Satin carriage dress, about 1889

This well-tailored dress (with a separate bodice and skirt) is made of dark red silk satin and cut velvet. With its high neck and long sleeves it would have been worn in the daytime and, in particular, for making afternoon visits or taking the air in a carriage.

The small puffs on the shoulders point the way to a fashionable enlargement of the sleeves in the early 1890s. By 1895 the very large, leg-of-mutton shape was back in fashion.










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Pink and black silk dress, about 1893

This pink and black silk dress with half-sleeves of black lace came from La Samaritaine, a Paris department store.

Large department stores were a new way for women to buy their clothes in the later 19th century. Dresses could be ordered and made to measure in the dressmaking workrooms of these shops.









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Crimson and black evening coat,1894

This dramatic evening coat from the late Victorian period looks as if it was made by one of the great French couture houses. In fact, it was bought from the London department store, Peter Robinson, and illustrates how splendid some of the ready-made clothes of this time could be.

A coat of this kind would be worn at night, to a ball, the opera or a very grand dinner. It is made of a rich crimson silk satin patterned with black and with jet trimmings. It has the extremely large, full sleeves fashionable in the mid 1890s.


http://www.fashionmuseum.co.uk/index.cfm?UUID=AE5B82ED-D01C-4917-B972A35D5BD390B9

Woman's dress, late 1850s

A day dress of printed wool muslin, worn with patterned silk shawl, straw bonnet, kid leather gloves and a folding parasol.

Small parasols, with silk canopies (often trimmed with a deep silk fringe) and ivory handles were used when travelling in a carriage. The jointed handles allowed them to be folded up in an enclosed space.

Both parasols and deep-brimmed bonnets shielded the face from the sun – a suntan and freckles were not admired at this period.








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Women's day dresses, 1830s

The dress of printed wool, on the left, worn with a white embroidered cotton pelerine collar shows the full ‘gigot’ or leg-of-mutton sleeve fashionable in the mid 1830s.

By the end of the decade, sleeves were much more closely fitting as seen in the green and purple printed wool dress of about 1838, on the right. This is worn with a wide-brimmed bonnet of finely plaited straw trimmed with silk ribbon, and a printed wool shawl.

This was the style of dress fashionable when the young Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837.






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Silk pelisse, 1810 - 1815

The pelisse was a type of light overcoat fashionable at this time. It was cut on similar lines to the dress, with a short waistline, long sleeves and a high neck. This pelisse is made of a soft twilled silk called ‘sarsenet’ (often mentioned by Jane Austen in her novels and letters of the same period). These coats were usually lined and were sometimes interlined with lambswool so they were probably warmer than they might appear.











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Women's dresses, 1870s

These three fashionable day dresses show how the bustle replaced the crinoline to create a new shape of skirt in the 1870s: flatter at the front and fuller at the back.

As the crinoline passed out of fashion in the late 1860s, a new type of support, known as the bustle, was worn under the skirt. The bustle could take several different forms, such as stiff frills of horsehair cloth or small wire frames.









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Bridal Dresses

Marriage is the ultimate occasions for brides to dress up and look their best. Indian or western, a wedding is always a grand affair, with the bride clasping the center of attention with her magnificent clothes and elegant jewelery. The outfit of the bride is always the focal point at any wedding. A large part of the preparation revolves around the wedding dress - design, style, color and accessories. Hence making it utmost necessary for a bride to select a perfect bridal wear. It is not just fabrics, embroidery and prints that is important, make-up, jewelery and colors should all complement the bridal outfit.

Patterns & Colors
The rich Indian textile heritage, with stylistic cuts and combinations is poised to become the fashion statement of the coming century. A short-stature bride should avoid wearing heavy outfits like silks and prefer georgettes and crepe. Similarly, a tall bride should fancy heavy embroidered silks. Pinks, oranges, reds, saffrons and blues are a rage among the Indian brides. Bright reds, shades of dark pink also enhance the persona of a fair bride. Similarly, for a dusky bride, shades of peach, light brown would embellish her appearance.

Styles And Drapes
Nowadays many young brides favor the straight skirt lehengas because they don't want to be weighed down by the heavy gold and silver embroidery on full-skirted lehengas. The bride wanting the perfect style should smartly combine the conventional with the unconventional. A heavy embroidered dupatta can be teamed with the lehenga, amalgamating the conventional with the unconventional. Simple and elegant styles create more impact than fancy and heavy ones. For a traditional look, the ever-beautiful sari as a perfect outfit for a bride. A sari has the unique ability to make a woman look traditional and trendy adding a touch of glamor to the most awaited day.

