Paris Fashions – Winter 1838

Two women in Parisian fashion for December 1838. The woman on the left wears a purple, wide brimmed bonnet. A large purple feather cascades down the side onto her shoulder. Purple ribbons tie into a bow under her chin. White flowers with green leaves adorn either side of her head, inside the bonnet. Her dress is very dark navy blue, almost black, and has a wide, “V” shaped white lace collar. The bodice is plain as are the long gathered sleeves, which end in a white cuff. She wears a pair of white gloves.

A red shawl or cloak with a black floral pattern, gold trimmed edges, and large red tassels at the corners, is draped over her shoulders. A black sash is tied around her waist with a watch fob and watch hanging from it. Her skirt is pleated or gathered at the waist. At the hem are three rows of wide ruffles of the same fabric as the dress, with scalloped and bound edges. She wears a pair of black shoes. The woman on right sits with her faced turned to the side. She wears a deep purple, wide brimmed bonnet with long, horsetail hair cascading down from the top of the crown. Deep purple ribbon is tied into a knot under her chin. Her hair is parted in the center and dressed in bunches of ringlets at the sides.

Her cloak is dark green with a black lace collar. She wears a cord sash at the waist. The sleeves are long and divided into a small, pleated top section and then a loose, wide lower section. The folded cuff is edged with a floral pattern, as is the front edge and hem. She wears a pair of white gloves and holds an ermine muff with a bow on the end, in her left hand. The cloak opens at the waist, revealing an ermine lining and a glimpse of the white dress underneath. The skirt is hemmed with a narrow border and a scalloped lace ruffle. She wears a pair of black shoes. The woman sits on a white sofa with her feet on a blue carpet.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges