All posts tagged: 1910s

A ca. 1913 beauty

I like picking up old photographs when I find them at antique stores and op shops. Partly I do it because old photographs are fantastic clothing research resources, and partly I do it because it seems so sad that there was a time when people knew them, and knew who they were, and valued and treasured their photographs, and now that link is broken. I’ll never know who most of the people I find in images were, but I can at least carry on a little tidbit of their story. This woman is one of my favourite recent finds: I say woman, because while she’s clearly quite young, and her elaborate hair-bows are very girlish, she appears to be proudly displaying a rather large and gorgeous engagement ring on her left hand. Her outfit is absolutely typical of 1913: skirts had been getting slimmer and higher since 1910, and the cut-on Magyar sleeves were very stylish beginning in 1913. In a formal studio setting, taking a photograph to commemorate her engagement, she was probably wearing …

Rate the Dress: Celebration green in 1912

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week’s Rate the Dress was a tailored walking ensemble, ca 1900, with raised detailing, all in one fabric. There was a bit of discussion about whether it would look better with contrasting details, or in a brighter colour, but pretty much everyone was in agreement that it already looked pretty darn fabulous as it was. It came in at 9.5 out of 10, which is pretty much a perfect score these days. It’s definitely pretty close to perfection for me: it desperately makes me want to rush out and buy a bunch of oatmeal wool, despite the fact that oatmeal is possibly the worst colour possible on me (I just go oatmeal all over. It’s awful. ) Tone-on-tone was the only (occasional) complaint about last weeks ensemble, so I’m going to test the theme again, and see how it does this week: This evening gown (according to my ability to translate google translates ability to translate Finnish – if I have any Finnish readers, please do clarify/confirm/elaborate!) was worn to an event celebrating the …

Rate the Dress: Emerald green in 1914

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week I showed you an early 1870s dress in pink and white stripes, with butterfly patterned lace trim, and black bows. While not everything about the dress tickled my fancy, I thought the half & half black and pink bows were a brilliant touch, but many of you did NOT agree. In the same way, opinions differed greatly on whether the front to back skirt wrap was brilliant, or tablecloth-y. In fact, the ratings were all over the range for the dress, bringing it in at a 7.4 out of 10. This evening dress in deep green silk didn’t come with more of a date range than 1910-15, but the fullness at the lower hips and tapering hem, paired with the skirt drapery, place it firmly in 1914, give or take a year. The mix of textures is typical of the 1910s, giving complexity to an otherwise simple design. What do you think? Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10