A Modern Trousseau
November 7th, 2007 @ 12:59 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
Traditionally, women prepared for marriage by accumulating a trousseau. A trousseau, from the French word for bundle, was a trunk or hope chest that included jewelry, lingerie, clothing, linen, and toiletries for the new bride. Although the trousseau was popularized by Victorian brides, the custom is shared by women in other countries as well. Indian brides traditionally receive a lavish trousseau of clothing and jewelry from their parents. Made up of formal Indian outfits (saris and shalwar kameez) and gold jewelry, it’s meant to provide the bride with new ensembles to see her through her wedding, honeymoon, and newlywed days.
Although the trousseau is a bit of a forgotten tradition, I think it’s a completely charming custom and I would love to see it make a comeback. The idea of collecting special items to prepare for this new stage in your life is so sweet– and a nice excuse to indulge yourself! Here are some items I would include in a modern (fantasy!) trousseau:
A beautiful, feminine robe with matching chemise:
Luxurious Frette bedding– this is my fantasy! 
A lush, sweet-smelling candle for your boudoir, like these lovely ones from Tocca.
A special perfume: My personal favorite is Bond No. 9 Nuits de Noho. The eye-catching bottle would glam up any vanity or dressing table. Or if you’re a classic romantic, Estee Lauder’s Pleasures, Ralph Lauren’s Romance, or Chanel No. 5 might be ideal choices.
A glamorous lingerie bag for all your travels:
A chic apron to don while you and your hubby prepare a fabulous dinner together– how’s that for a modern trousseau?
A day planner and iPhone to keep track of your many appointments, both professional and personal.
A cozy Barefoot Dreams throw for cold evenings at home:
The classic Little Black Dress like these from Calvin Klein or Diane von Furstenburg:
Domestic inspiration from the Barefoot Contessa, Martha Stewart and Amy Sedaris:
What would you put in your fantasy trousseau?
images courtesy of The Telegraph, Nordstrom, Frette, Saks, Julianna Rae, Jessie Steele, Smythson, Apple, Nordstrom, and Amazon
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19 Responses to “A Modern Trousseau”
What an adorable post!! LOVE it!!
Sweet! Only I’m going to make my fantasy trousseau a reality and just add it onto my registry! Is that bad? Minus the clothing that is…LOL!
Sooo charming! I love the idea. In fact I think that is what your GF’s should get you for your bridal shower. I will have to make this idea of building a trousseau a theme for my BFF and (hint hint MY) bridal showers!
I would include lovely lingerie “sets” as they call them in Europe. A fave classic perfume, a Barefoot Dreams lush robe, a cashmere blanket and socks, anything from L’occitane, henri bendel candles, pratesi sheets, and monogrammed pillowcases.
Vivian - OMG, I LOOOVVEEE that idea of building a bridal shower around this theme!! Well, I guess thats kinda the purpose of a shower anyways, but I love that this ties it all together and it just SOUNDS cool!!
I adore this! This is why I went out of my way to get myself new items for my b-pics — I also wanted to this new collection of lingerie to take on my honeymoon. We’re also adding new bedding to our gift registry to round this idea out!
My grandma always talks about her hope chest and the things my great, great grandmother added for her like linens, hankies, lingerie etc. It is a really neat tradition that has gotten lost, I love how you have made it modern 
Very fun! I would love to get one of these.
This is a really good idea for a bridal shower! Darnit, I wish I could re-do mine, lol, just kidding.
Miss Jasmine, can YOU make me a trousseau?? I love everything! Especially the perfume (I’d have to check out how it smells…I do love RL Romance though!), lingerie bags, apron, and LBDs!
It didn’t even occur to me that this could be a wonderful bridal shower idea!
Hmm…who do I need to email this post to?
Awesome post! I already bought two things from your post! It’s such an awesome idea for a bridal shower gift! At this rate trouseaux will make a comeback!
Ok, so I just got married, but will now need to think of a reason to put together a trousseau! Is it too late?
I love the idea of a modern trousseau!! Just got married but maybe it’s not too late to gather a few things to mark a new stage of my life.
L,
It’s not too late to start yours too.
I love this post. I’ve been reading the Anne of Green Gables series over again and there are a lot of weddings and each girl has a trousseau. I had to look it up to see what it meant! I think this would be a great shower theme. Way to go, Miss Jasmine!
My mom gave me a trousseau for my shower. I didn’t even realize what it was! I loved all of the goodies in it- especially the shoes. If I had known getting shoes as gift swas part of getting married I would have done it earlier
Angel: I *love* Anne of Green Gables series— it’s one of my absolute favorites
And it’s never too late for a trousseau!
Very small part of your fabulous post, but I’m so happy to see that someone is selling lingerie bags. I have several Schiaparelli versions picked up from estate sales, and they’re both luxurious and incredibly useful for travel. (Especially these days, to keep the pretties away from the prying eyes of Airport Security…) I’ve always been planning to make them, if I ever start a store — one of my random missions is to bring them back into vogue!
[...] Miss Jasmine put an intriguing blog post on A Modern Trousseau.Here’s a quick excerpt:Indian brides traditionally receive a lavish trousseau of clothing and jewelry from their parents. Made up of formal Indian outfits (saris and shalwar kameez) and gold jewelry, it’s meant to provide the bride with new ensembles to see … [...]
Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA
Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 24, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 20, 2007
Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles
About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
i LOVE this post! completely charming. i would also include some l’occitane lavendar linen spray, for fresh laundry and making the bed.