All posts tagged: 1850s

Rate the Dress: A vision in lace and gold, ca. 1850

Reactions to last week’s 1930s gold lame Jessie Franklin Turner number were actually surprisingly similar to the smocked Liberty frock from the week before – a mix of strong love, a tiny bit of strong dislike, a fair smattering of blah, and sleeve-dislike. What do you get with  surprising similarity?  An identical 8.3 out of 10  rating! I really struggled to pick a dress for Rate the Dress this week.  As a juxtaposition to the last few weeks, I really wanted something bright, and sweet, and girlish.  Alas, nothing I found seemed to be the right contrast.  I  finally settled on this 1850s evening dress, because the gold, and the lace bertha, seem to resonate with last week’s gold frock, and its flutter sleeves.  Next week I’ll definitely have to find something with colour though! (of course, knowing me, that could be a warning rather than a promise 😉 ) This ca. 1850 evening dress in white damask silk satin, with gold brocading of rather exotic, parasol shaped flower heads, is trimmed with silk net …

Rate the Dress: 1852 does 18th century

I rather expected that last week’s 1810s Rate the Dress wouldn’t be hugely popular, not in the sense that people wouldn’t like it, but in the sense that it wouldn’t attract lots of comments.  It’s not the type of outfit that’s usually super popular in terms of commenting, and it’s a portrait.  But, even without a lot of comments  we had a lively (if small) discussion anyway. In general the shawl and coral got high marks, the colour scheme got the overall nod of approval, and people were torn on the ruff.  But good parts do not necessarily make a good whole, and while many of you enjoyed its understated elegance (to paraphrase Daniel), not everybody was onboard with the full ensemble, so the outfit managed a 7.8 out of 10. (I think it might amuse you to know that I picked the painting because I was thinking of the Bonaparte family as being the Kardashians of the 1800s (powerful, divisive, and in the eyes of some, rather  vulgar), and that if this was Caroline, …

Let there be light!

In the last half hour of my  crinolines photoshoot with Theresa  (of Existimatio), the sun began to set over the hills of Wellington and lit up the rather spectacular cloud formations in glowing azure and gold. Theresa was madly snapping away, capturing me and the sky, and the gorgeous, glowing light over the city. Suddenly she had an idea.  “Stand right there and let me get your profile against the sun!” So she snapped away, making “Ooooh” noises and telling me to move just a wee bit forward or a wee bit back,* until I became envious and said “Me, Me, Me!  My turn!  I want to try it on you!” But all I got were photos where Theresa’s hair looked like it was on fire: Then I had an idea.  “Raise your hand…no…the far one…yep, that’s just right..now click your fingers” “Perfect!  Now  LET THERE BE LIGHT!” And there was. When Theresa saw the pictures she said “Oh my god, you’re such a dork!” Yep, and a happy one at that! These pictures particularly …