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Rate the Dress: 1870s elaborations on a theme

Last weeks I showed you a Hattie Carnegie dress in pale pink & green, as worn by the 60ish Electra Havemeyer Webb, sparking an interesting discussion about colour, age, and when is pink too pink.  The outfit copped some criticism for the colour scheme (Rate the Dress history on this blog suggests that pink + green isn’t always a classic scheme), for being too shiny (that’s satin for you: even in silk it has a lustre!), and for not looking comfortable, but it came in at a comfortable 7.7 out of 10.

This week I’ve picked another two-tone outfit, but one that takes the idea in a very different direction.  In contrast to the simplicity of last week’s dress, this champagne and black dinner dress by Mon. Vignon is the epitome of Victorian detailing, with every square inch of fabric patterned, beaded, ruched, pleated, trimmed, fringed, and otherwise ornamented:

The front of the dress features a ruched panel down the skirt and bodice, framing the bodice buttons, and surmounted by a black bow at the bust:

Even the buttons are detailed, with wrapped threadwork:

The neckline is edged with lace, fine pleating, and an elaborate beaded border.  Plus, there is a collar, and a rose:

The rest of the dress is not left to languish unadorned.  The train is bordered with black velvet swags, and beaded and tasselled fringe sways round the hem and climbs up the side of the skirt.

Underneath the fringe, there are layers of fine pleating:

The dress dress is definitely a paean to the idea that more is more is more.

Is it too much?

What do you think?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

The Ngaio ‘Queen of Crime’ blouse

The Ngaio blouse thedreamstress.com

I’ve written a lot about one famous New Zealand author recently: Katherine Mansfield.  This is blouse is dedicated to another famous NZ author – one who was certainly, at least for a long time, at least as famous as Mansfield.  I’m talking, of course, of Ngaio Marsh, one of the four ‘Queens of Crime’ of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

The Ngaio blouse thedreamstress.com

Unlike Mansfield, I hadn’t heard of Marsh before I moved to NZ – but she’s not exactly high school reading curriculum material, and I’m not that in to detective fiction.

I’m afraid I’m still not much of a fan of Marsh’s works, but that’s mostly because I find Inspector Alleyn, her most famous creation, to be an insufferable know-it-all with terrible taste in women.  If I met him in person I’d probably describe him as a wanker (but only because even after over a decade in NZ I still think words like bollucks and wanker and bugger are cute, and can’t actually make my mind believe they are proper ‘swear’ words).

Other than Alleyn, and the boring ‘someone killed someone in the most convoluted way possible and now we have to figure out who’ bit, I actually really enjoy Marsh’s writing.  She’s got delicious clothing vignettes, and her depictions  of the theatre in early-mid 20th century England, and society in NZ in the same time-period (particularly in Colour Scheme) are fantastic.

I’ve been playing with the idea of a classic late ’30s blouse, and thought that the result, especially in scarlet silk with a pattern of exploding pinwheels (sadly, almost impossible to capture in photographs)  fits beautifully with  Ngaio’s clothing descriptions, and her fondness for actresses who are just a tiny bit too glamorous to be entirely tasteful.

The Ngaio blouse thedreamstress.com

So I’m calling this pattern the Ngaio blouse, and in blood red, it’s clearly fit for a Queen of Crime!

The Ngaio blouse thedreamstress.com

I’m pretty happy with what I’ve come up with: the front gather/twist that forms a faux bow, the impression of scandal created by the plunging neck, while still remaining quite modest, the way the blouse hugs the neck and forms the tiniest bit of a collar rise.

The Ngaio blouse thedreamstress.com

There are some tweaks I want to make though.  I think I can simplify the front even further, which will look better on smaller busted women, and I want to try a version with cut-on sleeves.  For now though, this is just the thing for a lady detective with a daring but never outre sense of style!

