Very Late Victorian wrapper

From the seller:

A lovely original circa 1897 lady's floral calico printed cotton house dress, or wrapper, with a stylish Watteau back. A cotton lined under bodice with white china buttons, a front opening that buttons to the waist, a fashionable loose fitting front, fitted sleeves with turned split cuffs, a silk faille asymmetrical collar, and an inverted pleat fitted back to the full unlined skirt. This dress could have served for maternity as well. In clean sound presentable condition, with a few moisture spots to the collar, two small holes in the skirt, a few pin dot age flaws and holes, and an area above the back hem with a modern back patch and machine mending. All is reflected in the reserve price for this charming late Victorian house dress.

From Me:
This is so lovely for it's simple lines and wonderful print.

Late Teens Era Black Jacket

From the seller:

This antique Edwardian Titanic era black silk soutache dolman sleeve walking suit jacket dates from 1912. It is made of a black silk fabric, with raised rope black soutache work trim detail accents. This wonderful walking suit jacket coat has an uneven hemline with back skirt drape, long full dolman style bat wing sleeves, a layered top, V front neckline and button toggle closures. It is fully lined in black silk, with a "Hungerford Sisters" store label sewn inside. The jacket measures 32 inches long, with 48 inch hips, waist, bust and a 18 inch back. It is in excellent wearable condition. This lovely loose fitting walking suit jacket would have been worn with a form fitting hobble skirt!

From Me:

I doubt this dates from the early part of the teens era. I'm thinking World War I on this.

Teens Era Wedding Gown

From the seller:

Soft silk satin 1915 bridal tabard or tunic -- it's a top only with a lace panel skirt that's open on the sides. The front satin wraps over a lace under-bodice that's edged with a ruffle and large pearl beads. The glass pearl bead trim also edges the back, sleeves, and layered scarves on the sides. On the upper bodice back, the pearls are on the right and two snaps are on the left. The skirt front and back is made of panels of French lace that has splits in it. The back panel is lined in a layer of tulle and has old repairs. I show it over a Victorian silk skirt (sold separately) so you can see how it looks paired with a wedding skirt. I'm asking less than what I paid for this many years ago.

Measurements:
Bust: 36"
Waist: 27"
Length: 43"

From Me:

Isn't this lovely?

American Civil War Era Bodice (Mourning?)

From the seller:
A stunning 1860-1870 black silk moiré bodice that has recently been de-accessioned from a New York state historical society. The surname Worthington is hand printed on the inside lining. The bodice has a wide hip peplum that has open side vents. The cuffs and hemline are trimmed with bands of black satin. The neck and armscyes are piped. The bodice is lined with cotton and has a front button closure. It is in very good condition. There I some slight underarm discoloration on the inside lining only and one missing button. Bust 31 Waist 24.

From Me:

My guess is this might have been a mourning bodice. I'd love to see the skirt that went with it!

Tea Time! 1890's Style!

From the seller:
This is an exceptional French gown from the early 20th century, Referencing 16th century costume, the trained underdress of flesh poie de soie with full foundation with stays, the front overlaid with tightly gathered apple blossom pink silk chiffon with harem hem and forms a deep hemline treatment at back, the wide square neckline and empire waistline trimmed with creme velvet ribbon densely embroidered in metallic silver threads, copper seed beads, faux peridot and pink floss, the elbow length puff sleeves of chine silk satin with polychrome flowers and a pink ground, the slightly shorter redincote starting from neckline and pleated center back, edged in machine reproduction 18th century Burano lace, size 2/4, labeled: Mme. Lodaux/3 Rue de Richelieu/Paris. Very good condition but does have damage. The watered silk sleeves have tears, also a few tiny holes in chiffon. There are also some very small areas where the pink silk that is under the chiffon has slits. Over all very good.

From Me:

I think the seller grabbed a hold of a costuming book and just yanked out random terms. This is a very lovely example of a Tea Dress from the late 19th Century. The colors and the details are amazing!

Edit: I recently found the original auction for this dress back in 2004. It looks like it went through a lot in just eight years!

It's Big! It's Pink! It's Stripy! It's....a something!

