.. new Princess line and the Cuirasse bodice combined, was a sleek and slim look and required professional dressmaking skills to get a flattering fit.  When done well and fit correctly it was gorgeous, but most women just had swaths of fabric wrapped and arranged across the garment to hide …

Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4th,  Thermopolis, Wyoming.  Come here “Herstory” by storytellers.  11:30 am to 5:00 pm.  Includes children’s stories in the afternoon and ghost stories starting at 7:30.  Come learn and enjoy the rest of the Folk Festival! (Photo:  look for the red rock of Thermopolis)

… then no bustle (“Natural Form”) and then bustles again.  During all the times, ALL fashion aimed for the same silhouettes.   That makes it hard for us today to determine which is which, since a tailored walking dress or riding suit of 1879 would have the same features, design, and …

… lower to almost the knees when the cuirasse bodice and Princess sheath took over the fashion ideal.  The lifting tournures and bustles of the mid 1870’s suddenly shifted to a lower position around 1880 so the fullness was not specifically over the rear end (although decoration and draping gave …

… petticoats with and without trains.  Each had a specific way of lifting the skirt.  Some were stiffer to lift up heavy fabrics like wool or linen, while most were fairly light in weight using just layers of ruffles or thin twisting strips of horsehair in cotton (a “tournure” in …

.. to wear with the new form, as the small bustle which had been used for a few years prior, were not needed with the cuirasse or Princess sheath dresses, but a small pad or “tournure” helped lift the trims, draping, bows, and frills in the back over the rear …

.. long trains on the back of the skirt – even for day wear.  These were sometimes integrated into the draping of the skirt, and sometimes detachable.  The petticoats underneath we designed to enhance the silhouette. (Photo: extant 1878 gown with full train)  

.. so that the idea of the Princess line (bodice cut in one long piece with single vertical panels from shoulder to hem) and the Cuirasse Bodice (armor tight skin fitted bodice almost to the knees and over the rear) made a very slim and elongated silhouette. (Sketch: the 1879-80 …

… the thighs.  It was like a very long corset and went even lower in center front and center back, extending well down the hips creating the look of a body encased in armor. (Photo: cuirasse from 1878)  

… drastically with the Princess Line, where the dress and bodice were cut as one.  This demanded very wide and durable fabrics to sustain both the elaborate draping of the skirt, and the heavy built in structures like a corset into the bodice.  They also had to be draped on …