Loretta reports:
While the early 1820s see more complicated fashions than the 1810s, we’re still in a vertical mode. Hair and headdress don’t yet jump off the lady’s head, and the sleeves haven’t yet swelled up to sofa cushion proportions.
I chose these fashions because the lace on the morning dress was particularly beautiful, and an example of the kinds of craftsmanship well-heeled ladies could afford. Too, I’m accustomed to seeing “blond lace” in descriptions, and here the emphasis is on British-made lace. The rather fussy plaid silk evening dress is a little tough on these 21st century eyes, but I know plaid was very popular, and I’m imagining that the real thing would look softer and more delicate than the illustration.
Fashion plates from
Ackermann's Repository 1822, courtesy Internet Archive.
Clicking on the image will enlarge it. Clicking on the captions will allow you to read at the source, where you can learn more and enlarge images as needed.
One of us -- 
2 comments:
I've always associated plaid with fall—going back to school clothes. Interesting to see a plaid dress for October in 1822!
Interesting how by 1822, tartans had apparently lost all their earlier threatening symbolism for the English, and were considered "safe" enough for pretty silk dress fabrics. I wonder if the Highlanders felt the same way?
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