Gilded Age Patterns!

August 22, 2022August 21, 2022 / Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Looking for patterns for the Gilded Age? We have them! 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1900s- check it out at Atelier Lily Absinthe!!!

Mccall’s M8076 1870s 1880s 19th Century Hat Pattern 4 - Etsy

This Patterns & Blueprints item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 10 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Jul 2, 2022

Simplicity 5457 Circa 1880 Evening Reception Dress Sewing - Etsy

This Womens Costumes item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 2 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Jul 5, 2022

Butterick B6305 Natural Form Mid-bustle Era Late 1870s Early - Etsy

This Womens Costumes item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 3 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Jun 27, 2022

Mccall’s M8189 Misses’ Costume Angela Clayton C. 1880 - Etsy

This Fabric item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 3 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Mar 29, 2022

Mccall’s M8191 Misses’ Skirt Angela Clayton C. 1880 - Etsy

This Fabric item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 11 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Apr 11, 2022

Simplicity 4078 Circa 1895 Ballgown Evening Dress Sewing - Etsy

This Womens Costumes item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 5 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Jun 11, 2022

Butterick B5969 Misses’ Corset and Skirt 1870s 1880a - Etsy

This Fabric item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 17 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Mar 30, 2022

Butterick B6692 Misses’ Costume 1870s Style Day Dress - Etsy

This Fabric item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 5 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Mar 30, 2022

Past Patterns No. 904 1880s Polonaise With Walking Skirt - Etsy

This Womens Costumes item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 4 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Jul 9, 2022

Patterns of History 1876 Bustled Day Dress Sewing Pattern - Etsy

This Fabric item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 3 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Jun 19, 2022

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New From Atelier Lily Absinthe!!

August 17, 2022August 19, 2022 / Karin McKechnie-Lid / Leave a comment

And we’re live with some new dress offerings- these are complete and ready to wear! Check it out at our Etsy Store!

Victorian Style Circa 1883-1887 Day Dress in Bronze Brown Blue - Etsy

This Womens Costumes item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 3 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Aug 17, 2022

1875-1877 Victorian Style Day Dress in Gold Violet Taupe and - Etsy

This Womens Costumes item by AtelierLilyAbsinthe has 5 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Woodland Hills, CA. Listed on Aug 17, 2022

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A Circa 1878 Wedding Gown

August 5, 2022August 4, 2022 / Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Today we present another interesting dress design from the Mid-Bustle/Natural Form Era with this circa 1878 wedding dress. Yes, you heard that right! This dress is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and on their web site, the dress as identified as a “Wedding Ensemble.” Unfortunately, they don’t provide any information on how they arrived at that conclusion so this has to be taken with a grain of salt…

Wedding dress, c. 1878; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.18a, b)

This dress is constructed of an embroidered wine colored stripped silk satin for the overskirt and bodice combined with a purple silk satin for the underskirt, bodice front and cuffs. Finally around the cuffs, there’s a think band of the purple silk sating that’s been pleated and finished off with white lace. In terms of silhouette, this one is cylindrical, characteristic of the Natural Form/Mid-Bustle Era and has no train. The bodice is a cuirass style, falling over the hips. The decorative effect on the underskirt hem is interesting, employing a combination of pleating, ruching, and use of the stripped fashion fabric in the form of vertical tabs running along the upper hem.

Side Profile

Now, as for the dress being a wedding dress, this is a very possible. Unfortunately, there’s no documentation posted online at the Met Museum website and we can only assume that there is documentation but that it didn’t make it online for reasons unknown. But nevertheless, this dress could have been used as a wedding dress in that during the late 19th Century, the use of white as THE wedding dress color was not a rigid convention; a wedding dress was often a bride’s best dress and was meant for wear long after the wedding. Moreover, the idea that one would have a specific dress to be worn only on the wedding day and then put away was also not the norm and in fact, was simply not feasible for most people, not to mention that it was viewed as wasteful. The idea of the one-use wedding dress would start to develop towards the end of the 19th Century but only by the very rich. For a more complete discussion of wedding dresses, check these posts HERE, HERE, and HERE. Ultimately, this dress presents a classic late 1870s/early 1880s day look and works for a variety of social occasions.😁

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More Late 1870s Asymmetrical Style

July 24, 2022July 22, 2022 / Adam Lid / Leave a comment

If you liked our previous post in asymmetrical style, here’s another example from the same couturière, Maison Cécile Laisne:

Maison Cécile Laisne, c. 1878-1879; Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.45.38.1a, b)

This time, the designer utilized a combination of an ivory-colored silk jacquard overskirt arranged in a spiral drape that works its way upwards towards the bodice combined with a silk underskirt covered in an elaborate network of woven cords and what appear to be large metallic beads. If one looks carefully underneath the net, one can see an underskirt consisting of rows of knife pleating, also in an ivory color.

The bodice is long, going over the hips and is typical of Mid-Bustle/Natural Form styles. The bodice is symmetrical, consisting of what appears to be some sort of plain ivory-colored silk satin fabric framed along the hem and front by wide rows of ivory silk satin with passementerie consisting of cording and metallic beads similar to that of the net underskirt. Below is a close-up of the fashion fabric found on the overskirt:

From the pictures, it appears that the net underskirt is visible on the left side only while covered with the outerskirt draping on the right.

The cord work netting is amazing and the steel beads really give it definition. It also appears that there’s some ruching of the fabric of the underskirt foundation. The dress’s asymmetrical style can really be seen from this rear view picture:

The demi-train is pleated and has two or three rows of knife pleating running along the hem. Further up, one can see where the spiraling outerskirt ends, secured in the folds of the train (can we say draping? 😁 ). A small bow on the bodice back at hem level completes the look. And last, here’s the dress label:

Compared to Maison Cécile Laisne’s design in the first post, we tend to like this design a lot better because the asymmetrical elements are arranged more harmoniously with the dress achieving a unified style rather than having elements seemingly “bolted on.” But as with all of this, it’s a very subjective thing. 😁

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The Latest From Atelier Lily Absinthe – Gilded Age Sale!!!

July 21, 2022July 20, 2022 / Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Announcing another Gilded Age sale at Atelier Lily Absinthe!!! Select Gilded Age Era (1870-1900) sewing patterns are on sale for 15% off. Check it out!