Dress From The Late 19th Century - Date? Fabric?

[synnepr]

Hi all!
I am currently writing a research dissertation examining fashion in the biopic movie Colette from 2018.

In one of the earliest scenes (set in 1892 in Saint-Sauveur, France) the main character Colette is wearing a yellow dress. I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me identify what era the dress belongs to, and possibly the fabrics the garment is made of. I have tried to look around, but I don't feel confident enough to pinpoint the date/period or fabric myself.

I know that the dress is an original garment purchased in an American antique shop.
The costume designer wanted to dress the character in a dress that would be fine when worn in the countryside but look out of place in the Parisian high society of the 1890s.

To note:​

• It has a button-up closing at the back reaching from the waistline all the way up to the high neckline.
• The ruffles and frills at the bottom of the dress lead to a trail.
• Accessorised with a sash (?) belt.
• Appears to be a summer/morning dress, hence lack of boning in the bodice.

I started to think that the dress might be dated somewhere between 1875-1882 right between the bustle craze eras of the 1870s and 1880s. Since it seems like the skirt is unbustled and the sleeves are simple (the character starts adopting more modern fashion later in the movie such as the puffed sleeves/gigot).

Questions:​

• Does anyone know what the v-shaped decor attached to the top of the bodice is called?
• Any idea what the yellow fabric of the dress can be? (Gauze? Printed sheer cotton??)
• Era of the dress?

Sorry for loads of questions, I am rather new to this and would really appreciate some help.
Hope the images attached are 'readable'.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

I have to think further about the date and other questions, but I can say now it does not look at all like 1870s or 1880s. It looks 1890s to me, but not sure of an exact year and costumers may have altered it (do you know if they did?). I might call that a simple ruffled flounce or shoulder flounce on the bodice.

Cannot tell what the fabric is, we would need a close up. She wear it during the day and also an evening party, so maybe cotton organdy but that a guess.

 

[synnepr]

Thank you so much for the reply.
As far as I know, the garment has not been altered as the designer wanted the authentic look and feel of the original dress.

 

[pastperfect2]

From what I can see, the skirt silhouette is 1897 - 1899ish. As is the bodice. Espeailly that back view!
Not terribly far off 1891ish, but too soft and slim around the hips. I cannot say what the fabric is, but it reminds me of the lightweight summer cotton print 2 pc dresses with rows and rows of black velvet ribbon trim I used to find.
The straight waist sash style is more 1870s - 1880s than 1890s , which tended toward a pointed waist or sash, but I would assume the sash is not original to the dress as that would be rather rare to find.

 

[synnepr]

From what I can see, the skirt silhouette is 1897 - 1899ish. As is the bodice. Espeailly that back view!
Not terribly far off 1891ish, but too soft and slim around the hips. I cannot say what the fabric is, but it reminds me of the lightweight summer cotton print 2 pc dresses with rows and rows of black velvet ribbon trim I used to find.
The straight waist sash style is more 1870s - 1880s than 1890s , which tended toward a pointed waist or sash, but I would assume the sash is not original to the dress as that would be rather rare to find.

Oh wow. How interesting! Thank you so much.
Somebody told me the dress might be printed muslin, but it's difficult to tell.
I know the designer decided to not use historical undergarments such as a corset or hip pads as a way to subtly appear more masculine and thus challenge gender roles. Would this possibly be the reason why the gored skirt doesn't appear as full around the hips as the skirt silhouette of the early 1890s but instead looks more like the silhouette of the late 1890s? What about the sleeves? Would it be natural to think of the early 1890s considering the lack of volume at the top of the sleeve?