The Canezou (aka Canezou-fichu), c. 1835, is a type of
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
, generally worn alongside a
corsage
A corsage is a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's dress or around her wrist for a formal occasion. They are typically given to her by her date. Today, corsages are most commonly seen at homecomings, proms, and similar formal events.
In ...
.
Canezous were originally short
jackets
A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and l ...
similar to
spencers. Over time, they evolved into a sleeveless, sideless form, which was called a "fichu-canezou." It was almost always tucked into a
belt, and was made of white material.
The name "Canezou", is a corruption of the French term "Quinze Août" meaning 15 August. According to
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician.
His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...
, in his work
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
, this "signifies good weather, heat and noon".
In 1852, the canezou appeared to take the place of dainty
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
and embroidered
cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...
s. This type of clothing allowed there to be "a happy medium between high and low corsages".
In The Royal Lady's Magazine, there are various references to the canezou: "The corsage for
morning dress
Morning dress, also known as formal day dress, is the Formal attire, formal Western dress code for day wear (disambiguation), day attire, consisting chiefly of a morning coat, waistcoat, and formal trousers for men, and an appropriate gown for ...
is generally made plain, and over it the light and elegant canezou is seen, in numberless varieties of form and texture, at once rich and graceful...An elegant canezou of moiree, colour, the evening primrose, and edged with a rich silk fringe is worn with this dress. Colerette of
tulle
Tulle (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Corrèze, in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle- ...
, interspersed with rays of gauze ribbon, the same colour as the canezou."
In
Godey's magazine, Volume 2, the canezou is described thus: "...over the coursage is worn an elegantly worked muslin canezou, with double joke, falling very low over the sleeves; on each shoulder is placed a bow of
gauze
Gauze is a thin, translucent Textile, fabric with a wikt:loose, loose open Weaving, weave. In technical terms, "gauze" is a weave structure in which the weft yarns are arranged in pairs and are crossed before and after each Warp (weaving), w ...
riband
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mate ...
, similar in colour and pattern to that which trims the cap; gold bracelets, worked in the oriental style"
In
Harper's Magazine
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
, Volume 15, the canezou is describes in the following way: "This very pretty outdoor dress for a young lady, is composed of
tarletan, with a canezou of black tulle gathered upon black satin bands and edged with double lace. The sleeves are large and puffed, and are caught up with a naud of black satin ribbon"
References
Tops (clothing)
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