The Colour Black

[Mme de Beaufort]

Was it generally considered for mourning, or was it frequently worn just as a fashionable colour?

My ballgown will be black (voile, which rests over a deeply coloured under-dress).

I mean, it's okay ultimately, because my husband is always away so I am in essence always 'grieving' but still... I don't want to appear macabre either.

I suppose a splash of pearls on the neck and ears might brighten it up....

what say you all?

[Val]

I don't know the dates black was used, but I know it became the "formal" or "best dress" color during the Victorian time, as noted in many photographs. But what we didn't know, until recently, is many of those "black" dresses in the photos were actually other dark colors, purple, maroon, burguncy, navy, that showed up as black in photos.
Queen Victoria, when she went into deep mourning in 1861, influenced her nation into also wearing black. Black crepe fabric was used, and specified it as a mourning dress. This makes me wonder if there were so many black gowns out there that that's the reason why we see so many now, instead of it just being their best black dress. They may have needed other uses for those many gowns. I've seen photos of very heavily ornate and beaded gowns.
I started my best black dress a few years ago, in an 1880s bustle but decided to do an 1870 Natural Form, with just the drapings in the back. It's only 1/3 done. I do have lots of fancy beads and trims to put on it when it's finally done. It can however be used as a mourning costume if I need it.
ETA: Steph, try adding shiney things to it, crystal beads, etc to catch the light. I think black is a very elegant color, and just add shiney to prevent it from being ID'd as mourning.

[Val]

And just to show black was using for mourning in Regency time, here is evidence hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/dress/mourn.html
ETA: just for added interest, this other page has lots of mens and womens costume hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/reg3.html

[cosmoblue]

Steph, I don't think that anyone will think that it is macabre (especially if you are going to be standing around with Tara). You aren't a re-enactor and you aren't an accuracy addict I am sure that it is fine. ORS members are not likely to be all "that is not an appropriate colour for a woman not in mourning" (I am not going to be there after all, lol). Though I don't think that I would put pearls with a black gown for ball on a grown up woman but that is just my non historical opinion. I think you should do brightly coloured gems like rubies or sapphires or emeralds. Diamonds would be good too.

Here is an artical on mourning.
www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=540&step=4

[lauren]

I love the idea :-) I don't think it would be macabre at all.

[Mme de Beaufort]

Oct 22, 2008 1:26:44 GMT -5 cosmoblue said:

Steph, I don't think that anyone will think that it is macabre (especially if you are going to be standing around with Tara). You aren't a re-enactor and you aren't an accuracy addict I am sure that it is fine. ORS members are not likely to be all "that is not an appropriate colour for a woman not in mourning" (I am not going to be there after all, lol). Though I don't think that I would put pearls with a black gown for ball on a grown up woman but that is just my non historical opinion. I think you should do brightly coloured gems like rubies or sapphires or emeralds. Diamonds would be good too.

Here is an artical on mourning.
www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=540&step=4

You're right about the jewelry. I'd just planned on having my danish replica gown for the ball, but since that didn't happen, I have a necklace I've been making that looks much like this one:


And now I have no reason to wear it. Grrr...

As for Tara, she will be dressed as a domestic since she will be assisting the chef. She will be in black though, I'm making her a bib-front gown of black muslin so she can put an apron over it.

[missmardi]

As I was looking into colors, and information, for this time era, I stumbled across Wikipedia1795-1820 in fashion.
"A Lady of Distinction also advised young ladies to wear softer shades of color, such as pinks, periwinkle blue, or lilacs. The mature matron could wear fuller colors, such as purple, black, crimson, deep blue, or yellow."

That sounds to me like black was not just for mourning. Hope this helps.

[lauren]

I love the necklace. So Pretty! I'm going extremely early Regency, almost Georgian. :-D I'm soooo excited for the ball!

[iamdiverted]

why is Tara macabre? she doesn't look it in her pictures. She looks elfish.

[Mme de Beaufort]

Oct 28, 2008 16:40:39 GMT -5 iamdiverted said:

why is Tara macabre? she doesn't look it in her pictures. She looks elfish.

That's actually her nickname, elfkin. She's a really great person.

[The Doctor]

Black is also the color worn by Clergy, Undertakers and those Gentlemen practitioners of my particular profession. The publick Expect a Gentleman in black to be of those professions... or to just be back from a funeral, unless I suppose he were attending a ball.

[missemmagoodmatch]

While the color black is reserved for mourning and the clergy, the color, in some European cultures, particularly the Russian culture,signifies intellect, somberness, dignity or a reverence for spiritual matter. Also it be symbolized as being haute couture in this particular time period. For example, Countess Helena Bezkuhova in Tolstoy's "War and Peace", at the New Year's Ball in St. Petersburg,, Helena was described in this scene garbed in opulent and at-the-height-of-fashion black gown, as seen here in this excerpt form the 1968 Soviet film version of "War and Peace"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE6GVipNTPM

[The Doctor]

I do not, however, claim ANY knowledge of ladies garb'd in Black, or ladies fashion to any degree. I do know, as do we all, of ladies wearing black whilst in mourning, but I can not pretend to know about anything fashionable when it comes to the fair sex, other than to state, I know what appeals to me.