All posts filed under: 18th Century

Terminology: What is a reticule or indispensable?

Since I don’t want my HSF-marathon posts to get monotonous, I’ve come up with the clever idea of combining them with other thematic posts, for double-goodness. Today I have a cute finished project, and a long overdue terminology post. First, some terminology: A reticule is a small drawstring bag carried as a purse by a woman in the 18th and early 19th century. It was also used as a synonym for any kind of purse or handbag carried by a woman. The name comes from the latin reticulum, meaning a net or mesh bag (the same word has given its meaning to reticle – the cross-hairs (or net) in a firearm scope or telescope). It entered English, as so many fashion words did, from the French, in this case, reticule. The word was first used in the 1730s, but remained relatively uncommon through the 18th century. The Memoirs of the Reticule states ” I am not aware of any mention of the reticule until after the French Revoluton.” At the end of the 18th century, …

Rate the Dress: Felipe I, Duke of Parma circa 1760

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week I showed you a striped 1820s dress with a variety of different trim ideas across the dress, and contrasting sleeves. As a whole, certain bits of the dress you loved, other bits you hated: problem was there was no consensus as to which bits to admire and which bits to condemn! Some of you loved the purple sleeves, others loathed them. I was among those who adored the bias striped trim at the hem, but many of you found it awful. It was a very bitsy dress, and the bitsy votes came together at 7.4 out of 10, which impressed me considering all the criticism. Many of you were also quite critical of the display, which I think is a bit harsh. They are auction-house pictures after all. It’s very generous of Augusta Auctions to make so many detailed photos available online in the first place, and they have a lot of stuff to photograph and dress: you can hardly hold them to the same standards as the Metropolitan Museum of Art! This …

Putting marmotte hair to shame

Published by The Dreamstress

I’m still plugging away on the Marmotte Masquerade Stays, but have been held up by boring paperwork and car fixing and whatnot. So I’ll keep you entertained with other things. Between my stays and the Fairies & Dinosaurs at Versailles party I’ve been fixated on mad 18th century hair. These fashion plates particularly delight me: ZOMG! Look at that hair! Look at the fruit! The entire bowl of lemons (or apricots?)! The full pineapple perched in front! That one random pear at front! And her fabulously NOSE-y nose. Best of all, do you know what the pointy fruit going up the back of her hair is? I do! I’m relatively certain that it is a cacao fruit. Yep. That’s right. Chocolate hair. I’m not sure what the large round fruit that alternates with it is though. Out-of-scale quince? Perhaps they were going really exotic and they were meant to be breadfruit. It’s like pastoral France meets my parent’s farm! I love it! And what about this one: She’s a little more typically pretty, which …