Fabrics
Bridal wear should not consist of organzas and tissues since the garment is at a risk of getting damaged permanently in the long run. Crepe, heavy georgettes, silks, nets lend grace and poise to the bridal ensemble.




http://www.women-clothing-manufacturers.com/bridal-dresses.html

Kaftans

Kaftans are long flowing robes or gowns. Often they are garments with long sleeves, and plenty of space to move. The modern Kaftan has become an essential part of the beachwear wardrobe, sleek, fashionable and easy to wear. Comfortable yet elegant, these kaftans are specially designed as lounge wear for all-day comfort at home. Generally, embellished with intricate embroidered work in pleasing designs, they manage to look smart enough to be worn for casual family gatherings in the living room, or even for an afternoon tea session in the garden. Also called muumuus or house, these are specially suited for plus sized women.

Origin
Originally the Kaftan was worn by men in the Near East, for example Turkey, the word "kaftan" originates from the Turkish "q-aftan". The original kaftans would have been worn with sleeves longer than the hands and tied with a sash or belt. Today Kaftans are typically worn by women, practical and stylish the garment has evolved into an elegant member of the luxury resort wear collection.

Patterns & Colors
Caftans or Kaftans are beautiful evening gowns with delightful wraps and stoles. Distinctive and elegant in their appearance, most of the Caftan gowns are hand embroidered and easy on all body types. Designers work with a mix of fabrics, colors and embroidery patterns to create kaftans that reflect authenticity, sophistication, and fluid lines. Suitable for both formal and semi-formal occasions, Ladies Kaftans are available from Petite sizes to Plus sizes. The motifs are traditional and contemporary, abstract, geometric and floral. The cool combinations for the summer season & warm-color schemes for the winter are specially created to match the mood of the seasons.

Fabrics
The Caftan is woven in a large variety of colors and traditional styles, with intricate embroidery inherited from great fashionable civilizations. The fabrics used both for clothing and furnishing kaftans are woven by craftsmen according to designs prepared by artists. There are three main types of fabrics used to make ladies kaftans, woven, knitted and non-woven. Preference is given to embroidered fabrics, silk polyester fabrics, brocade fabrics, satin fabrics, nylon fabrics, crepe fabrics and cotton fabrics.



http://www.women-clothing-manufacturers.com/kaftans.html

Long Dresses

Fashion is an art form, always changing, slightly elusive, extremely seductive and has the power to transform an image and make a social statement. Long dresses made of contemporary fabrics, possess timeless construction and are available in innovate styling that respects the traditions of design. The multitude of designs and styles in a long dress reflects a balance of modern comfort, impeccable craftsmanship and classic confidence. Long dresses are usually preferred by the full figured ladies as these are extremely versatile, comfortable and give a slimming effect. Long dresses are worn on special occasions such as weddings, and beach parties.

Patterns & Colors
Ladies long dresses include evening wear such as gowns & robes, long Sarongs, long Skirts, all these available in several patterns and solid colors. Fabric colors used are light aqua, dark aqua, lime, yellow, white, royal, navy, red, purple, black, brown, animal print, silver metallic and gold metallic. Other prints include red tulip, floral impressions, blue green fern, zebra and magnolia. Each dresses contain an assortment of sizes, styles and colors.

Fabrics
The choice of fabrics depend upon fashion trends and market demands. Mostly these pieces are made of soft georgette material and linen. But ladies long dress can be manufactured in woven fabrics like viscose and polyester, chiffons, silks, cottons, and they can be in the form of plain dyed fabrics, prints, checks, stripes, dobbins, tie and dye, shaded etc.


http://www.women-clothing-manufacturers.com/womens-long-dresses.html

Lachhaa

The traditional simple long skirt and blouse changed with time to Lachhaa. Now it is a favourite party ware. The embroidery and finery can make Lachha more expensive than any of the traditional costumes. It has become a popular bridal wear now a days.




http://www.webindia123.com/women/fashion/dress/dress1.htm

Indian Dresses

The salwar is a favorite dress among the younger generation. Indian salwaar kameez is comfortable & fashion clothing for women and so it is worn at home & even outdoors. In other words, it is used for formal and casual occasions. In the earlier days it had a long top and a simple bottom. With the change of time new trends have set in. The tops have gone short and the bottom is having a wide variety of stitching like parallel and divided slits.



