In the West, an honest dusty hem makes everything right…
Victorian Dress
From the Atelier – Some Inspiration
She’s on my “some day” list…or whenever I can score some ever-elusive emerald green silk taffeta for my 1870s fashion moment. Meanwhile, she hangs out at the Musee d’Orsay, larger than life.
Here’s another view:
Alexandre Cabanel, Comtesse de Keller 1873
Fall Morning at the Atelier
Morning fog, pumpkin spice coffee, freezer gets done today, dress fitting, and a bunch of westerns are on today’s lineup. All is well in the Canyon.
From the Atelier – A Paisley Tea Gown
In a previous post, we looked at a paisley house dress/tea gown from the mid-1890s and noted that the paisley shawls that were a staple of 1850s-60s fashion would up being re-purposed into dresses during the 1870s, 80s, and even 90s. Here’s one such example with this c. 1885-89 tea gown.
Tea Gown, c. 1885-1889; Kent State University Museum; 1995.017.0016
Although the design makes it look like there’s a robe over a separate under-dress, it’s really all a one-piece construction.
And the back is pretty incredible:
Of course, without physically inspecting it, it’s difficult to tell how exactly the paisley shawl might have been incorporated (or if a shawl was actually used versus yardage) but it is somewhat logical given the extensive use of a solid color as an underlayer. The investigation continues… 😎
From the Atelier – Fall is Here…
Happy First Day of Autumn! To celebrate this spooky pumpkin season, I thought I’d share one of the first ladies that started our collection in bright copper pumpkin silk faille. She’s all original, no shattering, and is fetchingly balanced on one of our own bustles. She’s homemade or Dressmaker made, completely hand finished and little to no signs of wear. Was she a wedding or special occasion dress? Only the Ghost Seamstress knows…
