Farewell to 1815

Our last fashion blog for the year.

Walking Dress, December 1815

Not my favourite by a long way, despite the glowing recommendation at the end of the description. As always it gives us a voyeuristic sense of the time.

The description is from the Ackermann's December 1815 edition.

Pelisse, of walking length, composed of blue twilled sarsnet, fastened down the front with large bows of white satin ribbon, and ornamented at the feet with a border of leaves formed of the same sarsnet, edged with white satin: 

the bottom of the pelisse, trimmed with white satin, is drawn into small festoons; sleeve ornamented at the shoulder and the hand to correspond; 

a French embroidered ruff. 

A French hat composed of the blue twilled sarsnet, trimmed with white satin edged with blue, and decorated with a large plume of ostrich feathers. 

An Indian shawl of crimson silk, richly embroidered in shaded silks. The pocket-handkerchief French cambric, embroidered at the corners. 

Shoes, blue morocco, tied with bows high upon the instep. Stockings with embroidered clocks. Gloves, York tan.

The silver-striped French gauze is a novel and elegant article, which, fashioned by the ever-varying and approved taste of Mrs. Bean, requires to be viewed, before a just idea can be received of its fascinating effects; it is allowed to be the lightest and most splendid costume ever yet presented by the amateur to the votaries of fashion.

I do hope you all had a very happy Christmas tide, if it is something you celebrate.

I am looking forward to embarking with you on a new year of fashion, travel and books.

Fashion - December 1815

Evening Gown from Ackerman's





A CRIMSON satin slip, underneath a frock of three-quarters length made of the silver-striped French gauze; the slip ornamented at the feet with clusters of flowers, and a narrow border of white satin edged with crimson ribbon: 

the frock has a border of white satin, edged to correspond, and is drawn up in the Eastern style, confined by a cluster of flowers. 

The body of the dress has open fronts, with a stomacher, which are severally trimmed en suite; short open sleeve, to correspond with a quilling of tull round the arm. 

Head-dress a la Chinoise, composed of pearl; the hair braided, and ornamented with a wreath of flowers. 

Ear-rings and drops, pearl; necklace, the French negligée.—Gloves, French kid, worn below the elbow, and trimmed with a quilling of tull. 

Sandals, white kid.

What a pretty dress to wear for a Christmas party, don't you think?

Brighton Revisited 3

The main purpose of this trip was to revisit Brighton as the place where my mother-in-law, Kit, grew up.  So after wandering along marine parade and looking at the sea, we headed up Great East Street, avoiding the lure of The Lanes, and along North Street which has always been an important shopping area. It was here that we come to No. 1 Wykeham (said Wickham like in Pride and Prejudice) Terrace.

This gothic looking entrance is quite novel is it not. The terrace is not accessible by road at the front, but merely by this set of steps leading off the path or sidewalk as we call it in North America.

When you see the individual houses in the terrace I think you might have trouble seeing it as a holiday boarding house.  I know I did.

To me it looks more like a small town house.  Here we are looking down the row. These are not large places. The doors are only two windows apart though there are four floors, one you can see within the area, as sort of basement and another up in the eaves with dormer windows in addition to the two main floors.  On our right is number 1 in a sort of tower.  This made it somewhat bigger that those in the flat part of the row. 

I took these views for my children to have a sense of what their Grannie was talking about when she talked about her life growing up.

She lived here until she was married.  She always talked about deciding whether to get a tattoo of a blue bird on her right breast, or to get married (she was known as a bit of a lad as a girl) and I think the decision had something to do with the cost, tattoos being expensive.  Well Sammy, my father-in-law must have talked her out of the tattoo, because later in life she always joked that given her increased girth after seven children, the tattoo would have gone from being a bluebird to a "bloody great eagle".

Personally I think she still regretted that tatto.

As you can see from the shared garden, this terrace is on quite a hill. No, it is not me having had too much to drink, this was taken before lunch. lol.

When Kit talked about walking up the hill to the church on her wedding day, I never imagined this.

By the time we had taken these photos the heavens opened and so we decided to follow in Kit's footsteps. In the photo on the right to the right of the picture is the fence between us and Wykeham Terrace and to the left the is North Street, which eventually took off to London.

So, on her wedding day, September 26, 1931, my mother-in-law walked up this hill in her wedding dress to get married. fortunately it wasn't raining on that day.

But what on earth has this got to do with the Regency, you ask, after my trip down memory lane?

Just wait until you see the church.  Next time......