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Boat Necklines

The straight sheath dress, harking back to the 1950s, is a hot autumn evening party dress choice. Necklines are primarily boat shaped, but sometimes can be square cut with wide or narrow straps or strapless bandeaus. These three evening party dresses have more tulip volume from the waistline and taper to a narrow hemline.

The plainer silhouette is used to show lush fabrics including satins, lace overlays, flocked fabrics and brocades to advantage. These evening party dresses and shown in the thumbnails above, are from left to right, the Christmas ranges of House of Fraser, Wallis, and Marks and Spencer. Images of these ladies party dresses are courtesy of the respective companies are available later in autumn.


http://www.fashion-era.com/trends_2007a/2007_fall_fashion_trends_ladies_party_dress_2006.htm#Dress_Selection

The Party Dress Necklines/ Silhouettes for Fall 2006

The black and white dress left and the deep purple dress above are both created by the much loved high street retailer Monsoon. Each is the perfect red-carpet short party dress for a woman who can carry off the pretty baby doll elements of the empire line designs.

Each ladies party dress is romantic, feminine, striking, yet tasteful.

Each is the sort of dress that should it suit your figure type and personality. This party dress will carry you through several seasons, because full skirts can only get fuller as we take on 'volume' fashion looks.

V necks are popular and are taking on more of a wide-set V shape rather than being the pure narrow plunge necklines of other years. Plunge necklines are still around, yet because of the more refined elements of the rest of a dress, seem to have left that old fashioned raunchy look behind.

Note how skirts in all four styles have become fuller and each skim the knee line. Soft chiffons and luxury silks are ultra feminine and ladylike. These two evening party dresses below are from high street retailers Laura Ashley and French Connection.

The Laura Ashley's pale silver grey dress is subtly understated, yet very glamorous with its cinched in waist.

The yellow lemon party dress from French Connection is Grecian in line and has that same soft feminine charge. The French Connection evening party dress also comes in dark charcoal grey shown in the centre, giving an almost classic little black dress version.

Lots of women hate showing their arms, especially if they have poor tone. A sleeveless dress can often be matched in the store with a cover up garment such as a shrug or other bolero jacket. Make friends with the assistant and ask what variety of cover-up items they have that match the dress you have selected.


http://www.fashion-era.com/trends_2007a/2007_fall_fashion_trends_ladies_party_dress_2006.htm#Dress_Selection

Diesel Chunky Knit Dress

Super chunky knits are filling the highstreet rails faster than ever and all the celebs are wearing them too. For a big statement look, its better to go for a bright colour or bold pattern. That’s why I’ve chosen this one from ASOS. The contrasting blue and red aztec stitching is an instant eye catcher.

It is made by Diesel and has a discreet metal branded disc on one of the cuffs. Knits are strictly for daywear only, so don’t try and pull one off for the evening. Now make sure you balance the oversized top with either skinny jeans or tights on the bottom, and for curvier girls, you should belt up with a waist clincher to create an instant shape. This chunky knit dress will set you back £120.


http://www.fashionchicks.co.uk/category/dresses/

Taffeta Cocktail Dress

A friend of mine wore this gorgeous dress to the National TV Awards yesterday evening and it looks so much better on than it does in this picture. The colour is stunning and the material silky, it has to be the ultimate dress of the season. The colour is more purple than how it appears in the image, much more vibrant and flattering.

The top of the dress is tight like a corset to hold you in firmly and the skirt puffs out slightly from the hips giving the illusion of a tiny waist. That’s what we all like to hear!

Try pairing with some black peep toes, a stylish black cardi and a clutch for that super sexy style. The dress is from Oasis and can be bought on line or in stores for £65 – not bad for such a beauty! Oasis has a fantastic range of purple designs this Autumn/Winter in the form of dresses, jumpers, tights, tops and jackets.



http://www.fashionchicks.co.uk/category/dresses/

Evening Dress

Obviously, none of the above mentioned clothing would be any good for a grand soiree or rout. For an important haut ton event, something truly special was required.

