Fun fact: there’s no good way to level all of these hem layers except to sit on the floor and pin, pin, pin. Yay. Worth it, though.
Bride
Further Progress
L ace layered guimpe is finished! How is it that the simplest of ideas become so…complicated? An antique lace scarf was repurposed for this, mounted on bobbinette, then I had the bright idea to appliqué more old lace to that. By hand. The whole thing. Call me crazy 🤪
Saturday At The Atelier
Don’t you just love to spend rainy Saturdays doing a little hand sewing? I sure do! ❤️
Big reveal in a few days…check my IG stories for progress!
Spring Is Coming… 😉
Spring will be here sooner than you think and that means weddings. If you’re looking for that right wedding dress, we can help!😉 Feel free to contact us HERE.
Wedding Dresses – It Wasn’t Always A White Wedding
Having worked in and around the “bridal industry” for a number of years, we’re constantly amazed at some of the practices that are presented as being “traditional” when they’re really not- a lot of what we consider “traditional” really have their origins in marketing and when one takes a look at actual 19th Century wedding practices, one is struck by just how informal and “do-it-yourself” they could be and this is especially true when it comes to the “white wedding.” Come along with us as we take a close-up view of some wedding dresses of the period. 😄
In contrast to today, the term “wedding gown” was far more flexible in the late 19th Century than it is today. When we think of a wedding gown, we invariably think of some sort of dress that’s in some shade of white or ivory that’s only worn once on the wedding day and then stored away forever, unless a descendant chooses to wear the dress for their wedding. However, in recent scholarship, it’s been noted that the concept of the “white wedding” with its one-use wedding gown is a fairly recent development, as much a product of merchandising as social convention. During the late 19th Century, a wedding dress was typically a woman’s “best dress,” often enhanced by netting, lace, and flowers (especially orange blossoms). The dress was definitely meant to be worn long after the wedding and in fact, the idea of having a dress for that’s only worn once and then stored away forever was considered the height of wastefulness. With that said, here’s just one example of what a wedding dress could be, at least if we accept the Walsall Museums’ description:

Day Dress, c. 1885; Walsall Museums (WASMG : 1976.0832)

Side Profile
Unfortunately the photography is not the best…style-wise this is mid-1880s with a defined train/bustle and is constructed from a silver-gray silk satin for the overskirt and bodice combined with a silk brocade floral pattern for the underskirt, under bodice and sleeve cuffs. The bodice is constructed to create the effect of a jacket over a vest (although these were usually made as a single unit) and the red flowers on the silk brocade provide pops of red that add richness and variety to what would otherwise be a somewhat dull monochromatic silver-gray dress.

Close-up of front bodice.
And here’s a nice close-up of the silk brocade fabric:

Close-up of fashion fabric.
Here’s a couple of more pictures (although the color is a bit off):

Three-Quarter rear view.
The red flowers on the silk brocade panels definitely draws the eye up and fixes the viewer’s eyes (As should be the case with all bridal dresses!). Of course, as with much of fashion history, there’s rarely any absolutes and this was the case with using “regular” colors versus the more bridal colors of white and ivory during the 1880s. However, in the end, it’s important to realize that the dividing lines between “bridal” and non-bridal were not as rigid was we tend to view them today (although that’s changing). This was just a brief glimpse into the world of bridal dresses during the 1880s and that there are alternatives to the “traditional” when it comes to bridal dresses.😄