All posts tagged: 1870s

Rate the Dress: Bustle Era Historicism

Published by The Dreamstress

Life’s been a little hectic for me lately, and unfortunately blogging hasn’t been a top priority.  I can’t promise I’ll be able to get back to a regular schedule right away, but the worst of the stresses have been lifted.  Hopefully life, and blogging, will be a little more stable in the near future. The last Rate the Dress I posted was so practical and timeless that a number of you mentioned that you’d happily wear it today.  This week’s dress is very of its time, although it heavily references another era, and would definitely make most modern activities a little tricky! Last Week:  a 1910s day dress with touches of colour The day dress was very popular.  At worst you found it dignified but not particularly interesting, at best you were wildly in love with it and wanted; to wear it everyday/recreate it/a pattern of it. The only real criticism it received was for the collar and collar colour (say that three times fast!).  You weren’t convinced by the shape, or the mix of …

Gold silk dress with tiered, tasseled skirt Label- “Mrs. W. Wilds, Auburn, NY” American, ca. 1879-80, Silverman:Rodgers, KSUM 1983.1.156 ab

Rate the Dress: Tasselled fringe & gold

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week’s dress was all sweet and serene. This week is the first full week back at Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School. All our new students have arrived, and we’re back into the swing of things. So I’m feeling a bit more dramatic. And what’s more dramatic than gold and tassels? Last Week: a 1790s over-robe in pale pink Most of you loved last week’s Regency over-robe, and thought it was a perfection in pink. And then some of you thought it was a bit….boring. The Total: 9 out of 10 Still a very, very good score, but not as good as the preceding weeks. This week:  ca. 1880s tiers of tassels This week’s dress is VERY natural-form-to-second bustle-era Victorian. Trim and textures and layers upon layers. The pleats and tasselled fringe and metallic embroidery and damask silk and lace are all held together by a single colour scheme: a medley of apricot and gold. So what do you think? Dramatic but elegantly harmonious, or tasselled tackiness? Rate the Dress on a Scale …