From the seller:

This piece dates to the Victorian 19th century and is fashioned of pink silk taffeta that has silk velvet ribbons stitched in stripes fully around. The rear points high with hook and eye enclosures on the shoulder and beneath the arm. The front drops with a large bow detail with pinched white silk braiding, each pinch trimmed in an alternate black applique with a black silk velvet bow trimming the center having long dangling tails. A crescent of age color is seen beneath each underarm but the condition is otherwise excellent. Measures 34 inches around the bust, 20 inches in front length, not including the velvet tails, and 6 inches in the rear length.
From Me:

Hi, new people! yay! I'm up to fifty people admitting to looking at this blog. :-D So, this is...1890's, I think. They had a thing for big bows and odd sashes during that time period. It might be 10 years before, or ten years later.

Lovely Turn of the Century Gray Dress

From the seller:

This dress dates to the 1890’s and would have been two piece in its construction but this dress was connected to make it one piece. The dress is fashioned of a gray ground cotton with a beautiful white shell style floral print. The bodice closes with Mother of Pearl buttons up the front, box pleating is around the collar with its bottom skirting finished in ruffling. The sleeves have a puff fullness, a great deal of frayed wear is seen at the underside wrists with splitting and period repairs, I personally would shorten the sleeves. A two inch frayed tear is just aside the button enclosure at the waistline with a two inch frayed seam at the central side middle back. One underarm has seen a frayed split measuring an inch that goes from the underarm seam straight down. The skirting has a slight water stain that is at the central side thigh, the dress is strong and fully wearable and if desired, could be separated into two pieces. Measures 24 inches around the waist, 32 inches around the bust, and 56 inches in its length.

From Me:

I just love this color even though it very monochrome. I'm thinking late 1890's, early 1900's. And of course, this wasn't worn with a bustle.

1890's striped Bodice

From the seller:

This exceptional bodice dates to the Victorian 1890’s and is fashioned of a rich patterned striped French silk jacquard with massive balloon puffs atop the shoulders, fitted bottom sleeves with stiff buckram lined bottom cuffs trimmed in metallic braid and small shimmering sequins that matches the trimming of the high band collar. The collar hooks closed at a dart point, fully boned in the interior and lined in polished cotton. The only flaw is that several small sequins are absent and a minor water stain on the inner collar lining only. Measures 32 inches around the bust, 24 inches around the waist, and 18 inches in center rear length.

From Me:
I love the trim around the neck line.

Wild Print Edwardian Dress

From the seller:

This gown dates to the early Edwardian era and is two piece in its construction, fashioned of a brushed silk that is high in shine with a floral print. The skirting has a full built in polished cotton petticoat with a box pleat bottom, small hooks enclose the rear. The bodice is trimmed in chemical lace around the yoke and high collar with chemical lace applied to a velvet piped over collar, cut with a pigeon front with pleats at the inner high arm and the bottom wrist finished in a velvet cuff. This gown is sold as found, reflective of the condition, each underside of the sleeve at the wrist has seen broken fray, a great deal of fray is seen beneath the underarms as pictured with thumbprints of fray scattered in the skirting and small fray seen around the waistline, just beneath the waistband. Measures 32 inches around the bust, 24 inches around the waist, bodice measures 16 inches in length, and the skirt measuring 30 inches around the waist, 40 inches in front length, and 45 inches in its rear training length.

From Me:

Although the dress is a rather boring color, the print on the fabric is fabulous!

Edwardian Evening Dress

From the seller:

This gown dates to the height of the Edwardian era around 1912 and is fashioned of a high shine dark gray charmeause silk. The gown has a high collar trimmed in soutache, the collar is weakened with splitting, an easy replacement and well worth it as the gown is just about perfect otherwise. The top of the gown is trimmed in a hairpin lace with soutache cord rounds trimming the center of the lace with points having soutache cording and dropping rings at the side. The bottom high empire waist is trimmed in knots of soutache cording, the sleeves are uniquely ruched in criss cross fashion, points trimmed in raised knit covered bob buttons with the bottom sleeves having a Valenciennes angled finish. Soutache cording in Greek key style trims the skirting asymmetrically from the high empire waist to front bottom, again repeated on the rear skirting from side to the bottom of the train. The side front skirting is trimmed in the stitched round soutache appliques with side skirting in the same as well as the rear enclosure. Hook and string eyes enclose the rear, there are points where the hooks have missed and stabbed into the fabric, easily fixed with a neat stitching and I personally would add metal hooks to close. The interior bodice is fully boned and the gown has a built in inner polished cotton skirting that has seams finely finished in silk. Surprisingly there is no label found in the gown, measures 34 inches around the bust, 26 inches around the waist, 60 inches in front length, and 66 inches in its rear training length.

From Me:
This is so lovely. I don't think it's 1912, but a bit earlier. I'm thinking 1908 or there abouts.