All posts filed under: Rate the dress

Wool dress, 1911, part of the wedding trousseau of Vendla Brown b. 1880, Sörmlands Museum, SLM11205A

Rate the Dress: 19teens trousseau

Published by The Dreamstress

I have Edwardian on my mind, because I just finished a late 1910s dress, and photographed it, and am in love with the era in general. So this week’s Rate the Dress is 1910s, and you get to decide if you’re in love with it in particular. Last week:  a crinoline era gown in cobalt blue Sometimes I’m completely surprised by your reaction to a garment. Last week…not so much! It wasn’t hard to guess that the fabric would be quite popular, or that the extremely long berthe might not. (I also feel slightly vindicated that a couple of half-points were lost for fringe 😉 ) The Total: 8.8 out of 10 A very, very good show, but the machine woven perfection of the fabric could not match the heart of the hand-embroidered frock the week before. This week: a 1911 theatre dress, part of a bride’s trousseau This dress was part of the trousseau of Vendla Brown, nee Hallström (1880-1964). According to the musuem, Velda wore it to the theatre the day after her wedding. …

Blue silk taffeta evening dress with two-tier skirt. All hems are finished with a border of silver floral jacquard ribbon and fringe. American, ca. 1855 Silk taffeta, jacquard woven ribbon, silk fringe, KSUM 2005.6.4 a-d

Rate the Dress: Blue borders on big skirts & berthas

Published by The Dreamstress

Rate the Dress is going big, little, and back to big again, with this blue bell shaped 1850s number. Last week: a 1790s dress and matching fichu Not everyone was sold on the shape of the dress, and the teeny-tiny bodice, but the sheer fabulosity of the embroidery carried the day, and (despite one person rating it only 1!) the dress rocked in with a round score of… The Total: 9 out of 10 The things that a good fichu can hide! This week: a crinoline era gown in cobalt blue This dress belonged to Virginia Shields Vaden before her marriage to William Vaden in 1858. It’s a classic example of mid-late 1850s fashion, with its full tiered skirt, wide sleeves, and deep bertha. The bright colour is a lovely illustration that the wardrobes of unmarried women weren’t confined to muted, pale shades. The fabrics illustrate textile advances of the mid-19th century. The ribbon borders of the sleeves and berthe, and deep patterned hems of the skirt, were woven on a jacquard loom. The jacquard loom …

Rate the Dress: the littlest bodice and the biggest garden of embroidery

Published by The Dreamstress

This week’s Rate the Dress goes from big 1890s sleeves, to little tiny 1790s bodices Last week: an 1890s reception gown in pumpkin orange   Many of you loved the Anne reference, but not everyone is a puffed sleeve fan. It lost some points just for the sleeves. And gained some just for the sleeves. And lost some points just for the colour. And gained some just for the colour. The one thing everyone seemed to agree on was a not-sure-ness about the scale of the beading and the chiffon overlay. The Total: 7.9 out of 10 Well, and improvement on the week before, and almost good enough to count as a proper success. This week:  a 1790s dress and matching fichu This dress represents a very brief and specific moment of fashion, where the last remnants of 18th century styles, in the form of fichu and an open overskirt, meet the extremely brief bodice of the early Regency/Empire silhouette. When I say extremely brief, I mean it. The bodice appears to be no more …