We’re sticking with a similar colour scheme with this week’s Rate the Dress pick: purple and neutral, but going for a very different silhouette, with a slim, columnar line, and simpler sleeves.
Last week: an 1860s dress with elaborate Renaissance inspired sleeves.
Last week’s dress was actually more popular than I thought it would be. I’d picked it as a wacky marmite option that I assumed was unlikely to appeal to most people, but it actually got a much warmer reception than I’d anticipated. Maybe you were just so happy to have Rate the Dress back!
Granted, there were definitely some who didn’t like it, and some of the most enthusiastic voices that did like it didn’t actually leave a rating, so it came out at…
The Total: 7.4 out of 10
So, the marmite option. Not to everyone’s taste!
This week: a 1910s dress in white and orchid purple.
This 1910s afternoon dress features a very simple cut, with a slightly blouson bodice, wide cut-on kimono sleeves, and a slim, straight column of a skirt.
Afternoon dress, 1911-12, Goldstein Museum of Design
What gives the dress visual interest are the touches of orchid purple against the white of the main dress, and the mix of different styles of fabric ornamentation.
Afternoon dress, 1911-12, Goldstein Museum of Design
The dress includes openwork and white work embroidery, needle lace, tape lace, and fillet lace.
Afternoon dress, 1911-12, Goldstein Museum of Design
There are also ornamental buttons, and tiny pintucks in the sleeves.
Afternoon dress, 1911-12, Goldstein Museum of Design
The dress is a walking sampler of different laces, embroidery, and embellishment, all tied together with a simple colour scheme.
Afternoon dress, 1911-12, Goldstein Museum of Design
What do you think? Do the different types of lace and styles of embroidery blend harmoniously, or is the dress a discordant mish-mash?
Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10
A reminder about rating — feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment. Phrase criticism as your opinion, rather than a flat fact. Our different tastes are what make Rate the Dress so interesting. It’s no fun when a comment implies that anyone who doesn’t agree with it, or who would wear a garment, is totally lacking in taste.
As usual, nothing more complicated than a .5. I also hugely appreciate it if you only do one rating, and set it on a line at the very end of your comment.
When you first look at this dress the initial impression is of simpleness and clean lines. Then you look closer and you see there’s a whole lot going on!
I love the bodice from the front and the colour scheme. I’m not a huge fan of the big lace sailors style collar on the back (I’d love to see it without this detail) or the multitude of styles of lace in the patchwork on the skirt. However the button details on the side of the skirt that match the buttons on the bodice are cute.
7.5
Overall, I love this dress! It has what I view as harmonious detailing, what with the white on white of the most lavish details. The only bit I don’t care for is the wide swath of lace on the back bodice. I would have preferred the bodice silhouette to be the same on the back, with a better view of what I think is a bow in orchid.
I rate it a 9.
The front is lovely as the lace is set off by the plain fabric, the back is a bit of a mess with a big collar and that huge expanse of purple. Lose the purple panel and it would do a lot for the dress . Back collar could be smaller too , plus a purple belt would suit the dress way better
Lovely, needs some tweaks a 7
I don’t see the back as a huge collar, but more as a bolero kind of thing, which I think is pretty.
But I might go for a smaller sash. The purple peeking through the lace creates such a georgeous effect, the sash comes of as blocky and plain in comparison. But maybe it looks better on a moving person?
Overall a stunning dress, I’ll give it a 9!
Wow the work on the lace trim is exquisite and would have taken time to create. The balance and symmetry is sheer delight. I love the the lace piece on the bottom does not completely join at the back allowing the vibrancy of the purple to be more than just a trim accent.
8/10
I love it! The lace work is exquisite, and so Edwardian! The touches of purple are subtle and make the dress so unique. I would loose the purple panel in the back as it takes away from the other more subtle touches. 9/10.
Now, what I love about the Edwardian era is the “throw everything at a dress and walk out the door with what sticks” attitude. This is such a nice example: fully extra, without being loud. That collar! Is it a collar? A capelet? I think I’ll call it a Mega-Bertha. All that openwork and lace! I actually love the skirt/overskirt harmony. The sleeve effect is not quite on the same level, but much may be forgiven for that skirt. The main question when imagining such a dress being worn, of course, is the quantity of hat. Assuming suitable proportions in hattage (is that a word?):
9
My goodness that is a lovely dress, and when looked at on a moving person would be even more so. The design patterning in the front is especially sophisticated. The back? Well.
