It’s been another exciting week for me, with way too much work (luckily I love my students & patternmaking), and way too many chores to do, and then a plumbing disaster on top of everything else.
But I finally have an evening to relax, and am sitting on the couch in my new favourite pants, with Felicity curled in a contented ball in front of the heaters. Bean soup is simmering on the stove (which means I won’t have to cook for the next three days – the dream!). All is, if not right, at least momentarily not-terrible with the world. And it’s the perfect time to write Rate the Dress.
Last week: an 1860s dress in pale pastel pink with bold black trimmings.
Last week’s pink and black colour scheme won universal approval, but you were less unified on what parts of the dress you liked, and what parts you didn’t like. Some of you loved every part of the dress. Some loved the bodice but thought the stripes on the skirt were overpowering. And some thought the skirt was perfection, but the black bertha was just-too-much.
But everybody liked at least something about the dress, so that’s a win!
The Total: 8.5 out of 10
A point and a decimal point up from last week! That’s an improvement
This week: A 1913-1914 dress in salmon pink and black with silver lace.
I’m sticking with the pink and black colour scheme of last week, but pushing out the boat with a deep salmon pink that is almost orange, and adding in some ivory and silver, as well as a bit of patterning, with this evening dress from 1913-1914:
Evening dress by an unknown maker (possibly British),1913-1914, silk, linen, glass, metal, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo
This dress has all the most fashionable features of 1913-14: a bold colour scheme, high-low hem, square train, tunic effect, metallic lace, pointed peplum (also seen in more casual garments like the Selina Blouse), slightly-higher-than-natural waist, kimono sleeves, V neck over-blouse over a straight under-bodice, tasseled sash, and layers of fabric and texture. It’s the absolute epitome of high-end evening wear of its era.
Evening dress by an unknown maker (possibly British),1913-1914, silk, linen, glass, metal, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo
Some online sources state that this dress was worn by Queen Maud of Norway, but I can’t find a definitive source for that, and it’s not one of the garments in Style and Splendour, the book about her wardrobe.
Evening dress by an unknown maker (possibly British), 1913-1914, silk, linen, glass, metal, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo
Whoever wore this dress, they weren’t afraid to stand out, or to embrace every single design fad, all at once.
Evening dress by an unknown maker (possibly British), 1913-1914, silk, linen, glass, metal, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo
What do you think? Is this a gown suitable for a Queen…of fashion?
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.
Wow! I love everything about it. I was going for 10/10 until I saw that wonderful black belt extension with tassel at the back, and wanted to give it 11/10!
I know this is frowned upon, so…
10 out of 10. Happy sigh.
10/10 for me. Striking and shocking at the same time.
It looks like a kimono-inspired theater costume and it’s awesome.
On the white mannequin, the beige fabric framing the neckline looks a bit like a limp afterthought, but I think it’d blend in nicely with white skin. I’ll substract 0.5 for that, so:
9.5
I’ll be honest, this has never been my favorite era of fashion. Still, it’s somewhat…charming? I do think that the embroidery, the black, the salmon, and the gauze are a bit cluttered though. So:
6.5/10
Glamour down to the ground! I love this one. The colors are quite bold, so I wonder at the age of the wearer.
The weeaboo factor of this period is always interesting. The way a certain hobble skirt silhouette and cut-in-one sleeves and layers and so forth echo the kimono and the cultural obsession with Japan is fascinating. I wonder whether this is a hobbling hobble, or a clever cut with hidden pleats between the skirt and train. On one side it seems not, but on the other it seems possible.
I adore the shortwaisted style, as well! Not empire, but not quite natural waistline, either. It’s so elegant and flattering, in my eyes. And that tasseled sash cascading down the back! Lovely.
Here’s a question for you: when attributing the transition from the hourglass and pigeon breast to these lines, do you favor Poiret or Margaine-Lacroix?
10
Here is another dress I really want to love, but just don’t. The color scheme is spot on with the coral and beige and the shot of black, but…
The lace extending from the sleeve caps seems over long and out of proportion with the rest of the dress. The way the bodice looks to be designed, with the lace overlay and the coral tunic? or whatever it is wrapping around and then ending at the hips just looks odd and would cut the body visually in an unflattering way. I’m sure it is not constructed the way it appears, like several layers wrapped around and cinched with the belt, but it looks like ithe wearer might spend her evening constantly adjusting to make sure nothing comes loose. The second layer of coral fabric, ending just beneath the lace on the skirt seems redundant, and again creates an unflattering line, and given how everything on the dress ends in a point, I feel like the train should too.
To my eye, the entire thing just went too far. Great color choices and almost great design, but just a little off everywhere you look.
Sorry, but 4
Oh my gosh, knocked it out of the park again! This is the dress that would be on the frontispiece of Andrew Lang’s Salmon Fairy Book, if he had had the taste to make one!
10/10
Oh yes, sign me up! I adore the shape, lace, pattern, color, and the tassel on the back sash! Only thing I don’t love is the weird flap in the front. At the back, the flap is hidden by the lace overskirt which makes interesting effect, but the front, nope. Maybe something has given in with age?
9.5/10
I’m reading a Japanese classic novel, The Makioka Sisters, at the moment and this dress is giving me the feel of the characters, though it’s set a bit later in the 1930s. The sisters embrace both Western and traditional Japanese clothing (and attitudes, it’s fascinating! And a beautiful read.)
But I digress. I love this dress, and not just because it reflects my reading!
10/10
I wrote a comment that disappeared, so here’s the gist: I want to love it, but I don’t. To me it seems like it’s using competing styles, it wants to be soft and delicate AND tailored.
So my gut feeling was 7,5/10
i love it—it’s from my very favourite time period and evening wear is the best. not the colour scheme i would select, personally, but stunning nonetheless. i like everything about it. my only tiny quibble is the ornamentation of the sash at the back waist, which seems superfluous to me.
rating: 10/10
I love this period anyway but I love this dress even more. It avoids all the more egregious excesses of the age. The skirt appears straight but not tight and there seem to be gentle pleats at the waist for added room so it’s not a tight hobble and the wearer would be able to move easily and elegantly. The colour is absolutely wonderful, the embellishments are perfect and that tassel at the end of the long sash at the back is to die for. I shall now stop gushing. It could be nothing else but a
10
Absolutely love it! It looks like something that would have been illustrated on the cover of Vogue.
10/10
i don’t like it I’ve never been a fan of the 1910 so that probable why but i cant get cover the belt it looks like a curtain especially with the ting on the end of it. i love the lace but that it it a 4 from me
PAX
What a beautiful dress! In my opinion, this is definitely suitable for a queen. 🙂 With all the different layers, textiles, bold colours, and interesting hemlines, it’s 1910s high fashion perfection. Here’s the layers I see: the under-bodice, two skirts- one more plain, a second with the train (as far as I can tell), and over that the silvery lace, followed by the over-bodice and sash.
10/10
My first reaction was dislike. But then I looked at the individual elements and most I like. I guess it’s the colors. Salmon, orange in general isn’t my favorite to begin with. The peachy color of the under bodice and the sheer lace’s beige feel faded against the orange. I wish they were white or a more saturated hue. However I love the kimono sleeves, the peblum, the neckline and even the cut of the over skirt.
I give it a 6.5 out of 10
I love it The colour, the lace, the silhouette, the hidden pleats at the back so the wearer can move. Only thing that bothers me is the little extra bit of salmon fabric poking out from under the lace on the front of the skirt, I like to hope that it has just dropped down with age and wasn’t meant to be there.
9/10