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Collections

Mademoiselles Giroux
Woman's Dresscirca 1880

Not on view
Full-length powder blue silk bustle gown on a mannequin, with fitted bodice, button front, pleated cuffs, and tiered hem with fringe trim
Pale blue silk bustle gown displayed on a mannequin in profile, with fitted bodice, tiered skirt, tassel trim along the hem, and a trailing train; mannequin has cream-colored curled hair.
Museum display of a pale blue silk bustle gown, rear view, on a mannequin with lace head covering; fitted bodice, gathered skirt with fringe trim and ruffled hem train, late 19th century.
Pale blue silk bustle dress displayed on a mannequin, featuring a fitted bodice with button-front closure, pleated cuffs, floral trim at the waist, and a trained skirt with layered ruffles and fringe trim along the hem.
Detail photograph of a pale blue silk taffeta dress skirt on a mannequin, featuring gathered drapery, layered ruffled hem, and diagonal trim with cream knotted fringe and tassel ornamentation.
Close-up detail of a pale blue silk dress skirt with draped and gathered fabric, cream knotted tassel trim along the hem and a vertical decorative tassel sash at right.
Close-up detail of a pale blue silk dress with draped fabric, satin ribbon, and cream knotted fringe trim with tassels along the hem and bodice.
Maker
Mademoiselles Giroux
France, active late 19th century
Title
Woman's Dress
Place Made
France, Limoges
Date Made
circa 1880
Medium
Silk plain weave (taffeta) with silk ribbon and silk-knotted trim
Dimensions
Center back length: 75 in. (190.5 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by Suzanne A. Saperstein and Michael and Ellen Michelson, with additional funding from the Costume Council, the Edgerton Foundation, Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer, Maureen H. Shapiro, Grace Tsao, and Lenore and Richard Wayne
Accession Number
M.2007.211.35
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes

The columnar “princess line,” probably named for the glamorous and famously slim Princess Alexandra of Wales, was introduced in 1875. The construction of a fitted, one-piece dress without a waistline seam—shaped by long darts from bust to hips—was a milestone in tailoring. The term “princess line” outlasted this confining style and is still used today.

Selected Bibliography
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Deux Siècles de Mode Européenne, 1700-1915. Paris: Arts Décoratifs; Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books-Prestel, 2013.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books/Prestel, 2010.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Europäische Moden, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Prestel, 2012.
  • Edwards, Lydia. How to Read a Dress: a Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017.

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