All posts tagged: 17th century

Rate the Dress: a lady at home, ca. 1679

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week I showed you a 1920s playsuit in blonde silk and green paisley.  Whether you liked it hinged hugely on your feelings about playsuits and paisley, and because those who don’t like them REALLY don’t like them, the playsuit came in at a barely acceptable 6.8  out of 10. This week we’re look at a much more formal informality, but one that is equally about showing off your wealth and style by wearing the most sumptuous items to do the simplest tasks.  This fashion plate from the LACMA features a lady in an informal ensemble doing her sewing. She wears a pink satin underskirt, trimmed with bands of brown, to match her golden-brown striped mantua.  The pink of her skirt is echoed in the trimmings of her headdress, and in the rosettes on her dress.  The full sleeves of her chemise extend well beyond the sleeves of her mantua, and a ruffled edge, To protect her dress and help carry her supplies she wears an apron in dark green silk, trimmed with gold braid …

A set of Baroque pearl accessories

Published by The Dreamstress

One of the reasons I love 17th century fashion so much is the jewellery. 18th century jewellery is very pretty, but it tends to get a bit heavy on diamonds and overly ornamented, and just too bling-y. Mid 17th century jewellery is fabulous though.  It’s all pearls. Throat skimming  pearl necklaces, round or baroque. And pearl drop earrings the size of pigeon eggs, with more pearls twined through the hair. Pearl trimmed clothes, and large hanging drop pearls dangling off broaches. (sings) Pearls, Glorious Pearls! Whenever I’ve worn Ninon, I’ve faked the pearls from my stash of random pearl necklaces, but have always intended to make a set of jewels that captured the look a little better.  With the masquerade ball coming up, I thought it was high time I did it. I had a set  of really beautiful, high quality faux pearls, still unstrung, so I strung them, and added a vintage clasp (not 17th c HA, but still very pretty, and it gave the effect).  I remembered reading somewhere about women in the …

The 1660s Ninon gown – now with trimmings!

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve held off on trimming the Ninon gown for literally years, because I loved it so much untrimmed, and have been afraid I wouldn’t like it as much trimmed. But I’ve finally sucked it up and done it, and (luckily!) I love it even more with trimming! For trimming  inspiration I wavered between the Beaubrun portrait that had been my primary inspiration throughout the making of the dress: And the van der Helst portrait of a couple, which appealed to me because of the simplicity of the trimmings (I know that a gazillion bows going up the front of your bodice doesn’t seem simple, but it’s really such a basic trim): At first I leaned toward the ribbon for simplicity.  I’ve got some rather nice quality viscose ribbon that is a good match for the ribbons on van der Helst’s woman in colour, width and texture.  I made a bunch of bows from them  and pinned them up the front, and while they looked lovely, the were a little too obvious. So I had a …