Somebody went to sleep while designing and thought they were working on another dress. If the collar/bolero had been dropped and the design from the front continued, it would have worked better, but the sash and lower part are marvelous. It takes movement for that to be truly understood. Those old Pathe films of fashion shows help.
8.5 of 10
I think this is lovely! I like the geometric nature of the insertions, while the lace is flowing and full of curlicues and arabesques and floral elements. I would lose or shorten the big… sailor collar?… in the back, though. But all else: wonderful.
9/10
That giant lace collar and that purple in the back…. Gotta take off for those. I liked the front, it wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was lovely in its hidden complexity. I was all set to give it an 8 or a 9, and then we saw that back, and I had to take off because the lace sailor’s collar just no. No. Then that giant swath of purple down the back. No.
6/10
Love the front! I think the different lace have been chosen & placed well. The hints of purple behind the lace is pretty. Like many other comments here I’m not so keen on the back. The big purple strip detracts from the nice subtle work elsewhere. I’m more undecided about the shape of the collar thing, I’d have to see how it moves on an actual person to really decide.
9
PAX
I think it’s a beautiful dress, but the lace collar on the back is just…weird. It looks like an afterthought to me, and the sash would harmonize with the dress better if the collar wasn’t covering it. The rest of the lace is sits well with the design, and I appreciate the details such as decorative buttons and pintucks on the sleeves. It isn’t the most outstanding dress on the planet, but I’d wear it if I had it, minus the collar.
9.5
I love lace, so even though I’m not a big fan of the purple colour, I still think the dress is beautiful. The hem is particularly pretty. Not as much in love with the back view as the front view. I don’t really like the collar on the back, and I see that’s a popular take with other commenters as well.
8/10
Love the skirt; the bodice, not really. I’m undecided about the false train (is it or isn’t it?). This reminds me of the Shel Silverstein song about the mermaid: “But I only loved her upper part / I did not like the tail,” just in reverse.
7/10
Perfect Edwardian elegance.
9/10
(One point off for the back collar)
this is a hit for me—my favourite period is nineteen-teens clothing, and this is lovely for an afternoon dress. i would happily wear this myself today. i love the rich purply hue that shows through the lace, the lines of it, everything about it.
rating: 10/10
I love the clean line at the front, the elegant place on the bottom over the purple, the purple sash matching the purple on the sleeves. And I like the purple fall at the back. The dress is somehow refreshing.
The style is perfect Edwardian. However, I think it has too many odd features (and is a little too columnar to work on most women’s bodies) to achieve excellence as a garment that makes the wearer more attractive.
I rate this dress a 6.5.
This dress needs some serious editing. Either go with the embellished shirt and simple bodice, or do it the other way round, now it’s really just a proof that sometimes more is more is not the best choice. I like the skirt and the colours, but can’t stand the bodice, and especially ot the collar in the back.
3/10 from me.
My first thought was “who on earth put the three piddly fake-buttons on otherwise fine collar” and it did not get better.
The idea and the shape are fine, but this is shining example that devil is in the details. After the three buttons came the ‘illusion of buttons’ one row down, which does not do anything except throwing the balance off, and the ribbon at the waist is narrower than the ribbon at the sleeves, and the front panel of the skirt is somewhat ungraceful where the decor starts, but ok.
But the back just had me choking. Just no, who ever thought that the lace flop is a great idea? I like the purple back decoration, but the lace, nope, nope nope. Can I have some scissors and a unpicking tool?
5/10
BTW I’m very glad that the Rate the dress is back.
From the waist down, this dress is lovely. The purple underlay peeping through the beautiful lace on the skirt is just perfection.
Unfortunately, this confection is attached to a seriously flawed bodice. The sleeves are inelegant. Move that purple band higher or lower, And the lace attached to it looks sloppy. It looks like someone repurposed an old pair of pantaloons by slicing them in half and using them as sleeves.
I really dislike the purple band at the top of the collar. It looks so severe for the dress. And the random purple buttons that serve no purpose are silly.
Then we get the back view. What is this? It looks like someone attached a lace placemat to the back of the collar. It does not have any connection to the front of the dress and makes no sense. I can’t even talk about the giant purple sash or whatever it’s meant to be. Just painful.
I really wanted to like this dress, and the skirt is really wonderful. But the rest is horrible and the best I can give it is a 4.
Not my favourite period, and the mishmash of lace is a bit too noisy for my taste, but the colour scheme is beautiful and it’s very well balanced and well executed. 8/10