All posts filed under: Rate the dress

Rate the Dress: Turquoise puzzle pieces, 1890

It’s always nice to have the most lovely, polished photos for Rate the Dress, but that does limit the options. So sometimes I have to choose a poorly staged garment, just because it’s so interesting. And I think the fabric, colour, and design of this week’s pick make it worthy of inclusion, lacklustre images notwithstanding. Last Week: a 1912 afternoon dress by Jeanne Hallee There was a lot of confusion about the colour of last week’s dress. Was it black? Blue? Purple? My screens say purple, but unless one of us has seen the dress in person we’ll never really know. Photography can be so misleading! There was also a lot of variation in the rating, with scores hitting every whole point from 4-10. And everyone loved, or didn’t love, it for different reasons. No consensus at all! The Total: 7.3 out of 10 It does actually reflect this largest clump of ratings, even if it was a proportionally small clump compared to other Rate the Dress selections. This week: an 1890s evening dress by Mrs …

Rate the Dress: Oversized stripes in 1912

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week disappeared in a haze of overwork, and this week isn’t looking like it’s going to be much better (last week of term is stressful for everyone…) So this week’s Rate the Dress is brought to you by ‘it was the first one I randomly selected from my ‘this would work for Rate the Dress’ list. Last-last week: a yellow silk 1780s redingote Many of you liked it, but many of you thought it was nice, but boring. And nobody loved it – not a single 10. The Total: 8 out of 10 Pretty good, but not fabulous from a usually favourite era. This week: a 1912 afternoon dress by Jeanne Hallee Despite being a random selection, this afternoon dress does flow on rather nicely from last week’s pick. The frock, with its wrapped fichu collar, and open overskirt, is a perfect example of 1910s-does-18th century historicism. The rest of the dress, is, of course, pure 1912: high waist, slim skirt, high collar and layers of trim, with quirky details like skirt pick ups, and …

Rate the Dress: Sunny 1780s Redingote

Published by The Dreamstress

I’m deep, deep in 1780s stay madness at the moment, so it’s probably not a huge surprise that I’ve picked something on-theme. And I’m always in favour of yellow, so yellow it is. Last week: a red velvet Edwardian frock with a hint of pinaforeness After the silence of the week before, there were so many comments on the pinafore dress. I must admit, I was quite surprised at how popular it was. I guess the pinafore look is in historically as well! The Total: 8.7 out of 10 And many, many thanks to Cynthia Amneus of the Cincinnati Art Museum, who weighed in with additional information on the dress in the comments. This week: a yellow silk 1780s redingote This 1780s redingote is a wonderful example of the variation in garments seen in the last quarter of the 18th century. It features a fitted bodice, front fastening, with slim, curved 3/4 sleeves, a wide double collar with decorative reverse-scalloped edging, and a cutaway front (the so-called zone-front). The photographs are not clear enough to see …