Trim and decoration were the fashionable elements that most disrupted the Classical line during this period. As early as 1812, skirts began to feature horizontal tucks at the hem (C.W. Cunnington 34). By 1815, this hem decoration became more elaborate as flounces of lace, often featuring scalloped or vandyked edges, were applied as well. At the advent of the 1820s, skirts were richly festooned with not only tucks and flounces, but satin rouleaux (stuffed tubes of fabric), puffs, and embroidery in a wide variety of designs (Fig. 7). By 1815, the emphasis on trims spread to the bodice and sleeves; sleeve caps known as mancherons, were common, and panes of fabric at the shoulder revealing puffs underneath became very fashionable by the end of the decade (Fig. 8) (Byrde 35-36; Foster 32; Davidson 38). The increasing trim reflected a move away from Neoclassical influence to a Romantic one. In an arguably “Gothic” style, many elements of fashion were drawn from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Panes and puffs imitating slashing (Fig. 8), ruff collars (Figs. 8, 10), “vandycked” edges, extra-long sleeves that came over the hand, and the very modish “Marie” sleeve, which was a long sleeve banded down at intervals to form a series of puffs (Fig. 9), were all examples of such Romantic historicism (Johnston 46; Davidson 37-38; C. W. Cunnington 29; le Bourhis 100).
Outerwear was rich and varied during the 1810s. The pelisse or redingote, both types of long coats, or the spencer, a cropped jacket (Fig. 10), were the most common (C.W. Cunnington 35-38; le Bourhis 98). By 1817, the pelisse developed into the pelisse-robe, a coat-dress that could be worn by itself (Byrde 27). These garments often displayed the influence of the wars, with a widespread use of military-inspired trim. The uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars were some of the most elaborate and dashing in military history, providing excellent material for fashion (Johnston 18-20). Braid, tassels, frogging, and cords festooned female outerwear especially. The hussar cavalry uniforms served as a particular inspiration; observe figure 2 of the Menswear section. Fashion frequently borrowed their horizontal braid and Brandenburg buttons (Fig. 11) (f*ckai 148-151; Byrde 30; Davidson 233). Finally, Kashmiri shawls imported from India, highly-prized and prohibitively expensive for most women, were a much-desired accessory (Fig. 6). Note the shawls worn by Empress Joséphine in the Fashion Icon section below and the woman in figure 4 of the Children’s Wear section. During the first decades of the nineteenth century, there was an expansion and development in the imitation market, most notably in Paisley, Scotland. The city’s name became synonymous with the Indian pine or boteh/buta motif that decorated the shawls (Laver 155; Davidson 273; Ashelford 179).
Textiles became more diverse during the 1810s; firmer cottons and silks supplanted the draping fine muslins of the previous years. Additionally, while white remained a color very much in vogue throughout the decade, it gave way to increasingly brighter colors and patterns such as stripes (Byrde 36; Foster 36). Lightweight, transparent nets became extremely popular after the bobbin-net machine was patented by John Heathcoat in 1808, which made the material more affordable (Johnston 146; le Bourhis 100). This net could be embroidered and further decorated, and evening dresses were frequently made entirely of transparent net worn over a silk satin slip (Fig. 12). Lace, particularly the silk “blonde” variety, was a desirable material as well (Davidson 220-223). These lightweight materials softened the stiffer silks and cottons, lending a Romantic quality to a woman’s appearance (Foster 39). Overall, though, textiles lost the sense of fluidity that defined gowns of the previous two decades; by the end of the 1810s, “a soft, curving femininity was established…one featuring stiffer surfaces with increased decoration” (Davidson 26) (Fig. 13).
