Dolly Varden.

The postcard of Dolly Varden was sent to us by Carol Kregloh from the USA. She provided the following information about the "Dolly Varden" fashion from the 1870s. "The Dolly Varden dress style was popular in England in the summer of 1871, with some follow-through in the summer of 1872.  It was popular in the United States in 1872.   Though the dress shown on the postcard is only a caricature, it shows the basic elements of a textbook Dolly Varden:  floral fabric, short pouffed skirt worn over a longer contrasting skirt, and elbow-length sleeves that ended in a ruffle. The outfit was often worn with a wide, flat straw hat, also like the one in the postcard.  But each of these elements could be changed at the discretion of the wearer, allowing great variation among dresses that were thought of as “Dolly Vardens.”  And although most Dolly Varden day dresses grazed the shoe-top because they were intended for walking, they were never as short as the one shown in this cartoon.   Almost as soon as it was introduced, the Dolly Varden dress became a fad rather than a fashion.  The style was popular at all price points and in all fabrics from silk to cotton. Anyone could (and did) wear it, causing it to lose favor quickly with fashion leaders on both sides of the Atlantic."

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