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Dust coat, England or France, 1905-1908, Tussah silk, satin, floss silk, Victoria & Albert Museum, T.333-1987

Terminology: Tussah Silk

This post didn’t start out as a terminology post! I was going to show you more images from my Spring 1915 Standard Mail order catalogue – and thought I would do some terminology explorations along with it.

Spring Styles for 1915, thedreamstress.com

I started writing about the dresses and the terms mentioned, and the post got longer, and longer, and longer… So I’ve cut it apart, and will just focus on one term: tussah silk. It’s featured in my least favourite dress on the page: the brown floral number with the ruched midriff.

Spring Styles for 1915, thedreamstress.com

Tussah Silk (also  Tussar silk, Tushar silk, Tassar silk, Tusser silk or kosa silk)

Tussah silk comes from a variety of silkworms that eat oak leaves, and other leaves high in tannin, rather than mulberry leaves. The tannin in the leaves gives tussah silk its characteristic pale gold colour. The filaments of tussah silk are much thicker and stronger than standard silk, and are oval instead of round. Because the initial threads aren’t as fine, tussah silk cloth has a coarser hand than regular silk, and often has a slightly slub-y effect.

Tussah silkworms are significantly hardier than their delicate mulberry-fed cousins, and can survive much more easily in the wild. Due to the rougher texture of the silk, and the few wild populations of tussah silkworms that are harvested for silk, tussah silk is sometimes called ‘wild silk’, although the vast majority of it comes from farmed silkworms.

In 19th century fashion writing tussah often refers to the specific type of silk, and tussore to the slubbed look of the weave most associated with it: so tussah could be woven not in tussore style, or in tussore style.

To make this even more confusing, tussah silk fabric was sometimes called tussore linen, particularly in the 1870s, because its subtler sheen and slightly rough finish meant it was considered more suitable for the type of informal summer clothes that linen was made out of than the more formal styles of silk. Very annoyingly as a researcher, a rough calico was also sometimes called tussore cloth, as was a linen-cotton blend, and maybe hemp or piña cloth (the references to Indian pine are quite confusing), and linen in the specific golden shade characteristic of tussore silk. Today slubbed linen is also called tussore linen, and while some references are clearly one are the other (this one’s obviously silk, and I’m pretty sure this one’s linen, but maybe not?), many are not, and its impossible to tell if the fabric in question was a linen or a silk.

Tussah silk has been used in China, India and Southeast Asia for centuries. It begins to show up in Western fashion on a regular basis from the 1850s onwards, probably because of England’s increased control of India after the rebellion of 1857 and increased influence in China following the first & Second Opium War, and Japan’s forced opening up to the rest of the world.

This dress (possibly a wrapper) is one of the earliest examples I’m aware of a Western garment in tussah silk:

Dress in tussah silk, 1850s, Galleria del Costume di Palazzo Pitti
Dress in tussah silk, 1850s, Galleria del Costume di Palazzo Pitti

In the 1860s and 70s tussah was considered a luxury fibre, and was clearly singled out from standard silk. However, it was also an informal fibre: used for summer day wear, and accessories like parasols, and never for evening or formal wear.

Parasol, England, 1860s, Pleated tussar silk, steel, and painted wood, Given by the family of Major and Mrs. W. Mackay Mackenzie, T.206B-1915

After its initial novelty popularity wore off, the use of tussah was confined almost exclusively to sportwear.

This tennis dress is an excellent example of the use of tussah silk for sportswear. Elegant, casual, and supremely expensive, this outfit is the modern equivalent of designer yoga gear: it says without words that you can spend money on clothes to sweat in.

Tennis dress, womens, bodice and skirt, tussore silk, England, 1880-1890 Powerhouse Museum H6536
Tennis dress, womens, bodice and skirt, tussore silk, England, 1880-1890
Powerhouse Museum, H6536

Even when it was out of fashion elsewhere, tussah silk was widely used by the Arts & Crafts movement, the aesthetic dress movement and design houses like Liberty of London.

