Duck, Duck, Goose

Good afternoon, readers!

For the next several weeks I’ll be posting  articles related to fashion trends of the Gilded Age. Each blog entry will begin with a passage from my historical romance novel, Autumn Lady. Today we will be studying gowns and shoes popular in the 1870’s.

“Mara and Betty admired the well-dressed ladies showing off the
latest fashions from Europe, cascading layers of satin held up by bustles and underskirts. The women glided through the crowds, their pleated gowns rustling softly with everstep. Corsets bound in whalebone and leather cinched many
of the women tightly. Their layers restrained them in breathless
rigidity.

The latest hairstyles demanded dramatic curls, bangs
that swept over the forehead, capped with dainty bonnets.
Wigs were common, as extensions were added to one’s natural
hair. Many of the ladies wore velvet collars around their
necks, the latest fashion trend out of Europe. They chatted
among themselves, their gentle laughter ringing out like little bells, fanning themselves, as they mingled.”

-Autumn Lady, AnneMarie Dapp

http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Autumn-Lady/AnneMarie-Dapp/9781682992340

Silk Taffeta Dress, 1870, American

Visiting Dress, 1873

Silk Dress, 1872–75, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Woman’s Day Dress: Bodice and Skirt: Made in United States, North and Central America, 1875:  Medium: Pale Blue Silk

BLUE TAFFETA RECEPTION GOWN, 1870

1870’s Day Gown 

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1870’s Fashion Plates