Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Edwardian Tea Gown









From the seller:

legant couture 1860’s Civil War Ball gown over coat in amazing condition. French Pastel cream watered silk fabric with pink Roses. Embellished with the best carved Mother of Pearl buttons, front and back. A sewing masterpiece with front and back rows of gorgeous ruching, and also on the sleeve armyces intense cartridge pleating. Aside from a few tiny hold to light pinholes and a little seam opening in the back it is in excellent condition. No stains, ripping, tears or real holes. This is due to the fabric pre dating when metal was added to the silk, causing shattering from the weight. This is extremely well preserved, museum worthy. It will need to be steamed, otherwise fine quality condition. The solid cream silk inner lining has some splits, but this is only on the inside. Bust 40, waist 26/27, front length 50 back 49. Measurements are approximate. Absolutely no returns due to design copy theft. Thanks for understanding this before you buy : )

From Me:

0_o? No returns due to design copy theft? I mean, I understand no returns but this isn't exactly the seller's copyrighted work unless the seller is one of the oldest people in the world.

1907 Examples of Tea Gowns from Butterick


This extant one is most similar to the design on the upper left but with a fitted back like the one on the bottom left.  I really adore the fabric and it's clearly a late 19th century/early 20th century fabric as the water roses were most popular then.

It looks like the tea gown was being re-worked - or was taken apart to be used in other projects.  Still, what we have left is stunning - and very much not American Civil War era.  I'm holding out hope that the seller just put that in there for keyword clicks and not because they actually think it's from the 1860's.

2 comments:

  1. Gorgeous - oh the buttons! Also, that is one of the most... baffling seller descriptions I have seen. I don't like making fun of people who want to find an attic find a home for not being as obsessed with fashion history as I am, but that one is really in a league of its own.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The buttons are pretty cool. I bet this was stunning when it was altogether. As for the description...I don't expect as much from the sellers that are just clearing out Grandma's attic as I do from the sellers that sell extant garments everyday. However, I do expect some basic searches to figure out a general era.

      Delete