Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Brilliant Paisley Print 1860's Dress


















From the seller:
A truly magnificent 1860’s burgundy cashmere wool paisley print dress that has documentation.  The old note reads “Paisley dress worn by Grandma Eckert at mother’s wedding.”  The paisley pattern is designed in shades of orange, blue and black.  The dress comes with it’s original paisley print belt. The armscyes and neck are piped.   The bodice is lined with cotton and the lining has a hook and eye closure.  The dress has a front button closure to mid hip area and the rest of the buttons are decorative.  The skirt is unlined except for a band of cotton at the hemline.  The skirt has a full back sweep.  The dress is in excellent condition.  There is no underarm discoloration and just a couple of tiny pencil tip size holes in the skirt.  There is one dime size red spot on the paisley pattern on the mid section of the skirt front.  A stunning display gown.  Bust 34 Waist 24 Front skirt length 40 Back length 51.

From Me:
This looks almost exactly like the dress in the Kyoto Costume Institute! The dress at the KCI has similar coloring and styling. The good thing about the dress I found on ebay means we have closer pictures and from different angles of a similarly styled dress! Fabulous!

4 comments:

  1. This is an absolutely gorgeous wrapper! Not a dress, a wrapper. The full-length vertical trim, front buttoned opening, and self-collar all make it a wrapper. I consider the note highly suspect; it might be Grandma Eckert's, but I can't imagine a wrapper would be permissible at a wedding. Maybe if it wasn't a church wedding (which would be unusual) and maybe if she was expecting another child. Maybe. Still, it's utterly gorgeous, analogous to the glamorous hostess gowns of the 1940s.

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  2. @nuranar- yeah, I thought it a bit odd too. However, based on the writing style on the note, it could have easily been a 20th Century themed wedding rather than a mid 19th Century wedding. Wearing vintage or antique clothing to big events is nothing new.

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  3. This is stunning! I wish it was still available, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat!

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  4. There was similar dress that came up for sale recently on ebay, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Magnificent-1860s-Civil-War-Era-Paisley-Print-Dress-/200827561451

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