All posts tagged: 1900s

Rate the Dress: La Belle Otero

Poor James! Not only is his rather decent go at being a king completely overshadowed by the queen who preceded him, but you, dear readers, declared that he ruled over the most unflattering period in men’s fashion…ever. With that said, you didn’t think that James’ own outfit was as bad as it could have been, considering the period, though most of you noticed his distinctly scrawny legs. James rated a 4 out of 10. This week, let’s look at something that doesn’t show any leg…just everything else. You didn’t like Garbo’s take on Mata Hari, but a few of you mentioned that Mata Hari’s own costumes were rather attractive. It turns out that they weren’t particularly original though. Actress and courtesan La Belle Otero was photographed in her own exotic eastern dancer attire in 1905. Unlike Mata Hari, La Belle wasn’t trying to hide her lack of bosom with her costume, as she was said to have the most famous pair in the world. What do you think? Is 1905 pseudo-Oriental exoticism better than the …

Rate the dress: Princess Alice of Battenberg, Princess Andrew of Greece

Reaction on last week’s 1782 fashion plate was decidedly mixed, and it just scraped in a pass with a final score of 6 out of 10. To be perfectly honest, I’m a little surprised. I thought it would get thoroughly flamed. It looked to me like the artist decided to combine every single popular trend into one dress. “It will have ruffles, and puffs, and a zone front, and lacing, and a caught up underskirt, and sabot sleeves, and some lace, and feathers, and bows, and a fichu, and elaborate trim, and…..!!!” This week, in honour of my fixation on Greek Key designs, let’s rate the dress of a Greek Princess. Specifically, how do you feel about Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greek and Denmark, as painted by Philip de Lazlo in 1907?  Lazlo’s painting, now in the private collection of Prince Phillip (that guy who is married to Queen Elizabeth, who also happens to be Princess Alice’s son), depicts Alice in an evening gown that combines heavy ivory duchess satin and …