Black Edwardian Shirtwaist and matching Skirt

From the seller:

Up for auction is an amazing Victorian 2 piece dress. Dress is made of black cotton. The dress has great details indicative of the period.



Condition: The dress has fading throughout. It has small holes / pulls throughout. I only saw the holes/pulls when I took the two pieces and opened them up in front of a widow.




Size: The Top is a Small - Large

Bust: 40"

Length of top 18 1/2"

Length of sleeves 22"

Waist 42"




Skirt: XS-S

Waist 25"

Hips, free

Length of skirt 38"







From Me:

The problem with black is that the details don't often show up well on camera. Luckily, this seller took a lot of photos! It's not Victorian, but a nice Edwardian outfit. The pintucks on the blouse and the skirt are typical of the Edwardian period.

Public Service Announcement!

Right now, Spoonflower is having a free shipping day.  This means that the 1790's stays pattern I have up on spoonflower, as well as the reproduction Regency print fabric will ship for free.  Check it out! 

Blue mid to late 1860's Dress

From the seller:

A beautiful 1860’s Civil War era blue silk two piece dress. The dress comes with a separate belt that ties in the back under the back center peplum. The bodice and sleeve cuffs are trimmed with a deeper shade of blue silk fringe and blue satin bands. The bodice is lined with cotton and has a front hook and eye closure. The front buttons and sleeve cuff buttons are decorative and made of blue silk. The center back peplum is trimmed with a bow, blue satin bands and blue silk fringe. The separate belt is made of blue satin. The skirt is fully lined with cotton. The dress is in very good and sturdy condition. There is some minor underarm discoloration and three small surface only pea size holes under the arms. The front waist on the bodice has been altered or never finished. (See photo.) This is completely hidden by the separate belt. There is some fraying on the skirt waistband and a couple of tiny age spots on the skirt. A magnificent display dress. Bust 34 Waist 26 Skirt length 37 Back length 41 Width at hemline 146.

From me:

This is actually post Civil War - although barely. This is another good example of how much the Victorians hated color. :-D

White (Texas Sized!) Bustle Gown

From the seller:

1880's Massive Silk beaded Wedding Gown Brooklyn Museum of Art: This 1880's silk bustle wedding gown was purchased from one of the Augusta Auction's and came from the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Several of my European customers have asked for a chance at this dress so here goes. This is one of the most spectacular wedding gowns every offered on ebay. The dress was created in the 1880's of heavy ivory silk. The bodice has a lining of silk. The lining is in very good condition.The bodice has sleeves of netting that are beaded with bugle beads and pearls. The neckline of the bodice is heavily beaded with pearls and bugle beads in ivory and cream. The overall condition of the bodice is good to excellent with only minor bead loss. The bust is 31, the waist is 22 and the shoulders are 13. The skirt was made of heavy silk and the outer skirt is in good to excellent condition with only some minor spots to the silk. The silk netting on the front of the skirt which has the large embroidered flowers has started to split and tear in places. It needs to be conserved. There are a few spots where someone started conservation with white net. The flowers do have some staining. See photos. A small section of silk at the top waist band front and back is splitting, though this is not seen with the skirt and bodice is worn together. This silk is not part of the heavy silk that most of the skirt is made of. The silk lining inside the skirt has some wears and tears that need to be stabilized and the pleating on one side of the back needs to be sewn back in place. The skirt length is 38 in front. The waist is 22.5 inches and the length of the train from the back waist is 92 inches. It is a cathedral train. We have additional photos of the dress with the photos of the lining condition and the waist band issues. Please email us if you want those as well. The reserve is less than the buy it now. The bidding will start at $0.99.

From me:

This is one of those I wasn't sure whether to post or not. I'm really not sure this is actually an extant garment. The skirt is, but the bodice looks to have had some work done. Also, I couldn't find the Augusta Auction page (probably just means they never took pictures of it). The dress is from the 1870's (the collar was VERY popular then).

Red 1930's Coat

From the seller:



From Me:

Happy Fourth to all my Fellow Americans! Today, I'll post something for each the Red, White, and Blue!

Natural Form Seaside Dress!

From the seller:

A charming 1880’s blue and white stripe cotton bustle dress. The one piece dress is designed in the Princess style. The front and back panels are made of navy blue cotton. The sleeve cuffs and two front pockets are made of both colored fabrics. The dress is trimmed with crocheted lace. The back bustle area is trimmed with blue and white silk ribbon and the skirt has a back train. The dress is unlined and has a front button closure. It is in very good condition. There is no underarm discoloration. There are a few tiny age spots and a few slightly larger then pencil tip size holes. The ribbon trim has some minor age discoloration. The age flaws are very minor and do not distract from the overall appearance. A very pretty display dress. Bust 32 Waist 26 Front length 52 Back length to edge of train 60.

From Me:

I swore I posted this before but I couldn't find it. Late 1870's/early 1880's natural form.

Edwardian Morning Outfit

From the seller:

1880's Hand Embroidered Ivory cotton & lace Jacket and Bustle skirt: This ensemble was created in the 1880's but the hand embroidered fabric is much earlier. The lace is hand made as well. The bodice of the jacket has a 34 bust and a waist of 30. This style was made to wear loose. I am sure it had a fitted bodice or vest under it. There are no closures on the jacket. There is some age related wear and several holes on the back (see photo), and several splits in the front shoulders (see photos). The skirt has a waist of 26 and a length of 39. The skirt is in good condition with minor age related wear. Both have turned a creamy color. The embroidery is just lovely.

From Me:

It's pretty obvious from the back that this outfit in no way wants a bustle beneath it. I bet the skirt would have a lovely little train if there wasn't all that junk in the trunk put under it. *sigh*

Anyway, the sleeve style is similar to a tea gown at the Met from 1905. The 3/4 undersleeve also points to a 1900's date.