This week’s dress is an elegant evening ensemble, suitable for a reception or dinner. It’s also an amazing example of how quickly fashion changed in one generation: from the heavy layers of the 1880s, to a light, open frock which afforded glimpses of the legs up to the calves.
This week’s rate the dress is fall themed, for all you Northern Hemisphere costumers getting excited about Autumn. Perhaps next week I’ll post a spring-y pastel confection for us Antipodeans. Last week: a braid trimmed 1870s sports dress Last week’s sports frock started out strong, and mostly got every ball through the hoop with minimal swings and maximum points – but a few of you weren’t quite so impressed. In some ways the poor dress couldn’t win. It lost points from some commentators for not being interesting enough, and from others for being too fancy! The Total: 9.1 out of 10 Not so unbeatable that it completely dominates in its field, but still likely to win most tournaments. This week: a ca. 1895 dinner dress in shot silk This week’s ca. 1895 dinner dress is covered from chin to toe, but I’d venture to say there’s still something rather sexy about the dress, despite all the fabric. The extremely fitted bodice is quite body-conscious, emphasising every curve. The pleated draping and lines of velvet trim …
The last Rate the Dress was rather frilly and, well…pink. To balance it, this week’s Rate the Dress is significantly more restrained, both in colour and silhouette. However, it still has lots of interesting details for you to consider. A warning in advance. I have absolutely zero brainpower this week. It’s all been diverted to the final push of preparation for Costume Showcase – the biggest event of the year for the Toi Whakaari Costume Construction course. I’ve solved last minute fitting and construction problems until all I do is come home and gibber in the bath until bedtime. So please excuse any wild misidentifications of techniques. My brain has been doing marathons and is liable to trip over invisible stairs! Last week: a pinked, pink, embroidered 1840s dress Positive comments for last week’s dress, but not brilliant. Quite a few of you felt that the two halves of the dress didn’t quite match: the bodice was lovely, but needed an equally ruffly berthe to match the skirt. The Total: 8.3 out of 10 Sweet …
