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Rate the Dress: an 1890s dress in floral wool

Last week:

Last week’s Doucet-does-Cubism ensemble brought a resounding affirmation of Doucet’s ability to adapt to the post-Edwardian fashion world. The only major quibbles were whether the cape and beading added or detracted from the outfit. Some of you were extremely pro cape, and thought it made the outfit. Some of you were…not. Same thing with the beading.

The Total: 9.7 out of 10!

No wonder so many of you have added it to your sewing inspiration list!

This week:

For this week’s Rate the Dress we’re going back to the 1890s, with this ca. 1893 dress in floral printed wool muslin:

Dress in two parts, Atelier M. Muelle (Costumier of the Opera), Paris, 1893, wool muslin, Galleria del Costume di Palazzo Pitti, 00000326

Muelle designed costumes for the Paris Opera, so it’s possible that this dress was a stage costume – though costumers also designed clothes, and major stars went to known couturiers (including last week’s Doucet, who designed for the Divine Sarah, among others) for their stage and everyday clothes.

Dress in two parts, Atelier M. Muelle (Costumier of the Opera), Paris, 1893, wool muslin, Galleria del Costume di Palazzo Pitti, 00000326

The dress, with asymmetrical draping pulled over a very fitted bodice, A-line skirt, and smocked sleeves, combines typical elements of 1890s fashion. Combined with the light floral fabric and lace cuffs and collar (and flower, which may be a museum addition), the overall effect is very feminine.

Dress in two parts, Atelier M. Muelle (Costumier of the Opera), Paris, 1893, wool muslin, Galleria del Costume di Palazzo Pitti, 00000326

What do you think? Is this a dress for a sweet young ingenue onstage, or a diva on her day off? Or is it too boring for either?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

(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! Thanks in advance!)

Vintage 1960s Watteau-backed Hawaiian Dress thedreamstress.com04

Watteau in (almost) Paradise: a vintage 1960s dress

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve blogged about almost everything I wore to Costume College this year, except one: the one thing that was actually on-theme (1960s), and that I didn’t make.

I thought I’d give myself a break from corsets on Sunday, and wear a nice loose, flowing dress. Something that was both 1960s, AND fit the class I was teaching on Sunday: Tapa Cloth & Tiki Attire: the Pacific Influence on Fashion.

This was the dress!

Ironically, despite choosing it for comfort, this dress was the most least comfortable thing I wore all Costume College. Every commercially made Watteau-backed Hawaiian dress that I find seems to have been cut for someone who was 5’3″. The bust is too high, and the waist is too high. The armholes dig into my underarms and force my shoulders back to a really unnatural angle.

This one is no exception. 🙁

If you’re thinking that ‘vintage 1960s Watteau-backed Hawaiian dress’ is a very specific description, it is, but they were a ‘thing’ from the late 60s to the early 70s. I collect them, because they are the perfect intersection of my Hawaiian background and my historical costumer background.

I found this one in a vintage store while visiting Lauren of Wearing History after last Costume College. The incredibly vivid, almost over-saturated colours are so fabulous. It’s my first Waltah Clarke’s dress too!

In Hawaiian dress terminology, you’d call this a holomu’u. It’s more formal than a mu’umu’u, but less formal than a fitted, trained holoku – the most elegant of Hawaiian gowns.

I thought I was being clever and original wearing this at Costume College, but holomu’u were a popular choice – particularly for the Friday Night Pool Party. So mine was a bit anti-climactic by Sunday! There were some gorgeous examples. I was very tempted to see if anyone was willing to sell theirs after Friday, but I restrained myself. (It was hard).

I was in such a rush at Costume College, racing between all my classes (I taught waaay too many hours of classes), that I didn’t get a single photo of me wearing this dress. So once I came home and it warmed up enough to make bare arms advisable (barely, I still turned rather purple during the photoshoot) Mr D and I went out and got some photos.

It wasn’t quite as romantic and paradise-worthy as my ‘Watteau in Paradise‘ photoshoot. Hence: ‘almost-paradise’.

Please keep me in mind if you see any of these out in the wild at at a reasonable price-point. Especially if they are made for someone who is about 37-30-41 and 5’7″! I’d really like a few more for my collection!

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Rate the Dress: Doucet does Cubism

Published by The Dreamstress

It’s Rate the Dress time! This week we move from exoticism to modernism. How will the transition go?

Last week: an 1840s evening gown with Ottoman-esque embroidery

Not only did most of you like last week’s 1840s gold-& floral embroidered evening gown, but the comments unearthed lots of fascinating information about it, and Ottoman inspired embroidery. Go have a read of them!

There were a few niggles about the ‘clunky’ gold trim down the front of the dress, so which brought the rating down a wee bit.

The total: 8.1 out of 10

Not too bad!

This week: an early ’20s Doucet ensemble

We usually associate Doucet with his frothy Edwardian creations, but he was designing well into the 1920s. His garments continued to change with, and reflect the times, while always linking back to the same passion.

Doucet, above all, was an art connoisseur. His fashion creations were influenced and inspired by his love of art. He continued to keep abreast of the latest innovations in art, and particularly loved Cubism. He bought directly from artists such as Picasso, and owned an amazing collection of works, including Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

Ensemble, Jacques Doucet (French, Paris 1853—1929 Paris), 1920—23, French, wool, silk, glass, 1975.15a—c

This 1920s ensemble reflects Doucet’s interest in Cubism.

Ensemble, Jacques Doucet (French, Paris 1853—1929 Paris), 1920—23, French, wool, silk, glass, 1975.15a—c

The angular lines of the skirt joins are interrupted by the straight waistband, creating a purposefully disjointed effect. The slight colour variation between the skirt and the top is just defined enough to create visual contrast, without being so different that the contrast is jarring.

Ensemble, Jacques Doucet (French, Paris 1853—1929 Paris), 1920—23, French, wool, silk, glass, 1975.15a—c

The symmetrical beading of the bodice provides further contrast with the angled skirt lines, and highlights the vertical lines of the dress.

The diamond beading of the bodice plays with female anatomy, and highlights the fashionable low and flat bust of the early 20s.

Ensemble, Jacques Doucet (French, Paris 1853—1929 Paris), 1920—23, French, wool, silk, glass, 1975.15a—c

The dress is topped by a cape, adding more curves and angles to the silhouette:

Ensemble, Jacques Doucet (French, Paris 1853—1929 Paris), 1920—23, French, wool, silk, glass, 1975.15a—c

The cape’s beaded collar draws the eye up to the wearer’s face. The sharp points at the hem of the cape along with the wide pleats of the skirt, would swing and move with the wearer.

Ensemble, Jacques Doucet (French, Paris 1853—1929 Paris), 1920—23, French, wool, silk, glass, 1975.15a—c

While visually very different to the Edwardian gowns with layers of ruffles and delicate fabric that Doucet is best known for, this is still a typical Doucet creation in its attention to detail, beautiful handwork, and subtle contrast of colours.

What do you think? Is this a work of wearable art? Or did Doucet struggle to move with the times and update his style appropriately?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

(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! Thanks in advance!)