Last week’s 1910s suit had a few serious admirers, but also cropped its fair share of criticism: the colours were quite dull, the collar too frivolous, the cuffs awkwardly sized, the proportions off, the pressing issues too distracting, and the presentation poor. I think you’re going to have to learn to forgive the last two from time to time, as if I only chose perfectly pressed and styled and presented garments, my pool to choose from would be so limited, and my choices so well known, it would quite take the fun out of Rate the Dress!  Whether it was the styling or just the cumulative effect of all the little flaws, the suit only managed a 6.8 out of 10 – not terrible, but certainly not stellar. This week’s dress also comes from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Made of rich, brocaded silk (of plain weave, with supplementary wefts forming the pattern, alas the MFA does not tell us if they are left loose as continuous wefts, or cut short on the back …

We missed last week’s Rate the Dress because I was down sick.  Sorry 🙁 The week before, most of you were quite taken with Toulmouche’s blue dress.  There was only one dissenting view, and not that many 10s (there have been many dresses with lower overall scores but more 10/10s) but with a whole swathe of 8 & 9s, the outfit came in at 8.6 out of 10. This week I’m combining the just-finished HSF theme of ‘Art‘, with the just-started HSF theme of ‘The Politics of Fashion.’  This portrait of Count Giovanni Battista Vailetti is a beautiful piece of art, but his garments  also gives us a glimpse into societal changes in the early 18th century. The Count’s waistcoat and banyan are made of exuberantly patterned ‘bizarre’ silks.  As the Age of Enlightenment progressed, patterns became smaller and more naturalistic, reflecting the 18th century obsession with botany. His banyan also shows the increased exposure between the West and India, and the influence that India would have on fashion, and through the demand for Indian …

Last week I showcased a VERY pink, VERY 18th century influenced Worth gown.  Some of you were sure it was a fancy dress gown, and some of you were equally sure it wasn’t.  Some of you loved it, and some of you thought it was so dreadful it couldn’t possibly be a Worth.  Very mixed reactions!  The ratings evened out at 6.6 out of 10 – not terrible, but certainly not a glowing commendation of the House of Worth. This week’s Rate the Dress is a dance-off: these two lovely ladies each posed as a dancer in almost the same outfit, but with slightly different details.  Your job is to rate each dancer’s outfit, giving each of them a different rating (even if one is, for example, a 6 and the other a 6.5) Which will you find the prettier dancing frock? The first model has the advantage of youth.  She paired the  dun and pink frock with a lace border around the neck and sleeves, self fabric sleeves, a rose-trimmed hat with matching palest …