Looking for early 1900s day dresses but not the lingerie dress style? Well, here’s an interesting alternative from circa 1903:

Day Dress, c. 1903; FIDM Museum (79.25.12A-C)

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of detail on specific dress materials, except to say that silk is one of the materials, so short of a physical inspection, it’s somewhat speculation on our part but it’s probable that the fashion fabric is either a silk print or has woven stripes. Velvet is also indicated as another material and more likely present in the trim running along the bottom and middle hems, bodice front, and collar. Finally, lace is also indicated and that’s pretty obvious looking at the middle hem, shoulders, and collar.  Stripes have often been used as a dramatic style element and when used judiciously, they can take an otherwise average dress and make it into something fantastic as with the day dress.

The side profile really shows up the “pouter pigeon” look created by the S-Bend corset.

The train nicely shows off the vertical stiped effect. Daywear styles in the 1900-1905 time frame were dominated by lingerie/lingerie style dresses and this is what tends to stick in people’s minds when considering this period. The above dress stands out as a major exception and certainly provides some food for thought. Stay tuned for more! 🙂