Fashion Plate, London Fashions, 1810

Fashion plates were popular from the late 18^th century throughout the 19^th and were used to indicate certain styles of clothing that dressmakers, tailors, or a store can make (Nevinson, 2021). These were highly useful during these centuries due to how rapidly fashion styles were changing. The plates would show what types of clothing were most appropriate for certain times of day, special occasions, and even social class (“Fashion Plates Introduction.” National Portrait Gallery).

Lillicoco states that fashion plates were directed towards women of wealth or the elite and were extremely sought after (Chatterton, 2021). The dressmakers and tailors would work closely with artists to produce fashion plates that depicted exactly what styles they were aiming to make (Chatterton, 2021). Being up to date with the latest fashion in the 18^th and 19^th centuries was very important to women and the fashion plates completely transformed the industry. Early fashion plates were not produced in color but as seen in "London Fashion for April" published by Vernor, Hood and Sharpe, they were hand colored. These pocket-sized magazines showed different fashion plates for the month giving a wide variety of options for the women to pick from and make sure they were staying up to date with the latest fashion trends (“The Lady's Monthly Museum.” National Portrait Gallery). Not only did it help women stay up to date with the most appropriate fashions, it also allowed them to visualize the women they wanted to be through their dress (Chatterton, 2021).

The fashion plate titled “London Fashion for April” was published by Vernor, Hood and Sharpe in April of 1810. Vernor, Hood and Sharpe were British publishers who published many plates for the Lady’s Monthly Museum, later named Monthly Mirror (British Museum). Fashion in 1810 featured the tubular silhouette inspired by Neoclassicism. In the image both ladies are wearing floor length tubular evening dresses with puffed short sleeves. Fabrics such as thin cotton muslin or light weight silk were used for the gowns. The Empire waistline was also a strong element of fashion in this century. Along with the high waistline both dresses are belted under the breast. The two dresses also appear to have square necklines with the dress on the right having embroidery at the edge. The color choices for the dresses and accessories were common for this era, specifically yellows and golds.

The woman on the left has a royal look as she is shown with a crown, a deep red shawl, long white gloves, gold belt, and a crown-like headdress. The bottom of her evening gown is decorated with yellow trim. The woman on the right has a softer look to her with a green bonnet with flower-like embellishments, yellow gloves, and matching green belt and shoes. Around her neck is a fur stole, left uncolored by the colorists. The two dresses complement each other very nicely and showed how variations of an evening dress were accessorized and worn.

References

Chatterton, Molly. “The Wonderful World of Georgian & Victorian Fashion Plates.” Lillicoco, 20 Apr. 2021, https://www.lillicoco.com/blogs/love-lillicoco-blog/the-wonderful-world-of-georgian-victorian-fashion-plates.

“Collections Online: British Museum.” Collections Online | British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG130105.

“Fashion Plates Introduction.” National Portrait Gallery, https://www.npg.org.uk/research/fashionplates/fashion-plates-introduction.

“The Lady's Monthly Museum.” National Portrait Gallery, https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp160061/the-ladys-monthly-museum.

Nevinson, J. L. (John Lea). “Origin and Early History of the Fashion Plate.” Origin and Early History of the Fashion Plate, 16 Oct. 2021, https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/34472/pg34472-images.html.