"Until about 1825 its [Costume Parisien's] plates were drawn by Horace Vernet" (Davenport 721).
"Dated and numbered plates marked "Costumes Parisiens" come from the Journal des dames et des modes, founded in late XVIIIc. by the abbe de la Mesangere. Its plates were re-issued in annual volumes as Costumes parisiens de la fin du 18e siecle et du commencement du 19e. During more than four decades of life, it absorbed eight other fashion magazines" (Davenport 806).
Fashion Plates, 1797-1803
Fashion Plates, 1804-1817
Fashion Plates, 1818-1830
 |
 |
| Male Dress, 1804. Plate no. 517, labelled "An 12. Costume neglige d'un jeune homme." | Detail of hair and neckcloth. |
Left: Full Evening Dress, 1805. This gown is cut daringly low on the breasts. The high collar in the Renaissance style further accentuates the lady's bust line. Beautiful embroidery trails down the center of the gown and along the hem of the skirt with its dragging train.
Right: Ball Dress with Shawl and Turban, 1805. The words above and below this illustration (not visible in this cropped image) read "An 13. Costume Parisien. Turban de Drap d'Or. Aigrette d'Oiseau de Paradis." The lady's feet reveal that we are seeing the back of this dress, not the front. The dress dips to a low v on the back. The collar of lace is vaguely in the Tudor style, while the short sleeves are trimmed with puffy rouleaux. The shawl is clearly a cashmere shawl in the popular pine style, a style that we see in the portrait of Josephine wearing a dress made from a cashmere shawl and wearing another by Antoine-Jean Gros (1809).
Left: 1809, plate no. 968. Small black shoes peep out from under this long-sleeved white dress. The bonnet is small, very close to the head, with pale pink trim. A large orange-and-yellow-striped cashmere shawl covers the simple white gown.
Right: 1809, plate no. 1013. Pink half-boots match the pink of the large cashmere shawl
worn by this lady. A black straw bonnet with a moderate-sized brim sits on the lady's head, revealing
two dangling cork-screw curls.
Left: Male and female Walking Dress, 1810. The lady rests on a rock, sitting upon her cashmere shawl, so as not to muss her white muslin dress. Her high gloves come up almost to the bottom of her short sleeves. A lace veil falls from her bonnet. Her escort's clothes are designed to draw attention to his slim waist and accent the muscles of the waist and shoulders.
Right: 1811, Virginia hat, "Douilette" of taffeta. Davenport writes, "the douillette is a soft `cuddly' interlined dress, with long sleeves and a high neck; it retains the long front closing and untrimmed hemline of the whole redingote-douilette series of garment" (819).
Left: 1811, Plate no. 1124
Center: 1811, plate no. 1175.
Right: Full dress with diamond bandeau and Vandyke collar, c. 1811-2
Left: Woman in Spencer and a summer cotton dress with eyelet embroidery trim; man in trousers, 1812
Center: Day Dress, 1813. Note the stylish high skirt that is about a foot shorter than the petticoat which shows beneath it. The lady plays with her pet bird.
Right: Walking dress, 1815.
Left: Morning Dress, 1816 The cap is a cornette. Note the square toes of the shoes.
Right: Redingote, 1816. The hat is made of silk plush. The redingote is trimmed with fur and the lady carries a muff to match.
Center: Summer Walking Dresses, 1817. The long sleeves of these summer walking dresses seem odd. However the low cut of the walking dress to the left surely cooled the lady down a bit! The seven rows of puffed rouleaux on the print dress to the left draw attention to the hem. The lady on the right has three rows of pleats on her hem and matching trim about the shoulders of the dress. Her hat has a high crown.
Right: Women's "Garrick," or caped overcoat, 1817
Fashion Plates, 1797-1803