On the contrary, many white dresses in sheer fabrics(although layered so the effect was opaque)were worn in the summer months were worn by the fashionable during the bustle period, see Harper's Bazar(yes, that's the spelling) on microfilm in many larger public libraries. There are lots of fashion plates and written guidelines for proper mourning wear and its duration for widows down to what we would consider rather distant relatives, for the rich and fashionable to follow.
Few gowns survive because of wear and tear, discoloration, staining and greying, and when such gowns did survive the summer season, parts could be recycled into another garment, children's clothing or even handkerchiefs. Dyeing and redyeing of clothing was also common to extend a garment's life and then mourning would require dyeing everthing but underpinnings to black or at least lilac and gray for half-mourning. Depending on the style, bustles could be fairly lightweight to weighing a few pounds. A fashionable woman could have several pounds of clothing from underpinnings to outergarments in one ensemble to support--definitely eliminating the need for portable weight equipment carry around! I too, recommend Fran Grimbel's two books on Gilded Age fashions. I would love a BJD, but the cost is prohibitive to my budget right now. Cindy Abel _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
