All posts filed under: 19th Century

Rate the Dress: Damask, velvet & chiffon in 1888

What consistent ratings last week’s Chanel fireworks dress received! It’s very unusual for so many of you to agree on a dress, but excepting one 7, every single rating was an 8, 9 or 10 (no Sadie, you can’t give it an 11 – or you can, but I’ll still count it as a 10!). Not surprising that the final rating was a balanced 9.3 out of 10. The only mark downs were for the lack of resolution at the waistline. It almost looks as if the dress ought to have had a sash or belt. This weeks dress definitely has a sash. It may not be a Chanel, but it does have an impressive pedigree, having been worn at Benjamin Harrison’s inaugural ball in 1889. It’s come down in the world a bit them, having sold at August Auctions in 2009 for a measly $540 (even if you don’t like it, you’ll have to agree that was a steal). The dress combines silk damask, silk velvet, and silk brocade chiffon ballgown in pink and …

Witches Britches

Published by The Dreamstress

Back in October when I did the talk on Steampunk fashions for Aethercon I really wanted to make something to illustrate the introduction of aniline dyes in the late 1850s. It’s one of the things that has always confused me about Steampunk fashion. Why do you see so few chemical brights in Steampunk attire, when the discovery of aniline dyes was THE big textile innovation of the Victorian era? The problem with talking about aniline dyes is well…me. Or, more precisely, my stash. I don’t know if you have noticed, but it tends to be on the muted/colours you can achieve with natural dyes side. The only aniline-accurate colour that I have in any quantity is black, which isn’t very exciting. So I had a massive search through my ENTIRE stash (this is quite an undertaking), and found the single other piece of fabric in an aniline hue that I own – a 3/4 length kimono jacket in self-striped mauvine-ish satin. Since I only had a 3/4 length jacket to work with, I was …

Nahi’ena’ena — a tragedy of two parts

Published by The Dreamstress

Hawaiian history is, unfortunately, full of tragedy. It’s also full of moments of triumph, of hope and will overcoming great adversity, of mirth and hilarity, but behind all this there is often an undercurrent of sadness: the inevitable result of cultures, religions, and germs colliding. Perhaps the ultimate symbol of Hawaiian tragedy, and of the problems that plagued the young Kingdom in its formative years, is NÄhiÊ»enaÊ»ena (1815-1836), a princess whose whole life was a tug-of-war between two worlds: the old Hawaiian traditions and religion, and the new customs and rules the New England missionaries were introducing to the island. There are two extent portraits of NÄhiÊ»enaÊ»ena, and they are the perfect illustration of the divide in her life. In the first portrait, done when she was 10 years old, and commemorating the funeral of her older brother Kamehameha II, whose body had been brought back from England, NÄhiÊ»enaÊ»ena is the traditional Hawaiian princess. She is clad in a spectacular feather pa’u (skirt), and a feather cape, both the provenance of chiefs. Her hair is …