Saturday, May 31, 2014

Mid 1860's Summer Dress







From the seller:

A gossamer1860’s printed muslin Civil War era dress. The fabric has a gray stripe and gray floral spray pattern on a white background. The neck, shoulders and armscyes are piped. The bodice is lined with a camisole that has a front hook and eye closure. The sleeve cuffs have a hook and eye closure. The skirt is unlined and has a long back sweep. The dress is in very good condition. There is one ½ inch mend on one shoulder and two pea size hole on the edge of the hemline. There is a 2 inch age mark on the back of the train and a few other minor small light colored age spots on the skirt. A beautiful display dress. Bust 34 Waist 26 Front skirt length 41 Back length 50 Width at hemline 152.

From Me:

I'd say just after the American Civil War - 1865/1866 for this dress. The waistline is more consistent with that date.

Edwardian Bohemian Want-to-be Skirt






From the seller:

Treasures : Wonderful antique 1900 ( I think about 1910 because of the silk floral pattern fabric who's typically from this era ) ruffles long skirt .

HARD TO FIND !

Made of silk , wool ( small part inside the skirt ) and tull with polka dots .


Pattern :

Floral pattern .


Size :

The size can be really large -XXL- or really small -XXS- ( a silk beige ribbon at the waist for tighten the skirt )



Measurements :

Length : 89 cm / 35 inches
Weight : 0,600 kg



Condition :

Excellent !

Only one or two small holes on the tull but it is very minor .
There is a black spot on the skirt ( see photo ) . I think it is a chocolat or coffee spot .


From Me:

The fabric is all consistent with a Turn of the Century date. Drawstrings were used in skirts- I have an extant bustle gown that is half drawstring, half pleated to a waistband- and this drawstring looks original.

Bustle Era Skirt Panel








From the seller:

This was some strong woman who wore this heavy beadwork and one of great wealth. I believe these are called jet beads when they change from black to blue as the light hits them. This is solid beading in a fabulous design and it is very long, the whole front of a garment skirt, likely one side. It measures 37 inches long, 11 inches wide at the bottom, 5 inches wide at the top. The work is hand done on black velvet. I will add a photo of the back of it when i can take a photo in natural light. Incredibly beautiful. Very heavy. Shipping 12.00. I am getting eaten alive by shipping. Everything i sell seems to go to california or oregon! I am in richmond. Ebay estimates re so far off! . No international shipping. I will take front photos in natural light also. Black on black is not easy!

From Me:

This puts the couple of skirt front panels I have from this era to shame. Wow! My guess is 1880's but it could be as late as Edwardian. The insides shot showing the ruffle at the bottom of the skirt panel makes me think earlier rather than later, however. Also, the 37" would be pretty normal for a bustle era skirt.

Late 1920's Dress








From the seller:

With a fluttering asymmetrical cape, vintage from the late 1920s or very early '30s, this ethereal buff crepe flapper dress has all the charm and grace of that bygone Deco era ...and the cherry on top is that it's in excellent, well-cared-for and well-stored, and very wearable condition!
SIZE AND MEASUREMENTS



• Small size


• BUST measures 33" and can give to 34"
•seam at DROPPED WAIST measures 31" and can give to 33"
•HIP is free
•LENGTH shoulder to hem measures 35"


Please feel free to email me for other measurements, info or photos. I am always happy to email you right back (just not early in the morning - I am so not a morning person)



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*






•BILLOWING ETHEREAL CREPE!


•SIDE SNAPS!


•CHARMING 1920s-30s SILHOUETTE!


•EXCELLENT CONDITION!

CONDITION AND DETAILS

The dress is in excellent well-cared-for and very wearable condition with just a few small and probably insignificant things to mention. First, the good news is that the underarms are still strong and solid and healthy - and that's the usual trouble spot. There's a short seam at the shoulder that looks like it's shaping the shoulder but is actually a mend; there's a tiny hole on the skirt that might be better left unmended because it won't show with a slip underneath, and to me the lace looks newer than the dress and seems to have been replaced..


From Me:

This is a good example of way too much going on. I think the dress would look a lot better without the odd lace stuff at the bottom. Also, I can see the age spots on this dress - one hour of wearing it and you'd be naked.

