Evening Dress, about 1822-27
Our clothing expresses both personal identity and our affiliation with social groups.
Before ready-to-wear, this was even more true. Women chose fabric and discussed dress design with their dressmaker. Ideas from fashion magazines, news from friends in large cities, and observation of neighbors would all be considered to create a unique design expressing personal taste but fitting in with one’s peers.
This dress’s owner wanted an on-trend gauze evening dress embellished with bold applied trim from the mid-1820s, but opted for an unobtrusive color and a slightly conservative higher waistline held over from a few years earlier. Such compromises were possible when every dress was custom designed.
Silk net and silk satin with cotton wadding; reproduction slip. Gift of Louisa Eifrig Rauth 2017.16