All posts filed under: Rate the dress

Rate the Dress: Pastel Pink Over-Robes

I’ve got Regency on my mind at the moment. It’s probably because I have absolutely no events coming up for which I need a Regency frock, so my wayward mind is fixating on the most impractical thing it can think of! So, this week’s Rate the Dress is 1790s… Last Week:  A 1910s dress in devore velvet and metallic lace I’ll let you in on a secret. I think last week’s dress is hideous. And I don’t know why, because I usually love that style of dress, and the individual elements. I’m ashamed to say it may be the presentation: I’m usually good at overlooking presentation, but somehow that too-tall mannequin and bare foot is just a bit offputting… Luckily for the dresses final rating, you do not agree with me. Other than the big beaded element at the bust you were on-board with the dress, finding the devore divine, and the gold lace the perfect amount of gilding. The Total: 9.3 out of 10 Just .1 point shy of the week before! This week: …

Devore velvet evening dress trimmed with metallic lace, c.1910 sold by VintageTextile.com

Rate the Dress: Second Decade Devore

Everybody knows that the 1910s are my favourite decade, and it’s been a while since I featured one on Rate the Dress, so that’s this week’s theme. But of course, while I might like the decade, I don’t love every example… Is this week’s pick one you’ll like?   Last Week: an 1860s day dress in raspberry pink Well, when it comes to last week’s dress, you all agree with Maggie Prescott – it’s time to #thinkpink! The Total: 9.4 out of 10 Pink perfection! This week:  A 1910s dress in devore velvet and metallic lace Last week’s dress was big, with bold design flourishes. This week I’ve gone for the slim, sleek lines of the 1910s, with an evening dress in devore velvet and metallic lace. The layers of different fabric, with contrasting textures of stiff lace, plush velvet, silky underlayers and glass beads, is typical of the aesthetics of the era. Also typical is the mix of symmetry and asymmetry. The front bodice is balanced: a shallow scoop of neck, and swooping winged …

Day dress, 1867, Marie and Josephine Virfolet, New York City, Ribbed silk, silk satin, glass seed beads, Albany Institute of History & Art, 1972.95.7

Rate the Dress: Big Skirts, Bold Hues

I know that boring colour to bold colour isn’t the most novel or inventive reason to choose a Rate the Dress, but Rate the Dress doesn’t always have to break the mould: sometimes it’s just about picking an interesting dress. Hopefully my choice this week at least fits that category! As to beauty, that’s up to you. Last Week: an 1805 dress of uncertain colour Last week’s Rate the Dress really was the opposite of the dress of the week before: muted hues, simple trimmings, a very different silhouette – and where the bustle dress of all-the-stuff elicited a lengthy and detailed conversation, the restrained Regency frock garnered half the amount of comments. And the rating spread was inverted: most ratings were right in the middle, with only a few on the extremities. The Total: 6.7 out of 10 Last fortnight’s dress was one to love or loathe, last week’s frock did not inspire, but did not offend – and came out with the better rating. But some of us will still adore (or hate) …