1870's Waistcoat by Charles Worth!









From the seller:

Victorian lady's waistcoat or vest decorated with ornate floral and ribbon brocade. It was custom made by Charles F. Worth circa 1878. The fabric was originally late 18th century wedding dress material.
The base material is a polished green linen. There's a wonderfully detailed ecru lace bib. The front fastens with two layers of hook and eyes.
From the Rocklin estate in Maine. Mr. Rocklin was a successful and wealthy inventor who held many patents. His wife ordered this made from brocade material that was in her family, which in 1878, was already about 100 years old. This was a fairly common practice by the wealthy in the late 19th century who could afford couture.
The silk is soft and beautiful, and the entire piece is gorgeous.

Label: Charles F. Worth

Approximate Measurements:
Bust: 32"
Waist: 22"
Shoulders: 11"
Length: 26"


From Me:

What the seller said. :-)

Friday, May 30, 2014

Off Topic Post - Medium Sized Transitional Stays Pattern now up for sale!

Medium Sized Transitional Stays

These are available up at Spoonflower. Order the fat quarter for one copy of the pattern in a medium size. The small size is also still up as well. These are pretty highly adjustable given the front and back lacing. I wear my stays, which are from this pattern, with all my Regency era dresses. I truly love them - they are comfortable and work well through out most of the Regency era (1795-1825).

 Here's the pattern as it arrived today in the mail for me to make sure it actually looks okay.  There is only one minor issue and it has to do with the strap.

 The strap matches in the front strap tab perfectly - however not with the back one.  Just add a small gusset in your mock up and it should work fine.  Add the triangular gusset to the inside - armscye- side. 
 The pattern front on the dress dummy.   The strap is a bit long - but I did that on purpose so that people can adjust it to their size as needed.   Just cut off the excess when doing a mock up. 
The back with the bum roll piece.  :-)   Match to the pink dot closest to the back or move it closer to the back tabs.  It will work fine from there. 

Feel free to ask any questions. Here's the previous post for the small stays pattern.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Edwardian Tea Gown












From the seller:

1900 Artistic Dress Pink Silk & Chiffon: This is just a phenomenal part of fashion history. For a brief time around the turn of the 19th to 20th century high fashion women were wearing gowns like this inspired by Grecian design. These gowns had much more freedom of movement than normal dresses of the time. The curator of the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing considered this dress as a donation some years back when he was putting together an Artistic dress display. On page 131 of "Fabulous" written by Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson you can see the Artistic Dress I donated to the museum which I purchased from ebay seller Fiddybee. This dress was designed for Stern brothers, West 23rd St. Paris, New York. The waist is 23 inches, the bust is 32, the shoulder is 12.5 and the front length is 42. This dress is quite fragile and has excessive damage to the underskirts. All of the underlinings and slips are shattering. The outer dress has faded in the front from a deeper pink to a lighter pink. The photo of the full length side shows the difference in the color. There are some spots on the pink silk as well. The silk chiffon in front has multiple holes and the sleeves have holes as well. The worst holes are on the shoulder part of one sleeve. See photo. This dress is just for display or inspiration it is too fragile and never could be worn. It is so incredible I just have hung on to it for years. It displays best from the back as you can see from photos. One photo shows the under slip deterioration. It is time to pass it on to someone else who will love it and take care of it. The bidding will start at $0.99 with no reserve. The first of next week I am going to list a gold lame ballgown from the same period. Have fun bidding.

From Me:

Remember, no drooling on the keyboard or dress.

Still GORGEOUS 1920's Black Net Dress









From the seller:


Antique Flapper-Era Silk Dress Black AS-IS for Iridescent Beads Sequins Crafts

Offered for sale is an antique/vintage Flapper-era black silk dress with elaborate iridescent green/blue/gold/black multi-colored glass bead/sequin decorations. This dress is not wearable, as the silk is shredding. There are missing beads/sequins, but overall the decorations are in good condition. This item is sold AS-IS for repurposing / restoration / crafting.

Please see the photos for more details - you may need to scroll to see them all. Thanks for looking!!



From Me:

Despite the tears to the net, I think this could easily be displayed in a museum. The designs on it, beading, and sequins still look jaw droppingly beautiful.