Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Turn of the Century dress a seller desecrated











From the seller:

I produce High Teas featuring true vintage wearable antique clothing on live models or in exhibitions, although the top & skirt are true vintage, the accessories have been made to match or store bought to complete the look & to "WOW" the audience. I have to rotate stock & sell it because of my following who wishes to see different outfits to be WOWED by. This is considered a Wearable Antique & is a size small which will fit a size 2 to 5. It has been named the "BLACK ROSE PLANTATION DRESS" in my Show, the black rose appliques have been added for embellishment purposes. Perhaps this can be a fantastic edition to your collection, the accessories are included which are a hat, belt, purse & muff,this is a great value, thank you for looking. Check out my other items! Be sure to add me to your favorites list! This will be sent in 2 boxes insured & is the reason why the postage is a little extra, thank you.

From Me:

Yes, the dress itself is still intact so some of you will take issue with the word "desecrate" in the title. However, desecrate is to disrespect something, which is exactly what this seller did. I get the allure of wearing antique clothing, and in a controlled environment, it can be done for short periods. Even that, can and will cause the fibers of the garment to age more quickly and weaken them. It's not a good idea - as many of us learn over time. To purposefully take a garment that the seller clearly knows nothing about and add "bling" because s/he wanted to name it "black rose" is irresponsible in my opinion. Would you paint over an antique painting and add a tree just because you wanted to rename it?

So, what s/he changed: The neckline. That blue bow and the man made lace was not there originally.

The waist - the blue bow again and the modern roses. The appliques were also added to the cuffs.

The hat and the purse are also modern.

Antique clothing should be treated as the works of art they are and not played with in this manner.

2 comments:

  1. WOW you captured all of my rage in your description!! Some people just don't or can't understand the value and significance of vestiges of a bygone lifestyle...that's why this summer, I'll be volunteering at my town's museum to re-display the antique dresses (ranging from mid victorian to 1950s) there. The small, forgotten museum even has a Victorian nightgown labeled as a wedding gown, and a beaded 1920s dress hanging on a mannequin--huge horizontal shatters have already appeared in the back of the dress. And worse, about 10 of these fragile silk gowns are displayed directly under a massive skylight!! Arghhh!

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    Replies
    1. Ugh! I've worked in less than stellar museums before - often the director/owner/curator has one specific interest and refuses to change anything at all - even the exhibit that has been up and not changed in 25 years.

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