All posts tagged: 1740s

Rate the Dress: Emperor Yellow

Published by The Dreamstress

I do apologise!  Yesterday was Wellington Anniversary Day, which made it a public holiday in the Wellington region.  I was so busy painting and photoshooting and going on walks with Mr D and having such a typical weekend day that I entirely forgot that it was Monday, and didn’t finish my Rate the Dress post. Last week I showed you a WWI era dress in muted stripes, with quirky tassels & buttons.   Alas, Kathryn was the only one to my private opinion  that the buttons are just the bit of unexpected not-matchiness that the dress needed: most of the rest of you took points off for the buttons not matching, or simply for the buttons overall.  While there were a few scores in the middle, in general it was quite a divisive dress: you either really loved it, or really didn’t (and one of the middle scores was from Hana, who loved the front and hated the back – those buttons! 😉 ) So the dress came in at a perfectly round 8.0 out …

Rate the Dress: the Chocolate Girl of the 1740s

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week there was no Rate the Dress, as I rated the Oscars, and the week before that we looked at the creme de la creme of elitist historical costuming: a precious metal trimmed suit worn to a royal wedding (which, despite the baggy britches, managed an 8.2 out of 10 – must be all that gilding and glitz!). This week we’re on quite a different track.  The Historical Sew Fortnightly theme is Peasants & Pioneers, and we’re celebrating the lower classes, and their attire.  A very famous example is Liotard’s The Chocolate Girl, in mid-18th century servant or shopgirl attire. Liotard’s server is clad for practicality, not aesthetic, in her voluminous apron and subdued jacket and skirt, but her frilly pink hat lends an air of rococo gaiety to the ensemble.  Or perhaps it detracts from the elegant simplicity.  What do you think? Rate the Dress on a scale of 1 to 10

Rate the Dress: Hedvig Charlotta in mid 18th century candy stripes

Published by The Dreamstress

Well dear readers, you have spoken on the 1860s cotton wedding dress, and the verdict is in: you LOVE it!  Well, most of you.  The ruffles were a bit much for some, and that era does come with its own cultural baggage, so the rating came in at a still very approving 8.7 out of 10.   It would have been even higher but for the half dozen of you who were so overcome by love that you forgot to include a rating in your “LOVE, ZOMG, WANT, DROOL etc.” posts!  If you don’t give a rating I can’t really count it! Will this week’s Rate the Dress also meet your approval and continue the winning streak? I present influential Swedish poet and feminist, Hedvig Charlotta  Nordenflycht, caught in the act of writing a poem by Swedish artist Ulrika Pasch. Hedvig is very modishly attired in a pink robe with striped ribbon trimmings (do they remind you of peppermint candies?  Or licorice allsorts?  This outfit always makes me crave lollies!), lace cuffs, and a lace …