This dress by Raymond Duncan (brother of Isadora), is a later example of the link between alternative dress movements and tussah silk. It uses the natural golden colour,and slight slubs of tussah silk, to enhance the antique and bohemian aesthetic of his design. Duncan was an almost fanatical proponent of a return to Grecian styles. He believed they were healthier and more attractive than the fashions of the time.

Dress, Raymond-Duncan (American),  1920s, American, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 990.152
Dress, Raymond-Duncan (American), 1920s, American, silk,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 990.152
Dress, detail of tussah silk fabric, Raymond Duncan (American, San Francisco, California 1874—1966 Cavalaire), 1920s, American, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 990.152
Dress, detail of tussah silk fabric, Raymond Duncan (American, San Francisco, California 1874—1966 Cavalaire), 1920s, American, silk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 990.152

Having been relegated to very informal clothing & fringe fashion for a couple of decades, tussah returned to popularity at the end of the 19th century, as in this fashion article where the author gushes over the shades of tan it comes in, the delicate brocading (like the dress I dislike so much!), and its rescue from ‘homespun’! Another fashion writer compares it to pongee, and gives advice on how to trim it.

Although fashionable again, tussah silk was still primarily used as a linen alternative in the Edwardian era, as in this elegant dust coat.

Dust coat, England or France, 1905-1908, Tussah silk, satin, floss silk, Victoria & Albert Museum,  T.333-1987
Dust coat, England or France, 1905-1908, Tussah silk, satin, floss silk, Victoria & Albert Museum, T.333-1987

By the mid-teens, the era of my magazine, tussah silk had by and large lost its outsider status, and was being used for a wider range of garments, though still exclusively for daywear. Thanks to the influence of Poiret, the Ballet Russes etc, anything exotic was in.

Tussah continued to be a popular fabric into the 1920s. It fit in with the fashion for rough and textured fabrics, like roshanara. It had also lost its high price tag: tussah silk appears as a lining in a number of 20s garments that I’ve seen in museum collections, suggesting it was an affordable silk.

Tussah silk should not be confused with silk noil (the rough silk made from the short bits of leftover silk fibres) (looks pointedly at Understanding Textiles on this point), or raw silk (silk with the gum left on).

Some tussah silk is “ethical silk” “non-violent silk” or “Ahimsa silk“, in that the silkworms are not killed to create the silk, but that’s not traditionally part of the tussah silk process, and unless labelled as such tussah silk is unlikely to be “non-violent”.

Very annoyingly, I carefully packed the three pieces of tussah silk I own away at the bottom of a trunk in vacuum sealed bags just today! The next time I have cause to get in the bags I’ll photograph them for this post.

Sources:

  • Basu, Trailokya Nath. Tant-o-rang: A Book of Textile Technology. 1964
  • Cant, Jennifer and Fritz, Anne. Consumer Textiles. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 1988.
  • Collier, Billie J. and Tortora, Phyllis G.. Understanding Textiles. 6th ed. Sydney: Prentice Hall. 2001.
  • O’Hara, Georgina, The Encyclopedia of Fashion: From 1840 to the 1980s.  London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.  1986
  • Phipps, Elena. Looking at Textiles: a Guide to Technical Terms. Los Angeles: Getty Museum. 2011
  • Pickens, Mary Brooks, A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion: Historical and Modern. Mineola New York: Dover Publications. 1985 (originally published as The Fashion Dictionary. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 1957)

Rate the Dress: 1910s blue, bustling & stripes

If there was a complaint about last week’s Rate the Dress, it was that it was prim, buttoned up, and while extremely fashionable, also extremely safe. This week I’ve picked a dress that is also extremely fashionable, but definitely a bit wacky. What will you make of it?

Last Week: a ca. 1880 wedding dress

It’s always interesting to do wedding dresses as Rate the Dress options. Do you rate them as a fashionable dress of that era, or as a wedding dress. Should a wedding dress be an excuse for extravagance and ridiculousness, or be conventional, safe and modest in its outlook towards fashion? How the ratings on last week’s dress fell depended partly on how you felt on that front – and then on whether you liked the disparate elements of that dress.

