All posts tagged: 1910s

Rate the Dress: 18th century meets 1920s

Last week you found our unknown Spanish beauty’s stripey separates pleasant, but not inspiring, garnering the ensemble a rating of 7.3 out of 10, which was pretty much exactly what most of you rated it individually anyway.  The real interest from the Rate the Dress came in the discussions: how were her sleeves cut (very snuggly, with a curve!), was the black lace a particularly Spanish affectation, and most intriguingly, did she have a slight mustache, and if so, what did that mean about 18th century standards of beauty, that the artist had taken the care to paint it in, and our modern standards, that we noticed it as being particularly unusual? This week’s Rate the Dress comes to you not because it particularly makes sense or inspires me, but just because I’m exhausted and super busy, and I drafted this post up a year and a bit ago, and it sort-of fits the ‘Robes and Robings’ theme. The late teens and early 1920s saw a brief fad for 18th century inspired fashion, most notably …

Theresa’s ca. 1915 dress

It’s been a long time since I did a Textile on Thursday post, and I thought it was high time I resurrected the practice and showed you a few bits more from my collection (also, you are probably well tired of posts about paniers and want something different!). This item began with a totally unexpected parcel, and what may be my favourite-ever opening paragraph to a letter:           “Dear Leimomi,           You know when you inherit a period piece of clothing and don’t know what to do with it?  And then you recall you have a pal who is a fashion historian?  Exactly.” It was from the wonderful Theresa, model and friend. She went on to explain that the dress had belonged to her aunt’s husband’s family in Winnebago County, Illinois.  She had no personal connection to it, could I do something with it? For a few months my ‘something’ was just hoarding it and petting it and drooling over how pretty it is, but now it’s …

Rate the Dress: Poiret Negligee of 1913

Last week I gave you a double Rate the Dress, with a fantastical winter scene and two different outfits to Rate.  Overall you liked the outfits but thought some of the details were a bit silly.  The detail that all liked was the military frogging on the brunettes jacket, and she rated an impressive 9.2 out of 10, leaving poor blondie with her miss-matched skirt to trail at 7.7 out of 10.  Gentlemen may prefer blonds, but costume enthusiasts don’t always think they are best dressed! If you follow me on Facebook you’ll know my opinion of this week’s Rate the Dress, but I couldn’t resist posting it here.  It’s so very festive, and perfect for the upcoming  Bi/Tri/Quadri/Quin/Sex/Septi/Octo/Nona/Centennial  Challenge coming up in the Historical Sew Fortnightly. Festive isn’t always good though.  Sometimes festive can look like a bad costume.  And certainly not everyone likes bright yellow.  Even at the height of Poiret’s popularity he was sometimes accused of sacrificing taste for shock value.  Has this garment strayed into tacky, or does it manage the …