I have a running joke with my student’s at Toi Whakaari that I’m ancient. “3,000 years ago, when I was your age….” and “yeah, now that I’m a bit older I can’t handle alcohol at all. Back at that dinner where that guy turned water into wine I could drink it like it was water, and in my quaffing days, quaffing was no issue, but now…”* According to class lore, I’m so good at costume history I was actually there.
And it’s a joke, but right now I feel ancient, and the days run together. So apologies if this isn’t quite a week since the last one.
Last Rate the Dress: a 1920’s evening dress in dark teal silk velvet
Some of you really loved last week’s velvet dress, but others felt that it was it was so classic that it became almost a cliche of its decade.
The Total: 7.9 out of 10
A perfectly competent, acceptable rating, but not one to smash any records.
This week: An 1890s reception gown in ivory with black lace
Two-piece twill silk satin gown, silk organza & chemical lace bodice w inserts of French jet beading, ca 1893, sold by Augusta Auctions
The last Rate the Dress was inspired by the Baltic Sea. This week’s dress is inspired by something else that fascinated me in Europe: the fabulous doors. Now, who hasn’t gone to Europe and taken 600 photographs of beautiful doors?
Two-piece twill silk satin gown, silk organza & chemical lace bodice w inserts of French jet beading, ca 1893, sold by Augusta Auctions
It’s the lace bodice trim on this formal reception gown that reminds me of doors. So many that I saw were wood carved in very deep geometric patterning, rather like the trim round the neck and down the bodice.
Two-piece twill silk satin gown, silk organza & chemical lace bodice w inserts of French jet beading, ca 1893, sold by Augusta Auctions
This dress is an interesting example of a change in Victorian dress etiquette. In the 1870s and 80s a gown would either have an exposed neck and chest and short sleeves, OR a high neck and long sleeves. In the early 1890s you start to see formal garments, like this dress, which pair a high neck and covered chest with elbow length sleeves. The arms would then have been covered by long over-the-elbow gloves.
Two-piece twill silk satin gown, silk organza & chemical lace bodice w inserts of French jet beading, ca 1893, sold by Augusta Auctions
Look very closely at the bodice of this dress, and you can see that the bodice lining ends at a lower neckline, so that the skin would be visible through the lace on the upper chest.
Two-piece twill silk satin gown, silk organza & chemical lace bodice w inserts of French jet beading, ca 1893, sold by Augusta Auctions
When you imagine this dress as it was worn in the last decade of the 19th century, it needs a few pieces. Add hair twisted into a topknot right at the top of the head, and worn with a little frizzled fringe, perhaps with a jet and aigret hair ornament, or an angular bow, in the topknot. If it were for an outdoor reception it might be topped with a very frilly, impractical hat.
Something like the black and white dress in this fashion plate:
La Mode Illustree, 1894
Or the brown dress in this plate:
Although the first fashion plate shows that black was an option, I think it’s most likely this dress was worn with white gloves.
Two-piece twill silk satin gown, silk organza & chemical lace bodice w inserts of French jet beading, ca 1893, sold by Augusta Auctions
This dress was sold as ca. 1893, and the bodice shape and smaller sleeves are certainly plausible for the early 1890s, but the large umbrella skirt is more consistent with a slightly later date. The dress could also be ca 1897, after the very full sleeves of 95-96 deflate, and when skirts were very full.
Two-piece twill silk satin gown, silk organza & chemical lace bodice w inserts of French jet beading, ca 1893, sold by Augusta Auctions
What do you think? It it a good mix of elegant, glamorous, and tastefully sexy?
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.
* this is even funnier because my students are well aware that I don’t drink at all.
I give this dress a 9/10. I love the lines and especially love the lace! Please tell me what chemical lace is. Something like modern burned out velvet??
Yep, it’s dense machine embroidery worked on a soluble ground which was then dissolved in chemicals so that only the embroidery remains.
Thanks! I had this question too.
Thank you! Beat me to answering it!
This is a very pretty dress on the right person – was there a Goth subset of wealthy women at that time? I must say I like the shape and can see enjoying the idea of wrought iron scrollwork. In my opinion it would have made the dress more balanced had the black lace been carried down further on the dress, perhaps at the hem. Moving the trim from the cuff bands to the hem would have looked better to me. Still, bonnet off to whomever decided on this rather daring dress.
8/10
I would have liked the trim as panels down the front and back too , but the sleeves ! The swishy skirt ! I can feel myself googling patterns….
My favourite era , so 9.5
I love this. Agree that it’s *slightly* bland with the lace only on the bodice but… much like the previous one, I enjoy the simplicity.
Perfect use of rather generic lace, too – one could absolutely still pull off this style with today’s materials, with panache.
9/10
I really love this- I kind of wish I didn’t love it so much because it’s such a representation of wealth inequality. But, I think it looks smashing!
It’s balanced, interesting, and just comes together. There’s lots of contrast beyond the black and white, for instance in the texture of the skirt and the sleeves. Even though it has a lot going on, it’s not overwhelming.
