Dinner dress

Made of silk satin and silk plush (a fabric cut with a pile, similar to velvet).

Although evening dresses usually had shorter sleeves and lower necklines than day wear, the long train on this dress shows that it was made for a formal occasion, such as a dinner or reception. The bodice is boned and the skirt was worn over a bustle which gave the angular silhouette so fashionable in the 1880s.

Inside is a maker's label for a "costumier" working by royal appointment, so this was a very expensive and high quality dress.