The Dreamstress

This week’s Rate the Dress pick, a beaded paisley 1920s number by Patou, continues on the 1900-1924 Edwardian & the Great War #greatwarmarch theme, carried over from Instagram.

If you’re on IG you can join us by sharing anything relevant to the daily theme from between 1900-1924 and tagging @wearinghistory and I (@thedreamstress)

Last week:  a late Edwardian dress in pink velvet and lace

Reactions to last week’s Rate the Dress were quite simple.  They came in two varieties: #1 “I love it!” (average rating: 10) and #2 “I’m not sure about all those materials and elements together” (average rating 7).

The Total: 9.2 out of 10

Clearly the loves outweighted the unsures!

This week:

While I picked this dress because I was looking for something ’20s that was a nice contrast to last week’s pink & lace number, this dress is also a fascinating counterpoint to the  the 1810s beaded dress from two weeks ago:

Both dresses feature a simple cut enlivened by vivid embroidery: the 1810s on Empire white, this on ’20s black.

Both dresses shared a mix of beading and embroidery, and in both cases the embellishment owed some inspiration to Indian and Kashmiri design.  The 1810s dress subtly replicated the motifs on ca. 1800s Kashmiri design, and this dress includes an explicitly paisley/boteh motif at the centre of the belt.

Like the 1810s dress, this is very much a frock of its own time, owning its colour to the growing fashion for black as the ultimate chic hue, and its shape to the growing trendiness of peasant inspired garments.

The black faille panelling on slightly sheer chiffon is another extremely ’20s touch: lending a hint of sex appeal to an otherwise modest frock.

Now, of course, we come to the important part.  The rating.  How will Patou’s frock rate in comparison to last week’s dress, and the white 1810s of a fortnight ago?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

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Wearing History and I are hosting Edwardian & the Great War March on Instagram: (TagL  #greatwarmarch)  for all of March, carrying on from American Duchesses’ Victorian February and Dames a la Modes Georgian January.

If you’re on IG you can join us by sharing anything relevant to the daily theme from between 1900-1924 and tagging @wearinghistory and I (@thedreamstress)

To celebrate, March’s Rate the Dresses will be themed to those years. There is a ton of variations in fashion from between 1900-1924, so I don’t think you’ll get bored!

Last week:  a beaded ca. 1810 dress

No one could deny that the beading on last week’s dress was exceptional.  Some of you found the dress itself a little nightgown-y.  That beading definitely wouldn’t have been fun to sleep on!

The Total: 8 out of 10

Mostly I think for the beading!  Without it the dress wouldn’t be anything.

This week: a late Edwardian dress in pink velvet and lace

Dress, ca. 1910, From the collection of Alexandre VassilievThis afternoon or restrained evening dress combines the lush romanticism of the early Edwardian era with the vivid hues and more streamlined silhouette made popular by the Ballet Russes and other modernist and exotic influences.

The layering of fabrics and textures is typical of ca. 1910 fashion.  Delicate, sheer tulle mutes the lush cyclamen pink silk velvet.  The circular and floral lace applied to the tulle appears to be an earlier 19th century lace – possibly from the 1860s.  The final layer of lace is a lush metallic lace, which adds visual weight to the hem and borders, and carries out the progression of textures from light to heavy.

What do you think?  Do the materials work together?  Does the saturated pink keep it from being too sweet?

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