I’ve been thinking about making a lace top for everyday wear out of a reasonably sturdy cotton lace, and I find this dress quite an inspiration. Not that I’d want to compare too closely – I doubt my top would benefit from the comparison, as I’m an amateur and this dress is the work of a professional at the top of their game.
10/10
It’s a beautiful gown, but my first thought was “Hello, Dolly!”. Very dramatic and stagey. Someone very sure of herself wore this. Since I’m basically a mouse, although I can admire it, I don’t love it. 7/10
Perfect. I want to wear it.
10/10
The sleeves don’t hang right for me. It is what I focus on, and not in a good way. 5/10.
Charming. Wonderful skirt and bodice. For me the sleeve shape and bow are a bit much.
8
I like it but don’t quite love it, I think perhaps it’s the almost flesh tone of the main fabric (on.my screen anyway) although I’m not entirely sure what colour would work better. What I do love though is the lace bodice. It is perfection. Unlike some others I don’t think it would be improved by extending the lace onto the skirt. Sometimes with embellishment the trick is to know when to stop.
8.5/10
I wasn’t thinking of extending it from te bodice per se. I was thinking of a band of lace at the hem echoing the sleeves and that such a thing would tie it all together. 🙂
It’s certainly striking. I love the black and white boldness, although I do also wish there was something going on on the skirt (maybe a hanging black peplum at one side to unite the two, without too much interference with the clean purity of the skirt, but maybe it was intended to only be seen from the hips upwards most of the time, as in dinner dress or sitting in a theatre box. 8.5/10
It’s a gorgeous dress. Everything about it is pretty: that lace is to die for, and who can’t go for that satin? The two fabrics work well together and are so striking. But it still isn’t my favorite dress overall. I think I’d like it more if the sleeves were different; I see long sleeves with that neckline. Big short puffed sleeves with a square neckline would also be gorgeous. As it is, I love the fabric, not so much the design.
7 out of 10
This is lovely, and I’m honestly surprised by the lace cut-out, as it seems so contemporary! I imagine the pale satin would have looked lovely in low light. I think the lace is perfect as it is, restrained and extravagant at once.
Unfortunately, that bow on the shoulder is just too much for me. If I could rip it off, 10/10, but as it is, I dislike it enough that my final rating is:
8/10.
It’s gorgeous, but a small part of me feels like this is the dress that is similar to a tween going to HM and buying a black t-shirt and thinking s/he is a goth. The black lace on the bodice is a bit too much, on the other hand if it had been white lace I would probably have thought that it was too sugary and sweet. My favorite part is actually the little bow on the shoulder and I love the general silhouette. I can’t get over my mixed feelings for the lace though.
8/10
not my favourite era in general, but this particular dress is both a solid exemplar of it and also not too over-the-top. i would take nail scissors to that shoulder bow, not being a fan of bows randomly stuck on things, but the lace is used rather nicely and overall there is a sense of restraint that gives the dress an elegance.
rating: 7/10
This dress is totally my jam. I love it! From the full, but not ridiculously so, sleeves to the gathered back of the full skirt. If I knew how to draft patterns and had more sewing experience I’d work on a recreation right away. 10/10
I’m loving it!
And I’m also wondering how the bodice would look on a skirt of the same colour, but with black stripes, say, like the one from https://thedreamstress.com/2021/07/1890s-big-sleeves/
Probably not that useful, since they would both be day bodices, however.
Anyway:
9/10
Golly, this dress is an excellent example of the Gay Nineties taste for lots going on up top, and luscious, undecorated folds in the skirt, and high color and textures contrasts all around.
Had the designer added pendant ribbons from either side of the waistline on the front, ended by bows somewhere around knee to shin height, and somehow worked the ribbons into the bodice, that would have brought the design together in a trimming fashion popular in the era. However, sumptuous undecorated satin was high fashion and I prefer that, personally.
Agree that the dress is more likely to be 1897 than 1893. I am almost certain that the back skirt folds/flutes/godet plaits are made with multiple box pleats still relevant that year but just barely emerging in 1893. The serious hem circumference also argues for 1897.
It’s a pretty nicely designed dress, and I love the peekaboo bodice effect, but, it’s just a bit much up top for me.
8 of 10
BTW, the first shocks of feeling the weight of accumulated history can set a person a bit on their heels, yet there are some advantages to that growing experience, I find as my 60th decade sits just 1.5 months away. Am more likely to both joy in the richness all that living has brought to what I can apply to how I think and feel, and to sigh, as the body shifts. Compassion can grow along with regret.
I love it! But I’m not a huge fan of the sleeves and the bow on the shoulder. 8/10
I can’t tell you why, as its not my typical style, but I love this. It’s so well balanced and thought out 9.5/10
An armored ball gown! The “ironwork” lace makes me think of towering gates and window grilles; perhaps the lady was expecting a siege. The sleeves and bow don’t appeal to me, but it would be fabulous in an alt-history movie, with her rapier at her side.
7/10
Wow this is PERFECT.
10/10
quel beau travail. Je suis émerveillée
Ces robes sont de pures merveilles .Que de travail
I love the close-up image of the lace on the bodice much better than I love the dress as a fashion statement! A 7 out of 10 from me.