We’re taking a little break from the Otari Hoodie Sew Along for the regularly scheduled Rate the Dress post.  Have you’re say on this week’s historical dress, and then we’re all go on Hoodie sewing again! Last week: Roses & Fringe in the 1910s Some of you loved the dress, but not unreservedly: it only got one 10.  And while many of you could overlook the butt-heart, by and large you did not like the fringe. Despite my hate of fringe, I actually loved last week’s dress.  It reminds me of the Miss Universe dresses that represent each country.  It’s like there was a Miss Universe pageant in 1910, and Hawai’i participated with the most tasteful of the themed dresses.  Orchids, flower leis, and a nod to a grass skirt. The Total: 7.6 out of 10 There have definitely been better received 1910s evening dresses! This week: I usually like to mix up my eras in Rate the Dress, but today I’m breaking with tradition and showing a dress from the same years as last …

This week’s Rate the Dress moves from orderly paisley, to a more unruly pattern that mixes shapes, textures and floral types with wild abandon.  Will asymmetry, fringe, and wreaths of roses over orchid lei beat out last week’s rating? Last week: a green paisley 1850s dress   Last week’s 1850s frock made some of you remember how disappointed you were to discover that adult life involved far too few balls (after all, what’s the point of being an adult if not tea parties and balls?), and made others think of their least favourite salad greens and dressing combination (as a farmer’s daughter, I’m very alarmed if you’re buying lettuce in that shade of green, but I have no quibble with anyone who wants to claim that mayonnaise is revolting, particularly as a salad dressing). The Total: 8.1 out of 10 Well, it definitely beat the bustle dress of the week before! This week: I’m keeping with the feminine, romantic feel of last weeks dress, but in a very different era, and with a gold tinged …

I’m on holiday, but the blog is not, and so far my holiday Rate the Dress picks have been a spectacular success.  Last week’s pick was tropical sea and flower gardens, this week’s is mango and sand – or, as the title says, spiced peaches! Last week: a Robe a la Francaise in sea blue floral silk The blue francaise was a tropical dream.  It received a warm and sunny reception, with no hurricanes of criticism lurking on the horizon. The Total: 9.8 out of 10 Divine! This week: a 1910s dress in peach pink and cinnamon silk Peach pink and coppery cinnamon brown were both very fashionable colours in the 1910s, and I’ve shown a few dresses of that era in variations of those shades over the years, to mixed reviews. This dress layers cinnamon silk gauze over peach satin, and combines them with gold metallic lace (also an extremely fashionable 1910s element) and ivory, all accented with embellished details in brighter orange and darker gold. The cut of the dress is as eclectic …