(For women and girls with a strong but inexplicable desire to dress like a Victorian mailbox.)
1887:
Long red satin dress; white waistcoat with placard bearing hours of collection printed on it; head-dress, square cap, the same form as the top of letter-box.
1896:
Long red satin dress; white satin placard bearing V R and hours of collection printed on it; head-dress, square cap, the same form as top of letter-box.
The "V R" stands for Victoria Regina, of course. Pillar post boxes for mail were introduced in England in 1853, with new designs introduced in 1887 for Victoria's Golden Jubilee. A Victorian pillar post is shown in the image below; many more examples may be seen in this article on pillar post history.
The illustration above (click to enlarge it and see the writing on the bodice) is from the girls' section of the earlier edition but actually better matches the 1896 description.
Sources:
Holt, Ardern. Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition. London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.
Holt, Ardern. Fancy Dresses Described, Sixth Edition. London: Debenham & Freebody, 1896.
The 1896 edition of Holt may be found online at the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.
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