All posts tagged: 1870s

Cape, 1873, American, wool, Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009.300.2732

Rate the Dress: an Ube Boba cape – 1870s style

I haven’t done a Rate the Dress since last October.  And the time before that was July.  And I can’t promise the next one won’t be July again, or worse.  But I can hope and try. And today’s pick is just too unique and fascinating not to show you! Last time:  A 1908 Paquin ensemble Ratings were all over the place for the Paquin ensemble.  First there was a solid runs of 8s and 9s, and then a perfect 10, and then 4 and 1 and 6s!  Every rating but a 5, so I guess no one thought it was average. Huge thanks to Daniel for identifying the original design it was based on! The Total: 7.3 out of 10 Not great.  But it leads so well into today’s post… This time: A 1873 cape in aniline purple with bobbles Today’s Rate the Dress isn’t a full ensemble.  It’s just a cape. But oh, what an interesting cape! It’s knitted from purple wool dyed with one of the newly invented and very fashionable aniline dyes, …

Rate the Dress: Sportswear, 1870s style

The last Rate the Dress was rather frilly and, well…pink.  To balance it, this week’s Rate the Dress is significantly more restrained, both in colour and silhouette.  However, it still has lots of interesting details for you to consider. A warning in advance.  I have absolutely zero brainpower this week.  It’s all been diverted to the final push of preparation for Costume Showcase – the biggest event of the year for the Toi Whakaari Costume Construction course.  I’ve solved last minute fitting and construction problems until all I do is come home and gibber in the bath until bedtime. So please excuse any wild misidentifications of techniques.  My brain has been doing marathons and is liable to trip over invisible stairs! Last week:  a pinked, pink, embroidered 1840s dress Positive comments for last week’s dress, but not brilliant.  Quite a few of you felt that the two halves of the dress didn’t quite match: the bodice was lovely, but needed an equally ruffly berthe to match the skirt. The Total: 8.3 out of 10 Sweet …