Gown

Dress made up of a body with a banded collar finished with a lace frill. The whole outfit is fitted, with whalebones used throughout, and comes to a point at the front waistline with a pleated tail at the back held down with weights. It has long, tight sleeves with a stitch at the elbow and a black lace frill at the cuff. The body fastens at the front with buttons and is decorated with a black lace ruffle. From the shoulders, the opening of the dress, the cuffs, and the middle of the back are richly decorated with black glass paste beads and hanging threads. The outfit is completed by a skirt with a net of white lace frills and several external metal fasteners, showing where the overskirt would be attached. The latter, with a flowing tail, is decorated with the same beads as the body and is worn open at the front in a semi-circle. A bustle would be worn underneath to structure the outfit.

This rich outfit, composed of a body, skirt, and overskirt, is a true homage to the silk velvet worn during the time of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. Along with the color black, this silk was highly popular throughout the Modern Age and withstood the passage of time, continuing to appear in garments such as this in the 19th century.