I’m afraid these images from the Girl’s Own Paper aren’t the best quality, but I’ve had a special request for blouse images from the 19teens. I’ve got a few more that I’ll show over the weekend.
I love these ladies taking tea in their tailored costumes and blouses:
This lady is wearing an impressively long chain necklace:
I’ve just finished a charming commission: costumes for a piece of musical theatre called Home: Weaving Scottish Songs into a New Zealand War
The show tells the story of two Scottish immigrants, Maggie and Johnnie, over the course of World War I, through traditional Scottish folk songs.
And best of all, for me, they wanted reasonably historically accurate costumes!
Here is a sneak peek at Maggie’s costume:
My design sketch:
Maggie as a farmers wife, and a maid
And the reality:
Maggie's skirt and blouse - based on images of WWI soldiers wives in Te Papa's collection
And a maids apron to go over it
I've made a cute little cap to go with it too
I’ll post about the costume in detail in a few days. And show you Johnnies costume!
If you are in Hamilton, Auckland or Waipu over the next week do go see the show:
Hamilton Garden Arts Festival (English Flower Garden)
Mon 20, Tues 21, Wed 22 February at 6pm
Titirangi Theatre, Lopdell House, 418 Titirangi Road, Auckland
Fri 24, Sat 25 February at 8pm
Waipu Coronation Hall, 47 The Centre, Waipu
Sun 26 February at 4pm
Goodness was last week’s acid green Callot Soers dress controversial and divisive! You either really, really, really love it. Or really didn’t. If I’d gone with everyone who rated it 6 and over it would have come out an 8.1 out of 10. If I’d gone with everyone who rated it 5 and under it it would have rated a 3 out of 10. Combined, the rating comes to a 6.5 out of 10, which is a rating that no-one gave it on their own!
It’s Valentine’s day, and even though I’m not a Valentines fan at all I thought it was a good excuse to show you something ruffly and pink.
I failed to find a suitable frock that was quite and pink and quite as ruffly as I had hoped, but I did find this sweet but slightly restrained pink and cream party frock from the MFA Boston.
Girl's party dress, silk taffeta, 1865-70, American, MFA Boston
Doesn’t this girls dress with its stripes and panniered overskirt just speak of old fashioned Valentines: all flower garlands and cupids, and maybe just a little yellowing from age?
But is looking like a Valentine really a good thing? Is the dress a cliche of itself or a perfectly sweet bit of nostalgia?
Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10
