All posts filed under: Rate the dress

Rate the Dress: Scarlet Suit-ed

Last week’s Rate the Dress was very Southern California summer: perfect for sunsets on the beach and glam parties in the dawning years of Hollywood. This week’s pick is much more Wellington winter: just what you need for keeping cosy while going to an Edwardian soiree where you want to be sure you’re dressed better than that upstart Annie Beauchamp. Last Week: 1920s dress in complementary velvet hues Orange is having a moment, and that may have helped with the response to last week’s sunset hued number – or perhaps it was just that the luscious velvet was irresistible. When the dress did come in for criticism it was mostly for the belt: the braiding did not age well, and many of you thought it was clunky, heavy, and looked like a last-minute addition. Interestingly, I thought the belt, while it clearly had suffered the effects of age, was what ‘made’ the dress, and the beading was the pointless afterthought! It takes all opinions! The Total: 8.5 out of 10 That may be the best …

Robe de Style, Sadie Nemser, 1920's. Tangerine silk velvet, beaded hem, Whitaker Auctions

Rate the Dress: 20s velvet

Sorry all, jet-lag has done a number on me this week, and I’m very behind with Rate the Dress. So this week’s Rate the Dress will be a quickie: you’ll only have until the usual day to leave a comment. Hopefully you’re able to make up your mind quickly! Last [last] Week:  a late 1770s dress with fascinating fabrications Last week’s Rate the Dress was another one of those ones where people either really liked it, or really didn’t. The lovers thought it beautiful and unusual, and the loathers thought it overly fussy, with dull colours. The Total: 8 out of 10 Nice but not amazing This week:  a 1920s dress in complementary velvet hues Today’s Rate the Dress is less ornamented than last week’s, but while this 1920s robe de style does have a simple silhouette, it’s not devoid of decoration, with a braided sash and beaded hem. Robe de styles were the alternative to the very straight, sleek 20s silhouette, with fuller skirts, and a softer, more romantic style. At their most most …

Rate the Dress: 18th century fabric manipulation

Between the start of the new term at Toi Whakaari, personal life, and prepping for Costume College, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t managed to write a single blog post between Rate the Dresses. So we’re going straight from one frothy pink and green concoction, to another frothy pink and green concoction. Will this week’s prove as popular as lasts? Let’s find out! Last Week: an 1870s day dress in summer florals Last week’s Rate the Dress reactions caught me by surprised. I suspected a lot of people would like it, but not quite so much, and not quite so many of you! I thought it must have been a bit too saccharine for at least some of you, but nope! Love was in the air… Even the one person who didn’t like it was too polite to put their rating, and ruin all the others! The Total: 9.5 out of 10 These days that’s a practically perfect score. This week: a late 1770s dress with fascinating fabrications Today’s pick is a late 1770s dress with …