A bustle style dress with volume on the rear waist created with the generous use of fabric which has been draped and tucked. The rear view of the dress is one of its main attractions, while the train which drags on the floor is finished with a lace dust ruffle. A dust ruffle refers to the ruffle attached to the inside of the hem of a long dress or petticoat to prevent the dress from becoming soiled when the wearer goes out walking. The long train enhances the sumptuousness of the dress and conveys a sense of prestige and worthy to be worn at an official banquet.
A strict protocol dictating the clothing worn by the upper classes was established in the late nineteenth century. Women, in particular, had to change seven or eight times a day to suit the time of the day and the location. The dresses which appeared in fashion magazines of the day, which featured the most recent trends, were categorized into, for example, “the reception dress” or “the afternoon dress” and is an indication of the degree of segmentation of women’s clothing at the time.