Can't you go as a woman who just returned from France, or where ever)
and therefore knows the latest fashions? < Dang! My thoughts exactly, you said it before me :D
Especially New Orleans, I'm sure there were many who were still very closely tied to and in contact with Parisian society, so it would hardly be unreasonable for this to have happened. Now, if you were going to a small dance in the mid west or something of that sort, and even if you attended the dance portraying someone of local elite, they probably still were unlikely to be as versed in high fashion as perhaps a creole. Keep in mind that ladies had a preference for their French lady's maid to all others because of the supposed fashion expertise they were known for.
I would go with the elliptical so long as the actual styling of the gown doesn't advance too far in fashion. I went to a ball once that was Civil War era in an elliptical style gown, and later it was posted that that style was inappropriate for ball attire, even though by 1865 it was even more likely a wealthy woman would be wearing the fashionable style so... in short, go with it and have "a ball"!
-Justine J. -----Original Message----- From: Mathilde Bartholin <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:51 am Subject: [h-cost] Elliptical crinolines Hello everyone, Next october I'm attending a Civil War ball which is supposed to take place in New Orleans in may 1862. Would it be too early to wear an "elongated" crinoline (something along these lines : http://trulyvictorian.com/catalog/103.html ) ? I know this shape will be more common around 1865, but I've seen evidence of elliptical hoopskirts as soon as 1862 (a sketch of a Thompson cage crinoline), and I was wondering if it was something usually worn, or still considered "haute couture" at that time. Any thoughts on the subject from more knowledgeable people would be welcome ! Thank you all for your help, Mathilde _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
