiling hanging from the back. Her dress is white and purple. Her dress has long sleeves, with ruffle edged cuffs. Her skirt is draped elaborately at the back in four layers.

The underskirt is purple with three ruffles and a band of pleating at the hem. The next tier is white, draped up and edged with a row of pleating. Above that are the ends of a wide purple sash with pleating on the hems. The top tier has white lappets edged with pleating that continues around to the front of her waist. A purple bow is at her waist in the back. She wears pendant earrings, and gazes though a pair of red binoculars.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges