Historical Fancy Dress

Fairy Godmother

(This costume is intended for a young girl and is a simplified version of women's "fairy godmother" costumes.)

Skirt of amber cashmere or veiling.  Apron of white silk trimmed round with the eyes from peacock plumes.  Pointed body of satin with a basque skirt cut in points.  The body is trimmed with strips of white silk tied across and fastened in bows.  Hanging sleeves, cut round in points.  Cloak of green cashmere or satin.  Deep, white linen collar.  Sugar-loaf hat trimmed with a peacock plume.

Source:
Masquerade and Carnival.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1892.

A sugarloaf hat is a tall, pointed hat -- the classic "witch" style.

The Soothsayer

(This one is listed under costumes for "Misses, Girls, and Children," but I see no particular reason an adult woman couldn't wear it as well.  And it's one of the rare costumes that specifies eyeglasses!)

A dove-gray kilted skirt, with panel of black on the sides.  A closely fitting black bodice reaching only to the waist, opening over a low-cut dove-gray waistcoat, and having angel or wing sleeves lined with dove-gray.  A white tucked and ruffled shirt front; a deep, fluted ruff about the neck and standing out well about the lower edge of the bodice; long black gloves, black stockings, and slippers with bows; eyeglasses, and a high black hat with pointed crown and a closely-rolled brim.

Source:
Masquerade and Carnival.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1892.

Pillar Post (Mailbox)

(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.

Butterfly/Queen of Butterflies

(Here's a whole selection of ideas either for a personified butterfly or for the Queen of Butterflies. Butterflies seem to have been fairly egalitarian in dress -- the costume listed for a plain old butterfly in 1880 appears in later editions as suitable for the Queen. Different colors are given for different styles of butterfly; see the Canadian Butterfly for a color rendering and description of one variety.  Pre-made butterfly wings are easy to purchase nowadays, so it would be easy to transform any gown into a similar costume.  The illustration at left is from the 1896 edition; presumably an 1887 butterfly would have at least a small bustle!)

1880:
Butterfly: Tulle dress bordered with butterflies; black velvet tunic shaped and pointed like the wings; low bodice, with bands of gold across the front; blue gauze wings attached to back, short sleeves, with butterflies; a butterfly on the head; black shoes with blue butterflies.

Queen of Butterflies: For the Queen, the dress would be similar, of bluish silken tissue, the tunic cut in the shape of a butterfly's wings; a jewelled zone round the waist; wand carried in the hand.

1887:
A Butterfly: Short white satin skirt, covered with clouds of brown, pink, and blue tulle.  Flight of butterflies all over it.  Wings of blue gauze, and the antennae in the head-dress.  White silk stockings and white shoes.  Butterfly on each.

Golden Butterfly: Short skirt and low bodice of yellow merveilleuse, draped with tinsel gauze, trimmed with yellow, jet, and gold butterflies; gauze scarf; butterfly and feather head-dress, yellow shoes and stockings.

Queen of Butterflies: Tulle dress covered with butterflies; black velvet tunic shaped and pointed like wings; low bodice, with bands of gold across the front, blue gauze wings attached to back; short sleeves, with butterflies; a butterfly on the head; black shoes with blue butterflies.

The following is a very pretty rendering: White tulle dress, puffed and bouillonéed, with scarf of pale blue satin caught together with loops at back, bordered with tinsel fringe, dotted all over with butterflies; also bodice; a large one on each shoulder; wreath of butterflies and white veil with butterflies upon it; gold wand in hand with butterfly a-top; pale blue fan with butterflies. 

Or, dress of brown velvet, front made with robings of brown and gold brocade; large gold and brown wings; hair dressed high above the face, surmounted by cap like antennae; brown gloves, shoes, and stockings.  For the Queen, the dress would be similar, of bluish silken tissue, the tunic cut in the shape of a butterfly's wings; a jewelled zone round the waist; wand carried in the hand.

1896:
Butterfly: [In the figure above at left] is depicted wearing a diaphonous skirt with panels showing the markings of the wings; a brown velvet bodice with handsome gold and velvet applique ornamentation; two gold cords falling like the antennae.  The folded tulle above is caught up with similar ornaments on shoulders, wings at the back, antennae in the hair.

A tulle evening gown with a flight of butterflies across it, gauze, wing butterflies on hair and shoulders.

(For young child.)  Short skirt of blue foulard, with an over-skirt of gauze; low bodice, having a waistband fastened in front with bows; two wings are attached to the middle of back, made of gauze, edged with fine wire; silk stockings; blue satin shoes.

Queen of Butterflies: Dress draped with tinsel gauze, black velvet tunic shaped and pointed like wings; low bodice, with bands of gold across the front, blue gauze wings attached to back; short sleeves, with butterflies; a crown with a butterfly hovering behind it; black shoes with blue butterflies.

 

Sources:
Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 2nd Edition, Illustrated.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1880.
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.

Columbine

(Another cute flower costume, this time for a young girl, though there's no special reason an adult woman could not do something similar.)

Pink silk stockings, white satin shoes, tulle skirt, short and full; cuirass bodice bordered with flowers; wreath of flowers in hand.

Source: Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.

Fly Costume for Boy of Four

(Here's another insect costume, this one apparently for a boy so young that he's not yet breeched (put into trousers of some kind rather than dresses), as the outfit is basically a dress.  I suspect this is why the age is specified in the title of the costume.  Nowadays this would probably not be a popular choice for a boy's costume, but might work for a little girl, so I'm cross-listing it.  No illustration, alas!)

Golden-yellow satin skirt, ornamented with black braid and studded with small gauze flies.  The sort upper skirt forms a sort of long basque and is sewn to the waistband; rows of gold braid across the high bodice, and round the short sleeves, loose jacket ornamented with gauze; fly in the centre of back, an smaller ones in front; black velvet toque, with gold band round, a gold fly fastening down aigrette.

Source: Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.

Jumping Joan

(Here's a cute little girl's costume from a Mother Goose nursery rhyme.)

Suitable for a Child. Tall and pointed cap, pink and white stripes carried round; soft pink silk dress with honeycomb yoke, a skipping-rope round waist; sleeves with puff at shoulder, slashed puffs at elbow, cuffs falling over the hand.

Source: Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.

The rhyme:

Here am I, little jumping Joan,
When nobody's with me
I'm always alone.

Will-o'-the-Wisp

(Here are very similar descriptions for a woman's version and a girl's version of the same outfit. The electric stars would have been very modern and fashionable, less than a decade after the invention of the light bulb.)

Women:
Flowing hair falling over black fashionably-made evening dress; tiny lantern carried in hand; star of electric light in the centre of the forehead.

Girls:
Black lantern in hand, hair flowing; black tulle dress with iridescent beads; star over the forehead of electric light.

Source: Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.

Canadian Butterfly

(Something adorable for a little girl!  Notice the elongated bodice meant to represent the insect body; this is found on women's insect costumes as well.  I don't know enough about butterflies to have any idea what makes this particularly Canadian, but there are non-Canadian butterfly costumes as well for both women and girls and the general style could be adapted to any species of butterfly.)

Bodice of green plush elongated into a point which falls on to the short yellow tulle skirt; short, puffed sleeves; gauze wings at back forming tunic; butterfly on head; green gloves and shoes with butterflies; butterfly fan.

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.