French Fashions – 1883

Late Victorian Summer Garden Costumes and 1880s Plaid Accent Gowns

This original 1883 hand-colored plate from “Revue de la Mode” depicts a group of stylish women gathered indoors, highlighting the creative textile combinations of the late Victorian era. The central figure models a lightweight summer day dress in soft cream and blue pinstripes, featuring layered lace tiered ruffles along the skirt and a matching high collar bodice. To her right, a companion showcases a tailored brown wool visiting suit dramatically contrasted by a vibrant, multi-colored plaid tartan sash wrapped around the bustle overskirt, capturing the eclectic pattern mixing favored in mid-1880s European society.

Analysis of 1883 Floral Bustle Dresses and Plaid Tartan Drapery

For historical costumers, theater designers, and 19th-century textile archivists, this nineteenth-century fashion print offers excellent primary evidence of the second bustle era’s structural draping. The lady on the left displays an evening-appropriate floral print gown with an asymmetrical red satin sash that gathers the overskirt tightly over the hips. The inclusion of bold plaid patterns as functional apron drapery and decorative sashes highlights the period’s departure from monochrome fabrics, providing a rich reference for recreating authentic high-society promenade or reception wear from 1883.