Poor Angus, he did not like being left behind as I sent out the doot to Costume College. Poor dude…
Author: Adam Lid
And It’s On!
Here’s a little promotion for Costume College. I’ve laid my suit out and I’m ready to go. It should be a lot of fun. 🙂
At The Seaside – 1880s Style
The weather here in LA has been pretty warm lately and when that happens, one can not help but think of going to the beach. 🙂 Here are a few views from the 1880s:
And now for a somewhat idealized view:
Stay cool ths summer! 🙂
The Ensemble Dress, c. 1877
Ensemble dresses were not just present in the 1890s- here’s an example from circa 1877 by Worth:
Worth, Ensemble Dress, c. 1877 – 1878; Cincinnati Art Museum (1986.1200a-c)
The view above reflects the cuirass bodice style that was coming into vogue during the late 1870s and the lines are well-sculpted and clean with a minimum of trim. This bodice was intended more for wear at daytime functions while the bodice below was meant for evening functions:
With the night bodice.
Here’s a close up of the day bodice. The edges of the bodice front openings and sleeve cuffs are trimmed with the same fabric that the underskirt is made from, combined with lace trim.
Close-up of the day bodice.
Although we don’t have a side profile picture, it does appear that the silhouette is a bit more slimmed down and with the cuirass bodice, the wouldn’t be much room for a full bustle. Stay tuned for more on ensemble dresses…
The Ensemble Dress, Redux
Here’s another ensemble dress from Maison Worth, also from circa 1893. Style-wise, it’s similar to the example that we presented in yesterday’s post but perhaps a little more restrained. Here are a few views:
Worth, Ensemble Dress, 1893; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.620a–e)
The Alternate Bodice
Once again, we see a jacket style for the day bodice with a filler of tulle. The skirt and jacket bodice are a pea-green silk brocade with black lace trim and accents. The night bodice with its light cinnamon colored silk velvet provides a pleasant contrast to the pea green. Compared to yesterday’s example, this dress is a bit more restrained but it’s still a nice design. The silk brocade fabric is interesting and we only wish that there were some close-up pictures of the fabric detail. It’s evident that both the dress and the one in yesterday’s post used identical or fairly similar pattern pieces. Finally, here’s an interesting part of the ensemble- matching shoes:
Matching shoes to outfit.
Stay tuned for more posts on this subject. 🙂