German Fashions – Summer 1902

The two dresses are pictured as opposites: one in black, one in white, with a stylized Art Nouveau rose bush as a divider. On the left is an elaborate wedding gown of white floral brocade. The bodice of the gown consists of vertical narrow pleats, wider pleats at the center, and narrower pleats at the sides, with a square neckline. Underneath is a lacy high necked section.

The bodice has a wide square collar, open at the front, made of horizontal bands of lace. Across the wide square neckline is a band of softly pleated white, with two poufs on each side where the collar reaches the bodice. On the right side, she wears a corsage of small green leaves and small white flowers, with two or three trailing strands of leaves, the longest reaching below her waist. The collar is edged with a band of lace with a zigzag edge that extends over the sleeve tops. The sleeves are full length, wider at the wrists, and softly gathered into cuffs trimmed with lace. Along the length of the sleeve is one band of lace insertion beginning at just above the elbow, ending at the cuff.

The band is of two back to back zigzags, forming a diamond pattern that increases a bit in width as it descends the length of the sleeve. The waist band is another softly pleated band with a center front fastening. The skirt flared out gently from the waist, with a center panel of pleating mirroring the center panel of the bodice. These pleats are released at about knee length.

A train completes the skirt. The bride has a hair ornament of a wide bow or two poufs of veiling with decorations of small green leaves, and small white flowers surmounting the veil. The veil is as long as the train of her dress, and very full. The bride is posed with some of her veil held up to her shoulder in her right hand, and she carries a large bouquet of white roses, with accents of small green leaves, and netting surrounding the flowers. She wears white gloves.

On the right side of the page a blond woman wears a black dress, standing in a three-quarter pose. The dress is silk or satin, a shiny fabric, with overall vertical lines of white stitching. The bodice is slightly full at the front, and has a brocade yoke piece of white with a pale blue and pink floral pattern. The yoke has a high standing collar and the lower edge is shaped into multiple large scallops. The sleeves are full length, flaring out into fullness at the cuffs, which are wide and of the same brocade, and have a ruffle of lace at the wrists.

A band of black also gathers in the sleeves at a point half way between the wrist and the elbow. The band at the waist is a similar narrow black band. The skirt is gored to flare out gently into a trumpet shape, with a slight train. She wears a black hat decorated with small black bows along the front of the brim and a large white feather plume at the crown. She wears one white glove on her left hand with which she reaches up toward her ear. On her right hand she wears a ring with a oval pink stone, and holds a lace handkerchief.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges