A few of you liked Maria Theresa’s masque frock last week, but most of you were rather lukewarm, with the main complaint being that the patterns were too busy and aggressive, and the whole thing didn’t go together. It rated a 5.9 out of 10. This week, our rate the dress is a bit toned down pattern-wise, but not colour-wise. Yep. That’s quite some colour in quite a combination. What do you think? Rate the dress on a scale of 1 to 10
So, I was planning to show you picnic photographs from the 1860s and 70s. But it turns out there aren’t many picnic photographs from these decades. There are lots from the very advent of photography, and then lots again starting in the 1890s, but 1860-1890 is a no-picnic-photograph zone. So you are going to have to settle for two images of lovely ladies in picnic suitable ensembles. A nice simple dress and hat, perfect for a pastoral picnic. I like that the dress is worn without hoops. Her not-quite-a-bonnet not-quite-a-bergere hat is adorable. And the slightly worn shoe peeping out at the hem is a great touch. The Comtesse de Castiglione did a series of photographs of herself in the different stages of the day. For midday she is dressed for a picnic, with parasol, wrap, floral bonnet, plates and bottles of refreshments. She looks much more staged and less natural than the lady above. The bottles are cool though. And the scalloped hem is a nice touch. ETA: need more picnic ideas for …
Now that we have seen how artists interpreted outdoor clothes in the early 1870s, lets take a look at some real outfits that might have been worn to picnics in 1871. For the ladies, dresses would most likely be of plain, unpatterned fabric, trimmed with fringe, braid, and bias strips in either matching or contrasting tones. The silhouette and would demonstrate the change from the back heavy, oval hoops of the 1860s to the bustled 1870s silhouette. Fabrics would be of wool, silk, or cotton depending on the weather, and how fashionable and up-to-date the wearer was. Four silk dresses: If the weather was relatively cool, very fashionable ladies might wear highly trimmed silk dresses, such as this one: The design and trim of this dress are very similar to the one shown in Monet’s painting on Monday. In warmer weather, light cotton dresses similar to the ones shown in Monet’s Women in the Garden would be ideal. These dresses are quite easily soiled and torn, but also easily put together. They seem to have …
