Retro Rack: The Dress In Curtsies & Conspiracies ~ Robe à Transformation by Gail Carriger

Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Dress In Curtsies & Conspiracies ~ Robe à Transformation by Gail Carriger

In Curtsies & Conspiracies Sophronia receives a Robe à Transformation at a key moment in the story. In the book the description is basically of this dress (1865), only I simplified and modified for the correct time period over 10 years earlier (1851).

Ballgown

1865 Robe à Transformation The Metropolitan Museum of Art1 copy

Visiting Dress

Walking Dress

I love the idea of transformation outfits SO MUCH. It's thrifty and practical and appeals to my sense of efficiency. I suspect Sophronia feels the same way. So, for your edification, here are is a timeline of transformation dresses. The purpose of each version is my best guess based on style and custom of the day.

"You needed a breakfast outfit, something fancier for lunch, followed by the tea gown, and then the heavy artillery fro dinner that night. And if you were just away for the weekend, you tried not to wear the same outfit twice, which meant that for a simple three days in the country you could go through about fifteen different outfits."
~ Daniel Pool

Day Dress

1856 Robe à Transformation The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Day dresses are the simplest form of a dress meant for the late mornings and lounging about the house, shopping, and running errands, that sort of thing.

Dinner Gown

Dinner dresses have elaborate necklines and shorter (but not too short) sleeves. They might also have been worn to the opera or the theater.

Ball Gown

1858 Robe à Transormation The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ball gowns have the lowest necklines and usually quite short sleeves, they can also usually have fancy hems.

Walking Dress

Walking dresses were slightly more covered up than visiting dresses, high necklines and slightly shorter hems (with the exception of 1870s and later promenade gowns).

Dinner Dress (probably mourning)

1861 Robe à Transformation The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The sleeves on this one give me pause. They are long for a dinner dress (draping in food) but someone in mourning would not attend a dance so it can't be a ball gown. My guess is the modesty of mourning demanded risk at the plate.

Visiting Dress (which means it's a receiving dress)

Ladies in mourning did not pay calls, but they did receive close family and intimate friends. Because of its length this can't be a walking dress, indoor only and black velvet? Receiving is my best guess in the second year of mourning. (Receiving and visiting dresses would both be called visiting dresses, they serve the same purpose.)

Ball Gown

1864 Robe à Transformation The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Color and style suggest this was for a younger lady.

Visiting or Walking Dress

Ball Gown

1865 Cream Robe à Transformation The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Visiting Dress

Because of the low neckline it could be a dinner dress for a married lady proud of her assets. But I think it was meant to be worn over a high necked long sleeved chemise for visiting instead.

Ball Gown

1866 Robe à Transformation 1866 Musée Galliera de la Mode de la Ville de Paris

Promenade Version

Because of the non-removable train on the skirt, paired with long sleeves, the only possible explanation is a promenade gown. Possibly for a seaside resort or even the riviera, given that this is a French gown.

Ball Gown