The Ngaio blouse thedreamstress.com

The Challenge: #21  Re-Do

Challenges I am Re-Doing:

 #1 Make Do & Mend:  made from a vintage kimono, unpicked for the fabric.  There are some flaws and age marks on the blouse that you can just see if you look closely.
#2 Innovation: Sadly, I haven’t managed to find out much about it, but jacquard crepes first make their appearance in the 1920s and ’30s, which indicates to me that advances in jacquard technology made this possible – perhaps driven by the fashion for crepes, a case of fashion driving innovation and then innovation prompting future fashions.
 #5  Bodice:  well, only in the absolute broadest possible sense of the word is a blouse a bodice, but it sort of qualifies.
 #13  Under $10:  The kimono was on sale for $10, and I still have more than half of it left 🙂
 #11 The Politics of Fashion: The use of silk between the World Wars was quite politicised, especially in the late 1930s, as conflicts and increased militarization in East Asia, which provided  most of the world’s silk, made the supply increasingly unstable.
 #16: Terminology: the fireworks pattern  is a jacquard  weave.
#20: Alternative Universe: This could definitely be the basis for a steampunk outfit (I love using bright colours for steampunk!), or dieselpunk, but I really see it as something a modern day elemental goddess would wear – Pele while teasing movie stars in 1930s Waikiki, or something one of the Rivers of London would wear in the ’30s.
#23: Modern History:    Obviously I could have (just) held on to this and posted it for the Modern History challenge, as it looks great with pencil skirts for office wear and jeans for hanging out, but I want to make something else for that!

Fabric:  1 unpicked vintage kimono

Pattern:  My own, heavily influenced by a number of  late 1930s patterns.

Year:  1935-40.

Notions:  cotton thread.

How historically accurate is it?:  Spot on.  The fabric is period accurate (might even be period!), the pattern could easily be period, and all my techniques match 1930s techniques.

Hours to complete:  6, because annoying fabric.

First worn:  To a class one evening, and the photoshoot.

Total cost:  NZ$5ish.

The Ngaio blouse thedreamstress.com

 

On Wednesday I’ll show you the same blouse, styled completely differently, as it’s surprisingly versatile!  (plus, Felicity adorableness!)

The Historical Sew-Fortnightly Challenge #24: All that Glitters

And this is it!  The last challenge for the HSF 2014.  The theme for Challenge #24, due Thur 1 Jan, is All that Glitters:  Celebrate your completion of HSF ’14, and the New Year, with a glittery, glitzy, sparkly, shiny, something.

Sparkle and shine have been desirable attributes of textiles almost since there were textiles.  Sparkle was associated with precious metals and stones, conveying wealth and status on dress.  Silk has been the most valuable fibre for centuries, in huge part because of its lustre and shine.  While sparkle and shine are sometimes seen in daywear today, they are still hugely associated with evening wear and special events: clothes for memorable occasions.

Finishing the HSF is pretty memorable, so let’s make some glittery, glitzy, sparkly, shiny items to celebrate!

You could use satin, long prized for its sheen and lustre (interestingly, this week’s Rate the Dress has copped some criticism for the sheen of the silk satin)

Quilted petticoat, 1770-1780s,  silk satin with cream calamanco lining, Augusta Auctions

Quilted petticoat, 1770-1780s, silk satin with cream calamanco lining, Augusta Auctions

Dress of white aerophane crape and satin, over a rich white satin slip, Royal Ladies Magazine, June 1831, via Koshka the Cat

Dress of white aerophane crape and satin, over a rich white satin slip, Royal Ladies Magazine, June 1831, via Koshka the Cat

Dress, Paris, France, 1869-1870, Vignon, Ribbed silk trimmed with satin, faced with cotton, brass, Victoria & Albert Museum, T.118 to D-1979

Dress, Paris, France, 1869-1870, Vignon, Ribbed silk trimmed with satin, faced with cotton, brass, Victoria & Albert Museum, T.118 to D-1979

Evening gown, ca. 1880, silk, gold thread, lace, silk braid and silk flowers, Museo de Historia Mexicana

Evening gown, ca. 1880, silk, gold thread, lace, silk braid and silk flowers, Museo de Historia Mexicana

Or sequins, which have a much older pedigree than many people realised.  Sequins made by covering wooden disks in gold foil have been found in Bronze Age graves.  Shiny metal disks have been used to decorate clothing in dozens of era’s and cultures since then.  They have provided sparkle on 18th century men’s waistcoats:

Man's Three-piece Suit (detail of suit worn with coral vest) Italy, probably Venice, circa 1785-1790, LACMA

Man’s Three-piece Suit (detail of suit worn with coral vest) Italy, probably Venice, circa 1785-1790, LACMA

And early 20th century evening dresses, where the shine of metal has been replaced by lighter, sparklier, more fragile celluloid:

Evening Dress, 1909, Callot Soeurs, Paris, Silk mesh embellished with celluloid sequins and paste gems, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, 2003.014.208

Evening Dress, 1909, Callot Soeurs, Paris, Silk mesh embellished with celluloid sequins and paste gems, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, 2003.014.208

If satin is to subtle, and sequins too shiny, there is always the decadence of cloth of gold or silver:

Gown of Italian gold brocade with a pomegranate design in gold on a reddish-violet silk ground.  First half of the 15th century.

