Historical Fancy Dress

Category: Literature

  • 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.

  • Mephistopheles

    FD-Butterick-Mephistopheles (One of many versions of the famous devil from the legend of Faust, and once again an opportunity for men to get into tights!  I actually made a rather crude version of this, minus the headdress, many years ago for a friend.  Click the image to enlarge.)

    Costume of flaring-red cashmere, body and sleeves slashed, with silver-gray satin inserted.  Silver-gray tights and silver belt.  Pointed shoes and feather on head.

    Source:
    Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.

  • Sea Maiden (The Little Mermaid)

    (Another mermaid costume, this one inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's classic fairy tale, "The Little Sea-Maid," better known as "The Little Mermaid".  This one features a fish-tail train which would be a challenge on the dance floor!)

    SEA MAIDEN (Anderson's).  Plain loose robe of sea-green watered silk; under-dress of batiste, same shade, cut as a high square, back and front; short puffed sleeves; wreath of seaweed; silver shells in puffings of tulle round; coral round neck and wrists; armlets of shells; round waist belt of coral and shells from which falls seaweed; train of silver cloth, cut like a fish-tail at the edge and trimmed with oyster-shells; pink stockings; sandalled pink shoes; pink gloves; silver band round head, hair floating on shoulders, with red flowers intermingled; miniature of beautiful prince around neck.

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

  • Gleaner

    FD-Holt-1887-Gleaner (Here are several options for people who like the red-gold-brown color family and happen to have a sickle handy.  While one description remains constant over sixteen years and three editions of the same manual, in 1887 three other descriptions appear, one of which, Rachel the Gleaner, remains in 1896 as well.)

    1880:
    Short yellow skirt, red tunic, black velvet low bodice, laced across the front, cut in tabs round; short sleeves and low chemisette; hat with flowers, sometimes a coloured handkerchief wound about the head, or an evening dress of maize and brown tulle, all trimmed and embroidered with wheat, corn-flowers, and poppies; a sickle at the side.

    1887:
    Short yellow skirt; red tunic; black velvet low bodice, laced across the front, cut in tabs at waist; short sleeves and low chemisette; hat with flowers, sometimes a coloured handkerchief wound about the head.  Or, an evening dress of maie and brown tulle, all trimmed or embroidered with wheat, cornflowers, and poppies; a sickle at the side; wheat-sheaf and wreath.  Or, amber satin skirt, red over-skirt and bodice, with large muslin kerchief; hat enriched by wreath of grain and poppies; sickle at one side.  Rachel the Gleaner: orange-coloured handkerchief loosely thrown over the hair and tied in front; grey bodice with cream fichu, quite plain and unfrilled; over-skirt grey with wheat ears in the lap; orange-couloured petticoat; grey stockings or tanned shoes; sickle in hand, and bunch of corn poppies and juettes.

    1896:
    Short yellow skirt; red tunic; black velvet low bodice, laced across the front, cut in tabs at waist; short sleeves and low chemisette; hat with flowers, sometimes a coloured handkerchief wound about the head.  Rachel the Gleaner: orange-coloured handkerchief loosely thrown over the hair and tied in front; grey bodice with cream fichu, quite plain and unfrilled; over-skirt grey with wheat ears in the lap; orange-couloured petticoat; grey stockings or tanned shoes; sickle in hand, and bunch of corn poppies and juettes.

    Rachel the Gleaner is depicted in the illustration above left (click to enlarge), and appears to have been a popular costume choice.  From lists given in various newspapers, it was worn by a Miss Gray at a fancy dress ball given in British Columbia in 1885 by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Dunsmuir, by a Miss F. Keasbery at a ball in Singapore in 1884, and by a Miss A. Welch at a New Zealand ball in 1885. The way "the Gleaner" is used as a title makes me suspect that Rachel was a character in a novel, opera, or play popular in the early 1880s.  Her skirt appears to be slightly bustled in back.

    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.

  • Snow, Snowstorm, Snow Queen

    (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.

  • Guinevere

    (Two nearly-identical descriptions of a pseudo-historical Arthurian costume from two different editions of the same manual, dated seven years apart.  The only change is the addition of an optional cloak in the later edition.  Judging from other literary-medieval descriptions and illustrations of the era, this would probably have been worn over a corset and either no bustle or a very minimal one, though you never know — they've put bustles under less likely styles!)

    (Idylls of the King).  Costly dress of gold tissue, velvet, and brocade; the skirt long and flowing, fastened from neck to hem with jewelled clasps, if possible an emerald in each, square-cut bodice, with jewelled bands round; sleeves tight at lower part, of a distinct colour to the bodice, the upper portion slashed and jewels introduced; coronet of pearls; hair in plaits.

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

    (Idylls of the King).  Costly dress of gold tissue, velvet, and brocade; the skirt long and flowing, fastened from neck to hem with jewelled clasps, if possible an emerald in each; square-cut bodice, with jewelled bands round; sleeves tight at lower part, of a distinct colour to the bodice, the upper portion slashed and jewels introduced; coronet of pearls; hair in plaits.  A long brocaded cloak enveloping the figure may be added.

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

  • Othello

    FD-Butterick-Othello 33 (Another Shakespearean costume, this time for the gentlemen. What is left out of the description is that this was almost certainly worn with blackface makeup, which would nowadays be completely unacceptable.  Click the image to enlarge.)

    Shirt of white silk and tights of pale brown; sleeveless tunic of black silk, handsomely trimmed with gold bands; gold belt; full cloak of white cloth.

    Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.

  • Romeo

    FD-Butterick-Romeo

    (One last costume — for now — from Shakespeare, this time for the men.  And yes, it’s another costume with tights.  And a purse!  Notice he’s carrying a rose, a reference to the famous line from the play.)

    Tunic and tights of dove-colored wool; shirt of white mull and cloak of Venetian red cloth lined with pale gray.  Cap of red velvet with gray feather.  Leather belt from which is suspended a pocket.

    Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.

  • Ariel

    (Back to Shakespeare: a fairy costume from The Tempest, conceived as female, though the character is often played as male or, nowadays, androgynous.  This is a very classic fairy style, with wings, a wand, and a star on the forehead.)

    Short white diaphonous tulle dress, with silver wand and silver gauze wings; hair floating on shoulders, confined by a silver band around the head, with star in centre; low full bodice and short sleeves.

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

  • Rosalind

    FD-Butterick-Rosalind14 (Yes, women cross-dressed for fancy dress balls!  And how could the costume of the heroine from As You Like It be anything but respectable?  Note that the pink lining of the cloak is not a "girly" thing; pink was considered a masculine color in the early 20th century,  Click to enlarge the image.)

    Doublet and hose of light-gray wool, the former trimmed with gray fur.  Green velvet bodice, chemisette and puffs of Nile-green silk.  Long gray cloak lined with pink.

    Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.