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Rate the Dress: 1875 Very Scarlett O’Hara

Published by The Dreamstress

Happy Boxing Day for those of you on the other side of the dateline!  I hope you had a lovely holiday.

Last week you found the 1820s  plum pudding/sugar plum dress rather like plum pudding itself: some of you loved it (because those who love plum pudding love plum pudding), and some of you thought it inoffensive  but not exciting, and some of you found it rather disgusting.  Still, plum pudding is a classic for a reason, and the dress rated a 7.5 out of 10.

This extremely red ca 1875 ballgown rather reminds me of a dress that Scarlette O’Hara would wear.  One that Rhett would disapprove of.

Evening dress, 1875, Elise, 170 Regent St., London, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Evening dress, 1875, Elise, 170 Regent St., London, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Evening dress, 1875, Elise, 170 Regent St., London, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Evening dress (detail), 1875, Elise, 170 Regent St., London, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Evening dress, 1875, Elise, 170 Regent St., London, Metropolitan Museum of Art

This dress signals a transition from holiday-themed ‘rate the dresses’ to NZ summer themed raters.  The red velvet is all Christmas, but the fabric also reminds me of the classic sign of a NZ summer:  pohutakawa  in full bloom.

Adding to the things this dress might remind you of, the details along the bodice and skirt evoke both Elizabethan blackwork and Polynesian applique.  And the garlanded details look like leis draped around the dress.

So, among all the things this dress might evoke or reference, can you find something to like?  Or do all the details just loose you?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

Blue and white

Published by The Dreamstress

There is something so timeless about the combination of blue and white.  It’s serene and elegant, feminine without being girly, evocative of toile de jouy, something blue on brides, and favourite things.

Here are some of my blue and white favourites.

Can’t you just imagine dancing the night away in these sweet shoes?

Shoes, American, mid-19th c, MFA Boston, 47.1520

This bonnet was 20 year old Luciana Foster’s ‘something blue’, worn with a sand coloured silk faille wedding dress, for her 1861 wedding.

Wedding bonnet, American, 1860s, silk, MFA Boston, 47.1519

These undersleeves would add a charming touch of blue  and white to any frock:

Undersleeves, mid-19th century, American, MFA Boston, 48.1217a-b

I positively covet these blue and white pockets, and am going to make my own pair as soon as I find the perfect toile.

Pockets, printed cotton & linen, 18th c, American, MFA Boston, 48.1218

The blue and white could also be your own secret.  Wouldn’t you just love knowing of the blue lining of these white kid boots?

White kid boots, American, 2nd half of 19th, MFA Boston, 49.40a-b