Saturday, September 8, 2012

History's Runway: A Ball Gown from 1820


Ball Gown
England, 1820
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum


Can you picture a lovely woman wearing this gown as she made her entrance to a lavish ball in 1820? During the Regency Era, women’s fashions were meant to create an illusion of the ethereal. Lavish gowns such as this one were adorned with gold thread, shimmering beads and spangles atop gauzy materials. The overall effect, in the candlelight of a ballroom must have been effectively dreamy.


This gown is an excellent representation of the fashions of London in 1820. The short-sleeved ball gown features an under-dress of silk satin and an over-dress of silk net which has been embroidered with metallic thread and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace.

Typical of the period, the gown boasts a low oval neckline and slightly puffed sleeve-caps. The waist is higher than earlier examples and wedge-shaped panels gather at the waist. 





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