All posts tagged: 1870s

Rate the Dress: blue plaid in 1878

Last week’s 186os child’s party frock created the usual divisions I’ve come to expect with historical children’s clothes: some of you liked it for a child, many of you thought it would be much better on an adult, many of you wanted it for yourself, and a few of you questioned if it was appropriate for a child. But overall, you liked it, and it rated an 8.6 out of 10. I agree, but only if you take off that hideous overskirt. With the overskirt my vote is only 4 out of 10! For this week’s rate the dress my jumping off point is last week’s poll which asked you what your favourite fabric colour was. An overwhelmingly large percentage of you said blue (25 out of 52, compared to 11 out of 52, for green, the next runner up). Now I want to know if this abstract liking of blue fabric translates into liking an actual garment, or at least helps you to like it more. So I present this blue trimmed blue tartan …

A rainy day photoshoot – the 1871 pink extravaganza

Published by The Dreamstress

Madame Ornata, Sarah of Diana Villiers and I have been having such fun with photoshoots that we planned another one for last weekend. Unfortunately for us, the weather did not cooperate: the day dawned all grey and drizzly. Sarah thought we should postpone, but both Madame O and I had Mother’s Day commitments, so we voted to press on. I really wanted a proper photoshoot with my 1871 Pink Extravaganza ensemble (it’s pretty much the oldest thing still in my closet, and it’s never been properly photographed!), and the rain meant I got a chance to use my pretty umbrella. Madame O wore my 1882 ‘By the Seashore’ ensemble and Mrs C got dolled up as a female Dr Who and joined us. We had a fantastic time, and Sarah got some amazing shots, but it really wasn’t the best circumstances for a shoot: my photos are all rather mediocre because of the glaring light, and the hem of my dress got soaked from the damp. Next time maybe we should listen to the proper …

Trying my hand at hatmaking

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve always intended to try a bit of millinery, or at least hat alteration, so last week I finally took the plunge. I decided to start with something really simple, a 1872 summer hat from the Met’s collection: You can’t really get any simpler than that, right? I thought it would go nicely with the frills of my 1871 pink extravaganza afternoon ensemble. So I trotted off to an op shop and bought myself a decent straw hat. It looked like this: Unfortunately I forgot to double-check my inspiration picture, so I got one with a wide braid instead of a narrow. No matter, I could still make it work. First thing: take off that hideous raffia ribbon! Then I picked apart the braid at the bottom of the crown. My inspiration hat has such a shallow crown that I could save the whole original brim and use it for another hat, and make the tiny brim of my inspiration hat from the bottom of the crown. Then I started sewing, turning my loose braid …