All posts tagged: Edwardian

Historical costumes at Fernside thedreamstress.com

Frolics at Fernside

Last weekend Fernside, an early 20th century home and gardens an hour away from Wellington in Featherston, held an open day in the gardens as a fundraiser for the local theatre. I’ve always wanted to see the gardens: they are a lovely example of a restored early 20th century garden. You can generally only see them as part of a (long, expensive) Lord of the Rings themed tour, as the gardens were transformed into Lothlorien for the the films. I’m not that keen on LotR (well, mostly I’m not that keen on long expensive tours where you’d just get trotted through the gardens to the most important filming scenes and then back out again, and can’t wander around), so I was really excited to have a chance to explore the grounds at leisure. And obviously, to dress up! We got together a group, and settled on early 20th c clothing, to match the grounds and house (and also, because it was the easiest to get dressed in a cafe bathroom in. We weren’t going to …

Rate the Dress: Edwardian Pinafore

Published by The Dreamstress

Pinafores and jumpers are all the rage in the sewing and fashion world at the moment, so I thought I’d get on board with the trend in Rate the Dress this week – with a pinafore-esque frock from 1906-7. And no, it’s not for a child! Last week: a 1910s suit in purple and black Either the Rate the Dresses I’m posting aren’t interesting a lot of people, or you are all super busy. Last week’s frock, while not attracting a lot of comments, did attract most who commented. With only two exceptions it got rave reviews: it was just what you all wanted to for a day of tea and shopping in London. The Total: 9.3 out of 10 Two full points up on the week before! This week: a red velvet Edwardian frock with a hint of pinaforeness While pinafores are all the rage right now, historically we generally think of them as a child’s garment. That certainly wasn’t always the case: pinafore/jumper fronts had their moments in adult clothing as well, particularly …

Terminology: what is a lingerie dress or lingerie frock? (and blouse, and skirt)

Published by The Dreamstress

Tea Gowns vs. Lingerie Dresses Start searching for the ubiquitous Edwardian white cotton & lace dresses online, and you’ll quickly find a name for them: tea gowns. There are hundreds on etsy by that name. Vintage Textile uses the term. Augusta Auctions sells them in lots of three in every sale that includes 1900s garments. Those are NOT tea gowns (well, more precisely, they were never called tea gowns in any era in which this style of dress was fashionable). Or tea dresses. Tea gowns is a specific period term that refers to a a totally different kind of garment. This is a tea gown: As is this: And this. Note how different those examples are from the ones on all the sales sites? That’s because they are totally different styles of garment. Tea gowns were made of rich, heavy fabrics, often in colours, and usually featured elaborate, trailing sleeves. You can read more about them here. In contrast, the dresses called tea gowns by modern sellers are made in very lightweight, delicate fabrics, almost …