Romantic 19th century fashion

Ballroom dresses, Victorian tartan dresses made of stiff taffeta silk, velvet, embroidery, stunning seams, sleeves, cuffs and much more. It is a delight to see those wonderful dresses, obviously only meant for the happy few. 

 Tartan dresses favoured by Queen Victoria 

Any seamstress will appreciate the amount of work involved in making them. No wonder they were sometimes changed by just making a new bodice or widening the skirt, the latter in case of pregnancy. They must be too expensive to go to waste.  

 Left: A Maternity Dress, Right: just a beautiful silk dress

Below some details of the intricate shoulders and the embroidered hem

The narrow waists are remarkable and although not very good for a woman’s health, it is a sure way to prevent overeating and obesitas. No operation needed.

 Dresses form Pride and Prejudice against a still of the film as background

 Below: Beautiful embroidery even on simple muslim dresses.

There are dresses from Pride and Prejudice, La Dame aux Camellias, from the adaptation of Eline Vere, the novel by Couperus, from The Portrait of a Lady, the film version of the novel by Henry James, starring Nicole Kidman. She was very lucky to wear such a beautifully made dress, of dark red silk and velvet. Difficult to live in, but stunning none the less. It must have made her feel like a queen. There are intricately laced corsets and bodices, and outfits for fashion conscious dandies.

 The complicated sleeves and hem of one of the dresses in the picture above

 Above and below. Nicole Kidman's dress as worn in The Portrait of a Lady. Especially the back is fascinating.

On display were four original dresses worn by the main female characters in Downton Abbey, made of very delicate and sheer fabrics. Either such mansions and country houses were well heated, or the lady of the manor and her daughters must have suffered from cold. Short sleeves or sleeveless evening dresses, of delicate fabrics, could not have warmed them unless the fires were blazing.

 A picture Cora and her three daughters at Downton, wearing beautiful gowns.

To top it all there was a room with stunning evening dresses of famous contemporary designers, who were all inspired by the luxurious fabrics of the historic dresses.

 Left: Intricate sleeves and fastenings, Right: Two identical ballgowns for twins

  The man is more beautifully dressed than the woman. His dress is reflects his rank and position

Left:The elegant pale green dress of the woman is striking in its seeming simplicity

Right: a few dresses by modern designers , inspired by historic dresses

I went to see this interesting exhibition in the Municipal Museum of The Hague – in itself a museum piece, designed by Berlage - as I had a few hours to spend before Evensong, also in The Hague. The lavishness of the dresses and costumes, the ballroom atmosphere, they all formed quite a contrast with the serene and contemplative mood of this quiet Evensong, mainly chanted except for the anthem. Evensong is a time of reflection, not a time for long sermons, but a time of praise in the ancient words of the liturgy, the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis, the song of Simeon who is ready to leave this world now that he has seen the Saviour.