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 rating we’ve ever had for something orange!
This week: a 1900s suit in ruby red wool
This week’s Rate the Dress is rather like last weeks: a bold splash of colour on a style of garment that was usually more restrained.
Late Victorian and Edwardian suits usually came in dark practical hues. Browns, greys, dark blues, or heathered or tweed-y hues were the norm. The wearer of this suit, in contrast, decided to throw restraint to the wind, and opted for a striking, deep scarlet. She would certainly have been visible and noteworthy coming down the street!
Gift of Miss Frances M. Dickenson, 1955, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.55.65a—c
Frances & Co was a high end tailor, and anything with a Paris label carried a certain cachet in 1902. It’s almost certain that the customer who ordered this suit was a woman of significant means, who could splash out on a statement garment, knowing that she’d be able to buy a new one next season, and not be perpetually marked as the woman who wore a red suit.
How do you like this suit, which marries a bit of Edwardian frill, in the form of the neck bow and slightly flared skirt, with the sleek silhouette typical of suits at the time, and a vivid colour that speaks to a wearer unafraid to flaunt convention or practicality?
Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10
A reminder about rating — feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment. Phrase criticism as your opinion, rather than a flat fact. Our different tastes are what make Rate the Dress so interesting. It’s no fun when a comment implies that anyone who doesn’t agree with it, or who would wear a garment, is totally lacking in taste.
(as usual, nothing more complicated than a .5. I also hugely appreciate it if you only do one rating, and set it on a line at the very end of your comment, so I can find it! And 0 is not on a scale of 1 to 10. Thanks in advance!)
