Ceremonial Dress In Moiré Silk Faille, Early Victorian Period - England, C. 1840

Circa 1840-1845, England. Two-piece wedding or formal gown, bodice and dress boned in antique moiré silk faille. The gown has a fitted bodice with a pointed front, short sleeves, and a deep neckline, laced up the back with eyelets. The skirt, fitted with box pleats, cascades over a small round crinoline. The matching jacket-style bodice has peplums, a low front, and three-quarter-length pagoda sleeves, trimmed with colored trimmed ribbons. The entire ensemble is fully lined in cream chintz. No flaws to note. Excellent condition in terms of color and preservation. Size: Equivalent to French size 36-38. Front length 138 cm, back length 145 cm, shoulders 48 cm, bust 90 cm, waist 62 cm, sleeves 43 cm, hips 145 cm. This wedding dress from the early Victorian bourgeoisie, with its color and bold cut, reflects the technological lead that England under the young Queen Victoria held over the end of Louis-Philippe's reign in France. White or cream wedding dresses would not appear in France for several decades, where in the 19th century, weddings were typically colored, generally green, flea, or black for the provinces furthest from urban centers. While the cut and couture details of this dress are very refined, as was always the case for the social elite in the 19th century, its distinctive feature lies in the exceptional quality of the moiré fabric, most likely English or from the Lyon silk industry. Moire, a process invented by Tignat in Lyon in 1843, which involves calendering the fabric to create weave effects, is one of the last technological feats developed in France by the Grand Frères company. The dress featured a high bust with a proud bearing, a wasp waist, slender arms, and sloping shoulders with an inclined neckline, sometimes with extravagant hairstyles, beret-shaped sleeves, or dress trim. The precious silks used were often plain, and the frills were made of the same fabric.