hats and laces

Fashion plate dated 4th of July 1869. The influences from the Western European “fashion scene” have a great impact on American taste, as proved by an increasingly large number of bows, frills, lace and decorations.

Fashion plate from 1868.

The dress on the lady in the foreground!

Once more, stripes on the lady in the center.

Fashion plate from Peterson’s magazine, 1867.

Godey’s fashions for January 1866.

I love love love the first dress on the right! If it were an extant example it would totally get a thousand notes.

I will start with the year the Civil War ended, 1865.

This fashion plate appeared in Godey’s Lady’s Book. Of course, don’t imagine the dresses beautifully drawn here were worn by the large majority of American women. Most families were still affected by the war. I suppose there were some, perhaps Yankee women, who afforded to follow the (usually Parisian) trends. So look at fashion plates as you look at today’s Vogue.