> I found it's usually respectable middle class that wears day
> dress (and
> probably working class too as I suspect there wasn't much
> opportunity to go
> to the opera or the odd ball....) and the aristocracy could
> wear off the
> shoulder and the like. I was mostly looking at 1870s and
> 1880s there. Most
> of the brides on the Musee McCorde site are wearing clothing
> to the neck.
I agree that all the instances of evening-style wedding dresses are decidedly
upper class - though not just the aristocracy, as there is an extant example
from Chicago (or Cincinnati -- one of the Midwestern cities that starts with a
"C"...). I suppose my argument depends on a very narrow definition of
aristocracy to mean those whose families are lords - when you start talking
about the "American aristocracy" it becomes impossible (imho) to differentiate
the aristocracy from the upper class.
> None of the fashion plates show the lower necked style for
> weddings (though
> there are rather more open necks for day wear.)
Actually I found at least one fashion plate that showed an evening-style
wedding dress. It's from "Le Monde Elegant", the September, 1870 issue. (Shown
in Vyvyan Holland's _Hand Coloured Fashion Plates 1770 to 1899_, pg. 126). I've
been surprised by how many fashion plates and extant wedding dresses fall into
the "dinner dress" style with an open "V" or rectangular neckline - very
similar to the day dresses, but day dresses and visiting dresses rarely seem to
have an open neckline.
-sunny
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