(A costume suited to the season or for anyone with an excess of swansdown at hand. White maribou would make a workable substitute.)
Snow, Snowstorm.
A princesse dress of soft white foulard, made high to the throat, or with a square-cut bodice, back and front, and very short sleeves; a drapery of Indian muslin put on just below the hips, covered with detached pieces of frosted swansdown, caught back at both sides with a long broad piece of swansdown, long glass icicles; the bodice and short sleeves trimmed to match, and a wreath of frosted swansdown, with icicles; a veil, fastened either to the wreath or to the shoulders, of frosted gauze, dotted all over with swansdown; very long gloves, trimmed to match, and shoes covered with swansdown; necklace of frosted swansdown and icicles, and from underneath a few drooping snowdrops peeping out; hair down; the fan entirely of swansdown, with an edging of drooping icicles; if the swansdown is just touched with gum, and some "frosting" powder sprinkled on, the effect is very sparkling.
Snow Queen.
Same, with crown of icicles.
Source: Holt, Ardern. Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition. London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.
I think I would want that much swansdown quilted into my cloak. It's just too cold.
What do they mean by "frosted"?
Posted by: Sisuile Butler | January 24, 2011 at 02:17 PM
I don't know what they mean by frosted. My best guess would be something like the sparkly crystal organza, but I'm really not sure.
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | January 28, 2011 at 01:55 PM