Ninety-six degrees, but we’re pretending it’s Fall. Stay turned for more…
Dress Designs
Mid-1890s Style – One Dress
Mid 1890s styles are very easy to spot with their gigot sleeves and multi-gore skirts. We came across this circa 1895 dinner dress dress on the Augusta Auctions website, one of our go-to dress source outside of museums.
Augusta Auctions
This is an interesting dress in that it utilizes a two-tone color effect, pairing a pea green (medium green) colored skirt and bodice trim with gold-colored sleeves and under-bodice. There’s a definite floral theme running through this with floral embroidery on the skirt as well part of the front bodice. Here’s some more views:
Here are some closer views of the bodice and sleeves. The sleeves are interesting in that the gold-colored fabric has a subtle floral pattern that complements the other floral elements found on the skirt and bodice.
The pea green fashion fabric appears to be made of a silk taffeta with a dull finish that acts as a nice contrasting texture to the gold silk sating of the sleeves.
The sleeve fabric appears to be a silk satin with an embroidered floral design.
And finally, here’s the decorative effect on the skirt itself:
The skirt is also finished off by a back of ruching running along the hemline.
Overall, this dinner dress is elegant but not overdone and definitely sets a level of elegance that might not be on the level worn by one of the 400 but is still up there. Interestingly enough, this dress was made in Boston and while it borrows many French design elements, it’s also restrained. We love the dress!
Good Morning from No. 11
Good morning! It’s Sunday in Tombstone and today is the big finale of weekend- more details on that soon…in the meantime, here’s a few pictures from yesterday.
Yes, it was definitely red dress day!
From the Atelier – Our Design Philosophy
Our passion to help set the standard for reproducing late 19th Century garments begins with an understanding of all the details found in original/extant garments. Often, when we look at reproduction garments (film, reenactment, old time dress-up), we notice that they often repeat the mistakes found in tired, mass-produced reproduction patterns. To us, the only true way of recreating late 19th Century garments are by starting with an examination of original/extant garments. All our designs are based on originals garments and probably 80% of those specific designs are based on extant garments in our collection; if you view our social media (Facebook, Instagram), you will see our designs next to the originals that inspired them.
Side-by-side comparison. Now, bear in mind that our designs are not always line-for-line reproductions but rather we use various period design elements and combine them to create more of “inspired-by” creations.
This is the heart of the patterning/design operation- pattern pieces are checked by placing on a mannequin as well as “walking” the pieces and truing up the edges. Yes, this takes time and effort but it avoids mistakes and saves a lot of time and eliminates a lot of grief in the end. Trust us… In future posts, we’ll have more on our design philosophy.
Looking Back – Some Past Work – Seafoam Reinterpreted
As we get ready to head out to No. 11 this Labor Day Weekend, we got to thinking about a dress that we made for client living in Tombstone… It’s hard to believe that it’s been eight years since we made this dress but it was one of the most fun projects we ever did and better yet, it now resides in Tombstone. The dress design was intended more for the spring and that’s influenced our color choices for the fashion fabric and the trim. Below are a few views:
This one’s definitely springtime in 1880, perfect for the promenade with dyed to match vintage straw chapeau, re-blocked and sewn on our antique straw machines. Remember, YOU wear the hat, hat does NOT wear you- this is no random assembly of “stuff”. This hat, along with our entire collection of hats, are designed with one person in mind: YOU, the client.
Closeup of hand finished bodice with scalloped neckline treatment with vintage embroidered net and antique lace appliques. The hat is subtle, elegant, and understated with each decorative detail positioned for maximum effect.
Seafoam is an excellent springtime color, conjuring gentle ocean breezes and long leisurely days at the seashore. Embroidered cotton and silk with vintage lace overlays, ruching, and ruffles. As with all our dress designs, this is a unique design constructed expressly for our client and as such, it’s a one-of-a-kind.