1827 fashion

Paris, 1827 — nearly 200 years ago.

Fashion was moving towards the dramatic silhouettes we associate with the Romantic era. Women’s waistlines were gradually returning towards their natural position, skirts were widening, and sleeves were growing fuller. Elaborate hats, ribbons, feathers and decorative collars framed the face. Men’s fashion favoured fitted coats, shaped waists and carefully arranged cravats.

For these collages, I used illustrations from Petit Courrier des Dames, published under the heading “Modes de Paris.” Each plate offers a glimpse of the fashionable ideal of its day, down to the smallest accessories.

Long before fashion photography and social media, illustrated journals and individual fashion plates carried Parisian styles far beyond France. Imported, copied and reprinted, they brought new silhouettes and details to readers and dressmakers in other countries, where they could be adapted to local tastes, materials and budgets.