Pretty in Pink Frothy Mid-1860's Dress

From the seller:

A dreamy original Civil War Era circa 1865 lady's three piece sheer white organza gown that is trimmed in pleated ruffles with Mechlin lace and deep rose colored pull through ribbon accents. A draped bodice with long lappets shown wrapped around the waist, and an asymmetrical overskirt with a gored front and cartridge pleated sides and back to the waistband, and an apron like front overskirt with a drawstring tied waistband with bow and matching lace above the the front hem. Shown over a full bodice foundation and a hoop skirt that are not included. The bodice has clear glass buttons to the front closure. A 38" bust, 34" waist and 54" from shoulder to front hem. In good clean as found condition, with a few tiny age flaws that include pin dot to 1/8" holes, most to the skirt, some very minor perspiration to the lining of the sleeves, a small mended tear to the back of the overskirt, and a sprinkle of tiny holes above the back hem. Quite a delightful organza gown of the Civil War era

From Me:

Oh my! A larger sized dress! I love the pink accents.

Ruffles! Petticoat, Turn of the Century

From the seller:

1900 or late 1800's Cotton Petticoat
Tons of Ruffles in the back
Small shell or MOP buttons in the back
Larger rows of ruffles in the front
thin straps, trimmed with very delicate lace
deep scoop neck in front & back
has been some mends made to it, but still in great vintage condition
very beautiful, ruffles are very intricate, and very detailed.
great collectors item, also great to wear, or upcycle!
bust circumference is approx 38in
waist is approx 30in
hips are open


Measurements are taken with garment lying flat & seam to seam:
Bust- 17in
Waist- 13.5in
Hips- 18in
Length- 54
Split length- 29in
Sleeve- sleeveless
Condition- excellent vintage condition, minor repairs, not noticeable!


very good condition. no holes, spots stains or other defects noted!!



From Me:

Honestly? I choose this because I love the play of monochrome and light in a couple of the photos. My guess is 1890's but it could easily be worn later as well.

Regency Era Gentlemen's Waistcoat

From the seller:

Item Description

A very fine example of an early 19th Century Gentleman's court waistcoat circa 1800.

Of typical form constructed of fine ivory coloured silk decorated with sprigs and flowers to the front opening, bottom edge and both pocket flaps. There are 6 embroidered false buttons to the front however the waistcoat is fastened using plain buttons concealed beneath the front flap. Stand up collar design with two adjustment straps to the rear. The back panel appears to be a light cotton.

A very fine example with some age related staining originating from the armpit area but these do not detract. No mothing or anything that can really constitute as damage. Please note though this is a garment dating over 200 years old so please expect some minor staining or creasing that may not be visible in the images.

The stock is simply a piece of tied satin material however as this matches the waistcoat well it will be included in the sale. An unusually large sized garment for the period.

Chest Size Measurement: 98cm

From Me:

For my fellow Americans that for the live of them cannot convert from cm into inches in their heads, I had to look it up too. :-D It's roughly 38.5 inches. So, yeah, not a small guy. However, this is just too lovely and too colorful not to be included today. :-)

Velvet Bustle Era Dress

From the seller:

1880's Golden Velvet Bustle Gown: This bustle dress from the 1880's reminds me of an antique velvet teddy bear that is worn with love. The dress has quite a lot of wear to the velvet nap and has been patched under the arms multiple times to augment its life. The skirt has a waist of 24 and a skirt length of 37. The waist band is very worn in places. See photos. It will need to be replaced. The cartridge pleatiing and the other gathered areas are still intact so it will make the waist band easier to rework. The easiest thing to do would be to make a new waist band and hand sew it over the old one. There is some fraying around the bottom of the skirt. The drape on one side needs to be tacked down firmly in place. It is hanging by a few threads right now. I took a photo of the back part of the skirt so that you could see the holes in the lining at the top that will need to be patched. The bodice has a waist of 22, shoulders of 12 and a bust of 29. There is a 1.5 inch notch (tear) in the right sleeve. The seam on the back of the sleeve is letting loose. There are three missing buttons and three buttons that are on the bodice that don't match the original buttons which are dyed mother of pearl. The dress is a little dusty from age. I purchased it on ebay so long ago that I don't remember what I paid for it. I had intended to fix it but never got around to it. It makes a nice display. If you added a black 1880's mantel with the dress it would be quite charming and would hide all of the wear at the top of the bodice.

From Me:

Despite the wear, this is still a lovely dress.

Striking 1840's Bodice with matching cape

From the seller:

Beautiful 1840s bodice with caplet, green silk iridescent fabric. Fastens in back with hooks and eyes. 24 inch waist. Slilght stain not noticeable underarms. Caplet is 15 inches long.

From Me:

Pretty green shinies!

Lovely 1890's Gown

From the seller:

Ocher Silk & French Brocade 1890's Ballgown: This dress is made of an ocher silk and french metallic brocade. This dress is from the 1890's. This was called "The Belle Epoch or is often called "The Opulent Era". The bodice has a bust of 28 and a waist of 20. The skirt has a waist of 24 and a length of 38. This dress must have been a favorite dress because it is well worn. The bodice has heavy underarm stains that do have some small holes. See photo of the worst underarm. There are spots on the sleeves (see photos) and the waist ribbon needs tacking back on one side. The bow in the back needs sewing back on and there are thread holes around the neckline which make me think that it was originally trimmed in lace. The skirt is entirely lined in cotton and the lining is in good condition. There are spots here and there on the ochre silk while the French Brocade is in good condition. There are long drips down the back of the dress. See photo. There are also other spots on the back. This 1890's style is the last of the bustle period. Even though this dress has problems, it displays well from the front. You do not see the underarm stains because of the large Gibson Girl sleeves.

From Me:

...Of the many colors I see here, ocher is not one of them. I see a lovely spring green and a nice eggshell. The 1890's were post bustle period and I don't believe I've ever heard the Belle Epoch or the Gay Nineties called the Opulent Era before....

I will give credit for at least getting the date right.

Bustling in the New Year

From  the seller:

This lovely gown is from the 1880's and has a large bustle back. It is an evening dress made of heavy salmon silk satin and french silk brocade. It is a larger size for the period and displays nicely but does have issues. The waist of the skirt is 31 inches. Part of the waist band is missing and I have pinned some of the pleats in place to photograph the dress. There is wear at the top of the fabric of the skirt which will need to be trimmed a little when the new waist band is made. The length of the front of the skirt is approximately 40 inches. The lining is a combination of silk and cotton and is in sound condition. There is a silk ruffle on the back of the slip that will need to be sewn back in place. There is a 5 inch tear on the right back side of the skirt and quite a bit of wear and some shattering at the bottom part of the train. See photos. The train is long enough to turn under a part of it to hide the damage on the edge. The bodice has a bust of 38 and a waist of 32. The bodice lining is made of polished cotton and is in good condition. Both sleeve linings have tears in the linings. This doesn't show when the dress is on display. There is wear and some splitting to the bodice silk and wear to the back neck piece. I would not recommend wearing this gown but with some work it would make a great display. The wear to the silk would not be visible in soft museum lighting. For those of you who are dressing antique dolls most of the fabric is still soft and supple. The french brocade is wonderful. The fabric is appropriate for fine French dolls such as Jumeau and Steiners.

From Me:

Why oh why would you even think of taking this dress apart for antique dolls?!? Seriously, seller, get your priorities straight!

This is a lovely larger example of a bustle dress, hence the pun in the title. :-) Remember, this was worn with a corset so the lady that wore this dress would probably be around a modern size 16 or 18.

Happy New Year! I'll be posting colorful dresses today. :-)