The Total: 7.8 out of 10

Not really the score a bride would hope for!

This week:  a early-mid teens dress in bold stripes and bold cut

The Goldstein Museum of Design dates this dress to 1915-18, but I think it’s a bit earlier. Stylistically it’s absolutely typical of 1913-14.

Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219
Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219

The slim skirt is a classic feature of the early teens, and disappears almost overnight at the end of 1914, when the start of WWI made shorter, fuller, easier to walk in skirts more practical. Although the skirt slims down again after 1917, it never returned to the pre-war length.

Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219

The unusual skirt trim, with the stripes arranged as a pleated ruche forming a faux tunic, and the skirt picked up in a flattened bustle effect at the back. We’ve seen similar below-the-knee bustling and draping on this ca. 1912 purple dress, this early ‘teens peach number, this pink velvet hobble skirt, this apricot chiffon and satin 1914 evening gown, this sage green 1912 evening gown, and this silver and blue 1914 frock. By the time you get to early 1915, skirts are full.

Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219
Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219

The deep sleeves, with armscyes that go all the way down to the waist, were also extremely fashionable in 1913-14, although you see similar examples as late as 1917. The designer of this dress certainly wanted to ensure that you noticed the sleeves, making them in boldly striped silk which is perfectly coordinated with the main blue of the dress.

Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219
Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219

The same silk was used to form the faux tunic, and a quirky little ruffle on the back of the bodice. The bold hues are also a classic feature of the pre-WWI years. While the early Edwardian era revelled in half-tones and pastels, designers like Poiret, and influential touring companies like the Ballet Russes, made bright colours and clashing hues fashionable.

Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219
Dress, 1915-18 (more likely 1913-14), silk taffeta, Goldstein Museum of Design, CX-00219

Despite the strong colours, the dress isn’t without some classic Edwardian softness. A collar of delicate lace of embroidered tulle with crenelated edgings fills the V-neck (open necks – a daring new innovation in daywear!) and plays peek-a-boo with the striped frontspiece in touch that is both evocative of 18th c fichu, and wittily modern.

What do you think? Wacky? Wonderful? Weird?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

A reminder about rating — feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment.  Phrase criticism as your opinion, rather than a flat fact. Our different tastes are what make Rate the Dress so interesting.  It’s no fun when a comment implies that anyone who doesn’t agree with it, or who would wear a garment, is totally lacking in taste. 

(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

The Augusta Stays scrooppatterns.com

How to add more bust space in the Augusta Stays

When Amber & I created the Augusta Stays pattern we decided to have two different fit blocks, to make fit easier straight off the pattern.

The ‘Straight’ fit has a 10” difference between un-corseted bust and corseted waist, and is best for those with less bust-to-waist difference, or those desiring less waist compression. The ‘Curvy’ fit has a 12” difference between un-corseted bust and corseted waist, and is best for those with more bust-to-waist difference, or those desiring more waist compression.  

However, we know that isn’t going to accomodate everyone: the body comes in an infinite variety of fits!

Take Priscilla: she’s wearing the Theatrical Augusta Stays in size 38 Curvy. As you can see, Priscilla has a tiny waist and a lot of bust, and the stays aren’t quite accomodating that bust. (note: these stays were not made for her – dressing up in them and the photos was a spontaneous event during a costume weekend)

Augusta Stays thedreamstress.com

If she were wearing the Historical Augusta stays we could loosen the lacings to provide space, but even that might not be enough for a really curvy woman.

Luckily there is a 100% historically accurate way to give yourself more bust space in your Augusta stays.

It will help prevent boob squish and an unattractive dent, as well as that problem when you have a little ribcage and a full bust, and your boobs try to slide down into the stays because of the gap between your ribs and the stays meeting your bust (a problem that I of the massive ribcage will never experience in person!)

Curved front stays from the 3rd quarter of the 18thc

The Augustas are drafted with a completely straight centre front line, because that’s common on a lot of 1780s stays, and is an easier starting point for sewers used to modern drafting methods. In the Historical version the half front lacing provides flexibility that creates the ‘prow’ front. (the Theatrical version was specifically intended to be a more generic straight front silhouette)

However, not all 1780s stay patterns have straight front seam: some are drafted with a curved front, to further emphasise that fashionable forward thrust.

