Toilettes by Mme Bréant-Castel, 58 1/2 Rue St. Anne.
Redingote of unbleached-linen-colored taffeta, with scalloped edges, trimmed with a thick piping of lilac taffeta; the redingote is open in front over an undergown of lilac taffeta, edged with a narrow box-pleated flounce; this undergown is not a full gown, and is made of two pieces of taffeta; the sides of the redingote are attached to the undergown by a large lilac button positioned in each scallop of the redingote; the bodice is matching to the gown, that is to say, it is made in grey taffeta, and appears open over a bodice of the same taffeta as the undergown; this is buttoned from the neck to the feet. The grey bodice fronts are scalloped; in each scallop there is a lilac button; the sleeves have a very original shape; they seem to be made in lilac taffeta, and covered with a very narrow and very short grey oversleeve, scalloped all around and held by lilac buttons; the lilac taffeta of the sleeve appear around the armscye and down the length of the arm next to the elbow. Hat from Mme Aubert’s, 6 rue Neuve-des-Mathurins; it is made of glazed white rice straw, edged with large beads of the same straw; long branches of lilac wisteria, lilac ties.
Gown of blue taffeta, trimmed with a narrow box-pleated flounce; white bodice, wide blue belt; bodice short in front, with rounded panels in the back, edged with beads of blue passementerie.
Mme Bréant-Castel comes up a lot in La Mode Illustrée and other publications, particularly as the maker of fashions illustrated in the plates, starting in 1864 and ending in 1878. In 1867, she moved about a block away to 28 rue Neuves-de-Petit-Champs; by the end of the 1870s, she was working a few blocks away again at 14 rue du 4 Septembre. She even appears in English-language publications, though notably (to me, anyway) these periodicals don’t talk about top couturiers like Worth and Pingat, which prompts me to think that they’re aimed at a tier below the wealthiest. Still, that’s international prominence!
Mme Aubert, modiste and milliner, also frequently appears in the pages of La Mode Illustrée. (In 1864, she iseven mentioned in the Spanish magazine, La Moda Elegante.) The earliest reference I can find to her is in that magazine in 1862, where she was said to be at 46 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière; her move to 6 rue des Mathurins by 1865 is quite a big one compared to Mme Bréant-Castel’s: about a mile from her old premises. Then in 1868, she’s listed at 9 rue Lafitte, which is much closer. She seems to be the only milliner/modiste named in La Mode Illustrée when hats are attributed to anyone specifically. It does make one wonder how much attribution in the periodicals relates to fame and talent (simple observation of the trends), and how much to paying for advertisement.
Mimic of Modes 