All posts filed under: 19th Century

Rate the Dress: Chocolate and plaid in the 1860s

Last week I posted a 1910s frock by Mrs Dunstan, and while a few of you found points to quibble about, in general the consensus was a gasp of admiration and a chorus of ‘Stunnings!’, with a staggering 24 out of 45 10/10 ratings. Still, courtesy of the non-lovers, the overall rating was only 8.9 out of 10. I know it’s winter, and coming up towards Christmas, but it doesn’t feel like it here in NZ. Asparagus is just winding up, cherries and berries are just starting, and the weather has been warm and muggy. Still, I feel I should post something a bit winter-y, holiday-y, and chocolate and plaid seem to fit the bill perfectly. You’re going to have to use just a wee bit of imagination in rating this dress, as I only have two images of it: a rather uninspiring view of the dress on display in the ‘Our New Old Clothes’ exhibition from the Shippensburg University Fashion Archives, and a gorgeous detailed image of the bodice of the dress. Let’s start …

Terminology: What is a reticule or indispensable?

Published by The Dreamstress

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: 1870s florals & stripes

Published by The Dreamstress

Poor Lanvin! Apparently fancy dress isn’t her thing. Despite the beautiful gold lace and luscious orange silk (I can’t believe some of you didn’t like the fabric!) her Byzantine/Stuart/Turkish Elizabethan/Restoration/What the Heck is It fancy dress frock rated a dismal 5.2 out of 10. This fortnights HSF theme is Gratitude, which isn’t very helpful as guide to picking Rate the Dresses. When I was looking for inspiration for the HSF Pink Challenge I came across this dress, which has been in my ‘Rate the Dress’ inspiration folder for ages. Right now I’m just grateful for such an easy pick: it’s been a full-on few weeks for me! It’s really a pity that there aren’t more images of this dress – the close ups are fascinating, and there are so many hints of amazing details in the overall image, but this is all we see: What do you think? Do you like the unusual-but-obsessively matched fabrics? The stripes and florals and bows? Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10