All That Glitters: White, Light, and Bright Gowns in the Past

Very beautiful dresses! I love the 1820's dress and the bustle dresses (fourth picture). I love the light colors and the trims on both!

Oooh, lovely dresses 🙂 I do think the first one is from the Met–I think I recognize it 🙂

I also think there's a hint at wealth and leisure in white gowns–you certainly can't keep them clean if you're working, and they're probably a bear to keep clean at all so it shows your status that youc an afford to have them at all. By the time we get to the LBD by Ms Chanel, we have not only better lighting but have a large, climbing middle class–so the ability to have difficult to care for gowns maybe mattered less? Dunno, random thought 🙂

I think I like the light colors better 🙂 Plus there's a light color that's flattering for nearly anyone…and you're right, in black you'd just blend into the dimly lit rooms. But in white–you shine 🙂

I think you guys are right – rank and wealth probably had much to do with what colors one was wearing. While white underclothes of linen were easier to keep clean than colors, because of the ability to scrub and bleach, the white silks would have been horrible to try to keep clean!

Pica – good note about the riding habits! I think you're right, it's just impractical to have a light colored riding jacket when around horses and mud and dogs (more impractical than dancing at a ball, haha). I suppose one wouldn't need to "stand out" in broad daylight, and also there is an interesting history and tradition to do with riding apparel, and the colors and fabrics involved. I'm not sure when it developed … worth looking into 🙂

Ah, I do see the difference, but I also wonder about the requirements of the cut of a dress for evening (versus day) and the use of black – evening gowns were normally low-cut in the neckline, and bedazzled with beads and trims – I think this would be true of an evening gown still in mourning. Then there are different stages of the mourning period, where different "fun" things were permitted after a certain period of time, to include the addition of color back into one's wardrobe (purple.).

I think I need to research this more. I am not disagreeing with you, just noting that my interest is piqued!

Absolutely agree! In fact, any lady (even today) who will attend an event with proper candle light should pick her fabrics with that fact in mind. Many pretty colours can look like a ver dull, unbecoming brown in candlelight, and anything sparkly, like gold spangles or lace, will make her glitter.

I personally prefer gold or silver on white, but am sure you'll look stunning in your white-on-white combo!

I bet in the 19th century many white dresses could have been debutante dresses? In the beginning I had trouble to tell them apart from wedding gowns, until I realized that in prints wedding gowns are always day gowns, never sleeveless, and always depicted with a veil. So: White evening dress without veil: Not a wedding dress.

Blackcat's comments about the prevalence of black in Victorian women's wardrobes also got me thinking about black clothing as it pertained to Victorian-era photography. There's a great blog – F*Yeah Victorians (http://fuckyeahvictorians.tumblr.com/) that has a plethora of old tintypes, daguerrotypes and other Victorian photography, and I noticed that in almost every one the sitter is wearing a dark color.

I think we assume these garments to be black, although any dark colored materials, such as blue, grey, emerald green, burgundy, and purples, would have come out looking "black," especially if the photo was underexposed as we see in many tintypes. However, with the photographic technology of the past (and even today!), there is considerable trouble in shooting whites. You can see in some Edwardian photography, where the sitters are wearing white, that they are often blown out, or their skin looks very dark because the photos had to be purposefully underexposed to account for the white gowns.

This makes me think that perhaps it was common practice to wear your dark colored clothing to the photographer's studio – the photographer may have even insisted upon it – so as to make a nicely exposed photo. This is not to say that there were not cultural attachments to the clothing being worn, etc., just that it may be another factor in why we think the Victorians were always wearing black.

Thoughts?

That 1920s dress is to die for. I'd love to have a chance to wear something like that. If you love 1920s Fashion you might like my webpage: http://www.decolish.com/1920sFashion.html

Oh yes, this line up is very you Dreamstress :-). Gosh, I gotta search out that green one now, if it's not from the Met…I'm curious…