Extravagant dress is beautiful but looks terribly uncomfortable

Don’t know how the woman who wore this was able to move.

Created in the 1750s and believed to have belonged to the Countess of Haddington, the dress is displayed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Called a “mantua,” the open-fronted dress has a train and matching petticoat. It was for court wear.

To give the figure the required shape, a corset and hooped petticoat were worn underneath.

Designed to reflect the wearer’s wealth, the dress was usually decorated with opulent embroidery using gold or silver thread or gilt lace.

So what am I wearing on my visit to the museum where I admired this extravagant dress? A black cotton top,  black cotton pants and a black and white scarf from a previous visit to the Buddy Holly Museum in Lubbock, Texas.

Comfort rules on my day tour before boarding the M/V Corinthian for a cruise with Grand Circle Cruise Line. In fact, comfort rules every day for me.