Last week’s steel buttons and hat trim weren’t popular with most of you, and I know that this week’s buttons, and buttons, and buttons won’t be popular with at least one of you! So apologies to anyone with koumpounophobia. However, if you are a fan of buttons, maybe you’ll enjoy this week’s Rate the Dress. Last Week: a 1780s redingote in purple silk Alas, as fun as I find fashion plates, you don’t find them very fun to rate – there . There were things to like about the ensemble though: the rich colour, and jaunty collar. No one was a fan of the long torso and the scalloped peplums of the redingote, just like no-one liked them on the yellow 1780s number we looked at a few months back. And the hat definitely wasn’t winning friends and influencing the rating in a positive manner. The Total: 7.8 out of 10 Not terrible…but certainly not great. This week:  a 1910s suit with all the (button) trimmings This week we’re going from a late 18th century …

This week I’ve been a bit daring for Rate the Dress, by picking something that’s a bit hard to rate, because it’s mostly fabric. Hopefully I’ve given enough context, and a even a bonus painting as an illustration, to give you something to consider! Last Week: a mid 1920s evening gown by Callot Soeurs I don’t feel too bad about this week’s simple but tricky in its simplicity pick, because last week’s Callot Soeurs evening dress was so fun and easy to rate. Beautifully and cleanly presented, and easy to imagine on a wearer. It clearly struck a chord with many of you, and was very popular, though most of you thought it was almost perfect (9) rather than absolutely sublime (10) The Total: 9.1 out of 10 Almost, almost perfect! This week:  a 1720s dress I think the 1720s & 30s were a fascinating period in fashion history, but unfortunately I rarely get the chance to feature them on Rate the Dress. There are few surviving examples of garments from this period, and even …