Sometimes I think I should find a way to tally not just the ratings that are given in my ‘Rate the Dresses’, but also the ratings that weren’t given. After all, if you can’t even be bothered to comment on a garment, that’s a much worse criticism than being moved to pillory it. Such was the case with Marie Christine last week. Most of the ratings were quite complimentary, but there were so few that I suspect many of you found it too bland to be of interest. I’m afraid I agree – the dress/Brunswick was boring, the sleeves awkward and bulky with their double flounces, the headdress and necklace overdone and awkward, but oh, that lace fichu! And the elegant apron! And that dear, dear little spinning wheel! Perhaps that’s not what you loved, but you gave it an 8.1 out of 10.
This week I return to something more likely to prove of universal interest: turn-of-the-century Worth. In the past you have not always been so complimentary of Worth Jr’s creations. Perhaps this turn-of-the-century frock, with its exotic and fanciful embroidery, will win your approval.
Ball Gown, silk, metal, rhinestones, House of Worth, Jean-Philippe Worth, 1896—1900, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ball Gown, silk, metal, rhinestones, House of Worth, Jean-Philippe Worth, 1896—1900, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ball Gown, silk, metal, rhinestones, House of Worth, Jean-Philippe Worth, 1896—1900, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ball Gown (detail), silk, metal, rhinestones, House of Worth, Jean-Philippe Worth, 1896—1900, Metropolitan Museum of Art
What do you think? Do you like the cream and gold with touches of grey-blue and grey-green? Is the exotic embroidery just novel enough to lift the simple silhouette, or does it turn the dress into a Orientalist cliche? Has JP lived up to his fathers standard? Excelled it even? Or is he doomed to forever live in his shadow?
Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10
