Dress

Day dress of copper-brown silk taffeta. The fitted bodice features a high standing collar trimmed with white lace, a centre front button fastening, and decorative applied bands and pleated silk trimming arranged across the shoulders and front. Long sleeves are finished with wide pleated cuffs matching the bodice decoration.

The full skirt is smoothly fitted over the hips and expands into a trained back, where it is elaborately draped and gathered to create a pronounced bustle effect. The crisp silk taffeta enhances the sculptural quality of the drapery and decorative trimming. The ensemble exemplifies the transitional bustle style of the late Victorian period, combining a restrained front with an ornate, highly structured rear silhouette.