Friday, October 28, 2016

Turn of the Century Pink Swiss Dot Outfit













From the seller:

DATING TO THE VICTORIAN TURN OF THE CENTURY

FASHIONED OF A SHEER INDIA MUSLIN IN BRIGHT PINK WITH A SMALL PRINT PATTERN AND EMBROIDERED DOT DETAIL

THE BODICE IS HEAVILY RUCHED ON TOP IN BOTH FRONT AND REAR

EMBROIDERED RUFFLES AT THE TOP COLLAR AND BOTTOM EDGE

DRAW STRING AT THE BOTTOM EDGE

SKIRT IN FULL FORM WITH PLEATS TRIMMING THE BOTTOM EDGE, SEVERAL SPOTS NEED THE PLEATS TACKED BACK, STITCHING HAS COME FREE SLIGHTLY

I CAN TELL THAT THE GOWN WAS OVERDYED AT ONE TIME, CANNOT TELL WHEN. THE TELL TALE SIGNS ARE THE EMBROIDERED TRIMS AND THE LINEN WAISTLINE. COLOR IS COMPLETELY EVEN AND HARD TO TELL, I WOULD ADD WHITE LACE OR EYELET TO OFFSET, REMOVING OR ADDING TO THE TRIM OF THE COLLAR AND CUFFS.

THE UNDERARM OF ONE SIDE HAS THE HOLES PICTURED, SEAMS WOULD FULLY RESOLVE

ONE THUMBPRINT OF A WHITE SPOT IS AT THE SIDE FRONT SKIRTING.

CONDITION IS OTHEWISE EXCELLENT, FULLY STRONG AND WEARABLE







MEASUREMENTS IN INCHES:
BODICE:
CHEST: 34
WAIST: 22-26
LENGTH: 16

SKIRT:
WAIST: 22
LENGTH: 40



From Me:

So...it's displayed horribly. I mean, I'm not even sure what the seller was trying to do.
First, it shouldn't be displayed over a crinoline. That went out of fashion about 30/40 years before this was popular.
Second, the shirt tails should be tucked in. I have no idea why they aren't.
1900 Fashion Plate

It's supposed to fall more like the pink dress in the above fashion plate.

7 comments:

  1. That's interesting. She sells so much historical that I thought she would know her time periods better.
    Val

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's really interesting - sometimes she's right on the money and other times it's stuff like this. I have no idea why.

      Delete
  2. There's a pretty simple explanation for the bizarre staging. Quite a lot of sellers will occasionally resort to a forced "Gone With The Wind" look when photographing their garments. Anything can be an Antebellum gown if you own a dented crinoline and believe in yourself!

    Joking aside, staging garments in this way DOES attract a larger pool of buyers. There aren't many silhouettes that are as iconic, and casual buyers may be more attracted to something that captures that conventional romantic ideal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm curious if it is just attracting buyers or if it's something else. This seller has been on ebay for at least 15 years so I doubt they really need more buyers. Maybe an intern staged it and took the photos?

      Delete
    2. It's certainly possible! But this seller has had a few garments in similarly questionable staging in the past. I specifically remember a rash of anachronistic bustles a couple of years ago. However, she can also be very accurate and sensitive to nuance.

      The disparity of quality in information could be from different people creating listings, but even if interns or less informed workers help out with post info, I personally think she is trying to seed the potential pool of buyers as thoroughly as possible. This sort of "error" doesn't seem to happen to the best garments she lists.

      Delete