It’s always magical when an period costume event happens and everything comes together just right. This picture is from an event that I participated in a few years ago.
A special afternoon tea in San Marino spent with a group of beautifully bustle’d ladies, we then retired to the Japanese Garden for pictures. Some days are magic. 
And to follow up from yesterday’s post… 🙂
Her shatter-y insides do not detract from her beauty. There’s no evidence of a petersham with a designer’s stamp, but all her stays are present. The embroidery and net are in delightfully great shape, but only if they are separated from that damaged silk. I have a new design in mind…
And for just for an idea of what I’m going for…
Art Nouveau styling in early celluloid palettes come to life when laid across some violet silk:
She’s from Paris circa 1898 (ish), perhaps only worn a few times before coming to live with me. Did she dine at Maxim’s, or drink champagne at the Moulin Rouge? There’s got to be a story behind all the sparkle! The skirt’s lining is lost, and her bodice insides are a bit shatter-y. I have restoration plans in store for her, with perhaps a few changes. 🙂
Today we continue the “Black- Not Just For Mourning” theme a bit more with this day dress/afternoon dress:
Afternoon Dress, c. 1898; Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.56.16.2a, b)
Here’s a close-up view of the bodice. The beading and soutache bring a three-dimensional “live” effect to the dress while at the same time they give a luster that offsets what would a somewhat dull dress.
The rear of the bodice especially shows off the decorative effects of the beading on the collar combines with beading and soutache work on the bodice back and shoulders.
William Boeklage is relatively unknown today but was one of the many ladies’ tailors in Paris from the 1890s through 1920. Not much is known about the firm but that may change in the future. This is a beautiful dress and certainly demonstrates how far design effects can be used to show off the dress’s color to its greatest advantage.
And just for something different today, here’s a portrait from 1891 of Madame Albert Cahen d’Anvers. Portraiture from a particular historical period can often give us an idea of what was worn then, or at least an idealized version of that clothing. In this case, we see an elegant evening dress combined with a long opera cloak. The gold color of the cloak lining nicely contrasts with the silk ivory evening dress. It would be nice to have been able to actually view the dress itself but unfortunately it’s no longer in existence (as far as we can determine) so we’ll have to content ourselves with the portrait.
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat, Portrait de madame Albert Cahen d’Anvers, 1891; Bayonne, Musée Bonnat
Here’s a closer view:
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat, Portrait de madame Albert Cahen d’Anvers, 1891; Bayonne, Musée Bonnat