Rate the dress: a 1680s fashion plate
Last week’s 1850s rate the dress met with general mild approval, with the level of enthusiasm dependent on whether or not you like 1850s silhouettes. The bronze-brown confection came in at a 6.9 out of 10. However, even the people who love midcentury styles and gave the highest scores felt that the dress needed accessories. Showing a dress fully accessorized is what fashion plates are for: they demonstrate for us, and for the ladies of the era, everything that the elegant dresser of the time should wear with their outfit. So this week’s rate the dress is all about accessories, and what to wear with your historic frock. Our 17th century fashion model is shown in a striped red, white and blue frock, with gold fringing and a whole plethora of accessories: bows on her headdress, a scarf to protect the hair, lace sabot cuffs with red bows, a folded fan, creamy yellow gloves, and what appears to be a fob-watch dangling from the waist. What do you think of our lady and her accessories? …