Unlike afternoon dress, for evening it was quite proper to show one's bosom. Indeed, some bodices were so low they were in danger of showing even more. Wide scoop necklines were popular for evening wear, as were low squared necklines and low bodices cut straight across. In some paintings of bodices of this type, it's hard to imagine how the sleeves even attached.

evening gown For evening wear, light fabrics were still favored, but they were richer. Very fine muslin, silk satin, duchesse silk and light taffetas were all popular. Braver, older or married women sometimes wore silk velvet. There was an unspoken dress code for debutantes, which applied as much to evening wear as afternoon dress. Young ladies were expected to wear pastels and white. The more sophisticated, darker colors were off-limits to unmarried misses just out of the schoolroom.

Of course, it's important to remember that dark colors would not show well by candlelight; if one wore black, one would likely disappear! To this end, many dresses utilized metallic trim and glass or crystal beading to catch the light. Short sleeves were often seen in evening dress, but long gloves were a necessity. Above-the-elbow was the preferred length. We often think of gloves as either white or black, but many different colors of kid leather were used, including yellow and blue.

Outerwear for the evening included cloaks, capes and shawls. To my knowledge, spencers and pelisses were never worn with evening dress.


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Afternoon Dress

The term “afternoon dress” can apply to many different types of gowns. In general, any afternoon dress is the opposite of a morning dress: it's meant to be seen. Other than that, the type of situation it was meant to be seen in would dictate its style. During the Regency, light muslins were very popular for afternoon dress. In the first few years of the 19th century, so many young women died after catching a chill or pneumonia due to wearing these light gowns in the winter that it was called “the muslin disease”!

During the day, one's bosom was entirely covered (well, unless one were beyond the pale). Even dresses with low scoop necklines were filled in with a chemisette (a dickey made of thin material) or fichu (a thin scarf tucked into a low neckline). Unlike today, cleaveage was NOT a daytime accessory.

A walking gown or promenade gown was meant for – you guessed it! – walking. It would be made in the most fashionable style, with beautiful trimmings, and worn while shopping or walking through the park. A walking dress could also be worn to pay calls on other families. The name is somewhat misleading, because nothing about it made it better for walking than any other dress. When trains were popular for daywear, walking dresses had them, and I can't imagine that would have been easy!

Another type of afternoon dress was a carriage dress or traveling dress. These were made out of slightly heavier fabrics, ones that would resist wrinkles more than a cotton muslin. Also, they tended not to have as many trimmings, which could become crushed during a long carriage ride.

Riding habits were also worn sometimes for traveling, but more often they were worn for (no, wait, don't tell me) riding. Made out of a sturdy material (like wool), a riding habit consisted of a dress with a very simple bodice and a jacket that was meant to cover it at all times. Imagine it as wearing a sportsbra under a blazer instead of a regular shirt. Sure, it's there, but you're not going to take off your blazer and let everyone see it.

The skirts of a riding habit were also longer and fuller than the skirts for a walking dress or carriage dress. They had to be in order to be draped over the ladies legs and protect her modesty while she rode sidesaddle. Riding habits took many details from men's clothing, the jackets being rather mannish in cut, and even the hats worn while riding were distinctly masculine. Riding habits also took many details from military uniforms, often being decorated with military-style piping or embroidery and epaulettes.

walking dress Outerwear was an important part of afternoon dress, especially if one didn't want to catch the muslin disease! Long hooded cloaks were always popular, as were many different styles of shawls. Some were decorated with classical Greek motifs, others with a paisley pattern (yes, paisley was around even then). The weights of shawls could vary from soft, heavy cashmere to light silk or even muslin in the spring and summer.

Another type of outerwear was the spencer. It was supposedly created by Earl Spencer (a great-great-great… ancestor of Princess Diana) when the bottom of his coat burned off after he'd had his back to the fire. Whether this is true or not, spencers were high-waisted jackets which could be worn over afternoon dresses of any type for warmth.

A close relative of the spencer was the pelisse. pelisse Most pelisses were basically spencers with an attached skirt. They provided more warmth than a spencer, because it would also keep one's ankles toasty. Some pelisses looked a bit more like shorter robes, ending at the knee or so, but to me these seem to defeat the purpose. One's ankles would freeze! Both spencers and pelisses took many details from men's clothing, and often had a military theme. Because of the War with Napoleon, military details were extremely popular for most of the Regency.