Gown of Italian gold brocade with a pomegranate design in gold on a reddish-violet silk ground. First half of the 15th century.

Dress of silver tissue, 1660, Museum of Fashion Bath

Dress of silver tissue, 1660, Museum of Fashion Bath

Mantua,  English from French fabric, 1755-1760 from fabric woven between 1753-1755, Silk, silver-gilt thread, linen thread, silk thread, hand-sewn, V&A

Mantua, English from French fabric, 1755-1760 from fabric woven between 1753-1755, Silk, silver-gilt thread, linen thread, silk thread, hand-sewn, V&A

And more modern cloths of gold and silver, like lame

1920s gold lame evening dress via Stockholms Auktionsverk

1920s gold lame evening dress via Stockholms Auktionsverk

1924 Redfern of London dress

1924 Redfern of London dress

Gown of gold lame matelasse, Mainbocher, mid 1940s.

Gown of gold lame matelasse, Mainbocher, mid 1940s.

Elaborately patterned shine could be added by couching and metal embroidery:

Lady Arabella Stuart by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, Ca, ca. 1605-10

Lady Arabella Stuart by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, Ca, ca. 1605-10

Wedding suit, English, 1673, Wool, embroidered with silver and silver-gilt thread & lined with red silk, V&A

Wedding suit, English, 1673, Wool, embroidered with silver and silver-gilt thread & lined with red silk, V&A

Muslin evening dress 1812-1815. Embroidered with single strands of very fine silk, the stalks are embroidered in silver gilt thread

Muslin evening dress 1812-1815. Embroidered with single strands of very fine silk, the stalks are embroidered in silver gilt thread

Elaborate gold ornamentation on a robe at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Elaborate gold ornamentation on a robe at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Metal lace is a personal favourite of mine provides a similar effect, though with less effort:

Pair of Woman’s Shoes, circa 1700-1715, Silver lace, metal sequins, silk satin, leather, LACMA

Pair of Woman’s Shoes, circa 1700-1715, Silver lace, metal sequins, silk satin, leather, LACMA

 

Fancy dress, silk satin with gold lace, 1920s, Lanvin, Augusta Auctions, November 14, 2012

Fancy dress, silk satin with gold lace, 1920s, Lanvin, Augusta Auctions, November 14, 2012

And there are other types of metal work, like assuit:

Tunic with brilliant gold metal assuit patterning on black net

Tunic with brilliant gold metal assuit patterning on black net

Plus, you could bead or bejewel your garment:

Elisabeth of Austria (1554—1592) Queen of France, by François Clouet (1515—1572)

Elisabeth of Austria (1554—1592) Queen of France, by François Clouet (1515—1572)

Silk gown with beaded bolero, Germain Monteil, 1930s, sold by Leslie Hindman.com

Silk gown with beaded bolero, Germain Monteil, 1930s, sold by Leslie Hindman.com

And, even if your garment itself wasn’t shiny, you could always add sparkle with jewellery!

Headdress with leaf-shaped ornaments, 2600—2500 b.c.; Early Dynastic period IIIa; Sumerian style Excavated at “King’s Grave,” Ur, Mesopotamia Gold, lapis lazuli, carnelian

Headdress with leaf-shaped ornaments, 2600—2500 b.c.; Early Dynastic period IIIa; Sumerian style Excavated at “King’s Grave,” Ur, Mesopotamia Gold, lapis lazuli, carnelian

Élisabeth de Valois, by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, 1565

Élisabeth de Valois, by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, 1565 (detail)

Maria Cristina of Spain

Maria Cristina of Spain

 

 

Tiara, England, 1830, cast gold & chrysophrase, V&A

Tiara, England, 1830, cast gold & chrysophrase, V&A

 

 

Queen Anne's lace diamond tiara, 1850, V&A

Queen Anne’s lace diamond tiara, 1850, V&A

Tiara, 1910-29, Met

Tiara, 1910-29, Met