Sunday, November 17, 2013

Late 1890's Silk Outfit












From the seller:

This is a fabulous piece of Victorian handiwork. I am not an expert in Victorian style, so I cannot pinpoint the year but it appears quite old. The dress consists of a long-sleeved button-up jacket and long skirt. The lining is a taupe colored cotton with a silk overlay that is a horizonal striped pattern in a brown, mauve, rust color palette. There are smaller details in the silk such as fine vertical stripes in black and rust. This gives the silk an overall plaid appearance. The dress can be handled without damaging it (in other words, the silk isn't disinigrating), but the silk is in fragile condition with MANY holes and tears (it's odd, in several areas the silk is missing consistently within the pattern, with giving the remaining silk a lattice-like surface, see picture #8)). See pictures (more available upon request).

The jacket has nice boning intact (see picture #4). There are 15 button holes and 13 small intricate buttons (3 of which are detached but I have them). So there are 2 missing buttons. The sewing on the jacket, both back and front, has some great detail. This would make a nice study piece.

There is detailing on the skirt and jacket in a honey golden brown velvet / velveteen type fabric. The large panel of this fabric in the front of the skirt is in excellent condition. This fabric accents the jacket on the cuffs, collar, shoulders, and down the front along the buttons. The fabric on the jacket shows more wear and "low pile".

The skirt measures 43" long and the waist is 12 3/4" wide when pulled taught. The skirt does not have a fastener nor a button hole. I'm not sure how it was originally fastened. The jacket is approx 17 1/2 ", measuring from outer tips of the shoulders. The hems and some of the pleated areas appear to be hand stitched. The majority appears to be machine sewn (consistent with its age


From Me:

I bet the dye used in the fabric is why the pieces are gone. It might have originally been a bright purple or blue.

It's rare to see a false front skirt like this in the 1890's. They were more common a decade earlier but the style of the bodice and the overall cut of the skirt are both Turn of the Century.

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