This week’s Rate the Dress goes from fish to flora, with a cornflower bedecked 1870s concoction. And concoction is really the only way to describe it… Last Week:  a 1920s day dress with ‘scale’ scallops Last week’s dress was quite popular, other than a small group that expressed strong dislike. More than 3/4 of the ratings were 8-9, which is extremely, and unusually, consistent. Very few perfect scores though: most of you weren’t quite on-board with the ‘fish tum’. The Total: 7.3 out of 10 Despite the strong showing of ratings 8 & up, the small core who really didn’t like the dress pulled the overall score down. The ratings have been creeping up over the last few weeks, but it’s been slow, and still not impressive. Maybe this week will break the 8 barrier? Or drop us down again? This week: an 1870s day dress in summer florals Today’s pick is an excellent example of an early 1870s crinoline-to-bustle era transitional garment. The sweet floral pattern and the frills are typical of the romantic 18th …

This weekend I gave a talk on the ways in which the Pacific influenced Western fashion, including goods made from very Pacific birds: kiwi feather muffs, and bird of paradise bedecked hats. So I have feathers on my mind, and have picked a very feathery dress for this week’s Rate the Dress feature. Last week: a 1910s dress from a brides trousseau I don’t think anybody is going to be hugely surprised that last week’s frock was pretty popular. Sure, not everyone loved the muted colour, or the floral ribbon, and some of you thought it was almost boring in its tastefulness and elegance and general perfection, but only one person actually disliked it and rated it less than 8. The Total: 9.3 out of 10 Nice!   This week:  an 1876 reception or day dress said to have been worn by Empress Eugenie   This feather bedecked dress is said to have been worn by Victorian fashion icon Empress Eugenie (in her post-Empress days). Eugenie was known for her excellent taste, which combined impeccable …

Set aside your sweatshirting, it’s silk time!  For this week’s Rate the Dress I’ve chosen a lavish, high-end dinner dress, complete with matching shoes. Last week: an 1840s dress in striped silk Quite a few of you liked the striped/plaid silk dress from last week, but more of you had reservations about it.  You felt that the silk was neither one thing nor another (not striped or plaid), and that the dress itself was not one thing or another – and was definitely in need of accessories to bring it to life. The Total: 7.2 out of 10 A neither here nor there, needs some trimming, kind of score. This week: an 1870s evening dress ensemble – complete with shoes This 1870s dinner ensemble comes complete with perfectly matching shoes, which come with their own quirky design feature: binding and lining in blue on one shoe, and gold on the other.  The detail would have been hidden under the wearers skirt most of the time: a secret for herself, and anyone lucky and observant enough …