Other must-have afternoon dress accessories were gloves, muffs, bonnets, caps or hats, and of course appropriate footwear. But that is a story for another day



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Morning Dress

The modern equivalent of a Regency morning dress would be the ratty sweats and old college T-shirt you wear while dying your hair. Fine for around the house, but you'd NEVER wear them in front of anyone. A morning gown worked on the same principle. It was a plain, generally unadorned gown that was never worn out of the house.

Because it was never worn outside, morning dresses were usually made of thin material and had no trimmings. Sometimes, they were made from older fabric, the kind with large flower prints that had been so popular in the last few decades of the 18th century. Most families would have had fabric like this lying around, either in remnants or old dresses. It made sense to reuse this fabric for dresses that would never be seen by anyone outside of family. Why, with all the money they saved in this way, they could buy more fashionable dresses for public viewing!

Other than that, they were pretty much indistinguishable from any other type of dress. They were made in the same style, certainly, with a high waist and long or short sleeves. But again, because it was never worn out of the house, a morning dress wouldn't necessarily be in the first stare of fashion. Morning dresses didn't always have long trains, for instance, even when they were popular. It wasn't unusual for a Regency miss to salvage the trim from a gone-out-of-style dress, use the trim on a new dress, and keep the old one as a morning dress. The modern equivalent of a Regency morning dress would be the ratty sweats and old college T-shirt you wear while dying your hair. Fine for around the house, but you'd NEVER wear them in front of anyone. A morning gown worked on the same principle. It was a plain, generally unadorned gown that was never worn out of the house.

Because it was never worn outside, morning dresses were usually made of thin material and had no trimmings. Sometimes, they were made from older fabric, the kind with large flower prints that had been so popular in the last few decades of the 18th century. Most families would have had fabric like this lying around, either in remnants or old dresses. It made sense to reuse this fabric for dresses that would never be seen by anyone outside of family. Why, with all the money they saved in this way, they could buy more fashionable dresses for public viewing!

Other than that, they were pretty much indistinguishable from any other type of dress. They were made in the same style, certainly, with a high waist and long or short sleeves. But again, because it was never worn out of the house, a morning dress wouldn't necessarily be in the first stare of fashion. Morning dresses didn't always have long trains, for instance, even when they were popular. It wasn't unusual for a Regency miss to salvage the trim from a gone-out-of-style dress, use the trim on a new dress, and keep the old one as a morning dress.


http://www.rakehell.com/article.php?id=387&Title=Introduction-To-Regency-Dress

How To Choose The Proper Exercise Apparel For Your Workouts

One of the most important aspects of working out is choosing the appropriate workout attire that will be comfortable during the exercise you are doing. A lot of this is personal preference depending upon what is comfortable to you. You can’t just look at your workout buddy’s gym attire and then buy the same things they have unless you truly know that those same garments will be okay for you. There are a few things that will help you keep from having to go through the hassle of returns.

One of the first things you want to look at is fabrics that will move moisture out away from your body which will keep you dry and comfortable for long and sweaty workouts. If you are doing high impact aerobics or running you will want a fabric that will remove moisture as well so that you will stay as dry as possible. This type of apparel will be more expensive but it will be well worth it. If you aren’t going to be working out so hard that you sweat a lot then you can go with a blend of polyester, cotton, and spandex.

The next thing we want to look at now that we know the appropriate fabrics is how to choose the right cuts that will be good for the activities you are doing. If you live in an area where it is cool and you will be exercising outdoors you will want to buy the exercise apparel in layers that you can remove as you heat up and tie them around your waist or place in a light backpack. The clothing layer that is next to your skin should be either long sleeve or a tank top depending upon the weather and temperature. You may choose to wear a sweatshirt over the first layer which can then be topped off with an all weather jacket if you are going to be in rain, sleet, or snow.

As far as pants go there are a great number of choices in pants that wick moisture and some of them even come in thermal styles to help keep you warm which can be worn by themselves or with another layer. If you are training in the cold be sure to wear a cap or hat to keep your head warm, much of our body heat is lost through the head when it is cold.

If you are training or exercising in a commercial gym or in your own home it is also smart to dress in layers so that you can remove clothing as you warm up. When weightlifting or doing aerobics especially a t-shirt can become tight and rigid due to being wet and will give you some skin irritation. If you dress in layers you will always be comfortable no matter what climate you are in.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about exercise apparel as well as casual wear at http://www.dressandcasualwear.com



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