Afternoon dress 1888 House of Worth French This is a prime example of the bustle skirt, which came back in the 1880s largely due to Worth's influence in fashion and his desire to stimulate the silk manufacturing industry in France. This dress is an example of the Worth design aesthetic of using celestial motifs. The selvedge edges were exposed and used as a decorative device, a practice that continued through the 1910s, which was a way of utilizing the full width of these expensive textiles. The fact that the selvedge is woven of the same quality of silk and color emphasizes the refinement of these custom luxury fabrics. The bustle silhouette, although primarily associated with the second half of the 19th century, originated in earlier fashions as a simple bump at the back of the dress, such as with late 17th-early 18th century mantuas and late 18th- early 19th century Empire dresses. The full-blown bustle silhouette had its first Victorian appearance in the late 1860s, which started a