French Fashions – 1881

Two women and a young girl walk along next to a balustrade in a city. The woman on the left wears a gray straw hat with gray plumes and a green ribbon. Her dress is gray trimmed with rows of green tasseled fringe. The dress has a high collar and long sleeves, with white ruffles showing at both. The princess-style dress has buttons down the center front of the bodice and a draped skirt. The dress has a pleated yoke, giving the appearance of a shawl, with hanging ends tied at the front, all edged with green tasseled fringe.

The sleeves have pleating at the cuffs. The skirt has two diagonally draped green tasseled fringe trimmed tiers over a pleated gray underskirt edged with green. She wears pearl earrings and holds a furled umbrella in her right hand. With her left hand, she holds the hand of the girl in the center, who wears a black hat lined with blue and trimmed with a blue plume. She wears a light blue princess line double-breasted coat trimmed with bands of black on the collar, cuffs, and pocket flaps.

The coat ends just below her knees, showing a bit of the pleated hem of her dress. She wears matching blue stockings and gray and black boots. The woman on the right holds the girl’s other hand as they walk. She is wearing a brown bonnet trimmed with leaves and berries and tied under the chin with a brown ribbon. Her dress is brown with a high collar and three-quarter length sleeves. The princess styled jacket has brown lace lapels and cuffs, gold buttons down the open front, and white lace at the collar and cuffs.

The dress and skirt are moire-patterned with the overskirt draped to the back and ending in points at the front. The underskirt has vertical bands of moire alternating with bands of pleating. The gowns of both women show the elaborate back detailing of the fashionable bustled silhouette. Behind the group is a white balustrade, and buildings are visible in the distance.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges