I started the Rate the Dress party-frock-a-thon with an orange dress, and it felt right to finish it up with the same colour.  It’s not usually a favourite colour, but the first one was a smashing success.  Can this week’s pick rival it?

Last week:  a House of Worth  Robe à transformation  in red velvet

Red velvet was always going to be pretty popular, and the ratings and comments did not disappoint.  There was a veritable sea of “ooooh” and swooning (and two outlying ‘nopes’).

There was a bit of a divide in those who preferred the draped bodice, and thought the evening bodice looked like a forced exercise in using the lace, and those who thought the day bodice was unrelieved or contrived, and the evening bodice incredibly clever and spectacular.

I’m one who didn’t love the evening bodice at first glance, but the more I looked at it up close, the more it grew on me.  There were some incredibly clever features that were really struggling to show in the photos.  I think it would have been very striking on a real person, but wasn’t shown to its full effect on the mannequin.

The Total:  9.3 out of 10

Oooh, still can’t quite beat that first orange dress, or the 1860s ballgown!  But anything over 9 is killing it in RTD!

This week:

I always associate New Years with the 1920s and 30s, so found a frock from the era to ring in the New Year of Rate the Dress with.

It’s amazing to think that this week’s frock, with its simple silhouette, scant 2 metre fabric usage, and hem that sits just below the knee, is just a generation removed from last week’s red velvet ensemble.

Evening Dress, Yteb, silk, sequins & metallic thread, 1926, The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Last week’s frock was for playing the gracious hostess at a holiday gala – mingling and chatting, perhaps performing an operatic carol or two.  This week’s frock is for her daughter to kick her heels at a New Years eve dance, the pleats swishing, and the extravagant bow swirling about.

Evening Dress, Yteb, silk, sequins & metallic thread, 1926, The Philadelphia Museum of Art

The pleats are a clever design feature, keeping to the fashionable straight silhouette, while allowing the wearer movement and ease.  In a sketch or poor quality photograph they could easily be mistaken for fringe (which was used on 1920s frocks, though nowhere near as often as its ubiquitous usage in cheap costumes and the popular image of the 1920s would suggest).

Other than the pleats, the dress uses no straight lines, and it contrasts symmetry and asymmetry at every point to create visual motion, even on a mannequin.  On a moving person the  gold lame of the lower skirt and sequins of the bodice, would shimmer and sparkle with the slightest move, creating the impression that the wearer was perpetually dancing.

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

This week’s Rate the Dress, like last week’s dress, comes with both a day and an evening bodice.  In contrast to last week’s pastel confection, this week’s choice is in deep red velvet.

Last week:  an 1865 Robe à transformation

The theme of gala frocks is sitting well with you: last week’s dress was another success.  You loved both the aesthetic of the dress, and the practicality.  It may have been in delicate, pale silk, but at least the wearer was getting as much use as possible out of it.  The few points the ensemble lost was for the colours.  Not everyone loved the gold & lavender, or the ochre sash that went with the day dress.

The Total:  9.4 out of 10

Not quite the most popular dress we’ve had in December, but still a fabulously good score!

This week: a House of Worth  Robe à transformation  in red velvet

The House of Worth may have been the pinnacle of high fashion in the Victorian era, but even its august and moneyed clientele wanted to get the most out of their clothing spend, and there are numerous examples of Worth  Robe à transformation.

Evening dress, House of Worth (French, 1858—1956), 1893—95, French, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.54.4.1a—c

It comes with both a long sleeved bodice, all in velvet, and a lower cut bodice, lavishly trimmed with lace.  Both are likely to have been worn for evening events, though the long sleeved bodice would also have been appropriate for formal afternoon events.

Evening dress, House of Worth (French, 1858—1956), 1893—95, French, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.54.4.1a—c

Both bodices feature the exaggerated puffed sleeves of the early 1890s.

Evening dress, House of Worth (French, 1858—1956), 1893—95, French, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.54.4.1a—c

The lower cut bodice has softer, slightly drooping sleeves with slits, which, combined with the lace, evoke an element of 17th century historicism.

Evening dress, House of Worth (French, 1858—1956), 1893—95, French, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.54.4.1a—c

The slit sleeves give a glimpse of lush, beaded undersleeves.

Evening dress, House of Worth (French, 1858—1956), 1893—95, French, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.54.4.1a—c

The more covered up bodice gets its interest and drama from the draping and manipulation of the silk velvet fabric:

Evening dress, House of Worth (French, 1858—1956), 1893—95, French, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.54.4.1a—c

And from a slightly whimsical, jester-esque back peplum:

Evening dress, House of Worth (French, 1858—1956), 1893—95, French, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, C.I.54.4.1a—c

What do you think of this very festive, seasonal Rate the Dress?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10