The 1770s red damask stays in Veronika Å ulcová & Dana Szemályová’s Å nÄ›rovačku nebo korzet?  Stays, or a Corset? have a distinct curve to the front seam:

Curved front 18th c stay patterns thedreamstress.com

As do the 1780s brown jean stays in Jill Salen’s Corsets: Historical Patterns & Techniques:

Curved front 18th c stay patterns thedreamstress.com

Both books include patterns of the stays that show their curved front.

Kendra of Demode and Vincent Briggs have both written about curved front stays, and Kendra has compiled a pinterest board with examples.

So, let’s add a curved front to your Augusta Stays pattern!

It’s really easy.

Measurements (aka, the math part)

We’ll be working with Piece A (Historical) or B (Theatrical) only.

Augusta Stays ScroopPatterns.com

Measure your bust and waist, and pick the pattern size with the waist size that is CLOSEST to your waist size from the ‘Body Measurements’ section.

Priscilla would pick Size 36 as she has a 27.5″ waist.

Now, subtract the Full Bust measure for your chosen size from your bust measure.

Priscilla has a 37.5″ bust. Subtract 36″ from 37.5″ and she’s left with 1.5″. That’s the amount she needs to add to the front of her stays.

She’ll be adding 1/2 that amount to Piece A (because it’s 1/2 of the front of the stays), so 3/4″.

If you’re doing the Historical version, you can add a little less, and let the lacing take care of the rest.

Adding a curved front to the Historical Augusta Stays:

Measure out the amount you need to add to the pattern piece at the top of the stays. Then use a french curve to draw out a gentle curve from the ‘snip’ mark at the bottom of the eyelets, out to the marked point.

I’ve shown the 3/4″ Priscilla will need to add:

Adding a prow front to the Augusta Stays ScroopPatterns.com

Then re-draw the boning channels to mirror the front curve, as shown. You’ll notice that only bones 1 & 2 from the centre front change – bone #3 stays the same. At different sizes your layout might look slightly different, but you always want to think about keeping the bones nicely distributed and fanned out.

Adding a prow front to the Augusta Stays ScroopPatterns.com

I know they look weird, but German Plastic Boning is totally capable of this! In the actual stays the boning will be curving out, away from the body, not at an angle.

And that’s it! After this you can cut and make the Augusta Stays exactly as given in the instructions.

Adding a curved front to the Theatrical Augusta Stays:

There are three options for adding a curved front, and thus more bust space, to the theatrical version of the Augusta Stays.

Option 1: a Curved Centre Front Seam

If you’re willing to have a centre front seam in your theatrical stays, you can add a front curve, and a seam allowance, just as we did with the Historical Augusta pattern:

Adding a curved front to the Augusta Stays

Option 2: A Straight Centre Front Seam & A Godet

If you don’t want to add a front curve to your pattern piece, but are willing to have a front seam, you can add a triangular inset (essentially, a godet) to the centre front seam. It would look lovely with decorative lacing over it.

Adding a curved front to the Augusta Stays

The triangular inset should be as wide as the entire amount you need to add, and as long as from the top of the stays, to the ‘snip’ mark of the historical boning layout.

Option 3: No Centre Front Seam, and an Inset Gusset

And if you don’t want a centre front seam, or have already cut your front piece, you can add a gusset to the centre front.

Adding a curved front to the Augusta Stays

You will need to do this before adding boning channels, using the minimal seam allowances. You have have to rearrange the boning channels slightly to accomodate the gusset (tip: use the boning layout from 1 size down to give yourself enough space).

The triangular inset should be as wide as the entire amount you need to add, and as long as from the top of the stays, to the ‘snip’ mark of the historical boning layout.

Both options with a triangular gusset do exactly the same job that the lacing does in the Historical Augusta Stays. You can even add working lacing over the gusset, to pull it in or let it out.

And that’s it!

Augusta Stays thedreamstress.com