All posts filed under: 19th Century

Rate the Dress: 1875 Very Scarlett O’Hara

Published by The Dreamstress

Happy Boxing Day for those of you on the other side of the dateline!  I hope you had a lovely holiday. Last week you found the 1820s  plum pudding/sugar plum dress rather like plum pudding itself: some of you loved it (because those who love plum pudding love plum pudding), and some of you thought it inoffensive  but not exciting, and some of you found it rather disgusting.  Still, plum pudding is a classic for a reason, and the dress rated a 7.5 out of 10. This extremely red ca 1875 ballgown rather reminds me of a dress that Scarlette O’Hara would wear.  One that Rhett would disapprove of. This dress signals a transition from holiday-themed ‘rate the dresses’ to NZ summer themed raters.  The red velvet is all Christmas, but the fabric also reminds me of the classic sign of a NZ summer:  pohutakawa  in full bloom. Adding to the things this dress might remind you of, the details along the bodice and skirt evoke both Elizabethan blackwork and Polynesian applique.  And the garlanded …

Blue and white

Published by The Dreamstress

There is something so timeless about the combination of blue and white.  It’s serene and elegant, feminine without being girly, evocative of toile de jouy, something blue on brides, and favourite things. Here are some of my blue and white favourites. Can’t you just imagine dancing the night away in these sweet shoes? This bonnet was 20 year old Luciana Foster’s ‘something blue’, worn with a sand coloured silk faille wedding dress, for her 1861 wedding. These undersleeves would add a charming touch of blue  and white to any frock: I positively covet these blue and white pockets, and am going to make my own pair as soon as I find the perfect toile. The blue and white could also be your own secret.  Wouldn’t you just love knowing of the blue lining of these white kid boots?